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Farmers gain conservation, innovation funds in Pa. state budget
An injection of money into the Clean Streams Fund is one part of the recently passed state budget sparking optimism among local conservation and agricultural workers, while a new $10 million agricultural innovation fund is expected to open for proposals by next month. A recurring $50 million allocation will extend...
Penn State Board of Trustees sued by one of its members
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) – Penn State’s Board of Trustees is facing a lawsuit from one of its own members after allegedly refusing to give access to important information. Trustee Barry Fenchak filed the suit Tuesday, June 16, after repeatedly asking about Penn State’s use of the endowment money since “June of 2022.” In the […]
PA Wilds Center launches Artisan Collective program for regional artists
Kane, Pa. — As part of its endorsement of rural artistry, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship has created an investment program for visual artists and graphic designers in the Pa. Wilds region to help scale up their businesses. The new program will run through December 2024. The program will invest in rural artists to help them develop and bring to market new PA Wilds branded products to meet growing...
Thousands of Pa. prisoners endure summer heat without air conditioning
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. Harrisburg, Pa. — As extreme heat stifles Pennsylvania for a fourth week, thousands of people incarcerated in state prisons have little opportunity for relief because more than a third of the facilities lack universal air conditioning. Of the 24...
Texas company purchases Highway Materials
Texas-based Heidelberg Materials North America recently announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase Philadelphia-based Highway Materials, an aggregates and asphalt producer. “The addition of the Highway Materials business, with its broad range of products and more than 80 years of history in Pennsylvania, is a great opportunity to strengthen the company’s aggregate reserves […] The post Texas company purchases Highway Materials appeared first on Pennsylvania Business Report.
Big Lots With NJ & PA Locations Closing Stores & May Go Bankrupt
Bad news for another major retail chain. It may be going under. The New York Post is reporting that Big Lots is in financial trouble. News like this is becoming all too common these days with other chains like Walgreens and Red Lobster struggling as well. If you're not familiar...
Trails and tourism: How outdoor recreation can bring a boom to Pa. river towns
Williamsport, Pa. — The outdoors and recreation industry generates more toward Pennsylvania's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than oil, gas, steel, and coal combined. You heard that right. According to presenters at a "Trails and Tourism" presentation at the James V. Brown Library on July 15, outdoor recreation is booming in Pa., and the economic possibilities are vast for river towns like Lock Haven, Jersey Shore, and Williamsport. ...
Crozer Health Gets Potential Buyer If State Chips In Up to $500M
Prospect Medical wants state funds to help seal a deal with a potential buyer for Crozer Health. There’s a prospective unnamed buyer for Crozer Health, but Crozer’s owner, Prospect Medical Holdings, wants the state to put up between $100 million and $500 million to finance the deal, writes Kenny Cooper for WHYY.
Pa. launches right-to-counsel program with hopes of reducing evictions
Funding for the new program was included in the budget lawmakers passed last week. For the first time ever, Pennsylvania will offer free legal representation to low-income renters facing an eviction or another housing-related issue. The new budget includes $2.5 million for a statewide right-to-counsel program. The funding will be...
Shapiro hosts disabled Pennsylvanians to celebrate funding boost with brunch and bocce
Disabled athletes and their advocates came to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg on Thursday to celebrate a boost in funding for support services with a brunch and a few rounds of the Italian ball game, bocce. Gov. Josh Shapiro, who hosted the event with Special Olympics Pennsylvania, also held...
Mail Ballot Envelopes Will Now Be Printed with the Full Year Filled Out
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeat's free newsletters here. The Pennsylvania Department of State is hoping another change to mail ballot return envelopes will eliminate the chance of ballots being rejected this November because of voters failing to write in the year completely. In a directive earlier this month, the Department of State told counties that they should now preprint ballot return envelopes with the full, four-digit year in the date field, leaving voters to fill in just the month and day alongside their signature. “We conducted an analysis after...
This Year’s Budget Overturns Local Bans on Rodeos. No Pa. Lawmaker Will Take Credit
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. HARRISBURG — Under a little-noticed provision in the new state budget, Pennsylvania municipalities will be forced to allow rodeo events to take place in their borders even if local lawmakers have voted to restrict them. Only one place in the commonwealth appears to fit this description: Pittsburgh, which more than 30 years ago banned the use of some tools to control animals, including electric prods and spurs. The language is tucked into the nearly 140-page fiscal code, an...
Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund Reaches Record High
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity has commended the combined efforts of the General Assembly and the Governor for their decision to allocate approximately $740 million to the state’s Rainy Day Fund for the fiscal year 2024-25. This addition boosts the reserve fund to a record $6.987 billion. When Garrity assumed office, the fund was significantly smaller, barely covering two days of the Commonwealth’s expenses. Now, with four years of robust savings, the fund can sustain the state for 53.6 days, surpassing the national median of 46 days.
Pa. Supreme Court Upholds License for Nittany Mall Casino
The state's highest court has upheld the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's decision to award a license for a planned casino at the Nittany Mall, paving the way for the project to move forward. Pennsylvania's Supreme Court in an opinion issued Wednesday found the board acted properly in awarding the license to Ira Lubert at a 2020 auction, dismissing a challenge brought by losing bidder Stadium Casino. Stadium, a subsidiary of Baltimore-based Cordish Companies, has 14 days to file a motion to reconsider. The project can now move ahead unless the decision is appealed to a higher court, PGCB spokesperson Doug Harbach said. "The Gaming...
Pa. heat advisories are outpacing the average rate this summer. Climate change plays a role.
Pennsylvania is seeing more frequent bouts of extreme heat this summer. Since June 1, the National Weather Service has issued 18 heat advisories in the state. That’s 13 more than the average for this time period over the last two decades, according to data collected by Iowa State University.
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