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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.

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All Episodes

00:07:22

Report Details Financial Toll of Opioid Use in...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/24

(The Center Square) – Money spent addressing opioid use disorder last year accounts for 5% of Pennsylvania’s GDP, according to a report from Avalere Health. The study used state and national data to analyze costs across federal, state, and local governments, businesses, households, society, and individuals and found that the crisis has cost more than $3.9 trillion nationally. Pennsylvania alone accounted for over $232 billion of that total. Support this podcast:

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00:05:26

Democratic Primary Upset in Pittsburgh Signals Party...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/23

(The Center Square) - Tuesday’s Democratic primaries proved to be a referendum on Ed Gainey’s leadership in his first term as mayor of Pittsburgh. The incumbent failed to convince voters that more time would help him usher a vision of a revitalized Pittsburgh into reality, and he was unseated by Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor. The victory means O’Connor is on track to win the general election, with Democrats holding the position for most of the last century. Tony Moreno, a former police

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00:06:19

Old Plans, New Hope for Election Reform in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/18

(The Center Square) – Lawmakers made another attempt to reform elections in Pennsylvania, though it’s unclear how much appetite exists to deliver the plan to the governor’s desk. In many ways, it’s familiar. Like House Democratic-backed proposals that came before it, the bill establishes early in-person voting, ballot boxes and faster voter registration timelines. House Speaker Joanna McClinton, of Philadelphia, again sponsored it. And again, it passed along party lines – 102-101 in favor, to be

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00:03:57

SEPTA Finds $91.4M Through Accountability Program

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/17

(The Center Square) - Central to the debate around bailouts for the Philadelphia area’s mass transit system, SEPTA, has been the long-term sustainability of the agency’s finances. It’s currently set to face a $213 million deficit in July. Republicans in the legislature have resisted bailouts and solutions that would allocate more state dollars toward mass transit, favoring funding road and bridge construction throughout the state and demanding belt-tightening measures. Today, SEPTA announced that it

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00:06:42

Carbon Tax Goes Before Skeptical High Court in...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/16

(The Center Square) – A skeptical high court grilled state officials this week about whether the money it wants to collect from a regional anti-pollution pact constitutes a fee or a tax. Only the latter needs legislative approval, which will not happen with a split General Assembly, where the risk of rising utility bills 30% during economic uncertainty weighs heavily. That means it’s up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to decide if the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s effort to limit harmful

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00:09:02

Pro-worker Organizations in Pennsylvania Argue for...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/11

(The Center Square) - When used judiciously, some Democrats speculate that tariffs can be a good thing. In Pennsylvania, where steel has been a central component of the state’s economy, they’re arguing for different tactics. “I think it should be easy for us to criticize Donald Trump's tariffs and his trade approach right now, which is hurting a lot of people. A lot of businesses and workers in Pennsylvania,” said Congressman Chris Deluzio, who represents the 17th district northwest of Pittsburgh

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00:07:52

Education Scholarships Pushed to Pennsylvania's...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/10

(The Center Square) – Students across 18 public schools in Pennsylvania failed proficiency tests for math and reading. That is, not even 1% of children hit the benchmark. This reality is widening support for school choices beyond assigned districts, as has happened in some form across 34 states. Sen. Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, and Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Philadelphia, say the commonwealth’s resistance must end. It’s a rare bipartisan alliance, though for Williams, it's deeply personal: the

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00:07:14

Wheels Greased for Pennsylvania’s Adult Use Cannabis...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/09

(The Center Square) – A 173-page bill that regulates adult-use cannabis in the commonwealth went from introduction to committee approval in less than 24 hours. While Democrats laud the proposal as long overdue and the best amalgamation of many state models, Republicans argue the process was fast-tracked, secretive and potentially dangerous. Critics argued that’s not true. Without comment from law enforcement advocacy groups or those representing children’s health and well-being, they worry the bill

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00:07:24

Call for New Strategies to Support Pennsylvania EMS...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/04

(The Center Square) - Recruitment and retention were primary challenges for Berkeley Hills Fire Company in Allegheny County. It’s one of the thousands of volunteer fire departments that make up the majority of the state’s network of first responders. It’s not an easy job, and finding those with the time, flexibility, and interest to do it has become increasingly difficult. Some say it’s a shift in values, while others point to the financial strain and life stressors faced by men and women in the

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00:10:50

Poll: School Choice Support Defies Partisanship in...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/03

(The Center Square) – A recent poll suggests that support for school choice doesn’t hinge on any political affiliation, age, ethnicity, region or 2024 presidential vote. Rather, across all demographics, as many as two-thirds of respondents support the concept of educational scholarships that offer state funding directly to families to fund private school tuition. Support for the policy reached as high as 56% among Democrats and Kamala Harris voters – a significant figure given the party’s historical

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00:11:23

Pennsylvania Map Reveals Complex Nature of Clean...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/05/02

(The Center Square) - Dozens of organizations across Pennsylvania have taken advantage of tax credits and rebates provided by the federal infrastructure bill to fund projects that support renewable energy and climate resiliency. PennEnvironment and Evergreen Collaborative, both environmental organizations who operate in the commonwealth, have created an interactive map to see which companies have benefited from the tax dollars and the fiscal and environmental impact they’re expected to make. The map

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00:11:09

Expiring Health Insurance Tax Credits Loom Large in...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/04/26

(The Center Square) – Expanded tax credits that make health insurance cheaper for 24.3 million Americans face expiration at the end of 2025, leaving many in the field fearful about the future of medicine for the working class. In Pennsylvania, that means premiums for 500,000 residents enrolled through Pennie — the state’s health insurance marketplace — could nearly double. As enrollment drops, prices will rise even higher to fill the gap. “We’re very concerned about what we have headed down the

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00:08:34

Poll: Voters Want Open Primaries in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/04/25

(The Center Square) – As the number of independent voters grows, there is broad bipartisan support among Pennsylvania voters for allowing the state’s 1.4 million independents to participate in primary elections, says a new poll. Pennsylvania is one of only 14 states with closed party primaries. Implementing open or semi-open primaries would require changes to state election law, an issue currently being considered by lawmakers in both chambers of the General Assembly. Support this podcast:

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00:08:35

Report: Pennsylvania Unions Spent $33M to Elect...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/04/20

(The Center Square) – Government unions leverage payroll deductions to funnel money to almost exclusively Democratic candidates, according to a new report in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative policy group based in Harrisburg, said government unions spent $33 million in 2023 and 2024 supporting political action committees and other causes, of which just 5.2% backed candidates from other parties. Although many membership organizations spend money on political campaigns, critics

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00:09:05

Pennsylvania ‘Completely Dependent’ on Mass Transit...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/04/19

(The Center Square) - Policymakers spoke in no uncertain terms at a hearing in Pittsburgh on Tuesday: both rural and urban regions will suffer if the legislature doesn’t come up with funding solutions for mass transit. The last long-term dedicated funding measure, Act 89, was passed in 2013 and has since expired. Since then, the governor and legislature have battled over short-term solutions for the struggling SEPTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit, or PRT, systems. Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed

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00:10:31

Motive for Shapiro Mansion Firebombing Murky

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/04/18

(The Center Square) - Gov. Josh Shapiro provided an update on investigations into the arson that occurred at his Harrisburg residence over the weekend. His update comes after details about the case, and with them about the alleged attacker Cody Balmer, have come to light - including that he was struggling with acute mental illness. A potential motive for the crime was mentioned in a search warrant obtained by PennLive. It stated that in a 911 call following the attack, Balmer said that he “will not

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00:07:23

Weekend Reveals High Contrast in Pennsylvania Politics

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/04/13

(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania politics cast a stunning juxtaposition this weekend. On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, a conservative political celebration for state Republicans, began its three-day run while stocks plummeted following the president’s announcement of new tariffs. Meanwhile, Democratic senators Vincent Hughes and Art Haywood of Philadelphia marked 57 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., on Friday. They and others used the opportunity to

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00:08:04

Bill Planned to Ban Gender Transitions for Minors in...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/04/12

(The Center Square) – The debate over whether children should undergo gender transition treatments has grown in fervor since Election Day, though a pending bill to ban the procedures in Pennsylvania has not. The Senate Majority Policy Committee, filled entirely with Republicans from the upper chamber, will center the issue at a hearing in Altoona next week. Parents, medical professionals, and detransitioned patients will share their perspectives on why the pending legislation, called the Do No Harm

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00:08:39

Pennsylvania Corrections Officers and Legislators...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/04/04

(The Center Square) - The Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association joined legislators at the capitol to speak out against the proposed closures of State Correctional Institute Rockview in Centre County and nearby Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County. Their stated concerns are many. The two facilities are major employers in the rural central area of the state, and residents are worried about the economic impact of losing them. Corrections officers are torn with the prospect of either

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00:07:38

Pennsylvania ‘Welcoming Caucus’ Takes Stand Against...

Pennsylvania in Focus ·

2025/03/30

(The Center Square) - Invoking the state and national history of immigration, beginning with the welcome offered by William Penn, some Pennsylvania elected officials want to pass new laws that counter the federal government’s recent deportation efforts. The PA Welcoming Caucus held a press conference skewering the Trump administration’s immigration policies, of which Sen. Nikil Saval, D-Philadelphia, said are intended to “erect a chilling order of terror and inquisition” across the United

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