News
Keystone State Games Underway
5,000 amateur athletes have descended on the Hershey-Harrisburg region or the 30th annual Keystone State Games. This is the third time they’ve welcomed athletes from all 67-counties. “We are an Olympic-style sports festival. We are Pennsylvania’s largest annual sports festival. From where we started in 1981, we’ve had over 300,000 participants,” says James Costello, director […]
It’s a Buyer’s Market; But Home Buyer Satisfaction is Down
Between low prices and low interest rates, you would expect home buyer satisfaction to be high. That’s generally true – but it’s not as high as it was in last year’s JD Power and Associates survey. “There are still some challenges out there for the buyer. Namely they have to get funds, they have to […]
Capitol Hearing Kicks-Off Privatization Debate
House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) was the only testifier on the Liquor Control Committee’s agenda Thursday, but Chairman John Taylor (R-Philadelphia) stressed that this hearing was the first of many. “The goal of Chairman Santoni and I is to get the information on the table, and have everybody have the opportunity to have their […]
Mummies are a Hit in Philadelphia
After barely a month on display at The Franklin Institute, in Philadelphia, Mummies of the World – The Exhibition has drawn visitors from all 50-states and 20-countries. “Truly the statistics are astounding,” says Troy Collins, senior vice president of programs marketing and development at The Franklin Institute. He says it’s a testament to both the […]
Study Examines Rural Health Care Challenges
A UnitedHealth Group / Harris Interactive survey, of 1,000 doctors and 2,000 consumers, finds that rural Americans tend to be older, poorer and sicker than their urban counterparts. “They tend to be more reliant on programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and they have more chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease,” says Dr. […]
Toomey: Prioritize Debt Service
With one week to go before America’s August 2nd debt ceiling deadline, Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) is drumming up support for a fallback plan. At a Capitol Hill news conference, Toomey introduced the Full Faith and Credit of the United States and Protecting America’s Soldiers and Seniors Act. “What our bill would do is it […]
Bill Would Tie Driver’s License to Restitution
A state lawmaker has introduced a bill that would add some teeth to the law for restitution in driving-related cases. Once court costs and state fines on a driver related offense have been paid, a driver’s license can’t be suspended according to state Representative Keith Gillespie. He wants to allow the courts to be able […]
Some Call for Special Session on Marcellus Shale
It’s been three years of discussion and debate, but there’s been no comprehensive action on Marcellus Shale issues in Harrisburg. Now with a series of consensus recommendations from the governor’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission in hand, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) is calling for a special session this fall. “We feel that there is now […]
The Race for the Republican Nomination
It’s a wide-open field, according to Kiron Skinner, professor of international relations at Carnegie Mellon University. “We haven’t seen a contest quite like this in a very long time. Usually we have a sense of the frontrunners very early on in the process. We do not, right now, have that sense,” says Skinner, who spoke […]
State Insurance Department Plans Forums on Health Insurance Exchanges
Health Insurance exchanges are a key part of the federal Health Care Reform Law. Pennsylvania is in the process of deciding if it wants to develop its own, or leave it up to the federal government. Operating its own Health Insurance Exchange, a one stop shopping opportunity for people and businesses looking for health insurance, […]