(The Center Square) — Preparing Pennsylvania localities to deal with xylazine, a horse tranquilizer that’s mixed in with fentanyl, has cost the state almost $500,000 thus far. The money, spent in an effort to send out 50,000 xylazine wound care kits, is part of a harm-reduction effort to get help […]
Nuclear growing, but power demand still a problem
(The Center Square) — The growth of data centers has been good news for nuclear power in Pennsylvania. But meeting growing demand in the future could be a struggle for the electric grid. Local political support stood behind reviving Three Mile Island in the commonwealth and Constellation Energy announced a […]
Pennsylvania OKs $80M for crime data reporting, victim services
Police departments across Pennsylvania will get an $80 million boost.
By Anthony Hennen
Growing demand for power, but no clean plan for PJM
“We don’t have an energy policy — that’s the overriding problem,” State Senator Yaw said.
By Anthony Hennen
Mail ballots cause headaches for tracking vote totals
(The Center Square) — A proposal for election transparency has one state legislator going against the Department of State. At the center of the split: changes made to Pennsylvania’s elections stemming from the passage of Act 77 of 2019. Rep. Brad Roae, R-Meadville, introduced House Bill 2542 to require the Department to […]
Pittsburgh struggling to regain economic footing after pandemic
(The Center Square) — Though Pittsburgh lags behind comparable cities, it does have some bright spots. The Allegheny Conference on Community Development, pulling stats from the second quarter of 2024, found some reasons for optimism. The labor force, for example, grew almost 2% year over year, “a full percentage point greater than […]
Business leaders wary of critical mineral subsidies
(The Center Square) — As federal money and private investment pour into critical minerals, Pennsylvania’s potential is great. The grants that buoy more research to figure out the size of the market in the commonwealth, however, mean some projects are wary of embracing government handouts. For one leader, efforts that […]
Compared to peers, Pittsburgh taxes and spends more, but grows less
(The Center Square) — A new analysis finds that Pittsburgh has a glut of city workers and more government spending relative to comparative cities, holding back growth. The result, an analysis from an Allegheny Institute for Public Policy suggests, is a place that has been “lethargic” coming out of the […]
State makes audits easier to find, understand
(The Center Square) — The Pennsylvania auditor announced a website update on Wednesday to make audit reports and public information easier to find and understand. “It’s now easier than ever to search our site for information on audits, jobs, (volunteer firefighter relief associations), municipal pension plans, and more,” Auditor General […]
ARCH2 gets $30M for hydrogen hub; critics call it a ‘boondoggle’
(The Center Square) — The federal government cut its first check for a multi-state experiment to build a hydrogen-based manufacturing and energy hub in Appalachia, sending $30 million to ARCH2. The team behind the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub expects up to $925 million from the Department of Energy to […]