State of the Keystone State
Harrisburg, with a Monroe angle
Thu, Oct 8
Governor Candidates Debate Data Centers.
The first Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate in eight years opened Wednesday night on data centers, according to TribLive. Gov.
Read it in the Oct. 8 editionThu, Oct 1
Independents Knock on the Primary Door.
The state House voted 115-88 on Tuesday (Sept. 29) to let voters who aren't registered with a major party vote in Pennsylvania's primaries. Under House Bill 280, sponsored by Rep.
Read it in the Oct. 1 editionThu, Sep 24
STATE OF THE KEYSTONE: SKILL GAMES & MANDATORY SENTENCES
State lawmakers come back to the Capitol on Monday, Sept. 28, and two Pennsylvania Supreme Court rulings are waiting for them. According to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, they have six session days scheduled before the first deadline hits, with Election Day on Nov. 3.
Read it in the Sept. 24 editionThu, Sep 10
Pennsylvania Now Requires Daily Recess for K-5 Students.
Gov. Shapiro signed Act 20 of 2026 this week, officially writing 30 minutes of daily recess into law for every Pennsylvania kindergarten-through-5th-grade student, with 15 minutes for half-day kindergarten programs; elementary schools are also expected to extend it to 6th...
Read it in the Sept. 10 editionThu, Sep 3
A New CDC Director Is Sitting on Two of Pennsylvania's Measles Deaths.
The fight between Gov. Josh Shapiro and RFK Jr. over Pennsylvania's measles outbreak, the one where Kennedy's team claimed it couldn't find any actual measles deaths in Lancaster County, just escalated.
Read it in the Sept. 3 editionThu, Aug 27
Pennsylvania's First Measles Deaths in 35 Years, Now a Real Dispute Over the Records.
Pennsylvania has reported its first measles-associated deaths in 35 years, part of a statewide outbreak now at more than 400 confirmed cases across 29 counties, per the Philadelphia Inquirer's Aug. 26 reporting.
Read it in the August 27 editionThu, Aug 20
STATE OF THE KEYSTONE STATE: SHAPIRO'S DATA CENTER ABOUT-FACE
Tuesday, Shapiro found a way around Harrisburg's gridlock: he signed Executive Order 2026-05, turning the voluntary data center GRID Standards we've covered since May into an enforceable requirement.
Read it in the August 20 editionThu, Aug 13
AG Sues TikTok Over App-Store Rating.
The office of Attorney General Dave Sunday (R) filed suit against TikTok this week, alleging the company misrepresented the app as suitable for a 13-and-up rating in app stores despite content the state says warrants a higher age bar.
Read it in the August 13 editionThu, Aug 6
STATE OF THE KEYSTONE STATE
In other Harrisburg headlines….
Read it in the August 6 editionThu, Jul 30
STATE OF THE KEYSTONE STATE: WHAT'S BEHIND THOSE PROBST TEXTS?
If you live in our corner of Northeast Pennsylvania, chances are your phone buzzed recently with a sharp political text message targeting local State Representative Tarah Probst, accusing her of voting "to let murderers, rapists, and child rapists back on the street." The texts...
Read it in the July 30 editionThu, Jul 23
STATE OF THE KEYSTONE STATE
Last week's $50.8 billion state budget added data center transparency rules but left the industry's sales-tax exemption untouched, despite Shapiro's own push to trim it. House Bill 2198, which would repeal the exemption and passed the House 197-5 with Monroe's Rep.
Read it in the July 23, 2026 editionThu, Jul 16
Forged Signatures, Real Consequences.
Ashley N. Arias, 32, of Wernersville, was sentenced on July 15 to one to three years in state prison for submitting multiple falsified voter registration and mail-in ballot request forms in Monroe County.
Read it in the July 16 editionThu, Jul 9
THE STATE OF THE KEYSTONE STATE: SANOFI'S $10.6 MILLION GREEN MACHINE
Monroe County's biggest name in vaccines just got a state-funded tune-up. Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley visited Sanofi Pasteur's Swiftwater facility on June 26 to highlight a new $10,646,316 grant through the state's Reducing Industrial Sector...
Read it in the July 9 edition