1 to 10 of 238
Archive for “Harrisburg” news
First Openly Gay GOP Candidate Running for General Assembly
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/17/2013
Comments 1
We're a little late to this, but with a special election for PA's 95th House District taking place Tuesday, here's an election day tidbit to keep in the back of your mind. The Republican in the race--Bryan Tate--is the first openly gay GOP candidate ever to run for the general assembly. If he wins (he's a relative longshot in a blue area) he'll join the other two openly gay members of the state House, Democrat Brian Sims and Republican Mike Fleck. [Inquirer]
Millersville U. REALLY Doesn’t Want Governor to Speak at Graduation
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/17/2013
Comments 0
State GOP Demands to Know What the Hell Joe Sestak Is Up To
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/13/2013
Comments 0
Joe Sestak has raised a lot of money in the past couple months. Nearly $500,000 of I'm running for something money, in fact. But he's not saying exactly what he plans on doing with it. Governor? Senator? The Pennsylvania Republican Party says he's violating the law by not telling.
Sestak’s strategic vagueness is illegal, according to the Pennsylvania Republican Party, which has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission arguing that since Sestak has raised more than $5,000 in his federal campaign account, he must file a statement of candidacy that describes the office he is seeking.
I don't think WarChestGate
Former PA Gov. George Leader Has Died
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/09/2013
Comments 0
According to AP state politics reporter Marc Levy:
Leader served from 1955 to 1959, limited to four years in office because of an old term-limit law. He was the oldest living former governor in the country, according to his biographer. A Democrat, he implemented Pennsylvania's first major civil rights law. He also helped reform political patronage jobs, professionalize mental health services, and boost manufacturing in economically ravaged areas.
Here he is in '54, gracing the cover of Time.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Funeral home says former Pa. Gov. George Leader hasdied at age 95.— Marc Levy (@timelywriter) May 9, 2013
Can A Court Really “Shame” Justice Joan Orie Melvin?
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/09/2013
Comments 0
For her various crimes of political corruption, State Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin has been handed sort of an odd sentence. Three years house arrest, then two years probation. OK, no jail time, but seems pretty routine. Now here's the weird part. The Allegheny County judge who conjured up the penalty wants her to inscribe hand-written apologies on 500 copies of a photograph of herself, which will then be sent to Pennsylvania jurists. I.e., she's being shamed.
Here's the photograph, taken after the sentencing hearing. Note the handcuffs, which the judge ordered she wear.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quizzed some shaming experts
Tom Corbett Is Very, Very Unpopular
By Joel Mathis 5/08/2013
Comments 0
More news from that F&M poll we talked about earlier: Tom Corbett's approval rating is low—very low: Only 25 percent of Pennsylvania voters believe the governor deserves re-election.
Philadelphia Business Journal analyzes the numbers:
Corbett’s difficulties with voters, F&M surmises, may be due in part from the priorities he has emphasized in recent months. Debate in the state capital has centered on efforts to privatize the state liquor stores and the state lottery, but the poll shows these issues rank well below the economy, creating jobs, or improving public schools as important issues voters want state government to address. Few voters gave
GOP Legislators Call SEPTA Funding A Form of “Welfare”
By Joel Mathis 5/08/2013
Comments 1
Some of our betters in Harrisburg apparently think so. City Paper's Dan Denvir reports:
Funding for SEPTA and other public transit is "subsidizing a minority of our population’s bus fare, which is just more welfare," said state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), according to an e-mail discussion obtained by the Capitolwire news service (subscription only).
Metcalfe's comments were sparked by an e-mail sent out by Rep. Tom Killion (R-Delaware) citing "a new report [that] showed 27 percent of the state’s transportation funding went to southeastern Pennsylvania – Bucks, Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties – while that region had 32 percent of the state population
Corbett: State Pensions Cost $9,000 Per Household
By Joel Mathis 5/08/2013
Comments 0
Tom Corbett's been promising to do something about the growing specter of state employee pensions: On Tuesday, he opened his campaign:
On Tuesday, he pointed out that it was not only the state budget at stake, but household budgets as well.
The pension’s $47-billion unfunded liability amounts to a $9,000 bill for each household in Pennsylvania, the governor said. On its current course, the liability will top $65 billion by 2018, bringing the per household total to more than $13,000.
“That’s the cost of doing nothing,” Corbett said. “Are you ready to write your checks?”
Of course, that's the gap between what the state
Obama Administration Charges Harrisburg with Securities Fraud (aka Lying)
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/06/2013
Comments 0
Remember the time we discovered that Harrisburg, in the words of Gawker, was a "broke-ass sinkhole of despair"? Today, the Securities and Exchange Commission has charged the city with Securities Fraud for covering up the utter putridity of its financial situation from the late aughts until 2011, when it went belly-up. This is the first time the SEC has ever charged a U.S. city for lying about its balance sheet. Harrisburg, perhaps seeking to minimize headlines like "Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Is a Broke-Ass Sinkhole of Despair" agreed to settle the charges ahead of time. For a what's what in the city's
This Is How Many People Corbett Has Kicked Off Food Stamps
By Simon van Zuylen-Wood 5/03/2013
Comments 1
A year ago, Pennsylvania instituted means-testing for food stamp applicants, in an effort to cut down on those age-old scourges, waste and fraud. Here's what they found: Since May 1, 2012, the program has denied 2,027 people who were already receiving aid, and rejected another 1,923 new applicants. In addition, 111,000 applicants were rejected for not filing proper paperwork, an increase of 17,000 since last year, raising concerns that red tape is denying people benefits. The asset test states that any under-60 household with fewer than $5,500 in assets (not counting house and car) cannot qualify. Over 60, that number
