By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief

By Whitney Downard

Roughly 12 hours after winning 26 seats in the Pennsylvania Senate, thus clinching a Democratic trifecta in state government, a crowd of party members stood on the Capitol steps to celebrate “a very good day” following a successful midterm election. 

“It is now the obligation of all of my colleagues to recognize that with this honor comes tremendous responsibility to govern well, to govern thoughtfully, to govern pragmatically,” said House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery). “This is an opportunity that we will not fail. We cannot fail.”

The atmosphere was joyous as leaders detailed their plans for a unified General Assembly where both chambers have a Democratic majority for the first time since 1993.

Increasing the minimum wage — currently at the federal minimum of $7.25/hour — to $15 is a top priority, alongside codifying access to reproductive healthcare. Various leaders mentioned increasing pay for home health workers, continued investments in public education, establishing paid family leave, healthcare affordability and guardrails around data centers.

By Jennifer Shutt of States Newsroom

Voting ended Tuesday in this year’s midterm elections, leaving officials and volunteers counting tens of millions of ballots to determine which U.S. House and Senate candidates will take the oath of office in January.

The post-election process includes numerous steps and varying deadlines for when ballots have to be certified, since each state has different laws governing not only what happens on Election Day but what happens afterward.

Once local and state election officials wrap up their work, the process moves to Congress, which has its own rules and procedures. The Constitution also gives the House and Senate final say over whether to seat someone.

By Kyle Bagenstose of Inside Climate News

Perhaps no issue has tested the political agility of Pennsylvania’s popular Gov. Josh Shapiro over the past two years more than data centers.

In about 20 months, Shapiro went from introducing a fast-track permitting process that invited hyper-scale data centers to “move at the speed of business,” to kicking them out of the program and issuing an executive order aimed at slowing down development.

In between, Shapiro’s Republican opponent in this year’s governor’s race, Stacy Garrity, turned his initial embrace of data centers into one of her most pointed attacks on the incumbent, even as she glided past her own political baggage on the topic and utilized AI in attack ads.

With the governor eyeing a possible run for president in 2028, the governor’s handling of the issue in Pennsylvania would likely face heavy scrutiny. It’s worth asking now what voters will make of this record—and if his pivot will be enough to shield him from criticism that he moved too fast to embrace AI without fully considering the risks.

By The News Lab at Penn State

In the idyllic enclave of Warren nestled in the Allegheny Plateau, residents are contemplating the latest injuries against the healthcare system.

Rising costs, staff shortages and plummeting reimbursement rates have shuttered several of Pennsylvania’s rural hospitals, with nearly a third at risk of closure in the coming years. Warren General remains open, but operating at a fraction of its potential, cutting services and rearranging priorities to stay solvent.

The population in Warren has been in a steady decline for decades. It now stands at 37,038, down from its peak of 49,200 in 1972, now with half the population over the age of 50.

“We have to factor in that those folks are the ones that typically need more health care, so it’s a fine balance,” said Dan Grolemund, CEO of Warren General Hospital. “We’ve had to continually right-size our services to match what our community needs.”

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