Legislature
New Student Loan Program For Nurses Promoted By Gov. Wolf | Montgomeryville, PA Patch
Snow and ice removal from vehicles targeted in five states (landline.media)
Another Try for Right to Repair in Pennsylvania | Main Edition | lancasterfarming.com
Pa. nurses flood student loan relief program offering up to $7,500. ‘We can do more’, state senator says. (inquirer.com)
As need for staffing increases, nursing student loan debt relief being offered | WHP (local21news.com)
Pennsylvania’s nursing loan forgiveness program gets lots of applicants, but with only 666 nurses due to receive help, the search is on for more dollars – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Pa.’s nursing loan forgiveness program’s popularity outstrips available funding | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Wolf Administration announces grants to increase school safety, Berks schools awarded | Homepage Top Stories | wfmz.com
Bipartisan Pennsylvania Senators File Bill To Let Medical Marijuana Patients Grow Their Own Plants – Marijuana Moment
Drivers to pay PA Turnpike tolls with Cell Phone | Eyewitness News (pahomepage.com)
Pennsylvania Redistricting, Explained | PoliticsPA
Op-Ed: It’s past time for the PA legislature to pass charter reform (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Senators interrogate Wolf map at hearing, though no one could speak for it – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Editorial: Local impacts of redistricting don’t get enough attention (dailylocal.com)
Democrats make surprising inroads in redistricting fight | News | tribdem.com
HOWARD: Congressional redistricting map must have fair boundaries – Daily Local
PA’s Supreme Court may be our most partisan redistricting committee (poconorecord.com)
MASTRIANO: How Pennsylvania Democrats Hijacked Act 77 – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
Guest column: It is long past time for the Pennsylvania Legislature to pass charter reform (dailylocal.com)
Pennsylvania lawmaker pitches new sales tax for local purposes | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
Republicans take different tact to privatize Pennsylvania liquor sales | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
Proposed legislation could allow drivers to pay PA Turnpike tolls with cell phone (abc27.com)
Pa.’s Thompson, lawmakers grill USDA boss Vilsack on pandemic relief funds for farmers – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Pennsylvania Approves Ransomware Bill – Infosecurity Magazine | #malware | #ransomware | #cybersecurity | #infosecurity | #hacker – National Cyber Security | Hacker News
Berks County schools receive a combined $177,000 in state safety grants (readingeagle.com)
Coronavirus – COVID-19
Large majority of Lancaster County children are unvaccinated, data shows | Health | lancasteronline.com
COVID surges take a toll on those battling the disease on the front lines – Daily Local
Fauci says he’s confident most states reach peak of omicron in mid-February (abc27.com)
Fauci says U.S. virus wave looks ‘like it’s going in the right direction’ | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
‘Defeat the Mandates’ rally held in Washington D.C. (abc27.com)
A $900 COVID Test? Taxpayer-Funded Covid Testing Program Failing to Get Off the Ground in PA Schools – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
Here’s how to get your free N95 masks from the federal government | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
At-home rapid antigen COVID-19 tests, PCR tests an important part of pandemic management (inquirer.com)
Ivermectin to treat COVID-19? Doctors at Duke University are studying the controversial drug to try to provide a definitive answer in pandemic fight – pennlive.com
Booster shots needed to help fend off omicron, new CDC studies show – pennlive.com
Lehigh Valley doctors have started prescribing anti-viral COVID-19 pills, but supplies limit who can get them – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Business/Jobs
President Biden touts Intel $20B investment for domestic semiconductor factories | ABC27
Boston Properties CFO Mike LaBelle is confident workers in Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and New York are eager to get back to the office – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Pennsylvania Convention Center sees ‘a huge spike’ in 2022 business, CEO John McNichol says (Video) – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Pennsylvania dairy farmers hope to milk U.S. trade win over Canada | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Horse racing vital to state’s economy and agricultural industry | Business | citizensvoice.com
Supply chain disruptions inspire new look at bringing back U.S. manufacturing (inquirer.com)
Crime/Punishment
Sharon Hill Council Fires Three Officers Indicted in Girl’s Death – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
Police Culture on Trial in Case Against Officers in Killing of George Floyd – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Homicide rates have soared nationwide, but mayors see a chance for a turnaround in 2022 (inquirer.com)
Bucks County to regulate massage businesses to combat human trafficking (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Education
Guest Opinion: The voices of ethics and decency shouldn’t be silenced (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Hroncich + LeBlond: Academics and sports — why isn’t it all about the kids in Pennsylvania? (broadandliberty.com)
Downingtown Area School District Election Case Appealed to PA Supreme Court – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
Upper St. Clair schools must continue universal masking, federal appellate judge rules | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
There is a major weak spot in school COVID-19 protocols: mealtimes | Opinion (inquirer.com)
State College scores perfect 100 in LGBTQ protections – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
How colleges are dealing with high COVID case counts on campus | WITF
In U.S., Pa. students are getting more diverse. Their teachers aren’t | Monday Morning Coffee – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
The Pa. Constitution supports a fair education for all – rich and poor alike | Opinion – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Got student loan forgiveness? How federal Public Service program works (goerie.com)
Elections/Politics
What we know about the 2020 Fulton County election review through open records – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
In Senate Debate, Dems Take Aim at Republicans, Not Each Other – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
Turzai Declines Governor Bid; Street Out Of Senate Race – ButlerRadio.com – Butler, PA
Christian nationalism thrives — and is a force for returning Trump to power : NPR
Kyrsten Sinema censured by Arizona Democratic Party over filibuster vote : NPR
Forty Fort mayor appointment was a bipartisan effort | News | citizensvoice.com
Well Funded, Out of State Candidates Fall Flat with Grassroots Republicans in Pennsylvania (townhall.com)
Environment
Pennsylvanians still spending recreation time in water and other takeaways from DEP’s biennial report | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
1 in 3 miles of Pennsylvania streams, rivers ‘impaired’: report – pennlive.com
Dept. of Ag: Thousand Cankers Quarantine lifted after 8 yrs. – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Transportation
Repairing Western Pa.’s other regional superhighway: The rivers | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Are planes safe with 5G in use near airports? | Smart Talk (witf.org)
Health
With Roe in doubt, states act on abortion limits, expansions (dailylocal.com)
On Roe v. Wade’s anniversary, an open letter to my past self | Signe Espinoza – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Inside CHOP’s new $289M King of Prussia hospital – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Chemical common in consumer products may affect important pregnancy hormone, study finds | WITF
Student’s overdose death renews pleas for Narcan in schools | WITF
State News
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to visit Lehigh Valley on Tuesday – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Board members of Pa.’s largest pension fund asked to sign secrecy oaths · Spotlight PA
Pa. confirms feds investigating reported unemployment system hack; announces free credit-monitoring (abc27.com)
Pennsylvania casinos shatter record, generate $4.7 billion in revenues in 2021 | TribLIVE.com
DCNR opens 2022 grant season for park, recreational development projects | Five for the Weekend – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Welcome to Tax Season 2022, Pa. | The Numbers Racket – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Federal government awards $3.8 million to reduce burnout and promote mental health among health care workforce in Pennsylvania | The Bucks County Herald
DEP data aid county conservation efforts in planning, grants | News | tribdem.com
National News
Black Mississippi senators protest bill to ban critical race theory : NPR
U.S. weighs sending 5,000 troops to Eastern Europe to counter Russia : NPR
Who is Yevheniy Murayev, the politician the U.K. says Russia wants in Ukraine : NPR
French fashion designer Thierry Mugler dies at 73 : NPR
UAE says it has intercepted 2 missiles from Yemen’s Houthis : NPR
Sarah Palin’s lawsuit against ‘The New York Times’ goes to trial Monday : NPR
Equity issues central for getting household electrification right ‘for everybody’ | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Taxpayers face overloaded IRS as filing season opens Monday | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Local News
Central Pa. borough poised to become first to repeal LGBTQ protections – pennlive.com
Chambersburg’s newly elected Republican councilmen want to repeal a new non-discrimination ordinance | WITF
It cost nearly $81K to successfully defend a Lancaster city officer accused of excessive force; taxpayer share limited to $34K | Local News | lancasteronline.com
Lampeter-Strasburg board approves district’s $609,117 share of Career & Technology Center budget | Community News | lancasteronline.com
All aboard for new train station in Coatesville – Daily Local
Lancaster County entrepreneur to appear on ‘Shark Tank’ (abc27.com)
Luzerne County Council set to vote on $29.74 million in American Rescue allocations | Times Leader
Parks and streets are among Brown’s priorities in 2022 | News | citizensvoice.com
Council to vote on ballot question proposal, uses for Rescue Plan funding | News | citizensvoice.com
Boyertown mulls using Pine Forge as special education center (readingeagle.com)
In the final week of January, there’s black ice, Arctic air — and another shot at a winter storm for Lehigh Valley – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk restructures his office and adds positions – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Faced with crises and a new era of cooperation, Scranton moves toward financial stability | News | thetimes-tribune.com
Part one in a series: Community leaders dissect homelessness in Montgomery County (mainlinemedianews.com)
Pitt
All 100 lab monkeys accounted for after several escape crash outside Pittsburgh (dailylocal.com)
Oliver Citywide Academy gradually reopening to in-person learning in wake of teen’s death | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh arts orgs are bracing and adapting during omicron; audiences remain loyal | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Port Authority receives grant to plan possible development around proposed East Busway extension | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies growing in popularity as ATMs sprout up across Pittsburgh region | TribLIVE.com
Philly
Fire safety, redistricting tops a depleted Philly Council’s winter agenda – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Review to determine effectiveness of anti-violence money in Philadelphia | Local News | phillytrib.com
Cobbs Creek Golf Course to be restored, reopened – WHY (whyy.org)
Philadelphia’s job growth lags with city ‘disproportionately hit’ by pandemic – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Ideas Philly should steal — planting more trees (broadandliberty.com)
Record low housing supply across the Philly area will continue to challenge buyers (inquirer.com)
Storm coming? Expect to see those ghostly white brine lines (inquirer.com)
Fire at Center City high-rise started in cooling tower, authorities say (inquirer.com)
A 9-8-8 crisis line is coming. Mental health services ask: How do we stretch even more? | WITF
Despite blood shortage, gay and bisexual men in Philadelphia still face donation restrictions. Why? – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
FEMA Mobile Vaccination Unit supports COVID testing and vaccinations in Philadelphia | The Bucks County Herald
As West Philly home values climb, Penn’s plan to invest in a second public school elicits displacement fears | Local News | phillytrib.com
Washington
Jan. 6 Committee Issues New Subpoenas, Including for Rudy Giuliani | PEOPLE.com
Jan. 6 panel investigates draft plan to seize 2020 ballots | TribLIVE.com
Jan. 6 panel is investigating a Trump administration plan to seize voting machines | WITF
Trump team considered seizing voting machines, Jan. 6 Committee chair says : NPR
Biden’s predecessors could have felt his first-year pain : NPR
Wally Zimolong: The Supreme Court slows the spread of the administrative state (broadandliberty.com)
Senate Dems determined to save Build Back Better package | ABC27
At the end of his first year, it’s Biden versus his implacable foes | Dick Polman – Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
