x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Pennsylvania in Focus

The Center Square

The podcast bringing you the most important stories out of Pennsylvania from TheCenterSquare.com. Join us as we dive into the top headlines and provide insightful commentary and analysis.

news

All Episodes

00:06:42

Red Tape Delays Braddock Dam Project

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/07/20

A redundant permitting process, delays, and problems with getting plugged into the grid means headaches are routine for new power projects. For one renewable hydroelectric plant, the process has driven up the cost of the project by 30% — if not more. A plan to build seven turbine-generators at the Braddock Locks and Dam outside Pittsburgh to produce 5.25 megawatts of electricity, as The Center Square previously reported, has had years of delays. State officials have noted that the delays have run up

en

00:06:07

Pennsylvania Budget Deal Unlikely Before September

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/07/15

Both chambers of the General Assembly officially left Harrisburg for the summer — an ominous sign that the bipartisan wound won’t heal anytime soon. The development comes nearly two weeks after the Senate recessed until mid-September, furious over Gov. Josh Shapiro’s default on a $45.5 billion budget deal — complete with a new $100 million school choice program he helped draft — amid resistance from Democratic leadership in the House. --- Support this podcast:

en

00:05:25

More Labor Needed for Pennsylvania’s Broadband Expansion

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/07/14

Pennsylvania officials will soon have a five-year action plan for how to build out universal broadband service across the state. As federal funds roll out nationally, however, demand for labor will be high and could make the task harder. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:04:10

Pennsylvania Covers Lawmakers’ Expenses – But Doesn’t...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/07/13

Pennsylvania’s legislators have one of the highest salaries in the nation, and generous reimbursement rules for expenses can send more taxpayer money into their pockets. A proposed bill could change those rules, however, limiting the checks to cover only costs that lawmakers actually paid. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:04:37

Philadelphia ‘Epicenter of Xylazine’ as Overdoses...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/07/07

Pennsylvania ranks high among the list of states reporting a rise in deaths from an animal tranquilizer that’s immune to existing overdose-reversing medications. Xylazine, also called Tranq, killed 102 people in 2018, according to federal data. That figure increased 35-fold just three years later. For the states in CDC’s Region 3 – Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington D.C. – the overdose rate is nearly quadruple the national average. --- Support this podcast:

en

00:06:52

School Choice Veto May Not End Pennsylvania Budget...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/07/06

The governor’s vow to veto funding for a new school choice scholarship program and end the budget impasse may prove ineffective after all. Thanks to the complexities of the legislative process, the state’s annual spending plan requires multiple enabling pieces of legislation – commonly referred to as “code bills” — to become effective. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:03:29

Refining Pennsylvania Turnpike Toll Collection,...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/07/01

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will soon see a new commissioner focused on fare collection and reducing how much tolls increase annually. Keith Leaphart, a physician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, received a unanimous and favorable recommendation from the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday for the Turnpike Commissioner position. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:04:52

Pennsylvania Senate Committee OKs Commonwealth...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/30

After multiple hearings, Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt's nomination cleared his first legislative hurdle. On Monday, the Senate State Government Committee voted 10-1 to recommend Schmidt’s nomination. Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Chambersburg, was the only member to vote against Schmidt, who had appeared before the committee twice earlier this month. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:04:42

Meek Mill Among 65 Endorsing Lifeline Scholarships in...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/30

Lifeline scholarships in Pennsylvania just got a celebrity endorsement, according to a letter sent to the governor’s administration Thursday. Meek Mill – a rapper, activist, and Philadelphia native – is one of the lead signatories on a letter sent to Gov. Josh Shapiro, two of his cabinet members, and the General Assembly that says the Lifeline Scholarship program will free students trapped in “failing” schools, irrespective “of their family’s socioeconomic status or their zip code.” --- Support

en

00:03:54

As Solar Grows in Pennsylvania, so Do Questions About...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/24

As solar capacity in Pennsylvania grows rapidly – accounting for more than half of the state's proposed energy projects – so do questions about how maintenance costs for the power grid should be distributed. During a public hearing hosted by the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee on Tuesday, experts tussled over whether legal favoritism for solar projects – combined with overreliance on traditional power sources – may leave some ratepayers footing more of the bill

en

00:05:24

Lifeline Scholarships Quietly Introduced in the...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/23

The Senate introduced a proposal for lifeline scholarships Thursday without fanfare, despite the policy’s high ranking on Republicans’ legislative priority list. Senate Bill 795 would create spending-restricted accounts for students living in low-performing districts to pay for private school tuition, tutoring, and other educational expenses. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:05:32

Pennsylvania Bill Envisions New Era for School...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/22

In some schools across the state, students walk the same halls that children of Civil War soldiers once did – a fact lawmakers find shameful, not venerable. House Education Committee Chairman Peter Schweyer, D-Allentown, represents one such school in his district: Harrison-Morton Middle School, built in 1874, and on track to graduate its 150th class next year. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:04:13

Pennsylvania House Approves 911 Surcharge Boost Tied...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/17

The state House approved a boosted phone surcharge for 911 services, even though the proposal’s tie to inflation sparked division among lawmakers who all agree the state’s emergency services system needs more money. House Bill 1304 increases the monthly fee assessed on phone bills from $1.65 to $1.97, to adjust every year after with the consumer price index until the provision sunsets in 2029. Doing so would generate an additional $30.4 million for the state’s emergency services fund in 2024,

en

00:03:27

Philadelphia Wants Harsher Penalties for Illegal Dirt...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/16

The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a law last year to curtail dirt bikes and ATVs from use in cities across the state, but not all localities are happy with it. In Philadelphia, the regulations cause problems for a pre-existing local ordinance. Before the state law passed, Philadelphia’s off-road vehicle law had stronger provisions, but that has now been superseded by the legislature. One way to find a compromise would be to exempt the city and let it reimplement its more-stringent law — a

en

00:07:52

Earned Income, Child Care Tax Credits Advance in...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/10

Tax credits for workers and families advanced to the Pennsylvania House floor this week, setting the stage for a partisan showdown over the ballooning cost of incentive programs moving through the chamber. Lawmakers clashed over two bills – one to create an earned income tax and another to expand the state’s existing child care tax credit – in the House Finance Committee on Tuesday. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:04:51

Pricier Budget Offer Squeaks Through Pennsylvania...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/09

Unexpected revenues woven into a new budget proposal on Monday pads Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desired bottom line, though by how much remains a point of controversy among lawmakers. The plan increases public education spending by $491 million and splits $450 million between two restricted accounts reserved for school facilities modernization and whole home repairs. There’s also cuts to certain government operations, conservation programs and some services for schools, health care, and public assistance –

en

00:03:47

Pennsylvania First Responders Blast ‘Adversarial’...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/08

No EMS-related hearing in the General Assembly is complete without legislators and testifiers sounding the alarm over a system in crisis. At a Senate Health and Human Services hearing on Tuesday, these warnings and more echoed in the Capitol. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:03:51

Pennsylvania EMS Workers Say Problems “Kicked Down...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/02

Pennsylvania’s emergency services face a serious financial crisis — and a dire situation to recruit first responders and ensure their health. The state’s inaction, combined with mounting demands, leaves firefighters frustrated. Emergency workers scale back their voluntary commitments or quit for easier jobs with higher pay. Many of them suffer from PTSD and health problems. Suicide rates eclipse the generation population. --- Support this podcast:

en

00:04:07

Philly Voters Worry of Crime, but Wary to Embrace...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/06/01

Voters in Philadelphia ranked crime as a top concern heading into the May primary election. Democrats, who have a strong majority in the city, even chose former City Councilwoman Cherelle Parker, who campaigned on public safety. Whether Parker, who rode to victory on the support of the city’s political establishment, can align her policies with voter preferences, however, remains to be seen. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pennsylvania-in-focus/support

en

00:06:01

Prospects Grim for Gun Bills Cleared in State House

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2023/05/26

Two controversial gun bills cleared the state House on Monday with bipartisan support, but that doesn’t mean they’ll get anywhere near the governor’s desk any time soon. That’s because, despite Democrats’ slim margin in the lower chamber, Republicans still control the Senate by six votes – and they believe stricter laws, including universal background checks and emergency protection orders, won’t solve the problems the proposals purport to fix. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, told The

en

449 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

PBS News Hour - Full Show

PBS News

CD Voice

China Daily

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

Noa Levi

Jeffrey Epstein: The Coverup Chronicles

Bobby Capucci