Pennsylvania

Programmers, Lawmakers Want A.I. to Eliminate Bias, Not Promote It

Artificial intelligence can worsen systemic racism.

  • By Kristian Hernández, Stateline

Solar Project to Produce Half of State Government’s Electricity

Pennsylvania announced a new solar project that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lock in energy pricing for 15 years.

  • By Andrea Noble

It’s Time to Get Back to the Office (and for Slackers to Get Back to Work), These Lawmakers Say

In Pennsylvania, Republican legislators are raising concerns about how remote work during the pandemic has affected the performance and productivity of some state employees.

  • By Bill Lucia

A Pennsylvania County Goes Hydro With its Government Buildings

Allegheny County will power its facilities with hydroelectric power under a 35-year agreement with a planned plant on a nearby river.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Pennsylvania Voters to Decide Whether to Limit Governor’s Emergency Powers

GOP lawmakers unsuccessfully challenged the Democratic governor’s emergency authority during the coronavirus pandemic. Now they’ve approved a bill that sets up a referendum on the issue.

  • By Andrea Noble

After Years of Pollution, One County Meets Air Quality Standards for the First Time Ever

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is in compliance with federal air quality standards for the first time in its history.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

'We Can't Have Different Facts': Why Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Still Believes in Universal Truths

The Pennsylvania Democrat received national attention for his blunt takedowns of voter fraud claims in the wake of the November election. He's now pondering a U.S. Senate run.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Proposed Safe-Injection Site in Philadelphia Found Illegal by Federal Appeals Court

The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 decision that found a plan to open the nation’s first supervised drug injection site violates a federal law passed to shut down crack houses.

  • By Andrea Noble

After Mob Attack on U.S. Capitol, State Governments Take Precautions

Washington's governor announced plans for a heavy law enforcement presence at the state Capitol next week. Other states have taken extra security measures as well.

  • By Andrea Noble

The New Plans to Remake Appalachia’s Economy

Mayors from the region and others want the Biden administration to embrace their proposals for billions of dollars of spending, with a heavy emphasis on clean energy projects, as a way to reinvent the region as coal declines.

  • By Bill Lucia

With New Funding Elusive, a Governor Turns to Planning to Address Flood Hazards

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf outlined a three-pronged initiative this week. “It’s the best we can do right now,” he said.

  • By Bill Lucia

No Bar Night Out Before Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | National Guard deploys to El Paso to help with morgue crisis … Prosecutors are reviewing 800 cases possibly tainted by lab analyst … Nursing home workers strike in Illinois.

  • By Laura Maggi
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Feds Shoot Down Pennsylvania Plan to Funnel Virus Relief Money to School Districts

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | D.C. transit agency looking at buyouts to avoid 1,400 layoffs … Missouri state Senate postpones session because of Covid outbreak among members … Texas AG controversy continues with whistleblower lawsuit.

  • By Bill Lucia and Emma Coleman

States Expanded Voting Access for the Pandemic. The Changes Might Stick.

Restrictive ballot-counting laws slowed results.

  • By Matt Vasilogambros and Lindsey Van Ness, Stateline

Vote Count Continues in Battleground States

As President Trump falsely complained of "fraud" in the continued counting and former Vice President Joe Biden urged patience, election officials explained a crush of mail-in ballots and limitations on when officials could start tallying them has led to delays in results.

  • By Andrea Noble

Pennsylvania to Separately Count Late Mail-in Ballots

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Water pollution linked to increased health costs in Wisconsin… Remote learning may have inflated Nashville school test results… Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had trouble voting this week.

  • By Andrea Noble

Pennsylvania’s New Vote-by-Mail Law Expands Access for Everyone Except the Poor

In America’s poorest big city, language barriers, unstable housing and lack of internet access make voting by mail difficult. So low-income Philadelphia residents will be voting in person, if at all.

  • By Jonathan Lai, Michaelle Bond and Samantha Melamed, ProPublica

Pennsylvania’s Rejection of 372,000 Ballot Applications Bewilders Voters and Strains Election Staff

Most rejected applications were deemed duplicates because voters had unwittingly checked a request box during the primary. The administrative nightmare highlights the difficulty of ramping up mail-in voting on the fly.

  • By Derek Willis, Ryan McCarthy and Jonathan Lai, ProPublica

States Sue EPA Over Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Plans

A group of states say New York and Pennsylvania are not doing enough to reduce water pollution and arguing the federal government is letting them get away with it.

  • By Andrea Noble

Lawmakers Hope to Allow School Districts—Not Governor—to Set Crowd Size for Sporting Events

Spectators are currently allowed at sporting events in Pennsylvania, but state limits on crowd sizes would make it difficult for many, if any, audience members to attend games. Proposed legislation aims to allow school districts to set their own limits.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Pennsylvania Governor Suggests Selling Marijuana Through State-Run Stores

Gov. Tom Wolf isn’t the first governor to recently float state-operated marijuana retail. Pennsylvania currently runs hundreds of wine and liquor shops.

  • By Bill Lucia