State of the State

March 3 – March 16 The word “coronavirus” enters the lexicon: Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine holds her first press conference warning about the potential arrival of COVID-19. As the first cases are confirmed, Governor Tom Wolf’s administration moves to contain community spread — including ordering all non-essential business closed across the commonwealth.

March 18 – April 3 The state confirms the first death from COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. The rapid spread of the coronavirus leads to a rapid pace of events — bringing the state to a standstill as Governor Tom Wolf orders all Pennsylvanians to stay-at-home.

April 8 – May 12 The economic toll from the pandemic hits the state hard. At least 12 percent of Pennsylvanians file for unemployment, as Governor Tom Wolf faces a rebellion from some counties to re-open.

As the year draws to a close, the reporters at WITF and PA Post been looking back at some of the state politics stories that have shaped it. From legislative fights over guns and the minimum wage, to the closure of Three Mile Island, to election angst, to the return of hemp farming, we have … Continue reading "Episode 54: The headlines of 2019"

Lawmakers spent a packed four days in Harrisburg before leaving town for the holidays. Here’s what they did.   Last week was a big one in Harrisburg. The House and Senate both convened for an unusual four-day session and passed a lot of bills—so many that we weren’t able to file stories on all of … Continue reading "Episode 53: Legislative avalanche"

This week, we’re re-airing five stories you should hear. In one, Governor Tom Wolf learns the FBI is looking into his administration’s environmental permitting practices.  Plus, reporters in Philadelphia look into badly contaminated drinking water in a charter school, PA Post reports on a proposed community college in Erie, WITF follows up on problems with … Continue reading "Episode 52: Pipeline problems"

The last week was exceptionally busy both in and outside the Capitol—from major election reforms passing the legislature to big, controversial court decisions on constitutional amendments. This week, we have all the big stories you should get caught up on. First, Marsy’s Law—the proposed amendment meant to enshrine victims’ rights in the state constitution. A … Continue reading "Episode 50: The Marsy’s Law twists continue"

The House and Senate were both in session last week, resulting in a number of notable developments on issues our newsroom follows closely—from long-awaited election reforms to controversial abortion proposals. We’ll also bring you the latest on a proposed constitutional amendment being challenged in court, the one-year anniversary of a major shooting in Pittsburgh, and … Continue reading "Episode 49: Elections, abortions, booze and more"

This week we’re focusing on a topic that has come up a lot lately, and with good reason: Marsy’s Law. If you’re not familiar, Marsy’s law is a proposed amendment to Pennsylvania’s constitution that will be on the ballot for a statewide referendum on November 5th. Versions of the proposed law have been adopted in … Continue reading "Episode 48: More on Marsy’s Law"

In recent weeks, there’s been a lot of talk in Harrisburg about what the legislature might do to reform statute of limitations laws. It’s a discussion that’s been especially active in the last year, in the wake of a massive report on abuse and cover-ups in the commonwealth’s Roman Catholic dioceses. We bring you two … Continue reading "Episode 47: Abuse in the church, and other stories"