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House votes to revoke tax break for data center industry

(The Center Square) - The state House on Thursday gave bipartisan approval to revoking a sales tax exemption for equipment for data centers, with one supporter equating the industry frenzy in Pennsylvania to an irresponsible and speculative "gold rush."

House OKs bill to let municipalities call a 6-month data center pause

(The Center Square) – Municipalities would be able to bring about a six-month "pause" in considering data center proposals under a bill that passed the state House with nearly unanimous support on Wednesday.

State lawmakers called 'sellouts' as residents seek data center moratorium

(The Center Square) - A large throng of residents from across the state who are fed up with the data center frenzy filled the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday with cheers and speeches of support for a proposed three-year moratorium on…

Big money, enforced silence play roles in Pennsylvania's data center push

(The Center Square) - Two powerful forces, money and silence, have been stirring hearts and minds as well as controversy in a 240-year-old township near a scenic bend of the Susquehanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Senator says state losing out because of Shapiro-backed price cap

(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward thinks the state is getting the short end of the energy stick because of a "cap" put on a portion of the electricity market, and she assigns some blame…

Court ruling sets up debate on taxing 'skill games'

(The Center Square) – A new Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that essentially found the estimated 70,000 unregulated and untaxed "skill games" in the state to be slot machines – taxable by law at 52% – had the attention of many…

Observers hope election will turn up heat on budget process

(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania counties last year lost millions of dollars and domestic violence programs in the state laid off workers, some of whom never returned to those jobs, as a result of state leaders missing the budget deadline…

Township facing data center proposal shaken by transparency, conflict questions

(The Center Square) - A fight has broken out in northeastern Pennsylvania over the future of lovely, forested Clinton Township - a future that could include 20 data center buildings and two power plants - but some residents are dismayed…

Shapiro, Republican lawmakers pitch separate ideas on data centers

(The Center Square) - Gov. Josh Shapiro and a pair of Republican lawmakers on Wednesday made separate announcements tied to the continuing wave of data center proposals that have stirred controversy and opposition in many parts of the state.

Shapiro seeks $20M more for 'main street' upgrades in Pennsylvania

(The Center Square) - With his annual stretch of intense state budget negotiations with the Legislature just ahead, Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday focused one sliver of his proposed spending plan that delivers grants to let "main street" small businesses…

Environmental advocate loses House seat as focus shifts to November

(The Center Square) - A state House committee chairman with a long record of speaking out on environmental issues, Delaware County Rep. Greg Vitali, was among a handful of incumbent representatives who lost to primary election challengers on Tuesday.

AI bringing 'most consequential moment of change' in history, senator says

(The Center Square) – Artificial intelligence is bringing about "the most consequential moment of change in human history" and Pennsylvania is well positioned to benefit from it, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick told a lunchtime gathering Monday.

Key Pa. senator says new oversight board is vital to legalizing recreational pot

(The Center Square) - Bipartisan discussions are continuing on the concept of a seven-member Cannabis Control Board which would oversee the sale of recreational adult-use marijuana in Pennsylvania, should that use be approved by the Legislature, a key senator said…

Ohio man charged after Pa. lawmaker gets 'blood will roll' phone message

(The Center Square) - An Ohio man charged in connection with a threatening voicemail left for Pennsylvania state Rep. Mark Gillen has been released on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in Berks County Court next month, according to…

As lawmakers mull bills, Pa. community pushback on data centers is widespread

(The Center Square) - As crowds gather again and again in local meeting rooms around the state to grapple with the potential impacts of proposed data centers, a slew of potentially relevant bills awaits action by state lawmakers in Harrisburg.

Warnings sounded on scams involving virtual currency kiosks

(The Center Square) - A credit union member said she needed to withdraw $37,000 in cash to buy a BMW and it wasn't until later - after the withdrawn cash had been inserted into a virtual currency kiosk - that…

Inaction on 'Save Women's Sports' bill cited as dysfunction

(The Center Square) - One of the latest attempts to get a vote on a hot-button topic in Harrisburg ended with speakers talking over each other, people leaving the room as others spoke, and observations of "Cowards" and "What are…

Paid family leave proposal: Vital safety net or massive tax increase?

(The Center Square) - To convince colleagues that Pennsylvania workers need access to paid family and medical leave, state Rep. Jennifer O'Mara used facts from her own life: her father died young, she has two kids, and her veteran husband…

Used fire engine prices jump 62% in 1 year in private equity-fueled 'crisis'

(The Center Square) - Facing Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday morning, a disgusted local fire company president held up a tee-shirt bearing the name of a fire truck manufacturer with a big red slash through the name of the company.

State House passes data center rules amid Pa. 'affordability' push

(The Center Square) - The Pennsylvania Senate is the next stop for a proposed set of rules on the development of data centers following a feisty debate in the state House that got into green energy requirements, concerns about local…
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