Shapiro’s budget boosts public education funding

July 17, 2026

Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a $50.8 billion state budget bill into law on Sunday, including a record $11.8 billion for public schools across the Commonwealth — roughly a 6% increase from last year’s budget. But school choice advocates saw a budget that preserved existing programs and offered little expansion. The education debate comes as Pennsylvania continues to grapple with improving student outcomes, addressing funding disparities between school districts and balancing investments in public schools with expanding school choice options. The final budget includes a third ...

Wildfire smoke attacks every system in the body

July 17, 2026

Smoke from wildfires — which are burning more of the Northern Hemisphere as Earth warms — attacks nearly every system in the human body, killing tens of thousands of people a year, numerous medical studies show. It attacks the body immediately, spiking asthma cases with increased ...

Wildfire smoke pushes farther into eastern US

July 17, 2026

Millions of people in the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states muddled through another day of unhealthy air from uncontrolled wildfires on Friday. The thick smoke enveloped the nation’s capital in a gloomy, eerie haze and prompted Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians to postpone their game against Pittsburgh Pirates in Ohio. Warnings of dangerous conditions were expected to remain in effect through Saturday across a wide swath of the U.S., though there’s potential for temporary relief with storms forecast in some affected areas during the weekend. D.C. resident ...

Penn State professor advocates for gob emoji

July 17, 2026

No matter what you call it, the gob — or whoopie pie — may soon be available as an emoji on Apple and Android devices if a Penn State professor gets his way. Bill Zimmerman, assistant teaching professor at Penn State University’s College of Communications, submitted on April 2 his ...

State delays $1.3B in payments

July 17, 2026

The “balance” in Pennsylvania’s new state budget for 2026-27 is a bipartisan illusion created by moving numbers around on spreadsheets and ignoring potentially serious ramifications in the future, according to lawmakers who voted against it and some outside observers. A prime target for criticism is an agreement to delay huge medical assistance payments due to managed care organizations. As a result, about $1.3 billion in payments that were supposed to be made near the end of 2026-27 will instead be scheduled during 2027-28. So-called “MCO’s” in Pennsylvania include ...

Rural King again seeks dismissal from Clearfield woman’s lawsuit

July 17, 2026

Rural King, the farm and home supply chain, is once again seeking dismissal of a federal lawsuit that was filed after a gun purchased at its Clearfield Store in 2024 was used in a murder the day after its sale. The lawsuit was filed in April by Jodi Lynn Parks, the mother of Kodey Lee Parks, 33, of Morris Township, Clearfield County. Kodey Parks and his estranged wife, Danielle, 39, were in the process of a custody exchange on Feb. 24, 2024, when a tussle erupted and her boyfriend, Bryan Michaelis, 50, shot and killed Kodey. Both Danielle Parks and Michaelis were convicted of ...