Sen. John Eichelberger, Senate Education Majority Chair, and Rep. James Roebuck, House Education Minority Chair, talk to us about the budget process, school funding, charter schools, school consolidation, vocational, career and technical education.
Archives for February 2018
Congressional Redistricting with Rep. Bryan Cutler
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled that the existing state map of congressional district boundaries is unconstitutional. Democratic Governor Tom Wolf and Republican leadership have submitted to the court new competing proposals with redrawn district lines. Rep. Bryan Cutler, Majority House Whip, explains the differences between the plans, and what the court may do next as an […]
Journalists Roundtable: February 15, 2018
Friday, Feb. 9, was the deadline set by the PA Supreme Court for the General Assembly to submit a revised redistricting plan to the governor. The court ruled on Jan. 22, that the 2011 Congressional Redistricting Act was unconstitutional. Short on time to pass a bill, House and Senate GOP leaders submitted a new map to Gov. Tom Wolf that redraws the lines of Pennsylvania’s 18 Congressional districts. Democrats in the legislature say they were not consulted. Gov. Tom Wolf rejected the Republican-generated map as partisan gerrymandering and will submit an alternative redistricting plan by the court’s Feb. 15 deadline. Other parties can also submit maps and the court can either choose a map or create its own. The court said it will draw lines itself if a plan isn’t submitted by Feb. 19. For statewide, PA House and Senate candidates, nomination petitions began circulating this week, but for Congressional candidates, petitions start circulating Feb. 27, per a decision by the PA Department of State. This extra time will allow Congressional candidates to file petitions in newly drawn districts. To discuss these topics, Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal and others are: John Micek, Editorial & Opinions Page Editor, PennLive & The Patriot-News; Katie Meyer, Capitol Bureau Chief with WITF-FM; and Jason Gottesman, Harrisburg Bureau Chief with The PLS Reporter. Our host is Brian Lockman.
PA Hunting
The PA Game Commission issued it’s annual report for 2017. Bryan Burhans, Executive Director of the PA Game Commission, tells us about the harvests of this past year, and what to expect from the year ahead.
Education Funding
Education funding has been Gov. Tom Wolf’s major push in every budget address he’s given so far. He’s asked for new funding for basic education, vocational technical training pre-kindergarten programs and Head Start. Mark DiRocco, Executive Director of the PA Association of School Administrators, Rich Askey, Vice President of the PA State Education Association, and Joan […]
PA Budget with PA Federation of Independent Business
Kevin Shivers, State Director of the PA Federation of Independent Business, is a registered lobbyist who advocates on behalf of the group’s wide range of members. The governor’s budget proposal revives two ideas the NFIB is opposed to: a natural gas severance tax plan, and a bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage. Mr. […]
February 12: PA Budget
Gov. Tom Wolf gave his budget address on Tuesday, Feb. 6th, and outlined what he believes should be prioritized in the state’s 2018-19 fiscal year. Kevin Harley, Managing Director of Quantum Communications, and Pete Shelly, Partner of Shelly-Lyons Public Affairs and Communications, tell us what they expect to get into the finished budget, especially with […]
PA Budget with PA Chamber of Business & Industry
Gene Barr, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, says Governor Wolf has proposed changes to the corporate tax structure that would hurt employers for a fourth year in a row. He calls the governor’s proposed natural gas severance tax “punitive,” and says his proposed minimum wage boost would result in […]
PCN Tours DS Wood Baseball Bats
DS Wood Baseball Bats are handcrafted in Hummelstown, PA. See how they do it on this episode of PCN Tours.
“The Whiskey Rebellion And The Rebirth of Rye: A Pittsburgh Story”
“The Whiskey Rebellion and the Rebirth of Rye” takes readers on a tour of the spirit’s founding, floundering, and current flourishing. Authors Mark Meyer and Meredith Meyer Grelli explore rye whiskey’s revolutionary origins in Western Pennsylvania, the role of Gilded Age robber barons in developing the rye industry and the reemergence of craft distilling in […]