The Morning Agenda

Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick broke with his party last week when he led a discharge petition to extend healthcare subsidies for three years.

A new online tool is set up, to connect Pennsylvania's SNAP recipients with volunteer opportunities. It's designed to help recipients meet the new federal work and reporting requirements to keep their benefits.

Harrisburg is named number two in the nation for first-time homebuyer a...

Pennsylvania Republicans want to change how the state runs Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Their effort comes as federal changes are already tightening the use of both programs statewide. 

Democrats in the state House and Senate have successfully won more public school funding in the past few state budgets — against pushback from some Republicans. Democrats will fight that same battle this yea...

Pennsylvania's hemp business leaders are embracing statewide calls to regulate their products in the face of an upcoming federal ban. State lawmakers expect to consider restrictions sometime this year.

And Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana industry is pushing state lawmakers to rein in hemp products that can make users high.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is considering shifting the beginning of firearms deer season to start...

Pennsylvania farmers and agricultural experts say they’re dealing with a mental health crisis and need more support from the state. 

A joint hearing of the state House and Senate Agriculture committees at the Pennsylvania Farm Show included testimony from Penn State researchers. 

During this week's Pennsylvania Farm Show, officials announced the awarding of more than $400,000 in state grants to benefit organizations...

As of this week there are eight counties in northwestern Pennsylvania without a hospital where a person can give birth. Warren County is the latest addition to the region’s expanding maternity care desert.

Some public health experts worry the Trump administration's new vaccine guidelines could harm immunity from highly contagious diseases. An analysis of school vaccination data finds that vaccine rates were already ...

Republican gubernatorial candidate and State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who hopes to unseat Josh Shapiro as Governor this year, has previously suggested Donald Trump won the 20-20 election. She revised those remarks on Monday.

Meantime, Garrity says rural Pennsylvania should embrace the data center boom. Polling shows voters may not be so interested.

Facebook's parent company Meta has announced it reached a deal to purchase...

A Lancaster County man is accused of stealing human remains from 100 graves at Delaware County's Mount Moriah Cemetery. Jonathan Gerlach, a resident of Ephrata, is also being investigated in connection with November’s theft of two bodies from Good Shepherd Memorial Park in Luzerne County.  

A new study from Penn State University finds a ‘hot-spot’ of melanoma cases in central Pennsylvania. The ...

Governor Josh Shapiro has officially launched his reelection campaign, telling supporters in Pittsburgh late last week that he will try to build on his earlier successes -- and defuse rampant partisanship.

Democrats in Pennsylvania are hoping Governor Josh Shapiro’s bid for reelection this year will drive wins in other key races. Shapiro is embracing that call to arms.

Pennsylvania officials say they are not in discussions to...

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is running for a second term. Shapiro made the official announcement Thursday at events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Meantime, Republican State Senator Doug Mastriano has announced that he is not running for his party's nomination for governor this year.

Pittsburgh is losing its biggest and oldest daily newspaper. The owner of the Post-Gazette announced it will shut down in May.

The Publi...

In Harrisburg, Democratic state lawmakers held a ceremony this week, marking the five year anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump.

A Pennsylvania lawmaker is pushing new legislation aimed at shoring up local journalism as news deserts expand across the state.

Studies estimate that up to 90% of children in foster care have experienced trauma, and up to 80% deal with significant me...

Democrats nationwide are rejecting President Donald Trump’s seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Governor Josh Shapiro is joining the criticism.

Meantime, U.S. Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania is commending Donald Trump’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

The former president and CEO of the Sheetz convenience store chain has died at the age of 7...

Jaime Arroyo became the 44th Mayor of Lancaster when he was sworn into office, Monday night. Arroyo, who was Vice President of City Council, won 84 percent of the vote in a 3-way race for mayor last September. During a recent interview on WITF's The Spark, Arroyo talked about the importance of representation as he was set to become the first Hispanic mayor in Lancaster history.

You can hear Arroyo’s full interview a...

Concrete production makes up about 8 percent of global carbon emissions each year. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are trying to develop more sustainable options.

Residential solar tax credits expired at the end of 2025, but solar installers say there’s still an affordable way to do rooftop arrays.

Women are now producing nearly half of the world’s food. That’s why – when the 2026 Pennsylvania ...

Just one month after Congress moved to strengthen legislation around the hemp industry, a recent White House executive order supports marijuana research. The Trump administration says the drug may be an underlooked treatment for chronic pain. 

Healthcare experts say 2025’s Affordable Care Act open enrollment period was more confusing and stressful than usual. 

An estimated 400,000 Pennsylvania seniors are ...

A central Pennsylvania bio-lab is planning its largest expansion yet. Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories will build a new three-hundred-thousand-square-foot facility at its New Holland campus in Lancaster County. 

Pennsylvania communities lost millions in expected federal funding this year after Congress passed a short-term spending bill that wiped out Community Project Funding grants for fiscal year 2025. The Lehigh Valley lost ...

Aerial photographs, weather observation and even food delivery are a few of the uses for drones. What about getting emergency medical equipment to rural areas where it’s needed, quickly? There’s now a public-private partnership aiming to use drones to do just that in central Pennsylvania.

The U-S Department of Justice says it won’t require names of minors who received gender-affirming care at hospitals o...

The US Environmental Protection Agency heard testimony in Pittsburgh last week regarding proposed changes to the Clean Water Act. The Trump administration has proposed limiting which waterways can receive federal protection.

Pennsylvania is joining a lawsuit against Uber, accusing the rideshare app of deceptive and unfair practices related to its subscription service.

A former Lancaster County police officer was sentenced to up to ...

The Trump administration is pushing new nuclear energy projects to power the ongoing race to advance artificial intelligence. Dauphin County’s Three Mile Island is at the center of that goal.

The Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police is leaving Harrisburg for the national stage.

Avian Influenza may be making a comeback among poultry flocks in Pennsylvania. About 400 snow geese likely died of the virus in Nor...

The White House is touting the strength of the nation’s economy; despite data showing Americans remain concerned about inflation and job security. Vice President JD Vance is the latest Trump administration official to tout a rosy economic outlook, during a rally in Pennsylvania.

Harrisburg lawmakers are expected to send a bill to Governor Josh Shapiro’s desk that changes the way workers access unemployment benefits. &nb...