News
Storytelling Professor Preserves his Tales in New Book
Throughout his 35-years in the college classroom, first at Drexel University and now Penn State, Dr. Joseph Rose has developed a reputation as the “storytelling professor.” Rose tells us his stories are meant to help students realize that it’s not enough to get good grades; they need to take charge of their lives. But Rose’s […]
Powerball Overhaul Pays Off Immediately
Lottery officials said changes in the multi-state Powerball game would lead to larger jackpots sooner. It has already happened, not quite a month into the change. The jackpot for the drawing on February 11th was up to 325 million dollars by Friday afternoon. Brisk sales were pushing the jackpot up to its highest mark since […]
Radio PA Roundtable 02.10.12
Radio PA Roundtable is a 30-minute program featuring in-depth reporting on the top news stories of the week. Professionally produced and delivered every Friday, Roundtable includes commercial breaks for local sale and quarterly reports for affiliate files. Click the audio player below to hear the full broadcast: [audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/witfaudio/radiopa/Roundtable02-10-12.mp3]
Appropriations Hearings to Start on Monday
Four weeks of budget hearings commence on Monday when the state Senate Appropriations Committee sits down with the Governor’s Budget Office, Independent Fiscal Office and State Treasury for three separate hearings in their North Office Building hearing room. The $27.14-billion dollar no-tax increase budget has been generating plenty of buzz around the state capitol complex, […]
Nursing Homes Worried About Cuts in Governor’s Budget
The gap between the cost of care and reimbursements has been growing for nursing homes and they’re worried about cuts in the Medicaid reimbursement rate in Governor Corbett’s proposed budget. While a 4% reduction may sound like a small number to some, Dr. Stuart Shapiro, President of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, says it will […]
Pennsylvania Joins National Mortgage Abuse Settlement
A multi-state agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage services over foreclosure abuses now includes Pennsylvania. The settlement involves Ally, Bank of America, Citi, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo. The Commonwealth will get about 266 million dollars, including principal reductions for consumers struggling to avoid foreclosure, refinancing relief and payments to people who lost […]
Transportation Funding Crisis Not a Budget Item
The governor’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission released its final report in August, and House Democratic Appropriations Chair Joe Markosek (D-Westmoreland/Allegheny) says it’s been ignored for too long. “I’m just flabbergasted that he’s ignored transportation to the extent that he’s ignored it,” Markosek told us after this week’s budget address. “It’s just almost unbelievable in my […]
College Faculty Group Concerned About Higher Education Cuts in Budget
Governor Corbett’s proposed budget unveiled this week would cut funding to the 14 state-owned universities by 20%. Faculty at the schools are disappointed the schools are targeted once again. State System of Higher Education schools had their funding cut by 18% this year, something that’s already led to larger classes and program reviews according to Dr. […]
Final Marcellus Shale Legislation Headed to Gov’s Desk
Even after years of debate, opinions are mixed on the so-called compromise bill that emerged from a conference committee this week. The Senate voted 31 – 19 on Tuesday, and the House followed suit with a 101 – 90 vote on Wednesday. The legislation will allow counties to authorize a per-well impact fee (between $40,000 […]
Budget Plan Would Consolidate Human Services Funding into Block Grants
The governor’s proposed budget takes a new approach to human services funding by lumping seven separate line items into a single block grant. “The innovation will give the counties the flexibility they need to identify their most pressing needs, and apply funds as they know best,” Corbett said during Tuesday’s budget speech. The increased flexibility […]