Category: The Northeast

Natural Gas Well Setbacks Questioned After Health Impact Study in Pennsylvania

The Center Square

Regulations that dictate appropriate setbacks for natural gas wells from drinking water sources and buildings may not be generous enough, according to the state’s agency tasked with overseeing the industry.

The Department of Environmental Protection said it would support efforts to reconsider whether 1,000 feet constitutes a safe distance after a study from the University of Pittsburgh suggested links between unconventional wells and incidences of asthma and childhood cancer.

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Undone Pennsylvania Budget Leaves Struggling Schools Empty-Handed

The Center Square

As the first day of school nears across Pennsylvania, the undone budget will leave the poorest districts without the earmarked funds the state promised.

Teachers, administrators, and advocates recently told the House Education Committee that without the money, schools can’t address worker shortages, or provide mental health support, programs for pandemic-induced learning loss, technology upgrades, and building maintenance.  

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Connecticut Police Union Votes ‘No Confidence’ in Leadership

The Center Square

The union representing Connecticut state troopers has taken a vote of “no confidence” in the police agency’s leadership, citing their response to the controversy over a phony ticket scandal.

The union spells out its grievances in a scathing letter to State Police Commissioner James Rovella and Deputy Commissioner Colonel Stavros Mellekas, accusing them of fostering “an environment of mistrust” in the agency and that has “failed to protect their Troopers” and of making decisions “based on self-preservation.”

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Connecticut Bans Harvest of Horseshoe Crabs

The Center Square

Connecticut has banned the harvesting of horseshoe crabs along its coastline amid concerns about the ecological health of the species, which is prized for its life-saving blue blood.

The ban, approved by the state Legislature, outlaws horseshoe crab hand harvesting beginning on October 1. Anyone caught violating the law faces a $25 fine for each crab harvested. There are exemptions for scientific and medical purposes if it is determined that doing so will not harm the overall horseshoe crab population.

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Massachusetts Couple Files Lawsuit Claiming Application to Become Foster Parents Denied Due to Religious Beliefs

Susan Berry, PhD

A Catholic Massachusetts couple filed a federal lawsuit this week that makes the claim they were rejected as potential foster parents because of their faith beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

The couple, Mike and Kitty Burke of Southampton, said in their complaint they were told by a state employee of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) their religious beliefs conflict with the state’s policy requiring them to affirm same-sex relationships and gender ideology.

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Rural Health Care Safety Net Faces Irreparable Tear in Pennsylvania

The Center Square

Health care access in rural Pennsylvania becomes less tenable day by day, and many fear what this means for the state’s efforts to revive its most remote communities.

“The people in rural PA are truly scared about access to health care,” said Rep. Marty Causer, R-Bradford, during a recent meeting of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania hosted in his district.

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Connecticut Taps Federal Pandemic Funds for Free School Meals

The Center Square

Connecticut is tapping into federal funding to provide hundreds of thousands of public school students with free breakfast and lunch.

The state Department of Education announced that $16 million of funding the state received from the American Rescue Plan Act will be diverted to Connecticut’s free school meals program for the 2023-2024 school year, allowing students to get free meals regardless of their family’s income.

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Pennsylvania Agriculture Leaders Worry About Research Funding, California Regulations

The Center Square

As the federal farm bill gets debated in Congress, Pennsylvania lawmakers and agricultural leaders hope to see a boost in research funding along with action to improve broadband internet and child care in the rural reaches of the state.

Senate and House lawmakers from around Pennsylvania came together Wednesday to talk about their priorities and concerns for farmers.

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New Poll Shows Trump Continuing to Dominate GOP Presidential Rivals, Ramaswamy Overtaking DeSantis

M.D. Kittle

A new survey by private polling firm Cygnal finds former President Donald Trump still dominating the GOP presidential primary field, and political outsider Vivek Ramaswamy overtaking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for second place.

Trump leads with 53 percent support, followed by Ramaswamy (11.4%), who has moved ahead of DeSantis (10.4%), according to the poll. The Florida governor has plummeted from 29 percent support in March.

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Pence’s Poke at Ramaswamy’s Youth Raises Age Again as a Campaign Issue

M.D. Kittle

Ohio entrepreneur and GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has taken a lot more flak from his opponents as he rises in the primary polls.

But the political outsider and first millennial to run for the Republican Party presidential nomination is starting to draw fire about his youth — from none other than former Vice President Mike Pence, Ramaswamy’s elder by 26 years.

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Appeals Court Upholds Connecticut Ban on Religious Exemptions

The Center Square

A federal appeals court has upheld a 2021 Connecticut law banning religious exemptions for immunization requirements for schools, colleges and early education, but critics of the restrictions are vowing to take their case to the Supreme Court.

In the 2-1 ruling issued on Friday, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a lower court ruling that rejected a lawsuit challenging the repeal of the state’s long-held religious exemptions to childhood vaccines. 

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Significant Majority of New Hampshire Republican Primary Voters Say They’d Vote for Trump If He Was Serving Time in Prison

M.D. Kittle

Former President Donald Trump’s support among New Hampshire Republicans remains solid.

A significant majority — 62 percent — of Republican primary voters say they would vote for Trump even if he’s convicted of a felony by the time they cast their ballots for president, according to a new NHJournal/co-efficient poll.

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Governors Highway Safety Association Suggests Improvements to Prevent Accidents on Pennsylvania’s Rural Roads

The Center Square

Rural America has 20 percent of the country’s population and 46 percent of the nation’s car crashes. A lack of resources, both in cash and workers, poses a challenge to avoiding wrecks and deaths.

Though rural traffic studies have been of questionable quality, a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) suggests broader cooperation to pool local resources, more public outreach, and better road design to curb collisions.

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Granite State Republicans Largely Unmoved by Latest Trump Indictment

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If special prosecutor Jack Smith hoped his latest round of indictments against Donald Trump would convince Republicans to reconsider their support for the former president, he failed — particularly in the Granite State.

But if, as many political operatives believe, part of Smith’s goal is to get Republicans to rally around Trump’s troubled candidacy and help him become the GOP nominee, it’s mission accomplished.

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Connecticut AG and 13 Other AGs Want Action on ‘Plastic Pollution Crisis’

The Center Square

Fourteen state attorneys general asked the Biden Administration to do more to “combat the plastic pollution crisis.”

An Aug. 3 media release, the group stated, “Plastic does not fully degrade, instead breaking down into smaller pieces called microplastics, which have been found in drinking water, food, air, and even human blood and living lung tissue.”

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New Hampshire GOP Governor Candidates Back Universal School Choice

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The Republicans hoping to replace Gov. Chris Sununu in the corner office next year have all embraced universal school choice, a deep contrast with their Democratic rivals.

On WFEA Morning Update with Drew Cline Monday, former U.S. Sen. and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte said that, as governor, she would support universal school choice in New Hampshire, building upon the New Hampshire GOP’s successes with the popular Education Freedom Account (EFA) program.

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Connecticut and Other States Weigh In Against Idaho’s Abortion ‘Travel Ban’

The Center Square

Washington state’s attorney general is among 20 attorneys general to have filed legal arguments in a federal lawsuit challenging Idaho’s law that makes it illegal to either obtain abortion pills for a minor or to help them leave the state for an abortion without their parents’ knowledge and consent. 

In a Tuesday news release, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the collective states’ amicus brief is in support of a lawsuit filed last month in U.S. District Court against Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador. The plaintiffs allege that Labrador’s interpretation of the law threatens to punish medical providers and residents outside Idaho’s borders for giving information and assistance to minors about legal abortion access in their states.

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Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooter

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A jury announced Wednesday that they believed Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people in a targeted attack against Pittsburgh Jews in 2018, should receive the death penalty, according to multiple reports.

A jury determined in July that Bowers was eligible for capital punishment despite his defense team arguing that he suffered from mental disorders that prevented him from understanding the weight of his actions. The jury deliberated for over ten hours during the course of two days before issuing its verdict that Bowers should be put to death for deliberately going after Jewish worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue, according to various reports.

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DeSantis Unveils ‘Declaration of Economic Independence’ Plan to Revamp Economy in New Hampshire

The Center Square

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled his economic plan to revamp the U.S. economy at a presidential campaign event in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Monday.

He launched his “Declaration of Economic Independence” platform at a manufacturing facility with local business owners and workers suffering from 40-year high inflation, higher costs and regulatory burdens resulting from what he says are Biden administration policies.

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Proposal Argues Brownfields Better for Solar than Farmland

The Center Square

The growth of solar generation in Pennsylvania over the last decade owes largely to farmers willing to share their land, a fact that leaves others worried about neighboring property values and future sustainability.

As such, Sen. Doug Mastriano – former gubernatorial candidate and right-wing firebrand who represents a district that spans Franklin and Adams counties – recently introduced a bill limiting the use of farmland for solar development in Pennsylvania. The legislation would prohibit development on prime farming land considered class one or class two by the USDA.

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Connecticut to Phase Out Fossil-Fuel Vehicles by 2035

The Center Square

Connecticut will join a handful of states in banning the sale of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2035, but critics say the dramatic shift to electric vehicles will be costly for consumers and could impact energy supplies.

On Wednesday, second-term Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont rolled out new regulations that will require car manufacturers to ramp up sales of electric vehicles in Connecticut leading to a ban on the sale of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2035.

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Connecticut Gov. Lamont Hires Former U.S. Attorney to Probe Police Ticket Scandal

The Center Square

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has tapped a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation of allegations that state police may have issued hundreds of “fake” tickets.

Lamont said he has hired former U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly to investigate allegations outlined in a recent audit by a taxpayer-funded group that reviews police records to look for racial bias in law enforcement activities. Lamont said the inquiry seeks to determine “how and why the misconduct occurred” and why it went undetected for years.

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Lawsuit Claims Pennsylvania School District Discriminates Against Parochial Students

The Center Square

A group of parents says State College Area School District bars their children from joining extracurricular activities simply because they attend faith-based schools.

The families, members of the Religious Rights Foundation, recently filed a lawsuit against the district for prohibiting their students from participating in sports, clubs, and college-level classes, based on religious discrimination.

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Anti-Catholic Activists in Maine Target Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo After Latest Supreme Court Decisions

Susan Berry, PhD

Federalist Society Co-Chairman Leonard Leo, who served as an advisor in the selection process of former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointees, has been targeted in his home town in Maine by what a prominent Catholic leader calls “anti-Catholic bigots” in the wake of recent rulings by the High Court.

Activists have been protesting at Leo’s home in Northeast Harbor, tying him to Supreme Court rulings with which they disagree.

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Connecticut Utility Regulators Reject Proposed Rate Increase

The Center Square

Connecticut utility regulators have rejected a proposed rate increase by one of the state’s largest utilities, which was seeking another $130 million from energy consumers. 

The state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority turned down a request from United Illuminating to increase electric rates by nearly $131 million over the next three years. Instead, the agency approved a rate increase of just over $2 million for next year, which is still subject to final approval by the PURA board.

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State Senators Spar over School Choice in Pennsylvania

The Center Square
Students in class

While the Pennsylvania budget stalemate remains, senators argued over the importance of school choice and increasing public school funding at a committee hearing in Reading.

The Senate Education Committee met Tuesday to discuss “student opportunities for success,” hearing from parents of children in public and private schools in Reading, as well as public school leaders of Reading School District.

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Riding High in Iowa, Tim Scott Set to Host Town Hall with Governor Kim Reynolds in Suburban Des Moines

M.D. Kittle

Republican presidential hopeful Tim Scott returns to Iowa this week riding high in a new Hawkeye State poll and looking to capitalize on two key campaign events.

The South Carolina U.S. senator will host a town hall with Governor Kim Reynolds Thursday evening in Ankeny before speaking at the Iowa GOP’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser on Friday.

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Pennsylvania Hospitals May Soon Test for Fentanyl

The Center Square

Pennsylvania hospitals may soon test urine samples for fentanyl and xylazine, two of the most common additives found in heroin.

The state government legalized fentanyl test strips for personal use last year, following a number of other states responding to more overdose deaths in the last decade. More than 5,200 Pennsylvanians have died from an overdose death in the last year, according to CDC data.

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After Facing Censorship in Congress, RFK Jr. Plans Roundtable Discussion on Censorship

M.D. Kittle

After Democrats threatened to censor him during last week’s House committee hearing on censorship, Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to hold a “Roundtable on Censorship” next month.

“We’re not waiting for the election to elevate free speech in the public mind,” the campaign for the Kennedy family scion said in a mass email message sent Monday.

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Former Senator Announces Run to Succeed Retiring Republican Governor in New Hampshire

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Former New Hampshire GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte launched a bid for governor Monday, just days after Republican Gov. Chris Sununu announced his retirement.

Sununu, who recently ruled out a presidential bid, was first elected in 2016, and said last Wednesday that he would not seek a fifth term as governor. Ayotte, who served for one term as senator, told Fox News that her top priority as governor would be bolstering safety by imposing stricter penalties for fentanyl dealers to reduce the number of overdose deaths.

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