Legislature
Advocates say PA needs to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – Pittsburgh Business Times (bizjournals.com)
Pennsylvania Senate passes measure to erase PennDOT-backed plan to toll 9 interstate bridges: ‘An issue of transparency’ – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Bridge Tolls Hit Roadblock in Pennsylvania Senate With New Bill Requiring Approval (delco.today)
State push for road-funding reform remains focused on tolling some bridges | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Lawmaker calls for halt to PennDOT plan to toll nine bridges – WFMJ.com
Langerholc calls for halt to PennDOT plan to toll nine bridges | News | tribdem.com
State panel explores alternatives to bridge tolls and gas taxes | State | standardspeaker.com
State Senator Jay Costa – The KDKA Radio Morning Show with Larry Richert and Kevin Battle – Omny.fm
State, industry agricultural leaders discuss opportunities, challenges ahead | Pennsylvania News | wfmz.com
How big is Pa.’s agriculture industry? $132.5B big, new state report finds | Thursday Morning Coffee | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero Proposes Incentivizing Home Purchases Among Young Professionals – BUCKSCO.Today
Recreation grant coming to Hellertown – Times News Online (tnonline.com)
Pa. racial equality amendment has precedent — and online skeptics | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Senate legislation to allow caregiver visits in pandemic | News | bradfordera.com
Oversight of Pa. recovery homes stalls as officials, advocates disagree on best approach · Spotlight PA
Pa. Senate OKs Bill Delegating Docs’ Informed Consent Duties – Law360
First-Time Home Buyers Savings Account Legislation Advances – WDAC
Shapiro cracking down on ‘hang tag’ law violations | News | delcotimes.com
This is the true ‘gold standard” for child protection in Pa. | Opinion | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Coronavirus – COVID-19
National
What Happens If You Miss Your 2nd COVID-19 Shot? | Health.com
CNN Poll: About a quarter of adults say they won’t try to get a Covid-19 vaccine – CNNPolitics
Mass Vaccination, India’s Covid-19 Escape Route, Poses a Giant Challenge – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Moderna says it will make up to 3 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2022 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Is it safe to go to big sporting events during the pandemic? | Coronavirus | thetimes-tribune.com
State
Contact tracing breach in Pa. affects private info of 72K people – pennlive.com
Vaccine hesitancy among longterm care workers a complex issue, Pennsylvania providers group says | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
Independence Blue Cross, Rite-Aid working together to improve COVID-19 vaccine access for members | Business | dailylocal.com
Less than half of personal care, assisted living home staff are vaccinated | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Nearly half of all Pennsylvanians have at least 1 covid vaccine shot | TribLIVE.com
Vaccine passports aren’t planned in Pa. or N.J., but it’s a hot topic (inquirer.com)
Local
Former Pa. health chief Rachel Levine visits Philly FEMA vaccination site and sees few takers (inquirer.com)
Montgomery County opens walk-in clinic for COVID vaccines in Norristown (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
LVHN’s Northampton clinic taking walk-ins for COVID-19 vaccinations (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Pittsburgh Public Schools, Giant Eagle to partner for student vaccine clinic | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
U.K. COVID-19 variant prevalent in Erie County water (goerie.com)
Cambria adds 76 COVID-19 cases as local surge hangs on | Coronavirus | tribdem.com
New COVID vaccine providers included in Pennsylvania distribution to Berks County | Coronavirus | readingeagle.com
COVID-19 vaccine clinic scheduled for Mohegan Sun Pocono | Coronavirus | standardspeaker.com
Drive-thru COVID vaccine clinic held in Hanover Twp. as demand slows | coronavirus | citizensvoice.com
Philadelphia COVID-19 updates: vaccine demand at Convention Center, cases plumeting in Pa. and N.J. (inquirer.com)
Business
Wells Fargo donating $8.35M to help Philadelphia’s underserved small businesses – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Seeking diversity, employers drop college degree requirements for more jobs. : NPR
Amazon’s profits soar 220 percent as pandemic drives shopping online. – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
No-hire deal between two southwestern Pa. businesses isn’t enforceable, state high court rules | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Two ex-employees of Guy Fieri’s restaurant in Westmoreland County allege unfair pay, racism | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mechanics who maintain Allentown vehicles poised to strike if third-party employer won’t cooperate at bargaining table – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
National trucking firm expanding in the Lehigh Valley – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Allentown’s CrossAmerica buying 106 convenience stores from 7-Eleven for $263 million – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Crime/Punishment
Paul T. Dickinson named new Pennridge Regional Police Chief; retiring Chief Rodney Blake commended | News | montgomerynews.com
Police use of Tasers ends in hundreds of deaths like Daunte Wright (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Rep. Lamb seeks funding for Neighborhood 91, body cameras for municipal police | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Councilor DeWitt Walton shares stories of being racially profiled before Allegheny County creates police review board | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper (pghcitypaper.com)
‘A roving nightmare’: Former Lancaster police chief recounts summer protests on podcast | Local News | lancasteronline.com
Guest Opinion: Policing ‘pickle’ for Central Bucks authorities (timesonline.com)
Education
Questions still surround potential Cal U merger – The Mon Valley Independent
Renaissance Academy named top PA charter school in annual U.S. News & World Report ranking | News | dailylocal.com
@EDGreenRibbon: Congrats ’21 #EDGreenRibbon! Commonwealth Charter Academy (PA) is home to the largest school-based aquaponic facility in the country. Supplying fresh produce and fish, it’s 100% solar powered.
Propel charter school staff votes to form union | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Federal judge tosses COVID-related tuition reimbursement suit against Pitt | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Coatesville school board approves preliminary budget with $187M in expenses, $179.2M in revenue | Community News | lancasteronline.com
Philadelphia school district, CCP degree program gives students a headstart on college | Local News | phillytrib.com
Bethlehem principal known for his ‘compassion and grace’ selected as Pennsylvania Secondary Principal of the Year – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
These are the best high schools in Berks for 2021, according to U.S. News and World Report | Local News | readingeagle.com
Scranton School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children pivots to new model, celebrates students | Education | thetimes-tribune.com
Elections/Politics
New Mailer From Outside-Spending Group Escalates Attacks In Mayoral Campaign | 90.5 WESA
10 primary battles in western Montgomery County, 7 are Republican contests | Regional | montgomerynews.com
6 things you should know about election security in Berks County | Berks and Beyond | readingeagle.com
Berks County needs poll workers for the primary election | Elections | readingeagle.com
Pennsylvania primary 2021: Mail-in and absentee ballots arriving (ydr.com)
PA17: Lamb Raises $410K in Q1 | PoliticsPA
Advantage, GOP | FiveThirtyEight
Berks Co. GOP boss takes heat for comparing Dems to Hitler, Tojo | Friday Morning Coffee | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Florida Legislature Approves New Election Reform Bill : NPR
Virginia GOP Governor’s Race: Convention Process Is Tricky : NPR
Environment
Volunteers clean up the streets of Bridgeport | Local-news | timesherald.com
New book by former Pa. state senator calls for environmental rights amendment to the Constitution – pennlive.com
Op-Ed: ‘Community solar’ could help Pennsylvania diversify its energy portfolio | Opinion | thecentersquare.com
Biden’s remark on wind propellers in Pittsburgh underscores climate, trade policy at 100-day mark | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Wild, environmental advocates praise climate piece of American Jobs Plan (poconorecord.com)
Technology
Get Ready For A Shortage Of iPads And MacBooks : NPR
Transportation
Pennsylvania’s new ‘move over’ law may not be as safe as it sounds | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
With ‘Amtrak Joe’ in the White House, states hope for a passenger rail renaissance | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
SEPTA launches $25 million bus system redesign | Local News | phillytrib.com
Turnpike ramps to close in Carbon County | Crime-Emergency | thetimes-tribune.com
Health
Addiction treatment providers in Pa. face little state scrutiny despite harm to clients – pennlive.com
Pa. opioid deaths increased during COVID-19 pandemic, officials say | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Record number: COVID-19 doesn’t stop UPMC Hamot kidney transplants (goerie.com)
Encouraging Results For Alzheimer’s Drug Repurposed For Fragile X Syndrome : Shots – Health News : NPR
FDA Moves To Ban Cigarettes And Flavored Cigars : NPR
CVS Offers Mental Health Counseling In Stores : Shots – Health News : NPR
Op-Ed: Toward a better understanding of transgender people and issues in Pa. (timesonline.com)
Research finds that autism develops differently in girls than boys | Smart Talk (witf.org)
COVID pandemic habits: How to keep the good and get rid of the bad (inquirer.com)
State News
How the Biden presidency looks from one pivotal Pennsylvania county, 100 days in – CNNPolitics
Lehigh Valley students complete “George Floyd challenge” in video, photo – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Houlahan hosts town hall to combat gun violence in American society | News | dailylocal.com
Locally brewed IPA will help to raise money for Pa. veterans | Today in Pa. – pennlive.com
The month in photos: PennLive’s best images of April – pennlive.com
Illegally dumped tires catch fire in Pa. coal mine – pennlive.com
State College ranks highest in Pa. housing market, but how did Harrisburg, other areas fare? – pennlive.com
Bethel man and his dogs form search and rescue team | News | dailylocal.com
Weekly unemployment claims in Pennsylvania declined last week (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Poverty in Pa.: After a divorce, mom works 2 jobs in Harrisburg to get by (ydr.com)
Ex Pa. tax collector admits stealing more than $1M in funds – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
PSERS faces faces FBI probes over financial results and real-estate buys in Harrisburg (inquirer.com)
National News
Rudy Giuliani is an ‘idiot’ who will flip on Trump ‘in a heartbeat,’ Michael Cohen says – pennlive.com
What Happens To The Afghan Army Once American Forces Leave? : NPR
Pentagon preparing for Taliban attacks during US withdrawal | National and World | dailylocal.com
New York City To ‘Fully Reopen’ On July 1 : Coronavirus Updates : NPR
Economy Is Growing Powerfully, And It’s Going To Get A Lot Better : NPR
US recovery from pandemic recession is showing momentum | Business | delcotimes.com
Israel Stampede at Mount Meron Kills at Least 44 – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Europe’s Economy Shrank in First Quarter, Revealing a Recession: Live Updates – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Want to Move to Our Town? Here’s $10,000 and a Free Bike. – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Social equity in marijuana industry still largely pipe dream | National and World | dailylocal.com
As Trump seizes on Ariz. audit, officials fear more partisan vote counts | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Local News
Kennett Township opens books in 2019 audit report | Chester County Press
‘Exactly the president we need right now;’ Chesco locals weigh in on Biden’s speech | Local News | dailylocal.com
New Hope Celebrates adopts LGBTQ+ progress flag for transgender, minority groups (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Photos: Pennridge celebrates Special Olympics honor (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Hollywood Casino York opening set for summer 2021 (ydr.com)
Blasco Library memorial commemorates Erie County COVID-19 victims (goerie.com)
PA museums open. But in Erie, Brig Niagara won’t sail. Lettie G Howard might. (goerie.com)
Lancaster woman awarded $6.4M medical malpractice verdict | Local News | lancasteronline.com
Former Center Twp. tax collector pleads guilty (timesonline.com)
VFW Post 7878 in King of Prussia holds night of remembrance | News | mainlinemedianews.com
Fall of Saigon anniversary evokes painful memories for Berks residents who are natives of Vietnam | History | readingeagle.com
Fate of historic Hazleton church decided | News | standardspeaker.com
Dorrance Twp. quarry operator cited over big blast | News | citizensvoice.com
New playground opens in Rolling Mill Hill section of Wilkes-Barre | News | citizensvoice.com
Callers complain Wilkes-Barre City Council agenda lacks details | Times Leader
Youth soccer association treasurer from Beaver County admits to stealing $100,000 | TribLIVE.com
Leechburg Area’s $1.1M sports complex project to begin next month | TribLIVE.com
Pitt
Peduto releases plan for contributions by Pittsburgh’s large, tax-exempt nonprofits | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh task force spotlights cash payments by subcontractors on construction projects | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
New report finds lead in majority of Allegheny County water systems, offers strategies to reduce exposure | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper (pghcitypaper.com)
Three Rivers Arts Festival announces hybrid events lineup and health measures for June | Arts + Entertainment | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper (pghcitypaper.com)
Pittsburgh ‘made a mistake’ on thousands of tax bills | TribLIVE.com
Philly
‘Amtrak Joe’ travels to Philadelphia today to sell his infrastructure plan, celebrate nation’s rail system | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Carlos Vega: Who Is the Man Running Against Philly DA Larry Krasner? – NBC10 Philadelphia (nbcphiladelphia.com)
Outside money and the FOP factor into Philly’s Democratic primary for district attorney (inquirer.com)
Philadelphia DA candidates rack up endorsements, discuss racial bias | Local News | phillytrib.com
Philadelphia’s University City remains of hotbed of development activity – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
California-based Getlabs picks Philadelphia as one of the first markets for its at-home blood drawing service – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Funeral home confirms they will take custody Friday of remains of two MOVE children | Local News | phillytrib.com
Judge delays Philadelphia’s sheriff’s sales until September | Local News | phillytrib.com
QAnon supporters listed a Philly judge as a speaker at their event. She says she’s not going. (inquirer.com)
Black-owned school-meals business expanding here, stressing cultural relevance of food (inquirer.com)
Washington
Rebuilding The Federal Science Workforce : NPR
Biden And Tim Scott Offer Diverging Views On Race In Remarks To The Nation : NPR
Biden Meets With Former President Jimmy Carter On His 100th Day In Office : NPR
Key piece of Biden’s $1.8T families plan expires after 2025 | Business | dailylocal.com
Biden’s agenda: What can pass and what faces steep odds | National and World | dailylocal.com
Carper urges tough US rules barring gas-powered cars by 2035 | Business | dailylocal.com
Biden a transformational president? We’ve heard It before | Fletcher McClellan | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Families of Black men slain by police are hopeful for reform | Across America | phillytrib.com
Democrats seek to push Medicare expansion as part of Biden’s $1.8 trillion families plan, defying White House (inquirer.com)
