News
House Panel Mulls Stronger School Library Policy
Not all school libraries are created equal. A State Board of Education study highlights the point. While almost all schools have libraries and 95% have librarians, only 44% of those librarians are full-time. “Many of the librarians are serving multiple schools within their districts,” says the University of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Mary Biagini, the study’s lead […]
Americans Ready to Travel for Labor Day Despite Higher Gas Prices
Americans are ready to travel for Labor Day weekend, despite the higher gas prices. AAA expects travel to be up almost 3% nationwide for the holiday with increases in both car and air travel. Jenny Robinson of AAA Mid Atlantic says consumer confidence has improved compared to a year ago and more people are prioritizing […]
Report Provides Roadmap to Grow Manufacturing Jobs
The manufacturing sector has actually posted employment gains in two consecutive years. It currently employs 574,000 Pennsylvanians, but Governor Tom Corbett says we can do better. Corbett and key members of his administration unveiled the Governor’s Manufacturing Advisory Council report at four, statewide events Tuesday afternoon. The 24-member panel decided upon 15-recommendations that range from […]
Game Commission Announces Pheasant Stocking Plans
Despite Tropical Storm Lee, and thanks to Marcellus Shale leasing money, Pennsylvania’s pheasant stocking level this year will be the healthiest in almost a decade. The state game commission plans to stock some 200 thousand pheasants for the upcoming small game seasons for the first time since 2004, after being at a reduced level of […]
New Flu Strain Turns Up Again In Pennsylvania
More than 200 cases of a pig-related flu have been confirmed in several states and Pennsylvania is now among them. The State health department has four confirmed cases and 6 probable cases of the H3N2v flu. The cases occurred among youth participants in the Huntingdon County Fair and were mild. Cases in other states have […]
Radio PA Roundtable 08.17.12
On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman and Matt Paul update you on Pennsylvania’s Voter ID law, now that the Commonwealth Court has issued a key ruling; Matt talks to a state lawmaker about property tax reform; and we have new poll numbers on the presidential race in Pennsylvania. Radio PA Roundtable is a […]
Select Committee on Property Taxes to Meet on Monday
State House leaders have tapped a select committee to study property taxes, under a resolution that passed with broad bipartisan support before lawmakers’ summer break. Monday marks the group’s inaugural meeting, but its final report and recommendations won’t be due until the end of November. “We really look at that report as a way to […]
Reactions Abound to Voter ID Ruling
Stakeholders are weighing in now that a Commonwealth Court judge has rejected critics’ call for an injunction against Pennsylvania’s new Voter ID law. Here’s a sampling: ACLU of Pennsylvania legal director Vic Walczak: “Given clear evidence that impersonation fraud is not a problem, we had hoped that the court would show greater concern for […]
Preliminary Injunction Denied for Voter ID Law
A Commonwealth Court judge has denied opponents’ request for a preliminary injunction against Pennsylvania’s new Voter ID law. In his 70-page opinion, Judge Robert Simpson says the petitioners did an excellent job of “putting a face” to those burdened by the photo ID requirement. However, he writes that he cannot decide the issue based on […]
More Human Cases of West Nile Virus Confirmed in Pennsylvania
The state’s West Nile Virus count stands at five with three more confirmed cases added this week. The new cases involve two men in Delaware County and a woman in Centre County. The earlier cases were in Franklin and Lancaster Counties. Both were women. Amanda Witman, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, says […]