Government & Politics
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SCI Phoenix, Pa.’s costliest prison, opens in Montco
The State Correctional Institution Graterford was locked down Wednesday, 89 years after it opened its doors, to allow the safe movement of inmates to SCI Phoenix, Graterford’s $400 million replacement, on the same 1,700-acre site in Montgomery County. The move, which officials had long projected would be complete by June 30, was delayed for unspecified reasons, writes…
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Independence Day reminders
More than 240 years ago next week in Philadelphia, the 13 American colonies signed the Declaration of Independence to break free from British rule. To read more about the origins of American independence and our forefathers, click here. If you are traveling, check out 511pa.com, which is free and available 24 hours a day. The site, along…
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Montgomery County now accepting comments on bike lane network
Those with strong feelings about bike lanes have until July 6 to submit formal comments on Montgomery County’s draft “Bike Montco” plan,which calls for the creation of a network of 783 miles of bikes lanes by 2040. If built, such a network would account for 17 percent of the county’s road system, a vast increase over the 1…
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As election approaches, Wolf changes tune on taxes
Pennsylvania Gov.Tom Wolf proposed raising the state’s personal income tax and the state sales tax during his first term, but now, as his campaign for re-election is heating up, he appears to be bragging that the state’s tax rates have not changed. Wolf’s challenger, Scott Wagner, has jumped on the shift in tax talk, writes…
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Gov. Wolf’s proposal would boost overtime for half a million workers in Pa.
The Trump administration hasn’t acted yet on a stalled 2016 federal proposal to update U.S. overtime pay rules for the first time in 14 years. So, Gov. Wolf is pushing a proposal he says could boost overtime pay (or cut hours) for nearly half a million Pennsylvania workers by 2022. The state Labor Department’s proposed rule would boost the minimum…
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Sen. Bob Casey fighting for food fairness in farm bill
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey stopped by a Pottstown food bank Monday on his way to cast his vote on a farm bill package that could cut the food stamp benefits on which so many of those using the food bank depend. It’s the second time this year Pottstown has been the focus of such votes…
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New Pa. law gives preserved lands greater protection
Late Friday, the Pennsylvania legislature passed House Bill 2468 by wide margins and Sunday Governor Wolf signed it into law. The new law will require that entities like school districts and local governments seek court approval before taking property by eminent domain if that property is under conservation easement, according to a press release from…
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Wolf signs bill allowing marijuana research to proceed
Pennsylvaia Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill Friday amending the Pennsylvania medical marijuana law so that the state’s research program can proceed. The bill, HB 2477, was necessary to circumvent a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a section of the marijuana law referred to as Chapter 20, writes Sam Wood at philly.com. [uam_ad id=”54865″] That provision allows medical schools to…
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Pa. congressional map unaffected by U.S. Supreme Court decision on partisan gerrymandering
The U.S. Supreme Court was expected to make a defining decision on extreme partisan gerrymandering this term. It took up two cases, one from Wisconsin, and the other from Maryland. But, in unanimous decisions, the court avoided the key constitutional question at stake in these cases: How much politics is too much when determining voting…
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Property tax/rent rebate deadline extended until Dec. 31
Older adults and Pennsylvanians with disabilities now have until Dec. 31, 2018, to apply for the state’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate program. The original deadline was June 30, according to a press release from state Rep. Michael Corr. [uam_ad id=”54865″] The rebate program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians age 65 and older; widows and widowers age 50 and…
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Recorder of Deeds announces veterans’ discount identification events at local Ambler Savings Banks
Recorder of Deeds Jeanne Sorg announced seven Mobile Veterans’ Discount Identification events to be held during the summer months. “We are excited to join with legislators and businesses to bring this service to our veterans,” Sorg said. Sorg is particularly thrilled to work with Ambler Savings Bank, which will host Mobile Veterans’ Discount Identification events…
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War in Ukraine subject of Manor College conference
Manor College welcomed Kyle Parker, Executive Director of the Helsinki Commission, on May 24 as the featured speaker for the College’s most recent dialogue on ending Russia’s War in Ukraine. About 60 members of the community were in attendance at the dialogue. With the dialogue centered around the topic of war in Ukraine, Parker addressed…
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Local lawmakers react to Lower Merion School District power play
A trio of Montgomery County lawmakers today applauded unanimous committee approval of their bill to limit the use of eminent domain on land that has been set aside as green space or open space. House Bill 2468 was introduced in response to recent efforts by the Lower Merion School District to use eminent domain to…
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Montgomery County Commissioners hear update on commerce department
The Montgomery County Commissioners honored professionals in children and youth services, received an update on the Commerce Department and learned the results of the county’s “Easiest Scholarship Ever” contest at their regularly scheduled meeting, writes Oscar Gamble in The Times Herald. The commissioners also were updated on the progress of the county’s commerce department by…
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Montco GOP names Elizabeth Preate Havey as new leader
The Montgomery County Republican Committee now has a new leader and she has already hit the ground running. Elizabeth Preate Havey was elected to a four-year term as committee chairwoman last week, becoming the party’s first female leader. Messages of goodwill have been coming nonstop ever since. “My phone has been ringing off the hook, as well…
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Pa. attorney general Shapiro accuses Norristown ex-PennDOT official in bribery case
A former PennDOT official has been accused of accepting payments from an unnamed private contractor in exchange for paying the contractor with public money “even when the contractor did not perform the work,” state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement today. The state charged Nicholas Martino with one count of “conflict of interest…
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Former PA Supreme Court justice sues to block vote on Montco GOP chair
Former PA Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman has filed a civil action over an upcoming Montgomery County Republican Committee leadership vote, alleging that current chair William Donnelly violated electoral guidelines. Newman’s filing states that MCRC chairman William Donnelly erred by moving forward with a hotly contested leadership vote while recent GOP committeeperson elections had…
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Plymouth Township Council recognizes police, public works
By Theresa Katalinas President, Katalinas Communications Following a heroic intervention by two Plymouth Township employees during a road rage incident involving a knife-wielding man, the governing body recognized the fearless work of its police and public works staff. The Plymouth Township Council this week voted unanimously to approve resolutions proclaiming May 13 through May 19…
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