Saturday, February 9, 2013
The governor is proposing to spend $200,000 to help communities gather economic evidence about how the closure of a base would impact their area. The money could help the 911th Airlift Wing make its case to remain open.
Buried deep inside Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget proposal released this week is a small line item to help communities gather economic evidence about how the closure of a base would impact their area. The $200,000 is just a drop in the bucket of the $28.4 billion budget, but it could go a long way to protecting the 911th Airlift Wing in Moon Township–and other bases across the state–from being shuttered by the federal government. Steve Kratz, a spokesman for the Department of Community and Economic Development, said that funding would provide additional staff for a committee tasked with gathering evidence about the economic impact of these military bases. “That’s going to allow the committee to hire an additional staffer and provide additional…
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The governor has raised funding in some areas but at least some opponents don't feel the budget addresses important issues.
Gov. Tom Corbett delivered highlights of his proposed 2013-14 budget in a speech before the state Legislature on Tuesday morning. The $28.4 billion state budget plan, a 2.4 percent increase over this year, includes no general tax increases. In one of the most controversial areas, Corbett recommended against expanding Medicaid, as provided for under the Affordable Health Care Act. Corbett plans to ask the federal government for flexibililty to let Pennsylvania customize the health insurance program for its needs or have the state reject the Medicaid expansion. Under the act, also known as Obamacare, Medicaid could expand to cover people earning up to 133 percent of the poverty level and provide coverage for upwards of 600,000 uninsured …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Gerald Gibson is a narcotics officer in Philadelphia.
A Philadelphia news website is reporting that Gov. Tom Corbett’s son-in-aw is being investigated in a criminal matter. According to the website myfoxphilly.com, Gerald Gibson—who is married to Corbett’s daughter, Katie—is a narcotics officer and is being investigated in an undercover sting. Although Philadelphia police told the news organization that an officer has been placed on administrative duty until the investigation is complete, the name of that officer was not being released. The officer in question, the department indicated, had not yet been charged or arrested. A search of online court records shows no recent charges against Gibson. The news website further reports that while Corbett was scheduled to do an interview with the news…
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
“Our plan gives consumers what they want by increasing choice and convenience, and helps to secure our future by adding $1 billion in funding toward the education of our
children, without raising any taxes,” the governor said Wednesday.
Gov. Tom Corbett, joined by Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, on Wednesday announced his plan to privatize the liquor system in Pennsylvania and committed $1 billion in proceeds from the process to education funding. Corbett said the $1 billion will be used to create the Passport for Learning Block Grant, which will provide flexibility to schools, allowing our public schools, instead of Harrisburg, to decide what their students need. The grant will focus on four priority areas: school safety, enhanced early education programs, individualized learning and science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses and programs. “Our proposal is part of my commitment to changing Harrisburg, streamlining government and moving Pennsylvania …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
State Rep. Brandon Neuman said he supports the lawsuit over the NCAA’s sanctions of Penn State, but he questions why Corbett didn’t fight for the Penn State community months ago.
State Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, Wednesday questioned why Gov. Tom Corbett did not do enough and waited too long to start fighting for Penn State University against the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s excessive sanctions. “For more than five months the governor supported the NCAA sanctions,” Neuman said. “As attorney general he waited years to take Jerry Sandusky off the streets and now as governor and a Penn State trustee he’s wasted months before standing up for this world-class university. State Attorney General-elect Kathleen Kane should deal with this after she is sworn in on Jan. 15." On July 23, 2012, the NCAA announced sanctions against Penn State that include a $60 million fine, four-year bowl ban, reduction…
Saturday, December 29, 2012
The Pennsylvania governor speaks at the Moon Township-based air wing, urging military officials to scrap plans to shutter the base.
Standing beneath the wings of a C-130 aircraft at the 911th Airlift Wing, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said he would work with Pennsylvania's federal lawmakers to fight renewed plans to close the Moon Township air base. Corbett, appearing alongside Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, and state Sen. Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon, implored military officials and federal lawmakers to end efforts to close the 911th as a cost-saving measure. "I'm going to ask our (Pennsylvania) congressional delegation to do whatever they need to do to save this base," Corbett said. The U.S. Air Force has again taken initial steps toward closing the airlift wing after March 2013— after the expiration of a law put…
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
In the wake of recent mass shootings in Newtown, CT. and elsewhere, Patch examines the recent history of gun-control legislation in Pennsylvania.
On the books, Pennsylvania's gun laws are somewhat tougher than those found elsewhere in the United States, according to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The gun-control group gives Pennsylvania a 25 out of a possible 100-point rating on its state scorecard—the 10th-strictest rating in the country. "While Pennsylvania has some common-sense gun laws, including the requirement of Brady criminal background checks on all handgun purchasers, more needs to be done to stop illegal gun trafficking," according to the Brady Center website. Current Law In Pennsylvania, a person does not need a license to "open-carry" a gun by wearing it in a holster or in similar fashion anywhere but in Philadelphia, state police spokeswoman Diana Bates told…
Sunday, December 9, 2012
This week, some state House Democrats voiced their opposition to Gov. Corbett's plan to award a contract to privatize the lottery to Camelot Group—with no other bidders in the running.
The Pennsylvania Lottery is one of the most successful and well-managed state lotteries in the nation. Last year, the PA Lottery had annual sales in excess of $3.2 billion and, according to House Democrats, has held administrative costs to record lows of just over 2 percent. According to DailyFinance.com, Pennsylvania State Lottery has steered $20.6 billion to a variety of causes since it began, but its profits have primarily been funneled into an elderly benefits fund. This fund includes subsidies for transportation, tax rebates and Medicare. As of last year, about 61 percent of the annual ticket sales go to prizes, 30 percent goes to the state and the rest is for expenses. That's a higher percentage of prize return than most other states…
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Pennsylvania voters elect their first woman and first Democrat to be the state's attorney general.
Kathleen Kane achieved two firsts in her Pennsylvania attorney general election victory: She defeated Republican David Freed 56 to 41 percent in unofficial results from Tuesday's voting. Kane won the support of Lehigh Valley voters on her way to statewide success: Lehigh County Northampton County Kane, 46, is a former Lackawanna County prosecutor who will now oversee an office with a staff of about 700 and subject to legislative battles over a budget that now stands at $81 million, according to a Philly.com report. Kane had a slight fundraising edge in the race. Both candidates pledged a review of the Jerry Sandusky child rape case and its handling by former Attorney General Tom Corbett, now the state's governor.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Two mega-shelters will open Tuesday afternoon to house evacuees from New Jersey, along with Pennsylvanians who need a place to stay, Corbett said.
UPDATE: Gov. Tom Corbett stepped to the microphone for Tuesday’s midday storm update after spending a half hour on the phone with President Barack Obama, who held a conference call with a number of governors whose states are affected by the storm. Giving few details of the call, Corbett said the president understands that Pennsylvania still is dealing with Superstorm Sandy and is making the federal government’s resources available to the commonwealth. Obama signed an emergency declaration for Pennsylvania early Monday that allows state officials to request federal funding and other storm assistance. Corbett said it is too early to tell what funds Pennsylvania might qualify for; damage assessment numbers will not be available until next …
NE12Ukid
5:10 pm on Thursday, April 25, 2013
Sue T1:56 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013 And, according to NE12UKid, sources are required for any quotes posted on this site.>>>> Where and when did I say that, SueT from Forest Hills/ Regent Square Patch? I don't make the Patch rules, but I know that the editor of the B-W Patch has several times informed posters to not post information without some kind of verification. But doesn't that just … more ›