Briefs
State Senate votes to move up Pa.’s 2024 primary more than a month to March 19
Pennsylvania’s 2024 presidential primary would be held March 19, more than a month earlier than it is currently scheduled, under legislation passed by the state Senate on Wednesday. The Senate’s 47-2 vote sends Senate Bill 224 to the state House for consideration, where the chairperson of the chamber’s State Government Committee said he would consider […]
Temple University Acting President JoAnne Epps dies suddenly
Temple University acting President JoAnne Epps died suddenly on Tuesday, after collapsing at an event on campus, the university said in a news release. She was 72. “There are no words that can describe the gravity and sadness of this loss,” Mitchell L. Morgan, chair of Temple’s Board of Trustees said in a statement. “President […]
Pa. Senate committee advances bill to restrict children’s access to social media
A state Senate committee on Tuesday unanimously voted to advance a bill that would add restrictions to children’s social media use. Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), one of the prime co-sponsors of SB 22 along with with Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia), said during the Communications and Technology Committee hearing that the goal of the legislation was […]
UAW president sets new deadline for automakers, promising more strikes
Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers union (UAW), on Monday night announced that more locations may be called to join the union’s strike on Friday. The UAW declared a historic strike against all three members of the Big Three automakers at midnight Thursday, after contracts expired with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. Fetterman […]
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate stayed at 3.5% in August
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was unchanged between July and August, remaining at the record low rate of 3.5%, the state announced Friday. That low dates back to January 1976. The state unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points below its August 2022 level of 4.3%, according to the Department of Labor and Industry. The national rate was […]
Your election questions answered | 2023 Election Mailbag
Why? The Capital-Star’s voters’ guide aims to answer the most commonly asked election questions, but we recognize that our guides might not answer every question readers have about the election or the voting process in Pennsylvania.
Casey bill would bar people convicted of violent misdemeanor hate crimes from obtaining guns
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.,on Thursday introduced legislation that would prevent people convicted of violent misdemeanor hate crimes from obtaining guns. The Disarm Hate Act addresses a gap in current federal law, which currently prohibits those convicted of felonies — including hate crimes— from possessing guns. The bill would update the law to include those […]
Pa. misses 7th RGGI auction as litigation keeps involvement in limbo
Pennsylvania remains unable to participate in the carbon credit auction, the most recent of which occurred on Sept. 6, due to two “separate but related” lawsuits, regarding the constitutionality of the commonwealth’s involvement in the multi-state program, aimed at limiting and reducing industrial carbon emissions.
Fetterman, Braun introduce organic agriculture research bill to protect funding
The bipartisan bill, known as the Streamlining Organic Research Act, would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of certifying more research land as organic, and by protecting mandatory funding for the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), which supplies grants to universities and other organizations for organics research.
Court reduces restrictions on Biden administration contact with social media platforms
A federal appeals court in Louisiana agreed on Friday evening with Missouri’s attorney general that the Biden administration “ran afoul of the First Amendment” by threatening social media platforms over posts spreading misinformation. But the three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans concluded a lower court’s wide-ranging order barring […]
Judge rejects Meadows’ bid to move Georgia 2020 election racketeering case to federal court
Donald Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows suffered a legal setback Friday afternoon when a federal judge ordered that his Fulton County election interference case remain in state court. U.S. District Court Steve Jones’ decision to reject Meadows’ attempt to thwart the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office sweeping racketeering and conspiracy case […]
Casey signs on to letter asking MV Realty CEO for answers on allegations of predatory practices
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., joined two colleagues in the Senate this week in sending a letter to the CEO of a real estate brokerage accused of predatory practices in six states, including Pennsylvania, asking its chief executive for information and raising concerns about allegations of predatory behavior.