News
Gypsy Moths Resurge in Eight Pennsylvania Counties
Pennsylvania is going to do something this spring it has not done since 2009: spray for gypsy moths. The pests have stripped trees in at least 8 counties. Gypsy moth numbers are high enough in parts of Cameron, Clarion, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, Potter, Tioga and Venango Counties to warrant the spraying of more than 43 thousand […]
Labor Secretary Defends PA Jobs Climate
Through three weeks of state budget hearings Senate Democratic Appropriations Chairman Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) has repeatedly pointed out the fact that – for the first time in years – Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate is now worse than the national average. So he took issue with Labor & Industry Secretary Julia Hearthway’s positive assessment of the state’s […]
Liquor Privatization Bill Introduced
The legislation essentially puts the plan Governor Tom Corbett outlined in January into bill form, and House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) is optimistic. “People recognize Pennsylvania needs to change in a positive direction. We’re now talking about the details of how you structure that change.” Turzai is the bill’s prime sponsor and perhaps the […]
CWD-Infected Deer Appeared Healthy
After 15-years of testing more than 43,000 deer, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has confirmed three cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in hunter-killed deer. Two of the infected animals were harvested in Blair County; the third came from Bedford County. “We’ve been saying for many years it’s not a matter of if but when, and […]
Corrections Secretary Focused on Outcomes
‘Corrections’ is a literal term for Secretary John Wetzel. That’s why he told the House Appropriations Committee the Department of Corrections new recidivism study accounts for both re-incarcerations and rearrests. “We need to focus our corrections system on outcomes, and our outcomes mean people getting out and doing the right thing,” Wetzel explains, “So that’s […]
Chronic Wasting Disease Now in PA’s Wild Deer
A disease that’s fatal to deer has crossed into the wild in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Game Commission stepped up monitoring for Chronic Wasting Disease after it appeared in neighboring states. Now, the disease has tuned up in the wild deer population. Three deer killed in Blair and Bedford Counties during hunting season tested positive for the neurological […]
Insurance Rate Shock Coming for Young, Healthy People
2014 could prove to be a tumultuous year for health insurance rates. Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Consedine said as much when answering questions from members of the state House Appropriations Committee this week. Consedine says some segments of the population are likely to experience what he calls “rate shock,” upon full implementation of the Affordable […]
Governance Discussion to Include All State-Relateds
Former Auditor General Jack Wagner’s special report on Penn State’s governance will be the subject of a state Senate committee hearing later this month. “It will be a look at whether there should be changes, and then whether the legislature should have a role in that,” says State Government Committee Chairman Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster), who […]
Radio PA Roundtable 03.01.13
On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman and Matt Paul bring you more from the state legislative budget hearings, which included questioning on pensions and liquor privatization this week. Also, Radio PA’s Cathy Clark provides an update on the health of the Susquehanna River. Radio PA Roundtable is a 30-minute program featuring in-depth reporting on […]
Fewer Families Saving for College
It appears that the lingering effects of the recession have hit college savings efforts. Only half of American families with kids under age 18 are saving for college according to research released by Sallie Mae and Ipsos. That number represents a decline from two years ago. Sarah Ducich , a senior vice president at Sallie Mae, says […]