Legislature
Pennsylvania GOP leaders are stealing your right to vote (poconorecord.com)
State Sen. Haywood seeks more coordination with Kenney to attack gun violence | Local News | phillytrib.com
Pennsylvania House speaker pans Wolf’s federal relief spending plan | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
Pennsylvania Supreme Court takes over congressional redistricting process | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
Pennsylvania officials anxiously await for new maps ahead of Friday’s vote (abc27.com)
Pa. Considers Statewide Education Funding to Ease Financial Gaps (vista.today)
Pennsylvania Governor announces $1.7 billion pandemic recovery p – WFMJ.com
Proposed bill would protect farmers when grain brokers fail (readingeagle.com)
Governor Tom Wolf sues to force carbon-pricing plan to take effect | WITF
Legislators want to legalize sterile syringe distribution in attempt to capture federal dollars | WITF
Gov. Tom Wolf vetoes bill to prevent municipal gun control laws | WITF
Pa. Gov. Wolf vetoes GOP-authored local gun law preemption bill – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
That vetoed Republican gun preemption bill is part of a larger GOP strategy | Friday Morning Coffee – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Lawmakers, including Pa.’s Thompson, clash over climate in early farm bill talks – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
YAW: NEPA is Leading Job Growth in Pennsylvania – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers | City & State PA (cityandstatepa.com)
Coronavirus – COVID-19
Over-the-counter COVID tests will soon be free for Medicare recipients : NPR
Infectious disease expert reacts to firing of doctor over alleged COVID treatment prescriptions (abc27.com)
Hospitalizations mirror COVID-19 case drop | Coronavirus | tribdem.com
Kids’ COVID vaccinations plummet as U.S. considers shots for younger children | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
5,000 blank COVID-19 vaccination cards stolen from Pa. clinic, and it could be ‘inside job’ – pennlive.com
Business/Jobs
Quit rates remain high, layoffs are at all-time lows and employers are feeling the heat – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Alliance wants to make Western Pa. a hub for hydrogen production and carbon storage | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
BNY Mellon sets return date for remote workers and reiterates vaccine mandate; PNC still deciding | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Amazon raises prices for Prime members (inquirer.com)
Geisinger nurses ratify union contract with historic wage increases | Business | thetimes-tribune.com
Talking Business with Tina Hamilton: ‘Perfect storm’ of inflation, labor shortages likely to drive up wages – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Crime/Punishment
Biden in NYC: Nation must come together to end gun violence | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Philly carjackings have doubled over last year’s record pace, police say (inquirer.com)
FBI probes bomb threats against HBCUs; campuses reopen after no explosives are found – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Delaware County anticipates saving millions in George W. Hill Correctional Facility transition (delcotimes.com)
Education
Commissioners, legislators meet with school officials to address student mental health | The Unionville Times
School officials, local lawmakers, county leaders discuss solutions to mental health needs of students – The Mercury (pottsmerc.com)
From slavery to socialism, proposed laws would restrict what teachers can say : NPR
Thousands call for resignation of Oxford school director who blamed ‘illegal immigrants’ for declining test scores – Daily Local
As Gov. Wolf readies his final budget, state universities wait to see if they will get more funding | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Developer sells proposed site of 8-story building to University of Scranton | News | thetimes-tribune.com
Diocese of Allentown schools go from mandating masks in August to recommending them next week – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
GOP makes case for school choice, not money in Pa. funding trial | WITF
Amid scrambles for teachers, some fear worse shortages ahead | WITF
Elections/Politics
Tim Ryan faces an uphill fight in Ohio U.S. Senate contest : NPR
New poll shows an advantage for Republican state candidates this year | City & State PA (cityandstatepa.com)
Republicans say poll points to continued state house success in fall election (broadandliberty.com)
The Editors: PA GOP needs to show why it exists (broadandliberty.com)
PODCAST: Melissa Hart Makes Her Move, Runs for PA Gov – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
DelVal Candidates White, Bartos Rack Up Another Win at SE Caucus – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
White, Bartos Win Again | PoliticsPA
Who is Dave White and Why Is He Doing So Well? | PoliticsPA
DelRosso Joins Lt. Governor Fray | PoliticsPA
Jake Corman talks 2022 Republican primary election for Pa. governor, Trump, and more (inquirer.com)
Shapiro’s office: GOP elector plan not illegal, but misleading | Times Leader
Pennsylvania has some big races in 2022, but political parties are mostly staying silent. Why? – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Philadelphia native chosen as Lt. Gov. candidate in Maryland | Local News | phillytrib.com
America First candidate Dasha Pruett launches primary campaign against Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (theintell.com)
Environment
Satellites have detected massive gas leaks : NPR
Climate change drives bigger floods during hurricanes : NPR
Health
Hospitals, still crowded from omicron, turn away patients needing other care : Shots – Health News : NPR
Editorial: PA must stop the collapse of its disability system (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Op-Ed: We must protect abortion access in Pennsylvania (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Canyon Atlantic says it was ‘stonewalled’ by Tower Health in failed bid for 2 hospitals – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Chester County Hospital looks to further expand ER capacity, citing 9-hour wait times | WITF
Founding executive director of Allentown LGBTQ community center to step down – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
State News
Pa.’s $73 billion school pension fund will finally learn what went wrong with key calculation | Education | citizensvoice.com
Unemployment recipients get tax forms for money they missed because of ‘bank hijacking’ (abc27.com)
Wolf Admin, Aqua ‘Waging War’ on Public Utilities in Distressed Communities, CWA Says – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
Storm expected to glaze Pennsylvania, New England in ice – Daily Local
Reporting missing persons to a national database now the law in Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
LGBTQ workers need more protection as discrimination laws are repealed | Opinion (inquirer.com)
Pa. officials warn of ‘dramatic’ drop in regular blood donors – pennlive.com
With Pa. Facing ‘critical shortage,’ state physician general issues call for donations – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Pa. casinos hit jackpot with record year – pennlive.com
Guest column: The case for property tax elimination in Pennsylvania (timesherald.com)
Pat Toomey is among members of Congress from Pennsylvania who have traded in stocks. Some lawmakers are trying to ban the practice. – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Lori Dumas sworn in as Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge | Local News | phillytrib.com
National News
The U.S. government is diplomatically boycotting Beijing’s Olympics
The Olympics are putting Comcast and NBC in a tough spot (inquirer.com)
Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama vote for second time in union effort : NPR
Ice becomes a bigger concern as massive winter storm moves across the U.S. : NPR
After plea deal rejected, Greg McMichael will instead go to trial in Arbery case : NPR
Former NFL Coach Brian Flores on Suing the League for Discrimination : The Limits with Jay Williams : NPR
Some Dole salad mixes recalled after 2 deaths in listeria outbreak (abc27.com)
Slow Drip: PA Officials Concerned About Low Blood Supply (abc27.com)
ISIS leader dead after US special operations raid | ABC27
Amid crisis in Ukraine, Putin in Beijing praises China ties | News | tribdem.com
Putin heads to China to bolster ties amid Ukraine tensions | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
On Ukraine, Many Russians Have No Doubt: It’s the Fault of the U.S. – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
How a Russian invasion of Ukraine could impact Americans economically (abc27.com)
MLB requests federal mediation to help resolve lockout (inquirer.com)
Local News
Chester County Food Bank gets $50,000 in state funding to buy new equipment – Daily Local
Closings and delays across the Midstate due to winter weather (abc27.com)
Police in Lancaster County holding free prescription drug drop-off event at 26 locations (abc27.com)
Judge appoints expert to help Lancaster farmer comply with food safety laws | Local News | lancasteronline.com
Bucks County officials sound alarm on impact of PA redistricting map delays (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Updates: Ice storm slams Northeastern Pennsylvania | Crime-emergencies | citizensvoice.com
Keystone Job Corps Center in Drums to accept Afghan refugees | News | citizensvoice.com
Luzerne council to vote on WVSA agreement; would provide services in lieu of stormwater fee | | standardspeaker.com
Sense of urgency heightened for Ontelaunee Dam upgrades (readingeagle.com)
Icy roads, flooding possible Friday as freezing rain continues to fall – pennlive.com
Safe, reliable, and affordable transit is the fastest route to an equitable society | Opinion – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Pitt
Pittsburgh officials urge residents to stay home with icy, snowy conditions on the way | TribLIVE.com
One-two punch of ice, snow causes thousands of power outages around Pittsburgh region | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Annexation vote delay is the right decision | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
12 infrastructure fails in the Pittsburgh region, including Fern Hollow Bridge | TribLIVE.com
Allegheny County has plans to repair all of its poorly rated bridges | TribLIVE.com
Mayor, state leaders call for more access to syringe exchanges during Prevention Point Pittsburgh visit | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper (pghcitypaper.com)
No can of soup: Carnegie Museums pays $1 million to acquire lot near the Warhol | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Philly
Guest editorial | Domestic violence homicides were up 240% last year. Why is Philly getting guns from so few accused abusers? | Editorials | tribdem.com
Philadelphia officials challenge hospitals and universities to spend $75M with minority-owned businesses – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
SparingVision picks Philadelphia for its U.S. headquarters – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Councilmember Gym debuts environmental justice legislation | Local News | phillytrib.com
Philly officials managed to collaborate on gun violence report, but can they implement their own recommendations? | Editorial (inquirer.com)
Will the fizz go out of the new effort to repeal Philly’s soda tax? – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
PPD narcotics unit seizes $7.5 million worth of drugs in January | Local News | phillytrib.com
Philly school district CTE programs train students | Local News | phillytrib.com
Wayne Junction is quietly booming. Can it last? | Local News | phillytrib.com
Washington
Democratic governors hold out hope for Build Back Better legislation | City & State PA (cityandstatepa.com)
Lawmakers criticize 5G rollout amid flight safety concerns (abc27.com)
Congress pressures NFL to release Washington Commanders sexual harassment report (abc27.com)
Former Washington Commanders employees speak with lawmakers on workplace harassment | ABC27
Lisa Cook could soon become the first Black woman on the Fed. Republicans say she’s not qualified. | News | phillytrib.com
