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Shapiro’s utility crackdown won’t fix power shortage

Electricity bills keep going up, and Pennsylvania consumers are feeling the pain. For example, in Pittsburgh last year, many residents saw bills skyrocket 15% in June and more than 10% in December. Instead of embracing reforms that could lower prices, the state’s elected leaders are engaging in petty political games. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s recent letter to utilities, urging them to halt rate increases, does more to score political points and generate headlines than to deliver meaningful relief to Pennsylvanians struggling to pay the bills. The governor has called on 24 ...

The beast finally settles in

Last July I wrote about Finian, our Maine Coon cat, and his stubborn need to be outside. For some reason he is well-behaved at the front door – as long as visitors don’t stand chatting with the storm door open. I mean, give the furry kid a break. A 10-minute open door is temptation even a ...

Senior care is state’s quiet crisis

Pennsylvania’s senior care system is in crisis and is losing nursing home capacity by the thousands; fewer communities, fewer beds, and most importantly, more older adults are being turned away from the high-quality care they need and deserve close to home. The term "silver tsunami" was initially meant to signal a future challenge: the rapidly growing aging population that will inevitably flood the healthcare ecosystem. Instead, the crisis has quietly become our present. Those of us involved in aging services have sounded the alarm for years, emphasizing the need for investment and ...

Targeting fraud can help rural hospitals

Vice President J.D. Vance recently traveled to Bangor, Maine, to spotlight the Trump administration’s crackdown on fraud in Medicaid and other critical federal health programs. Speaking to a capacity crowd, Vance laid bare the deep challenges of Medicaid in most states: “What you have in Maine is a festering problem where people have been taken advantage of and they’ve been stolen from and your government hasn’t done anything about it.” Vance highlighted the case of Rakiya Mohamed. Mohamed billed Medicaid for interpretation services but reportedly provided zero actual ...

Heatwaves driving up power bills, but state has options

A recent heatwave across the East Coast is pushing electricity demand to dangerous highs — driving up power prices and forcing grid operators to issue emergency alerts. On top of that, a spike in your electricity bill, driven by this series of winter storms earlier in the year, may already be hitting home — just as forecasted for 2026. That’s little comfort for those of us who will have to crank up the air conditioning to get through the summer. As bills around the Commonwealth go up, electric utilities will spend more than ever on energy and infrastructure. Utilities’ ...

More bad acting in Trump criticisms

Actor Harrison Ford names President Trump the “worst criminal in history” in articles found in a Google search. Ford condemns Trump's energy policies in particular and his character in general. Trump's energy policies rightfully increase our energy independence which must not be risked in these dangerous times. It's especially critical after the risky policies of Joe Biden and Barack Obama. As for the 'criminal' characterization, has Ford ever heard of Hitler? Mao Zedong? Osama Bin Laden? Ayatollah Khomeini? Hamas? Putin? Morally, Biden is responsible for crimes committed due ...