Legislature
Senate moves to give independent voters a voice in Pa. primary elections
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/senate-moves-to-give-independent-voters-a-voice-in-pa-primary-elections.html
Pa. Assembly eyes open primaries, end to straight-ticket voting
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-voters-unaffiliated-independent-vote-primary-election-senate-20190625.html
Senate approves bill to do away with annual auto inspections
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/senate-approves-bill-to-do-away-with-vehicle-emissions-testing-on-newer-vehicles.html
Pennsylvania House passes pyramid scheme protection bill
https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-house-passes-pyramid-scheme-protection-bill/
Pa. Senate votes to allow local police to use radar
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/pa-senate-votes-to-allow-local-police-to-use-radar.html
Snow days could be school days if Gov. Wolf signs flexible instruction bill
https://www.mcall.com/news/education/mc-nws-education-snow-days-bill-20190625-mu22sgnfcbgxvo7n3j5cl52fqq-story.html
Games within the games: Pa. Legislature sends sports event raffle bill to Gov. Tom Wolf
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/games-within-the-games-pa-legislature-sends-sports-event-raffle-bill-to-gov-tom-wolf.html
House passes bill to demolish Allentown State Hospital buildings and sell property
https://www.mcall.com/news/pennsylvania/mc-nws-pa-hospital-demolition-20190626-55q4jabodjeannmscyql7ubnma-story.html
State lawmakers happy with UPMC-Highmark agreement
https://www.timesonline.com/news/20190625/state-lawmakers-happy-with-upmc-highmark-agreement
We asked dozens of Pa. officials for their texts and emails. One thing we learned? Gov. Wolf deletes his texts.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania-open-records-emails-texts-wolf-kenney-mcblain-fetterman-20190626.html
Bill Tracker: Making electric car owners pay for using roads
https://cumberlink.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/bill_tracker/bill-tracker-making-electric-car-owners-pay-for-using-roads/article_1b6a6f74-14f9-552d-b4e1-8ef9032b7731.html
Winners and losers: Harrisburg shapes the natural gas debate
https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2019/06/26/Winners-and-losers-Harrisburg-shapes-the-natural-gas-debate/stories/201906260037
An opportunity to do the right thing for vulnerable Pennsylvanians: Raise home health aides’ wages | Opinion
https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2019/06/an-opportunity-to-do-the-right-thing-for-vulnerable-pennsylvanians-raise-home-health-aides-wages.html
Lawmakers, Wolf need to reject this backdoor attempt to arm teachers | Opinion
https://www.penncapital-star.com/commentary/lawmakers-wolf-need-to-reject-this-backdoor-attempt-to-arm-teachers-opinion/
Budget
Pa. House passes $34B state budget with no tax increase; Democrats blast failure to raise minimum wage
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/pa-house-passes-34-billion-state-budget-that-includes-no-tax-increase-but-democrats-dislike-its-failure-to-raise-the-states-minimum-wage.html
House OKs budget bill after stiff criticism by Democrats
https://www.readingeagle.com/article/20190625/AP/306259688/1009
Pennsylvania House passes $34 billion budget proposal without widespread Democratic support
https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/pennsylvania-house-passes-34-billion-budget-proposal-without-widespread-democratic-support/
Here’s what Pennsylvania’s public education advocates think of this year’s budget plan
https://www.penncapital-star.com/education/heres-what-pennsylvanias-public-education-advocates-think-of-this-years-budget-proposal/
Groups criticize state budget shifting $10 million from environmental fund
https://www.witf.org/news/2019/06/groups-criticize-state-budget-shifting-10-million-from-environmental-fund.php
Pennsylvania’s rainy day fund, explained: Why a $250 million deposit is getting so much attention
https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/pennsylvanias-rainy-day-fund-explained-why-a-250-million-deposit-is-getting-so-much-attention/
Lawmakers work late into Tuesday, as 2019-20 budget moves forward
https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/lawmakers-work-late-into-tuesday-as-2019-20-budget-moves-forward/
Administration
Meanwhile, parents fret: Wolf, Levine must move quickly on fracking study
https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2019/06/26/Meanwhile-parents-fret-Wolf-Levine-must-move-quickly-on-fracking-study/stories/201906220022
Business
Two companies to pay $110,000 after robocalling Pennsylvanians, AG Shapiro says
https://www.inquirer.com/business/robocalls-pennsylvania-attorney-general-josh-shapiro-20190625.html
Crime/Punishment
16 are charged with smuggling drugs in stuffed animals. Police say the operation stretched from California to the Philly suburbs.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/montgomery-county-oxycodone-drug-smuggling-20190625.html
Education
No program cuts, furloughs or tax hike in Plum School District’s 2019-20 budget
https://triblive.com/local/plum/no-program-cuts-furloughs-or-tax-hike-in-plum-school-districts-2019-20-budget/
Former Uniontown football player claims he was victim of hazing in federal civil rights lawsuit
https://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2019/06/25/Uniontown-Uniontown-Area-School-District-Uniontown-Area-High-School-civil-rights-case-Credric-Lloyd-Joel-Sansone/stories/201906250135
Greensburg Salem pays $140K to ex-high school principal who claimed he was ‘blackballed’
https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/greensburg-salem-pays-140k-to-ex-high-school-principal-who-claimed-he-was-blackballed/
CHRIS KELLY: The bell has rung, now it’s time for district to act
https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/chris-kelly-the-bell-has-rung-now-it-s-time-for-district-to-act-1.2501020
Carbondale Area School District files tax liens on city mayor’s properties
https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/carbondale-area-school-district-files-tax-liens-on-city-mayor-s-properties-1.2500944
Expensive private schools benefit from Pa. tax credits but report zero low-income students
https://www.witf.org/news/2019/06/expensive-private-schools-benefit-from-pa-tax-credits-but-report-zero-low-income-students.php
Longtime Keystone president, credited for saving the college, dies
https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/longtime-keystone-president-credited-for-saving-the-college-dies-1.2500651
Wilkes students earn honors from mapping competition
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/wilkes-students-earn-honors-from-mapping-competition-1.2500984
Elections/Politics
State auditor general to run for US House, Democrats say
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2019/06/25/State-auditor-general-to-run-for-US-House-Eugene-DePasquale/stories/201906250174
Pa. GOP chair Val DiGiorgio resigns after report of sexually explicit messages
https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-gop-chair-resigns-after-complaint-by-female-candidate/
State GOP chairman resigns over text scandal
https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/state-gop-chairman-resigns-over-text-scandal-1.2501115
Pa. Republicans say GOP chairman’s #metoo moment doesn’t break the party’s brand
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/republicans-say-state-chairs-metoo-moment-shakes-pennsylvania-gops-infrastructure-but-doesnt-break-the-brand.html
Gaming
Online sports betting ramps up risks for problem gamblers
https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2019/06/25/Online-sports-betting-app-computer-Rivers-Casino-addiction-problem-gambling/stories/201906250138
Health Care
For 300,000 Highmark members, no UPMC access is part of their plan
https://www.post-gazette.com/business/healthcare-business/2019/06/25/highmark-upmc-shapiro-attorney-general-agreement-health-insurance-Community-Connect-Blue/stories/201906250154
What the UPMC-Highmark truce does and doesn’t mean for patients
https://triblive.com/local/regional/what-the-upmc-highmark-truce-does-and-doesnt-mean-for-patients/
Former UPMC, AHN coordinator gets a year in prison for disclosing patient files
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2019/06/25/Former-UPMC-AHN-coordinator-Linda-Sue-Kalina-sentenced-prison-disclosing-patient-files/stories/201906250126
Local News
No-penalty stormwater fee deadline looming for commercial properties
https://www.timesleader.com/news/748033/no-penalty-stormwater-fee-deadline-looming-for-commercial-properties
Urban calls for council to rescind vehicle registration fee
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/urban-calls-for-council-to-rescind-vehicle-registration-fee-1.2501047
Nanticoke seniors graduate from nutrition program
https://www.timesleader.com/news/748025/nanticoke-seniors-graduate-from-nutrition-program
Park & Lock East sold to Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority
https://www.timesleader.com/news/748035/park-lock-east-sold-to-wilkes-barre-parking-authority
High court ruling renews debate in demolition lawsuit
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/high-court-ruling-renews-debate-in-demolition-lawsuit-1.2501050
Luzerne County will miss audit deadline
https://www.timesleader.com/news/748027/luzerne-county-will-miss-audit-deadline
Pa. Superior Court hearing arguments in Luzerne County for two days
https://www.timesleader.com/news/747981/pa-superior-court-hearing-arguments-in-luzerne-county-for-two-days
Blighted former bar razed in Pittston
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/blighted-former-bar-razed-in-pittston-1.2500988
DAMA to pay $43K fine after sewage overflows
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/dama-to-pay-43k-fine-after-sewage-overflows-1.2500995
Vietnam veteran leads effort to bring memorial to Plymouth
https://www.citizensvoice.com/news/vietnam-veteran-leads-effort-to-bring-memorial-to-plymouth-1.2500993
Latest round of Catholic Charities grants supports housing, feeding programs
https://triblive.com/local/regional/latest-round-of-catholic-charities-grants-supports-housing-feeding-programs/
Reading first responders push city to include more staff in exit plan
https://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/reading-first-responders-push-city-to-include-more-staff-in-exit-plan
No rides, midway or races: Financial problems force Reading Fair organizers to scale back
https://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/no-rides-midway-or-races-at-reading-fair
Allentown thought downtown development would extend to Seventh Street. But instead it’s thriving on its own.
https://www.mcall.com/business/mc-biz-allentown-seventh-street-merchants-20190626-sq2k7gixijer5drzzrzb2liya4-story.html
National News
Mass. motor vehicle head resigns over crash that killed 7
https://www.inquirer.com/news/nation-world/massachusetts-motor-vehicle-head-erin-deveney-new-hampshire-crash-bikers-killed-20190626.html
San Francisco bans the sale of e-cigarettes
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2019/06/25/San-Francisco-ban-e-cigarettes-first-major-US-city/stories/201906250191
Oregon Senate president: Not enough votes for climate bill
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/oregon-senate-republican-walkout-climate-change-not-enough-votes-democratic-20190625.html
Illinois becomes 11th state to legalize pot, hits ‘reset button on the war on drugs’
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2019/06/illinois-becomes-11th-state-to-legalize-weed-hits-reset-button-on-the-war-on-drugs.html
Opioid Crisis
Does the overdose plunge mean the epidemic is over?
https://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2019/06/25/Opioid-overdose-epidemic-Allegheny-Westmoreland-Beaver-Butler-Armstrong-Indiana-addiction/stories/201906250140
Officials: Allegheny County overdose deaths dropped significantly last year
https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/officials-allegheny-county-overdose-deaths-dropped-significantly-last-year/
Philly
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney: No health risk from refinery fire
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-fire-refinery-cause-health-pes–20190625.html
Philly police unveil updated policy for interacting with transgender, nonbinary people
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-police-lgbtq-transgender-nonbinary-genderqueer-policies-20190625.html
Fire rips through Juniata Park businesses
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/fire-juniata-park-castor-erie-businesses-pharmacy-laundry-20190625.html
Should Philly repay $63M in tax revenue? Attorneys make closing arguments in commercial assessment trial
https://www.inquirer.com/news/commercial-property-assessment-trial-uniformity-tax-revenue-20190625.html
At Philly’s public pools, lifeguard shortage leads to long waits
https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-pools-lifeguard-shortage-kelly-fairmount-park-20190625.html
Philly’s Angela Jane Pavilion and River’s Edge nursing homes sold
https://www.inquirer.com/business/depaul-healthcare-sells-angela-jane-rivers-edge-nursing-homes-20190625.html
Philadelphia Energy Solutions plans to close refinery that caught fire, report says
https://www.inquirer.com/business/philadelphia-refinery-fire-plan-to-close-20190626.html
Potholes shouldn’t be forever | Editorial
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/potholes-philly-paving-worst-sinkholes-flooding-20190626.html
Postal pilfering plagues Philly’s East Falls | Stu Bykofsky
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/stu-bykofsky-east-falls-mail-theft-post-service-diane-hlywiak-20190625.html
Philly Police: 72 officers are off street duty. What’s next? | Opinion
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/philadelphia-police-social-media-community-policing-20190625.html
Pro/Con: Should Philly ban smoking at drug rehab centers? | Opinion
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/smoking-ban-drug-treatment-centers-philadelphia-20190625.html
Pitt
Defacement of memorial for slain police officer ‘hits you right in the heart’
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2019/06/25/Pittsburgh-Police-Officer-Paul-Sciullo-parents-house-memorial-defacement-vandalized/stories/201906250095
Pittsburgh police create new guidelines for undercover alcohol use in wake of South Side brawl
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2019/06/25/Pittsburgh-police-new-guidelines-drinking-alcohol-undercover-officers-Kopys-Pagans-brawl/stories/201906250143
What would it take to bring the NFL draft to ‘attractive’ Pittsburgh?
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/06/25/nfl-draft-locations-pittsburgh-steelers-heinz-field/stories/201906250010
On Stonewall anniversary, Pittsburgh lawmakers seek to protect gender identity and expression
https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2019/06/25/Stonewall-riots-NYC-anniversary-Pittsburgh-city-council-protect-gender-identity-expression-lgbtqia/stories/201906250100
Pittsburgh marks 50th anniversary of Stonewall riots with non-discrimination legislation
https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/pittsburgh-marks-50th-anniversary-of-stonewall-riots-with-non-discrimination-legislation/
Development company plans $57 million SouthSide Works complex
https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/development-company-plans-57-million-csouth-side-works-complex/
State News
After report cites ‘deficiencies,’ Chester County coroner says her office needs more staff and more space
https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/chester-county-coroner-catherine-vandepol-accreditation-20190625.html
Senior home sued after employee took nude photos of resident
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2019/06/25/Butler-senior-home-photos-lawsuit-paramount-senior-living-cranberry/stories/201906250146
Explosions! Floods! Cancer! What more will it take for Pa. to ditch fossil fuels? | Will Bunch
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/philadelphia-oil-refinery-fire-climate-change-fossil-fuels-20190625.html
Report: Westmoreland County one of the ‘transitional’ counties in Appalachia
https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/report-westmoreland-county-one-of-the-transitional-counties-in-appalachia/
Coyotes the subject of Pa. Game Commission presentation in Murrysville
https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/coyotes-the-subject-of-pa-game-commission-presentation-in-murrysville/
Weather an expensive wash-out along popular Butler-Freeport, Roaring Run trails
https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/weather-an-expensive-wash-out-along-popular-butler-freeport-roaring-run-trails/
Pa. woman uses shovel to kill cobra slithering on her patio
https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pa-woman-uses-shovel-to-kill-cobra-slithering-on-her-patio/
Safety advocates and members of local and state police hold motorcycle and ATV safety session
https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/news/safety-advocates-and-members-of-local-and-state-police-hold-motorcycle-and-atv-safety-session-1.2501022
Federal, state officials target illegal robocalls
https://www.readingeagle.com/money/article/federal-state-officials-target-illegal-robocalls
Washington
Mueller agrees to testify before 2 House panels next month
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/robert-mueller-special-counsel-testify-house-committees-july-20190626.html
The House passes a $4.5B emergency funding bill for border aid
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-nation/2019/06/25/House-bill-border-emergency-funding-migrant-aid-Trump-Democrats-Pelosi/stories/201906250186
Feds: Rep. Duncan Hunter used campaign cash for affairs
https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/feds-say-congressman-duncan-hunter-used-campaign-cash-for-affairs-20190625.html