For three years, students from 16 North American schools have part of the EcoCAR Challenge. Penn State University’s team has been working on an extended range electronic vehicle, and this year the team had to refine it to near showroom quality. While the vehicle must perform on the road like a standard SUV, there’s a […]
Every ten years state lawmakers are called upon to redraw the state’s Congressional map. In addition to ensuring population equity and fair representation of minorities, PA lawmakers must again account for the loss of a Congressional seat due to population shifts. “When you’re shrinking from 19-members in Congress to 18, you have to grow the […]
A new Quinnipiac Poll finds a split job approval rating (39 – 38) for Governor Tom Corbett. While 39% is a relatively low job approval number, pollster Tim Malloy says there is some good news: “He is doing far better than his counterparts; Gov. Scott of Florida, Gov. Kasich of Ohio, who are in negative […]
Pennsylvania’s prohibition on Sunday hunting doesn’t mesh with today’s busy lifestyles, according to State Rep. John Evans (R-Erie), who chairs the House Game and Fisheries Committee. “There are limited opportunities that folks have to go out into the field,” Evans tells us. In the weeks ahead, Evans will introduce legislation that would simply lift the […]
The Democratic chairman of the state House Education Committee is proposing changes to the funding and oversight of cyber charter and charter schools in Pennsylvania. Representative Jim Roebuck (D-Phila) says the amendments to the state’s Charter and Cyber Charter School law would improve administrative oversight and accountability. Roebuck says the bill would establish state responsibility […]
The State House is expected to begin debating a controversial voter ID bill this week. It would require all voters to present a valid photo ID each time they go to the ballot box, and Governor Tom Corbett says he would sign such a bill. “I think we want to keep the integrity of the […]
The Transportation Funding Advisory Commission, created by Governor Tom Corbett’s executive order, is on pace to submit recommendations by August 1st. PennDOT spokesman Dennis Buterbaugh says the objective is to find another $2-billion to $2.5-billion dollars to annually inject into Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure. That’s the majority of an annual $3-billion dollar transportation funding gap that […]
Through the first eleven months of the fiscal year, the Department of Revenue reports that collections have outpaced expectations to the tune of $540-million dollars. Many lawmakers are ready to tap into that money to mitigate some of the proposed budget cuts. However, Governor Tom Corbett isn’t ready to use the “S” word… surplus. “I don’t […]
This Saturday (June 11) is “Get Outdoors Day”. Surveys show that kids spend 50% less time outdoors than they did 20 years ago according to Jim Hubbard, Deputy Chief for the U. S. Forest Service. Hubbard says they want families to reconnect and experience nature. He says just being there is worth it. He says […]
One package of bills has been introduced to ban teacher strikes in Pennsylvania. But there’s another plan that would not go that far. The “Back to Educating Our Kids” act would require negotiations between teachers and school districts to start earlier, dividing the process into negotiation, fact finding, mediation and arbitration. If talks move to […]