pennsylvania

New life for old coal: Minelands and power plants are hot renewable development spots 

BY: - November 25, 2023

Tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest piece of climate legislation in U.S. history, include a bonus 10% credit for “energy communities.”

Businessman Rob Bresnahan announces campaign to challenge Rep. Matt Cartwright in 8th District

BY: - November 14, 2023

Rob Bresnahan, CEO of Kuharchik Construction, announced his campaign for the Republican Party nomination in the 8th District.

Politicians love to cite crime data. It’s often wrong.

BY: - October 29, 2023

Law enforcement agencies’ inability — or refusal — to send their annual crime data to the FBI has resulted in a distorted picture of the United States’ crime trends, according to a Stateline analysis of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program participation data.

States are trying to prop up the child care industry. It isn’t enough.

BY: and - October 16, 2023

The end of American Rescue Plan Act funding is likely to slowly reduce available child care over time, says one Pennsylvania expert.

Legislators in 49 states ask SCOTUS to preserve access to abortion pill

BY: - October 12, 2023

A group of more than 600 Democratic legislators from 49 states have signed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court urging the justices to overturn an appellate court decision that would roll back access to mifepristone, one of two drugs used to safely terminate early pregnancies and treat miscarriages. The list includes Pa. Rep. […]

Pennsylvanian sworn in as the first woman to serve as U.S. Archivist 

BY: - September 12, 2023

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania native Colleen Shogan was sworn in as the 11th Archivist of the United States on Monday, marking the first time a woman has been appointed to oversee billions of the nation’s records and artifacts since the role was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the […]

Couch, car or curb: Defining which young person is ‘homeless’ affects aid state by state

BY: - August 22, 2023

The spectrum of youth homelessness is vast. It includes young children sleeping with their mothers in crowded shelters and families living in tent encampments in public parks. There are teenage runaways who have fled abusive homes to live on the streets and kids who spend their nights hidden in cars or abandoned buildings. But youth […]

Nearly half of U.S. states now allow in-state tuition for immigrant students

BY: - August 19, 2023

When Cristian Dubon Solis was getting ready to graduate from a Boston high school in 2020, he started planning to apply to college. It was only then he realized that as an immigrant lacking permanent legal status, he wouldn’t qualify for in-state tuition at Massachusetts state universities, nor for state-sponsored financial aid. With no way to […]

Electric vehicles sales are expected to surge over the next 10 years and legislators around the country are debating who should build the electric charging stations that will be needed — electric utilities or private businesses? The 10-port charging station at JFK airport in New York is part of a joint initiative by the New York Power Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Millions of federal dollars slated for 54 EV charging projects across Pennsylvania

BY: - August 14, 2023

Following a public input process, work on some of the projects could begin as early as late 2023.

Veterans exposed to burn pits, toxins urged to apply for retroactive benefits

BY: - August 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — A deadline for a year’s worth of backdated benefits is fast approaching for U.S. veterans suffering illnesses after exposure to open burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxins. Nearly a year ago, President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act, a law supporters describe as the largest expansion of veteran benefits in U.S. history. […]

How fake electors in Pennsylvania and six other states are central to the Trump Jan. 6 indictment

BY: and - August 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — The federal indictment accusing Donald Trump of trying to stay in power after losing the 2020 presidential election includes detailed accusations of Trump and his alleged co-conspirators’ pressure on individual state officials. The central plot to overturn the election, as described in the indictment a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., handed up […]

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

Welcome to the Capital-Star 2.0

BY: - August 1, 2023

So I’m not exactly new around here, but I’ll be taking on a new role and thought it was time to formally introduce myself. I’ve covered Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania on and off for the Capital-Star pretty much since its inception, so I know what a great team founding editor John Micek built here. He […]