Pennsylvania chief justice’s record held up, torn down by reform group

By   /  May 20, 2013  /  Constitution, Judiciary, News, Other News, Pennsylvania, State Government, Uncategorized  /  No Comments

ron castille

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent

HARRISBURG — Judges in Pennsylvania typically have no problems securing their offices in retention races.

In 45 years, only Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro lost his seat in 2005, after an infamous pay raise lawmakers gave themselves in the middle of the night inflamed state voters.

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No cost? Not quite: Self-funded PA website contract costing up to $2.6M

By   /  May 16, 2013  /  Featured, News, Other News, Pennsylvania, State Government  /  No Comments

WEB WORK: The Office of Administration says server outages may be a thing of the past once its new contract for web services with NIC is up and running.

A state lawmaker continues to raise red flags about a website redesign and management contract.

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Annual PA lawmaker gift disclosures turn up pens, robes, trips for Corbett

By   /  May 2, 2013  /  Accountability, Ethics, Issues, News, Open Records, Other News, Pennsylvania, State Government  /  No Comments

nice looking pen

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent
HARRISBURG — Back in March 2012 when Gov. Tom Corbett traveled Europe on a trade mission, he received a suave souvenir – a $275 fountain pen gifted by a public official at an event in Oyonnax, France.
That was while Corbett was touting Pennsylvania as part of trade mission paid for [...]

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Legal payments? PA Treasury holds back funds for new website manager

By   /  April 30, 2013  /  News, Other News, Pennsylvania, State Government  /  No Comments

TREASURER: Rob McCord slammed Corbett's proposed pension overhaul on Tuesday.

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania taxpayers could pay more for updates to state online services than a recent contract would otherwise suggest.
But first, state treasury officials must decide if the payments are even legal.
The Corbett administration entered a no-bid contract with eGovernment services firm NIC USA, in late 2012. The company provides [...]

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Gruesome abortion trial reveals regulatory failures

By   /  April 15, 2013  /  abortion, Health Care, Other News, Pennsylvania, State Government, Uncategorized  /  1 Comment

GOSNELL: Kermit Gosnell is facing death for the crimes he allegedly committed, involving the death of a 41-year-old woman and seven babies.

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent
HARRISBURG — As the nation looks to the Philadelphia trial of Kermit Gosnell and his “house of horrors” abortion clinic, a grand jury report alleges that substantial regulatory failures at the Pennsylvania Department of Health allowed gruesome actions go undetected — or detected but unresolved.
Prosecutors seeking the death penalty for Gosnell say [...]

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