The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board claims that revealing how many licenses are available in each county would hurt revenue. But others believe it might help small businesses compete.
Author Archives: Spotlight PA
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How arguments in Washington are holding up coronavirus relief in Pennsylvania
Key players in Harrisburg say they won’t make any decisions about how to spend $1 billion in remaining stimulus cash until Congress finishes negotiating.
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Condemn, discuss, repeat: Students of color say Pa.’s state universities fail to address campus racism
At best, many students of color said they feel unwelcome and ill-supported. At worst, they feel unsafe and targeted.
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Pa. education secretary will step down in October to lead Lancaster technical college
Education Secretary Pedro Rivera will be Thaddeus Stevens College’s next president, the school said in a press release.
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Pa. cancels on volunteer coronavirus contact tracers, moves to hire 1,000 paid staff
Despite the state’s struggles to keep case counts low, the department told volunteers it planned to wait until the fall to resume trainings.
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Tax collections in Pa. rebound on pent-up shopper demand, but state still faces huge budget deficit
Without additional federal aid, the state will probably have to make serious budget cuts or significantly increase borrowing to make ends meet.
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Pa. pursuing new cleaning plan for Capitol Complex after custodial worker tests positive for the coronavirus
State officials say the six-month contract is needed to give workers and visitors greater confidence that the facilities are safe.
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Minority-owned small businesses were largely shut out of Pa.’s first coronavirus loan program
State officials are trying again, this time with a grant program targeted at the smallest and most vulnerable operations.
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Lawmaker mimics top health official’s call for transgender acceptance to defend not wearing a mask
GOP Rep. Russ Diamond denied he was mocking the official, though he falsely equated being transgender to a “lifestyle choice.”
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Pa. health secretary denounces transphobic attacks: ‘Our children are watching’
As the face of the state’s COVID-19 response, Health Secretary Rachel Levine has been the subject of numerous personal attacks.
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Gov. Tom Wolf will allow transparency bill to become law despite veto threat
State agencies stopped processing public-record requests in mid-March as Wolf shut down much of Pennsylvania.
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Citing ‘overwhelming’ spread, Pa. moves to add staff, app to trace the coronavirus
There are currently 661 contact tracers across the state. The health department wants to add potentially thousands more.
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Lebanon County files lawsuit over Gov. Tom Wolf withholding millions in coronavirus relief funding
The lawsuit represents another test of Wolf’s emergency powers, which have been unsuccessfully challenged several times.
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More financial assistance may be on the way for Pennsylvanians struggling to pay utility bills
There’s currently a moratorium on utility shutoffs, though regulators have started to debate when it should come to an end.
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Pa. lawmakers want voters to weaken governor’s emergency powers, boost their own
The constitutional amendment process is a lengthy one with no guaranteed outcome, but it has a major benefit — it doesn’t require Gov. Tom Wolf’s approval.
