Author

Kim Lyons

Kim Lyons

Kim Lyons is a veteran western Pennsylvania journalist who has covered people and trends in politics and business for local and national publications. Follow her on Threads @social_kimly

Biden campaign pivots to focus on healthcare

By: - November 30, 2023

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is launching a new ad today with a focus on health care costs, part of a larger push by the campaign to persuade Americans that former President Trump would revisit his attempts to do away with the Affordable Care Act if (ACA) elected to a second term. The ad titled […]

Pennsylvania redesigns its mail-in ballots for the 2024 election

By: - November 29, 2023

Pennsylvania’s Act 77 —which allows "no-excuse" mail-in voting—  made voting by mail a popular option in 2020, but there have been numerous challenges and disputes over how to consider ballots with return envelopes that are filled out incorrectly.

Casey’s latest ‘greedflation’ report zeroes in on price increases for Thanksgiving staples

By: - November 20, 2023

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) released a new “greedflation” report in time for Thanksgiving that examines the ways the items Americans buy for their holiday meals are made more expensive by food and agriculture businesses.  The “Stuffing their Pockets” report, based on government data and companies’ financial reports, finds that turkey prices have fallen this […]

Pa. House passes bill to protect people seeking abortions in Pennsylvania from prosecution by other states

By: - November 15, 2023

The bill would codify an executive order issued by then-Gov. Tom Wolf in 2022 that protects people who come to Pennsylvania seeking reproductive health care from being penalized by their home states. 

GOP women in Pa. House announce bills to strengthen rules against sexual harassment

By: - November 15, 2023

The bills would reform rules in the wake of a $295,000 settlement the state paid to a woman who accused a top aide to Gov. Shapiro of sexual harassment.

Abortion rights advocates. (Photo by Astrid Riecken/Getty Images).

Pennsylvania House committee passes bill to prevent courts from cooperating with other states’ anti-abortion laws

By: - November 15, 2023

House Bill 1786 would prohibit Pennsylvania courts from cooperating with other states’ civil and criminal cases involving reproductive health care services.

New billboard in Philadelphia will promote anniversary of Biden administration’s infrastructure law

By: - November 15, 2023

The Democratic National Committee is unveiling a new billboard campaign in Philadelphia today to mark the two-year anniversary of President Joe Biden signing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It’s part of a larger push by Democrats in Pennsylvania and elsewhere to draw attention to the results of the $1.2 trillion bill, a signature piece of the […]

Pennsylvania Capitol Building. May 24, 2022. Harrisburg, Pa. (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star).

Pa. House committee advances bill that would change how the state handles pardons

By: - November 13, 2023

House Bill 1410 would amend the state’s constitution to change the requirement that the Board of Pardons must vote unanimously on whether to advance a pardon request to the governor. Under the bill, the BOP would return to the simple majority vote that was in place before the sentencing reforms of the 1990s.

New Biden campaign ad highlights the PACT Act on Veterans Day weekend

By: - November 11, 2023

A new Biden-Harris campaign ad highlights the PACT Act on Veterans' Day weekend, which made it easier for veterans exposed to burn pits to receive benefits.

Customers shop for fresh fruits and vegetables at Campbell’s Market, April 24, 2023, in McArthur, Ohio. Campbell’s has worked to provide healthy food options to the McArthur community. (Photo by Graham Stokes for the Ohio Capital Journal).

New report from Sen. Bob Casey outlines impact of ‘greedflation’

By: - November 8, 2023

The 16-page report is based on research from the Federal Reserve that found “corporate profits contributed a large percentage to inflation in the first year and contributed much less in the second” after the pandemic. 

How abortion became the central issue in Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court race

By: - November 8, 2023

Abortion was not explicitly on the ballot in Pennsylvania's 2020 judicial elections. But reproductive rights advocates have learned the hard way that they have to play the long game.

Zappala wins Allegheny County District Attorney race

By: - November 7, 2023

Incumbent Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala won reelection as a Republican after losing in the May Democratic primary.