Legislature
Wolf, Pa. Democrats again push for passage of LGBTQ discrimination protections · Spotlight PA
Watch: PA Democrats press for new LGBTQ rights (goerie.com)
Wolf, Democrats want quick passage of Fairness Act for LGBTQ rights (goerie.com)
Voter ID shaping up to be the speed bump to slow election reform in Pa. | National News | thetimes-tribune.com
Education advocates target Pennsylvania’s subsidized horse racing fund | Smart Talk (witf.org)
Voting overhaul package passes Pa. House committee — with only GOP support | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
GOP’s major election overhaul advances in Pa. House as Democrats call it a ‘farce’ · Spotlight PA
Black Scranton Project Founder named to state commission | News | thetimes-tribune.com
Wolf touts financial benefits of climate change partnerships; lawmakers move to bar participation without their OK | News | tribdem.com
State lawmaker calling for increase to Pa. dog license fee | Pennsylvania News | wfmz.com
Berks Co. Senator, supporters rally in Harrisburg for dog law enforcement funding | Berks Regional News | wfmz.com
Senate Approves Bill Requiring Legislative Approval Of RGGI Deal – WDAC
Centre County officials, constituents say new governor authority restrictions have become political | State News | collegian.psu.edu
Voter ID Proposal Passes PA Senate Panel – WDAC
Pa. Senate committee amends, expands cocktails-to-go bill – Central Penn Business Journal (cpbj.com)
It’s last call — for now for to-go cocktails, as House and Senate jockey over bill | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Cocktails to-go on the move again in Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
Pennsylvania Gov. Wolf wants to see cocktails-to-go made permanent – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
To-go cocktails in Pennsylvania are coming to an end; outdoor dining to return to pre-pandemic levels (inquirer.com)
Wolf urges Senate to keep cocktails-to-go, some Pa. bar owners lukewarm | TribLIVE.com
Another round? To-go cocktails will continue in PA if Senate acts (timesonline.com)
Senate approves Laughlin Bill to improve day care safety | WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com
Mandatory minimum bill with uncertain future advances in Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
Panel approves Pa. House GOP bill to ban employer vaccine mandates | TribLIVE.com
Pa. bill adds to nationwide battle against transgender rights in sports, public spaces: ‘It’s just fear-mongering’ – pennlive.com
Pennsylvania lawmakers mull end to extra federal COVID-19 unemployment benefits – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Pennsylvania lawmakers begin debate on election reform – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Mastriano letter part of U.S. House investigation into Jan. 6 attack on Capitol | WITF
Elections officials, advocates see some to like — but a lot to raise eyebrows — in Pa. House GOP election bill | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
This year, we need a Pa. budget for the people – not just the powerful | Opinion | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Regional climate change pacts in Pa. may require legislative approval (timesonline.com)
Lawmakers begin moving election bills, setting up showdown with Wolf | Local News | tribdem.com
Coronavirus – COVID-19
National
CDC designates delta strain of coronavirus as ‘variant of concern’ | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Many post-coronavirus patients are experiencing ‘long COVID’ problems, study finds | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
U.S. death toll surpasses 600,000 from coronavirus | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
With PPP closed and funds waning for other Covid-19 relief programs, SBA ‘leaning in’ to vaccinations – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
N.Y. lifts more covid rules as it hits vaccination mark | TribLIVE.com
California fully reopens after being 1st to shut during pandemic | TribLIVE.com
Blood sample testing supports theory that COVID-19 was present in U.S. before Christmas 2019 – pennlive.com
State/Local
‘We still can make it’: Pa. on track to reach 70% vaccination goal, state’s top doc declares | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Acting physician general says Pa. could still reach 70% vaccination before the state’s mask order expires | WITF
Nearly all Allegheny County seniors at least partially vaccinated against covid, health official says | TribLIVE.com
13 new cases of COVID-19 reported in three-county area | Coronavirus | standardspeaker.com
1,544 more Berks County residents finish COVID vaccination process | Coronavirus | readingeagle.com
Only 1 Pa. county has high COVID-19 spread as state positivity test rate falls below 2% – pennlive.com
Robust summer tourism in Poconos could mean new COVID variants (poconorecord.com)
Pennsylvania seeing fewer COVID cases, Monroe sees slight increase (poconorecord.com)
Chester County safest in the nation in pandemic mitigation | Local-news | dailylocal.com
Lancaster County COVID-19 case and death rates drop to lowest levels since start of pandemic | Health | lancasteronline.com
Business/Jobs
OSHA unveils long-awaited guidance for employers on Covid-19 issues – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Philly biz leaders, advocates call for $20M infusion of stimulus cash help Black businesses, community | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Crime/Punishment
Former Scranton cop pleads guilty to bribery | Crime-Emergency | thetimes-tribune.com
Pittsburgh’s ShotSpotter data shows first responders were able to help victims even when 911 wasn’t called | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Philadelphia business owner accused of using $1M PPP loan to buy Florida home, luxury car – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Pa. Attorney General alleges Medicaid fraud in Philly for transit and home care (inquirer.com)
FBI, U.S. Attorney looking into Wilkes-Barre church vandalism | News | citizensvoice.com
Former Old Forge Council President Semenza pleads guilty to taking bribes | Crime-Emergency | thetimes-tribune.com
A Pennsylvania National guardsman and another soldier are accused of smuggling migrants from Mexico | WITF
Education
Polls Find Support to Increase Funding for Children’s Services | Local News – Pennsylvania News Today
College vaccination mandates against COVID-19 top 500 as schools bank on a back-to-normal fall | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Seneca Valley votes to discontinue use of Native American mascot, imagery | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
APSCUF President Dr. Jamie Martin: ‘The students have to be heard’ | City & State PA (cityandstatepa.com)
Families Fight Schools For The Special Education COVID Shut Down : NPR
For students who never returned to the classroom, an ‘extremely hard’ school year comes to an end (inquirer.com)
Before Stonewall, LGBTQ history was made at Bucks County Community College — and then forgotten. Until now. (inquirer.com)
Rich Askey: Say no to largest transfer of taxpayer dollars out of public schools in Pa. history | TribLIVE.com
Loan debt erased for former ITT Tech students over its exaggerated claims – pennlive.com
Elections/Politics
Pa. certifies its 2021 primary election results: Here are the final results – pennlive.com
Madeleine Dean won’t run in 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race, further shaping Democratic primary (inquirer.com)
FACTBOX-Republicans erect voting barriers across a number of politically crucial U.S. states | Politics (devdiscourse.com)
Charlie Gerow, longtime Pennsylvania conservative activist, to run for governor in 2022 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Charlie Gerow, longtime Republican strategist, to run for Pennsylvania governor (inquirer.com)
Trump Targets Corman and Argall Over 2020 Election Review | PoliticsPA
As 2022 Looms, Bill McSwain Is Still Swinging Away – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
Luzerne County judge rejects election recount request | Times Leader
NEPA Democrats share frustration as national agenda faces hurdles | Times Leader
Trump wanted U.S. Supreme Court to order new election in Pa., other states | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Environment
Louisiana judge blocks Biden administration’s oil and gas leasing pause | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Environmentalists call for Fitzgerald to withdraw support from fracking, petrochemical industries – Pittsburgh Business Times (bizjournals.com)
Editorial: Lower impact fees mean real pain for local governments | TribLIVE.com
Pennsylvania DEP inches closer to setting PFAS limits (theintell.com)
PA families with eligible children receive additional SNAP benefits (theintell.com)
Transportation
Tolling bridges in Pennsylvania is not the answer to revenue needs for maintenance | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
TRAFFIC: Northbound Route 28 ramp to Highland Park Bridge closing for nearly 3 months starting Monday | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Port Authority receives unexpected $19.3 milion federal grant for Bus Rapid Transit | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Philadelphia International Airport investing $90M in hopes of becoming East Coast’s ‘premier cargo airport’ – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Plan would raise, then replace, the gas tax to fund transportation in Pa. | Local News | readingeagle.com
West Hazleton Council planning bridge replacement on Jaycee Drive | News | standardspeaker.com
Reading will take a few months to study dangerous intersections | Local News | readingeagle.com
‘A lot more people’: Johnstown airport sees busiest May for passengers in decade | Local News | tribdem.com
Health
Their view: Pandemic Continues in PA nursing homes | Times Leader
Pa. physician general, local health leaders tour UPMC outpatient facility to tout treatment, continue vaccine push | TribLIVE.com
Pennsylvania opioid drug disaster declaration to continue; most recent data shows 5,399 dead of overdoses in 12 months – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
70% of LGBTQ youth said their mental health was ‘poor’ during COVID-19, survey finds – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
High prices at UPMC’s flagship hospital don’t tell the whole story | WITF
Spike in opioid overdose deaths during pandemic reinforces need for a holistic approach to public health issues | Opinion | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
What you should know during Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month | | delcotimes.com
State News
Gas impact fees generate $146M for Pennsylvania counties, municipalities | Business | thetimes-tribune.com
As population ages, Pa. task force recommends strategies to combat financial exploitation of elders | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Report: Biden’s immigration proposal would add over $50M to Pa. tax revenue | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
After massive landfill expansion approved, Scranton City Council calls for state audit of DEP’s process | News | thetimes-tribune.com
Pa. found ‘forever chemicals’ in Berks drinking water. Here’s what you need to know | Environment | readingeagle.com
Pa. utility companies say they can meet summer 2021 energy needs | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Gas impact fee revenue declines in state; Beaver County to see $425K (timesonline.com)
National News
Their view: Big Tech is broken. But can Congress fix it? | Times Leader
In a defeat for the hard right, Southern Baptists elect Ed Litton as their president | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Harvey Weinstein to be extradited to California to stand trial on sexual assault charges | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Israeli airstrikes target Gaza | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Israel Hits Hamas With Air Strikes Overnight After Tense 24 Hours : NPR
Southwest ‘in the process of resuming normal operations’ after another crippling system outage | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A New Lawsuit Aims To Stop Indiana From Pulling Unemployment Benefits Early : NPR
May retail sales fell 1.3% as Americans spend less on goods | TribLIVE.com
Stocks dip from records ahead of Fed decision on rates | TribLIVE.com
N Korea’s Kim looks much thinner, causing health speculation | National News | thetimes-tribune.com
Girl Scouts stuck with millions of unsold cookies | Money | readingeagle.com
Millions more in stimulus checks are still being sent out by the IRS – pennlive.com
Things to know about Juneteenth – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
On DACA’s anniversary, a Dreamer dreams of a path to citizenship for all | Wednesday Morning Coffee | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Black women have always led the fight for reparations. ‘They’re not getting their due,’ historians say | Across America | phillytrib.com
Alton Sterling’s children settle with city of Baton Rouge for $4.5 million | Across America | phillytrib.com
Deadly attacks on Black trans women are going up. This grieving mom is fighting back | Across America | phillytrib.com
Local News
Dunmore tables zoning ordinance, waits for Scranton vote | News | thetimes-tribune.com
Keith Valley Challenge highlights the gift of giving | Publicspirit | montgomerynews.com
Volunteers of America officials say they were threatened over flags | Times Leader
Wilkes-Barre mayor’s recovery plan: Cut fees, issue stimulus checks | News | citizensvoice.com
Scranton officials demand Lackawanna County reduce delinquent tax attorney fees | News | thetimes-tribune.com
HCA gets approval for doubling Lehigh River draw | News | standardspeaker.com
Conyngham council listens to residents | News | standardspeaker.com
Houses sold for an average price of more than $302K in May in Cumberland County – pennlive.com
‘This should be the breaking point’: Community outraged by death of 4-year-old girl at busy intersection – pennlive.com
Plans for Martin Tower site head back to Bethlehem and Lehigh Valley planners – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Beaver County, Pittsburgh celebrate Juneteenth (timesonline.com)
Top Erie taxpayers: Erie Insurance, Presque Isle Downs, Millcreek Mall (goerie.com)
Delaware County moves to acquire Don Guanella property for a county park | News | delcotimes.com
Kennett students help needy in Chester County through raised-bed garden program | Local-news | dailylocal.com
Montgomery County breaks ground on $415M Justice Center in downtown Norristown | Local-news | thereporteronline.com
Lancaster cop sprayed boy, mother with chemical irritant during racial justice protests in 2020, new lawsuit claims | Local News | lancasteronline.com
Pitt
Developer Walnut Capital eyes run-down rowhouses in latest Oakland property acquisition | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh launches Pedestrian Safety Action Plan ahead of meeting Wednesday | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh concert venues Thunderbird, Roxian ready to get back to business | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
About 900 households still without power in the Pittsburgh area | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh-area priests group releases statement in support of same-sex unions | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Repairs underway at North Side plasma donation center where 3 killed in crash | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Allegheny County studying feasibility of multi-use trail along the Turtle Creek Valley | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper (pghcitypaper.com)
Pittsburgh programs among MacKenzie Scott’s $2.7 billion charity donations | TribLIVE.com
Pittsburgh officials to phase-in return to in-person operations; meetings to remain virtual | TribLIVE.com
Philly
Philly DA finds ‘horrendous abuses of power’ among cops, prosecutors in special report | WITF
Mayor Kenney says Philadelphia’s racial inequity can’t be solved in a year – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Kenney details racial, police reforms a year after George Floyd protests | Local News | phillytrib.com
Philly DA turns to residents for solutions to city’s gun violence epidemic | Local News | phillytrib.com
Bill to let Philly voters recall elected officials gets vote | Local News | phillytrib.com
ATV riding in Philadelphia: The culture, the crackdown and what happens if you’re caught (inquirer.com)
Philadelphia parking tax cut proposal is abandoned amid criticism (inquirer.com)
Anna Verna dead at 90: Was first woman to be Philadelphia City Council president (inquirer.com)
Philadelphia’s skyrocketing murder rate isn’t because of police reform, Mayor Jim Kenney says (inquirer.com)
Washington
Face to face: Presidents Biden, Putin meet for long-anticipated summit | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Biden picks retired pilot ‘Sully,’ Morgan Stanley’s Nides as envoys | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Military defends response to Jan. 6 riot | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
White House seeks $100M to help fight domestic extremism | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Senate passes bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday after key opponent backs down | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Biden taps big tech critic Lina Khan to chair the Federal Trade Commission, source says | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
What You Need To Know About The Biden-Putin Summit : NPR
Two GOP lawmakers say they’re getting hundreds of whistleblower complaints from troops – pennlive.com
