Pennsylvania in Focus

Shapiro and Davis launch campaign with big achievements and bigger crises

(The Center Square) - At a rally launching Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis’s re-election campaign Thursday, the stakes were made clear: the 2026 election is about the trajectory of the nation as a whole. Amid swirling rumors about a presidential bid, Shapiro pledged his commitment to act as a servant leader ready for another four years in office. Over the course of the evening, speakers painted two portraits. One was Shapiro the family man guided by faith, humility, and a desire to serve. The other was a man of bravado and ambition, proud of the “sh**” he gets done. Among the victories highlighted were economic investments of more than $32 billion and the improbable twelve-day repair of a collapsed section of I-95 in Philadelphia. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Don’t count on lower electricity prices in 2026 in Pennsylvania

(The Center Square) – For 67 million people relying on electricity from the regional power grid, PJM, cheaper utility bills in 2026 are little more than a pipe dream. It’s not an unexpected blow, despite moves from the Trump administration and state regulators to keep prices in check. Why? Because there’s simply not enough power generation – from gas and nuclear plants, wind and solar farms and battery storage reserves – to feed the grid. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Taxpayers give $5M to Pitt, other institutions for neuroscience research

(The Center Square) - The most recent Pennsylvania budget was tight, but it did add a few new line items, including $5 million toward research for neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. On Friday, Gov. Josh Shapiro, Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen, and Rep. Kyle Mullins, D-Peckville, joined researchers at the University of Pittsburgh to mark the investment. Mullins lost his father to ALS and has spent his time in the legislature championing the cause alongside Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-Quarryville, who lost both parents to the disease. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Vance, Garrity stump for Trump agenda in Pennsylvania with midterms on the horizon

(The Center Square) – Keeping Pennsylvania’s scales tipped into the red ahead of the 2026 midterms was underscored again this week as Vice President J.D. Vance visited Allentown, stumping for his boss’s economic policies and bringing Republican hopefuls into the limelight with him. While there, he told a crowd gathered at Uline Shipping Supplies in Alburtis that “his job every single day is to make it so that you guys can have a safe and prosperous life in this country that all of us love.”  Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx  Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_5beb7890-4efc-4b28-bebf-6acb74f4ccb7.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pennsylvania House passes genetic privacy protections

(The Center Square) – Genetic testing has drastically changed what we’re able to know about ourselves and our families. It can inform individuals about their bodies and health and connect them to the past through ancestral lines. For the past two decades, consumers have been handing over their genetic information to private industry for the chance to make those connections. Throughout those two decades, both entrepreneurism and technological innovations have outpaced legislation, leading to a landscape in which companies have found lucrative ways to leverage genetic data with third parties. On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania House voted unanimously to grant consumers privacy rights over their information.  Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx  Read more: https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_2046216c-00e6-4c59-981b-0fd310f39900.html Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.