The Morning Agenda

Midstate Congressman Lloyd Smucker is emerging as an early favorite to be elected the next leader of the influential House Budget Committee.

Without fanfare, Pennsylvania has decided to limit access to popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for residents covered by the state's Medicaid plans.

A federal judge in Boston has ordered the government to restore Medicaid funding to health care centers that also provide reproductive health...

November's election brought many shifts, with a number of Democratic candidates winning election over Republican candidates across the country. One of those candidates here in Central PA is La Tasha Williams.

Did you know that if every one of WITF's sustaining circle members gives as little as $12 more a month, we'd close the gap caused by federal funding cuts? Increase your gift at https://witf.org/increase or become a new sustain...

Chesapeake Bay officials have elected Gov. Josh Shapiro to lead a regional agreement to help clean and restore the waterway which gets its largest source of freshwater from Pennsylvania. The first-term Democrat will take the reins of the Chesapeake Executive Council at a tumultuous time for the forty-year-old partnership.

A growing number of people are struggling to pay utility bills as the price of electricity soars. Many Pen...

Central Pennsylvania on Tuesday got its first taste of winter weather, with between three and five inches of snow. Heavier totals were reported to the north and east of the Harrisburg area.  Schools were closed or delayed in many communities with PennDOT crews pressed into service for snow removal.

Michael Mullins of northeastern PA died from ALS in 2022.  His son, state Rep. Kyle Mullins was motivated by the loss to figh...

Time is running out to take advantage of a tax credit for home improvements that help you use less energy. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit partially reimburses homeowners when they get an energy audit, weatherize their home, install new windows or buy a heat pump.

Four western Pennsylvania school districts, including, have asked the courts to halt tuition payments to the state's largest cyber charter operator.

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Local government groups across Pennsylvania are celebrating a state Supreme Court ruling that makes it easier for agencies to change their meeting agendas on the fly. Some transparency advocates however are sounding the alarm. 

Governor Josh Shapiro has joined 20 other states in another lawsuit against the Trump Administration. The latest fight centers on anti-homelessness funding. 

Discriminating against someone based on...

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Monday that local officials do not need to give 24-hour notice to make changes to public agendas.

Dwight Evans has been a fixture in Pennsylvania's politics for decades. Evans announced earlier this year he'll be retiring at the end of his term - and there's no shortage of contenders for his Congressional seat - 10 at last count, including a former climate advisor to the Biden administratio...

A township in suburban Philadelphia voted to ban gas-powered leaf blowers by 2029, becoming the first township in Pennsylvania to ban the noisy devices.

While most of us are focused on the Thanksgiving holiday being observed this week, there's a group of Philadelphia musicians preparing for New Year's Day. The Mummers will head down Broad Street for the 125th time in just a few weeks.

The director of the Penn State Cancer Inst...

Hanover Foods has agreed to pay $1.1 million in fines - and improve its wastewater treatment - to resolve a federal lawsuit filed by the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association.

The U.S. Department of Energy says it's loaning $1 billion to help finance the restart of the nuclear power plant on Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island.

And today we have two deep dives into Pennsylvania’s water quality: Turning to Western ...

Catholic leaders are speaking out against immigration enforcement in President Donald Trump’s second term. One Chicago priest’s protest strategy? Walking from Pope Leo’s childhood home in Illinois, through Pennsylvania, on his way to Ellis Island in New York.

A resolution approved by the state House designates this week as "Pennsylvania Education for Youth Experiencing Homelessness Week." State Rep. Ismail Sm...

Protesters want Pennsylvania legislators to vote to bar themselves from receiving unlimited gifts or campaign contributions.

Harrisburg Republicans joined energy-sector workers at the state Capitol to celebrate Pennsylvania's withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or "reggie."

When Congress reached a deal to end the federal government shutdown,  it did not include extending additional tax credits for people who...

Elected officials on both sides of the aisle cheered the passage of Pennsylvania's long-delayed state budget last week. But the Republican Party's likely nominee for governor next year is not among them.

New trees were planted in Harrisburg City late last week as part of a $500,000 investment statewide to add shade, reduce stormwater runoff and make communities more welcoming.

Penn State grad student workers have overwhelmingl...

Pennsylvania lawmakers abandoned an effort to limit climate pollution as part of a state budget deal. The program, called RGGI (“reggie") was labeled an obstacle. But it remains to be seen if the repeal will open the door to alternatives.

Even though court fights meant the state never actually participated in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, observers say the repeal of the program is still a loss.

Even though...

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania remains in a Pittsburgh hospital after a heart episode caused him to fall and injure his head on Thursday.

After a 135-day budget stalemate, Pennsylvania finally has a budget. It's an agreement born of compromise, including the state withdrawing from a multi-state compact whose goal was to limit the emission of fossil fuels. 

Pennsylvania’s new state budget is bringing relief to n...

Governor Josh Shapiro has signed a more than $50 billion state budget into law. Lawmakers praised compromise to end the four-month budget standoff.

Legal battles over SNAP funding continue, even as Congress takes steps to end the federal government shutdown. Food retailers in Pennsylvania are worried what will happen if SNAP payments are paused any longer.

An Adams County couple is suing the Bermudian Springs School District follow...

In Harrisburg, key legislative leaders appear to be in agreement on a budget deal, which would end Pennsylvania's months-long budget impasse. The news broke late last night - and legislators in both chambers are expected to return this morning to approve the deal.

Meantime in Washington, the Senate passed a bill to reopen the federal government late Sunday night, and the House is expected to take their first look at the bill t...

Penn State wants to be a leader in the field of artificial intelligence. The university’s provost recently laid out a vision for how that will happen during a meeting with the Penn State board of trustees.

Pennsylvania's state budget is more than 4 months late, and there's no sign lawmakers will reach a deal anytime soon. Some legislators and environmentalists worry a major climate initiative could be on the chopping blo...

As the federal government shutdown drags on, Pennsylvania families are waiting for heating assistance.

A natural gas driller is facing criminal charges over its fracking operations in northcentral Pennsylvania.

Open enrollment is underway for people seeking health insurance through the Pennsylvania Individual Exchange, known as Pennie. But State Attorney General Dave Sunday warns consumers to beware of scams.

In Cumberland Cou...