Rendell challenges Republicans to balance budget without tax hike The Rendell administration says it's tired of seeing Republican lawmakers standing on the sidelines and throwing grenades at the governor's proposal for a 2009-10 state budget. So Democrats are "challenging" Republicans to come up with a balanced budget alternative of their own "and we'll take a look at it," Steve Crawford, Gov. Ed Rendell's chief of staff, said yesterday. As state's budget stalemate continues, lawmakers eye returning part of surplus
Fumo says 'new evidence' concerning jury merits retrial Fumo's court filing said that jurors were exposed to "highly prejudicial extraneous information" that raised questions about their impartiality when deciding Fumo's fate. Fumo's defense said that one juror learned from co-workers about Fumo's 1980 federal prosecution on fraud charges (he was convicted but the conviction was later overturned by a federal judge) and the conviction and imprisonment of former Independence Seaport Museum president John S. Carter. Carter pleaded guilty to defrauding the museum on charges unrelated to Fumo and was sentenced to 15 years.
Disgraced judge Ciavarella calls Powell 'liar' Testifying at a hearing over allegations of case fixing in a nonjury trial he conducted in 2006, Mr. Ciavarella adamantly denied any impropriety in the case, which resulted in a $3.5 million verdict against The Citizens' Voice newspaper. He also gave his most detailed defense yet against claims he deliberately jailed undeserving juveniles as part of a kids-for-cash scandal that drove him from the bench and will land him in federal prison.
Court filings build in bonus probe In a stark contrast to the voluminous defense filings, prosecutors argued in their response they have "conclusive evidence" to counter the defense claims of selective prosecution, but revealed none of it under the assertion that the underlying investigation is still active before a grand jury, which meets in secret.
Overeager media announce Sestak will run An early-morning comment that he "will run" against newly minted Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter flew across political blogs and social networking sites and was declared his "official" announcement. Except Sestak, who just started a 67-county "listening" tour in Pennsylvania, never meant to announce anything yesterday. "There's nothing that's changed," he said between meetings with Democratic leaders and editorial boards in Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties. "The whole quote wasn't in there."
Seventh District up for grabs is Sestak leaves Voting trends have shown the Seventh Congressional District leaning Democratic blue in presidential and statewide races, but pollsters and political strategists caution that holding on to it is no sure thing. After all, Republicans still have the voter-registration edge in the district, and the Delaware County GOP machine, while diminished from its old "War Board" days, remains potent in local races. In addition, Sestak's initial victory in 2006 got a lift from the disclosure of an FBI investigation into whether 10-term incumbent Republican Curt Weldon used his office to aid a firm owned by his daughter and a friend.
Pennsylvania isn't the only state with budget woes It could be worse. You could be living in California.
PoliticsPA's Alex Roarty In 6th, Pike raises more than $500K during 2Q fundraising Congressional candidate Doug Pike’s campaign raised more than $500,000 in the second fundraising quarter, a source with knowledge of the campaign told PoliticsPA. The period, which began April 1 and ended Tuesday, is Pike’s first as a candidate. The former Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board member declared his candidacy in the 6th District against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach in early April.
