The Morning Agenda Podcast By WITF Inc. cover art

The Morning Agenda

The Morning Agenda

By: WITF Inc.
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Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your six. Each weekday morning, host Karen Hendricks will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.

2025 WITF
Politics & Government
Episodes
  • A 150-year ban on Sunday hunting in PA, reversed. And a new PA board for largescale electricity projects.
    Jul 9 2025

    An Allegheny County state House member has led the charge to repeal a 150-year-old ban on Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania. Governor Josh Shapiro is expected to sign it into law this week.

    A state appeals court ruled that a Western Pennsylvania municipality violated its own zoning law when it allowed a natural gas well to be built in a residential area.

    The future of the federal food benefits program known as SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - is unclear. Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians depend on SNAP benefits, and it costs about $500 million to administer SNAP annually in Pennsylvania. But there are sweeping changes to the program's state and federal funding formula going into effect, as a result of President Trump's newly-signed spending law. Governor Shapiro has said Trump's plan might mean the end for SNAP benefits.

    A Lancaster County lawmaker has introduced a bill to clarify the role of constables in the Commonwealth. Rep. Tom Jones, an East Donegal Township Republican, introduced a bill to modernize the regulations governing constables and clarify their roles in the court system and law enforcement.

    Tower Health is eliminating 50 positions across four hospitals, including Reading Hospital, and outpatient services. The nonprofit company says it's part of a streamlining process at the healthcare system.

    The Schuylkill County borough of Saint Clair is celebrating its 175th anniversary this week.

    And a deeper dive: Pennsylvania needs more power to meet growing demands for electricity. As a result, Governor Shapiro has proposed a statewide board to expedite the siting of large-scale electricity projects such as those needed to power data centers.

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    12 mins
  • Medicaid cuts impact PA nursing homes. And the state offers a helping hand to Steelton.
    Jul 8 2025

    The federal spending bill calls for a reduction in Medicaid spending by an estimated $930 billion over the next decade. The shared federal-state health program currently provides insurance coverage to more than 70 million Americans with low incomes. Effects of the cuts will not only be felt by low-income Pennsylvanians, but through the state's hospitals and even nursing homes.

    The Trump administration is holding up nearly $7 billion dollars in federal funding that Congress had already approved for educational programs. Pennsylvania and other states were slated to get the money on July 1st.

    The State Department of Labor and Industry continues to offer support to workers impacted by the idling of the Cleveland-Cliffs Steelton plant. Assistance has included transition information and a job fair.

    Two Pittsburgh universities are among those working to understand the impact artificial intelligence is having on jobs. The study aims to get ahead of technology shocks that may change how people work.

    Developers in Pennsylvania who want to skip the line for certain environmental permits can apply through a new program from the state Department of Environmental Protection called Streamlining Permits for Economic Expansion and Development, or SPEED.

    A Dauphin County judge collapsed while riding his bike and was taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead last Friday. Judge Michael J. Smith was a Magisterial District Judge of 20 years.

    In Centre County, efforts to strip control of a troubled rural water company from its longtime family owner have hit another roadblock, again delaying a permanent fix to years of unreliable service. Rock Spring Water Company and owner J. Roy Campbell recently rejected a $65,000 offer from nearby State College Borough Water Authority to buy the private system, according to reporting by our partners at Spotlight PA.

    Nine people were rescued from the Swatara Creek by the Hershey Volunteer Fire Department on the 4th of July. It happened near the Hershey Dam, a low-head dam operated by Pennsylvania American Water. Those rescued included three children.

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    11 mins
  • Alleviating healthcare shortages in PA. And how Gettysburg and Adams County are gearing up for America250.
    Jul 7 2025

    Beginning today, July 7, Pennsylvania will be a full participant in health care compacts that make it easier for qualified doctors, nurses and physical therapists to provide care in dozens of states. It’s part of the progress being made on licensing medical professionals in the Commonwealth.

    Finding sustainable and inclusive approaches to water management is the focus of a national gathering in Pittsburgh this week, July 8 through 11.

    Last weekend’s Independence Day holiday marked the nation's 249th birthday. It also began the countdown to next year's big America250 celebration. But here in Central Pennsylvania, there's a 250th dedication taking place THIS week in York.

    Here in Central Pennsylvania our tourism organizations are gearing up for America250. As we continue our series of conversations focused on America 250, joining us today is Mary Grace Kauffman, media relations manager for Destination Gettysburg. She's explains how preparations are coming in Gettysburg and Adams County.

    Join us throughout July for more conversations with the region's tourism leaders representing the Cumberland Valley, Lancaster and York. ICYMI, circle back to our June 30 episode to learn more about Visit Hershey & Harrisburg's America250 prep.

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    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    11 mins
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