News
Auditor General’s Report Critical of Wine Kiosk Program
There has been more criticism of the PLCB‘s wine kiosk program, this time from a special performance audit. Auditor General Jack Wagner says the program does not meet the goals of greater convenience or increased profitability, or reaching under-served areas. He says unless there are radical changes in the contract with the vendor, the LCB […]
Ex-Speaker Perzel Pleads Guilty, Will Cooperate
Flanked by two attorneys and wearing a dark blue suit, former Speaker of the House John Perzel stood in front of Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis, Wednesday, to enter his guilty plea. The Philadelphia Republican did not speak to reporters as he entered or left the third floor courtroom, but he did release a written […]
Controversial Bills Get 2 Days of Capitol Hearings
15-bills are up for discussion before the state House State Government Committee, most of which are included in a package called “National Security Begins at Home.” The bills range from authorizing local police officers to conduct Arizona-style enforcement, to requiring government-issued ID to receive public benefits, to barring babies born to illegal immigrants in PA […]
First Probable Human West Nile Virus Case in Pennsylvania This Year
Pennsylvania has its first probable human case of West Nile Virus this year. An elderly Lebanon County woman was hospitalized in late July with a high fever and neurological symptoms. Officials say she is currently recovering from what they believe is West Nile Virus. So far this year, mosquito samples in 54 counties have been […]
New Marcellus Shale Study Shows More Modest Economic Benefits
A new study shows Marcellus Shale is benefiting the economy, but maybe not as much as some believe. The study looks at employment and other economic activity in the Marcellus Shale Region for 2009 and was conducted by the Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center. Tim Kelsey, professor of agricultural economics at Penn State, is […]
First Director Named for new Independent Fiscal Office
Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office has its first director. Matthew Knittel is a senior financial economist with the U S Department of Treasury. He says the office will be a great tool to help lawmakers craft policy, providing revenue and expenditure projections and undertaking special studies and developing performance measures. Knittel’s first day on the job is […]
Thousands of Pennsylvanians Still Without Power
The wrath of Hurricane Irene was too much for many electric transmission and distribution lines in the eastern half of the state. At the height of the storm, 768,000 homes and businesses were without power. As of 1pm, Monday, the Public Utility Commission reported that number had been reduced to 385,000. Utility crews from Ohio, […]
Maryland Resort Dodges Worst of Irene
A popular Maryland resort ordered a mandatory evacuation on Thursday ahead of Irene, but the town was back in business by noon Sunday. Ocean City, Maryland dodged a bullet as Hurricane Irene roared up the coast. Mayor Rick Meehan says the winds were not quite as strong as predicted and the height of the storm surge […]
The Clean-up and Recovery Begins…
As crews tried to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers left in the dark by Hurricane Irene, state officials continued their efforts to set Pennsylvania on the path to recovery in the wake of the enormous storm. Governor Tom Corbett provided updates on the state’s fatalities Sunday, including people killed by falling trees […]
More Woes for Electric Customers in Hurricane Irene’s Wake
As the high winds associated with Hurricane Irene picked up velocity in Pennsylvania during the early morning hours, the state’s utilities were scrambling to keep the lights on. As of 10:45am Sunday, PPL was reporting more than 191,000 customers out of service in 29 counties, with more reports of additional outages coming in. The most […]