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Rendell joins Chelsea Clinton for 'gay pub crawl' in Phillyby BRETT LIEBERMAN, Of The Patriot-News Saturday April 19, 2008, 4:22 PM Christopher Murray embraces Chelsea Clinton Friday night when the former first daughter campaigned with Gov. Ed Rendell and actor Rob Reiner during a pub crawl of gay bars in Philadelphia. They loved her hair; they smacked her butt; they hooted and hugged Friday night as Chelsea Clinton hit Philadelphia for what campaign aides called a "gay pub crawl." BRETT LIEBERMAN, The Patriot-News "Chelsea, the gays love you!" Jeff Guaracino, 35, shouted as the former first daughter took the stage...

HARRISBURG -- With a section of a Pittsburgh bridge dropping 8 inches and an Interstate 95 support pillar cracking in Philadelphia, Gov. Ed Rendell is turning up the heat under the Legislature to provide infrastructure repair funds more quickly. Mr. Rendell sent a letter to all 253 legislators yesterday urging quick passage of a $240 million "supplemental debt authorization." His program of borrowing would enable state officials to fast-track repairs on some of the state's 6,000 bridges classified as structurally deficient, along with fixing ailing highways, repairing "state-owned, high-hazard dams" and beginning flood mitigation projects. Also yesterday, Mr. Rendell called...

Includes 1.5% hike for Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln HARRISBURG -- "Completely inadequate." That's how Penn State University President Graham Spanier characterized Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed 1.5 percent funding increase for state-related universities. "If the appropriation doesn't even come close to the increases in the rest of the budget, and doesn't even come close to the rate of inflation, it puts a burden on the tuition side of the equation," he said. Dr. Spanier and the heads of the other state-related universities -- the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University and Lincoln University -- testified before the House Appropriations Committee...

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Gov. Ed Rendell, one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's most visible supporters, said some white Pennsylvanians are likely to vote against her rival Barack Obama because he is black.

Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell says Barack Obama is going to lose votes because some white voters are not ready for a black president: "I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate." Rendell also said he thought race cost his Republican opponent, former NFL star Lynn Swann, around five points in the 2006 election for governor. Rendell's statement was jarring for me. Last summer, at my wife's high school reunion, I met a guy who grew up in Penn Yan and now works for a nuclear facility outside Pittsburgh. He's a Libertarian...

Pennsylvania gambling regulators encouraged casino operators to hire an array of minority groups, but never discussed the measure in public. The diversity guidelines contained in a confidential Gaming Control Board memo issued in January go beyond the requirements of federal and state law, according to a copy obtained by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The memo from Chief Diversity Officer Mozelle Daniels, marked "privileged and confidential," says casinos should look not only at race, ethnicity and gender in hiring workers. The board's "expansive view of diversity" includes marital status, sexual orientation, religion, age, AIDS or HIV status, non-job-related disability and veteran's status....

Rendell can't spin away Hsu By Brad Bumsted STATE CAPITOL REPORTER Sunday, September 23, 2007 HARRISBURG Capitol observers were astounded when Gov. Ed Rendell called Democrat fundraiser Norman Hsu, a felon and then-fugitive, "one of the best 10 people I've met." They're likely more astounded now. Rendell made the comment to The Philadelphia Inquirer; it became instant fodder for Capitol insiders. If Mr. Hsu is on the governor's Top 10 list, who else is on the list? Incredibly, Rendell last week backed off the statement at his first Capitol news conference since the Hsu scandal surfaced. The governor threw in...

PA GOP: Fast Eddie Robs Peter Paul to Pay Hillary Friday, September 14, 2007 Contact: Michael Barley HARRISBURG —Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Robert A. Gleason, Jr. was not surprised to see that Gov. Ed Rendell and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton are involved in more fundraising scandals with another convicted felon, named Peter Paul. Paul alleges that Ed Rendell, then Chairman of the Democrat National Committee, told him to lie about his involvement with a 2000 Clinton for Senate fundraiser. “Apparently, when Sen. Clinton and Gov. Rendell need campaign donations, they dial up the list of America’s most wanted as...

Felon wants Rendell to testify By Brad Bumsted STATE CAPITOL REPORTER Saturday, September 15, 2007 Peter F. Paul of Asheville, N.C., contends in court documents that after The Washington Post pursued a story disclosing his felony convictions, Rendell asked him to lie in 2000 to cover up Paul's role in a Hollywood fundraiser he helped sponsor for Clinton. "He will be deposed. He's a material witness," Paul told the Tribune-Review in a telephone interview. Court documents allege in a civil lawsuit pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court that "Rendell, on Hillary Rodham Clinton's behalf, asked Paul to lie about...

Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. --Gov. Ed Rendell, despite pressure from gun dealers, decided Tuesday not to delay a database upgrade that will halt Pennsylvania firearms sales for three days. The Democratic governor said the shutdown to allow work on the criminal history database would last one day less than previously announced. The Pennsylvania Instant Check System will be down from 6 p.m. Sunday and return to operation at 6 p.m. Sept. 5. "It is clear that there will never be an ideal time to temporarily shut down the system so we can make changes necessary to ensure the system continues...

Domestic Terrorists Anti-Government Groups Often associated with unorganized militias, the Anti-Government movement actually embraces a much larger variety of groups and causes. The extreme fringe believes that the U.S. government is either the enemy or has been subverted by the enemy and must be actively defended against. Anti-Government Issues and Beliefs Gun Control is a conspiracy to enslave us starting with the removal of our ability to either defend ourselves or forcefully change our government. The first ten amendments of The Constitution are God given and all others are temporary, invalid or outright fraudulent. All judicial authority resides with the...

Pennsylvania has a new blueprint for how death might become a less painful and uncomfortable experience for its residents. The Rendell administration today is expected to release a 40-page report called "Improving End-of-Life Experiences for Pennsylvanians," which has been two years in the making. A wide-ranging group of health professionals, social service leaders, consumer advocates and others produced 160 recommendations covering how to expand hospice and palliative care, advance directives, medical training and more aspects related to patients' late-life treatment. "The current health care system evolved to provide care for acute illnesses, but it is poorly prepared to provide comprehensive,...

New taxes fuel Rendell's $27.3 billion budget By PETER JACKSON Associated Press Writer HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Gov. Ed Rendell asked Pennsylvania lawmakers Tuesday to approve higher taxes for consumers, employers, tobacco users and waste haulers to help finance a $27.3 billion budget that includes initiatives in health care, energy and property-tax relief. Rendell also suggested the possibility of leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private operator and levying a new tax on oil-company profits to raise the necessary $1.7 billion for highway and bridge improvements and mass transportation. The budget, the first of Rendell's second term, also calls for...

HARRISBURG — Gov. Ed Rendell is expected to outline a state spending plan today that will boost an array of taxes to fund health care reforms, property-tax reductions and other programs. Though the governor has been tight-lipped on details, in recent days he has revealed plans to: # Increase the 6 percent sales tax, perhaps to 7 percent, to fund property tax cuts for homeowners. These cuts would be in addition to any property-tax relief expected to come from slot-machine revenues. # Boost the state’s $1.35-a-pack cigarette tax by 10 or 11 cents and put a new tax on cigars...

A federal appeals court refused yesterday to revive civil-rights claims against Gov. Rendell, District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham, and Teamsters Local 115, part of a lawsuit filed eight years ago by a man who says he was beaten and falsely prosecuted after protesting a 1998 appearance by President Clinton. The opinion by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is likely the end of the federal suit filed by Don and Theresa Adams, although Adams has said he will press civil claims involving state law in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. Neither Adams, 46, of...

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Pennsylvania became the fifth U.S. state to seek universal health coverage for its citizens on Wednesday when it unveiled a plan to provide medical insurance for some three-quarters of a million residents who currently have none. Along with other states including Massachusetts and California, Pennsylvania is joining a growing movement among U.S. states to tackle the problem of residents without health care insurance, which according to some estimates number as many as 46 million Americans or about 15 percent of the population. The problem of uninsured medical costs, often left to be covered at taxpayer expense,...

Available for sale or lease: Historic, 359-mile toll road. Guaranteed income. Heavily worn; needs TLC. Work force of thousands included. See Gov. Rendell for details. Yes, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is up for grabs. Scrounging for transportation funding amid the no-new-taxes atmosphere of Harrisburg, Rendell officially invited suitors yesterday to make an offer for the venerable tollway. "There is only one option that is not on the table - and that is doing nothing," Rendell said of Pennsylvania's quest to find almost $2 billion more each year to bolster its roads, bridges, and public transit system

In precincts 7, 19, 51 in Philly, PA, the crowds are going wild. Inside several voting locations, individuals have poured white out onto the polling books and the poll workers are allowing voters to go into the polls and vote without first registering. Several individuals are on hand demanding that voters vote straight Democrat. RNC lawyers have headed to the scene of the incidents, which are occurring in mostly hispanic precinct locations. The District Attorney has also been contacted.

After several days of criticism over his insulting and offensive remarks about what "unbelievable brightness and cheer," gambling brings to the, "very gray lives," of seniors, Ed Rendell yesterday sought to, uh, "clarify," his views on the positive role of gambling in their lives. "Congratulations on your clarification, Governor," said Swann Communications Director Leonardo Alcivar. "Pennsylvanians are now comforted by your belief that seniors losing $30 dollars a day is just fine." "The past two weeks of front page headlines on the Governor's abuse of the state plane, and now on his disgraceful views about the lives of our seniors,...

<p>Philadelphia - A special three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals convened Wednesday to hear arguments on whether a Federal Civil Rights suit may proceed against Gov. Ed Rendell and overturn a 2003 lower court ruling that there was insufficient evidence. Rendell is charged with conspiring to suppress the First Amendment rights of protesters by having Teamsters Local 115 beat them while they demonstrated outside Philadelphia's City Hall during a Democratic fundraiser featuring President Bill Clinton. Rendell, who was mayor of Philadelphia at the time, admitted in a deposition following the Oct. 2, 1998 beatings to personally inviting Teamsters Local 115 Secretary-Treasurer John Morris and instructing the union to "drown-out" the Clinton protesters. "I specifically said I didn't want any interaction with the demonstrators. I wanted this to be extremely peaceful and extremely positive," Rendell also claimed in the deposition, which was taken two years after the fact. Morris was caught on video by local media placing a fedora over protester Don Adams' head, signaling the Teamsters to knock him to the ground and assault him. Adams was treated at a nearby hospital for a concussion, lacerations and multiple bruises. His sister, Teri, sustained minor injuries. Testimony from Morris' chief of staff revealed that, after the beatings, Rendell called Morris about the Teamsters who participated in the attack and said, "nothing is going to happen to these guys," and "I know how these things go." He then suggested that Morris and the Teamsters file a criminal complaint against Adams, which they did two days later on Oct. 4, 1998, alleging that he struck a woman in their group. Even though there was no police reports supporting the Teamster's claim, the incident was caught on video, and the District Attorney's Office pursued trial against Adams, who filed suit against the Teamsters and Rendell several months later. At one point, the Teamsters offered to drop their charges against him if he dropped his case. During that time, they launched a media campaign and accused Adams of being a woman-beater. Adams rejected the deal and was found not guilty on July 8, 1999. Five teamsters then pled guilty to various charges of assault and were granted probation, and Morris died in 2001. Arguments surrounding Rendell's involvement center not on how convincing the evidence is, but whether his interaction with Morris after the fact - consoling the Teamsters and advising them to sue Adams - can be used as evidence to support the charge of conspiracy. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in United States vs. Smith in 2002 that concerted actions to conceal unlawful behavior are relevant to a finding of conspiracy. The Supreme Court reached a similar conclusion in United States vs. Brodie last year. However, Philadelphia Law Department attorney Jane Lovitch Istvan, who represents Rendell, argued in brief, "The alleged conversation in this case ... contained no evidence of attempted concealment, nor is there a pattern of other alleged attempts to conceal." "I think he might have a case," Circuit Judge Restani said during oral arguments surrounding Adams' claim. The three circuit judges were appointed to hear the case from outside the Third Circuit Court's jurisdiction after a motion asking the entire Circuit to recuse itself was granted. This recusal was issued due to the fact that Rendell's wife, Judge Marjorie Rendell, sits on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.</p>

Today, Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann highlighted the urgent need to end pay raise politics in Pennsylvania during his statewide tour to Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Scranton, Erie, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh. “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Ed Rendell’s midnight pay raise is just another example of what is wrong with Harrisburg,” said Swann. “The politics of pay raises and backroom deals are getting in the way of delivering results for hard working Pennsylvanians. This Governor squandered his bully pulpit by doing more to raise the pay of Harrisburg insiders than providing tax relief for the rest of us,” Swann continued....

PITTSBURGH—In his new book, A New Direction: My Plan for a Better Pennsylvania, Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann outlined his plan to increase job creation across Pennsylvania and stop Ed Rendell’s Harrisburg from hindering economic growth. The current administration’s burdensome business taxes cost Pennsylvania over 33,000 new jobs in 2004 alone. And in the Northeastern part of the state, manufacturing jobs dropped approximately 40 percent in Lackawanna County since 2000, 29 percent in the city of Scranton, and 15 percent in Luzerne County, according to newly released 2005 census data. The Swann/Matthews plan for job creation includes: · Returning the...

PITTSBURGH - Governor Ed Rendell recently released a new campaign advertisement highlighting his Administration's "tax cuts" and economic "cost cutting." Unfortunately, Rendell’s ad fails to tell Pennsylvanians the real story behind his failed economic record over the past four years: Rendell Rhetoric: "After facing a huge deficit his cost cutting and tough budgeting have produced a fourth balanced budget in a row."Reality: The Pennsylvania Constitution mandates that the budget is balanced. Rendell is bragging about following state law. Rendell hasn’t saved the Commonwealth money through "tough budgeting." In fact, the opposite is true. State spending has increased a staggering...

Is (Pennsylvania) Governor Rendell Secretly Planning A Vice Presidential Run?

WASHINGTON -- Democrat Bob Casey maintained a slight lead over Republican Sen. Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, but more voters say they have a poor opinion of the challenger, according to an independent poll released Thursday. In a three-way contest, the new Keystone Poll found Casey leading Santorum 44 percent to 39 percent among registered voters. Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli had 4 percent. Thirteen percent were undecided in the poll, which was conducted by Franklin & Marshall College between Aug. 16-21. In May, before Romanelli entered the race, the same pollster had Casey with a six-point lead over Santorum, the...

Although the mainstream media has refused to report it, defendant Bill Clinton has a date in a Los Angeles Superior courtroom next March in Paul v Clinton. His wife, daughter, and several of the Hollywood elite will be subpoenaed to testify. So will Ed Rendell. Are you listening, Swanny? Three days after the carpetbagging junior senator from New York raked in a million bucks at the most spectacular private concert ever seen in Los Angeles, Lloyd Grove wrote a story in the WASHPOST about her largest donor's felony conviction from the 1970s. That August 15 story presented her with a...

YORK, Pa. -- Pennsylvania would have to create a temporary storage site for spent nuclear fuel under a provision attached to a Senate water and energy appropriations bill. But Gov. Ed Rendell said he will oppose the requirement. A spokeswoman said, "Pennsylvanians are more sensitive to nuclear issues than in many other places because of Three Mile Island." Rendell said he can't imagine they'd want such a thing built in Pennsylvania..........

Hazleton Mayor Louis Barletta and Gov. Ed Rendell traded barbs over a new city ordinance that cracks down on illegal immigrants, with Rendell saying during a Thursday stop in Scranton that it had been drafted by “mean-spirited” politicians who “feed off hate and divisiveness.” Barletta disagreed, saying the ordinance simply upholds the law. The only mean-spirited remarks that Barletta said he could recall were made by two members of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, who publicly called Hazleton a “Nazi city” and said that Latinos would never assimilate into American culture. The Associated Press and The (Scranton) Times-Tribune...

Pa. races could set table for 2008 By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, July 9, 2006 Welcome to Pennsylvania, known as "The Cradle of America" because the Founders drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Fast-forward 230 years and it is about to become another national cradle - a political one -- for the 2006 midterm elections.

Swann asks Rendell to switch jobs By Michael Miller LEADER TIMES Friday, July 7, 2006 Lynn Swann wants to trade jobs with Gov. Ed Rendell. Swann, who worked for ABC sports for 28 years, told a crowd of supporters in Kittanning yesterday that he's looking to become the next governor, and that the governor can become a full-time broadcaster. Rendell has a side gig as a commentator for a cable network covering the Philadelphia Eagles. "Come November, vote for me for governor, and make him the broadcaster full-time," Swann said. The Republican candidate for governor spoke to a small crowd...

Sunday Knoll appeared on PCN ( pennsylvania cable channel) When the issue of her behavior at SGGT GOODRICH'S funeral in July 2005 came up, KNOLL said "she (KNOll) is friends with Joe's parents and they understand her and what happened" Then she stated I ( Rhonda) am personal friends with Tony Snow from FOX News and thats why the story ran as it did"

We can only imagine the flurry in Gov. Ed Rendell's press office last week when the news release was e-mailed en masse to reporters. There was nothing particularly out of the ordinary about the subject matter -- the Pennsylvania Department of Military & Veterans Affairs helping provide video phones to aid communication between deployed Pennsylvania National Guard members in Iraq and their families. But at the top of the release was a note from Trena Brown, an office administrator, that she had neglected to delete before sending out the communique. "Bet this gonna cause a lot of breakups. Can you...

Gov. Ed Rendell took a campaign swing through the Slate Belt on Sunday afternoon, days after visiting the Lehigh Valley. Rendell spoke before about 80 people at a Women's Democratic Club luncheon in Bangor, less than two weeks after Republican candidate Lynn Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, stopped in the borough to talk about tort reform and economic development. He was swarmed by Steelers fans seeking autographs. Rendell outlined several ''things we've accomplished'' since taking office. He blamed fellow Democrats for letting Republicans do a ''masterful job in manipulating the issues,'' particularly gay marriage and abortion.

HARRISBURG, Pa.--Over five years after the near meltdown of the Florida presidential recount, politicians are still arguing over how best to reform state election laws. Ground zero in that battle now is Pennsylvania, which features two close statewide races, for governor and U.S. senator. Democrats claim anything that impedes or discourages someone from voting is a violation of the Voting Rights Act. Republicans insist the state's rancid history of voter fraud requires preventive measures. The conflict of visions, to borrow Thomas Sowell's phrase, couldn't be more complete. Take the bill the GOP-controlled Legislature passed, which would require voters show a...

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Gov. Ed Rendell led his Republican challenger, Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Lynn Swann, in a statewide poll released Wednesday and held a particularly lopsided lead among black voters.

Rendell's bulging war chest swamps Swann By David M. Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Rendell's report showed the Democratic incumbent with about $15.5 million, compared with $1.5 million in Swann's war chest.

Gov. Fast Eddie Rendell, like the good Democrat that he is, vetoed a bill that would have toughened voter-identification laws. He said it would make it harder for people to vote. Well, it would make it harder for them to vote more than once. Under the bill, each voter would have had to show election workers a form of identification such as a driver's license; a U.S. passport; a student, employee or government ID; a county voter-registration card; a firearm permit; a current utility bill; or a current bank statement, paycheck or government check. Eddie says that's asking too much...

Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and Republican challenger Lynn Swann are running neck and neck, a new independent statewide poll shows. In a hypothetical election, Rendell and Swann each would get 44 percent of the vote, with 10 percent undecided and 2 percent for others, according to the Strategic Vision poll. "Dead even. You can't get much closer than that," said David E. Johnson, pollster for Atlanta-based Strategic Vision, a public relations and marketing firm. This poll, similar to other recent polls, spells trouble -- according to the pollster -- for Rendell, of Philadelphia, who is seeking a second four-year term...

Below are the poll results based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Pennsylvania, aged 18+, and conducted March 10-12, 2006. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.1. Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's overall job performance? Approve 35% Disapprove 58% Undecided 7%2. Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's handling of the economy? Approve 34% Disapprove 59% Undecided 7%3. Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq? Approve 39% Disapprove 50% Undecided 11%4. Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's handling of the war on terrorism?...

On Presidents' Day at the National Constitution Center, Gov. Rendell announced his veto of a bill that would have required all voters to show identification when they go to the polls. Rendell said that the bill, which passed the legislature last week on largely parti-line votes, would have the effect of disenfranchising those without easy access to identification, including nursing-home residents, displaced families, the very poor and those without a driver's license. In addition, he said that the identification requirement, which now applies only to people voting at a polling place for the first time, would slow the voting process...

To: Ed Re: Casino license fiasco By Eric Heyl TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, February 19, 2006 Memos left unanswered: March 2, 2004 To: Gov. Ed Rendell From: John Estey (your chief of staff) Re: Alternative casino licensing fee idea I was pondering the slots casino issue last night and had an epiphany. Rather than having the state award casino licenses for a flat $50 million fee, as you have proposed, the licenses instead could be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

RICHMOND, Va. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell says Virginia Democrats should get back to the progressive initiatives that made the party great and quit running campaigns as though they were imitation Republicans. Rendell spoke to about one thousand Democratic activists at the party's annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner tonight in Richmond. Rendell said John Kerry should have remained truer to Democratic ideals when he opposed Republican George W- Bush two years ago. Rendell is seeking re-election this year against a strong challenge from Republican Lynn Swann -- a Hall of Fame player on the Pittsburgh Steelers' football team from the 1970s. In...

Rendell, Swann in dead heat By David M. Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, February 10, 2006 Republican challenger Lynn Swann has caught Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, a new Pittsburgh Tribune-Review/WTAE-Channel 4 Keystone poll shows. Swann, who trailed Rendell by 20 points five months ago, has jumped to within three points -- a statistical tossup. More than half -- 54 percent -- of voters questioned believe it is time for a change in the governor's office. About two in five -- 39 percent -- said they believe Rendell deserves re-election.

Former Steeler great could ride team victory all the way to the Governor's office As Jerome Bettis and the Pittsburgh Steelers closed the book on a storybook season at Super Bowl XL in Detroit Sunday, the season of another Steelers legend was just kicking into high gear. Lynn Swann, the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player 30 years ago, is hoping to capture the Republican Party's official endorsement this Saturday in the Pennsylvania governor's race—an endorsement that has traditionally locked up the Republican primary election, which will be held in May of this year. And judging by the overwhelming support for...

Is the governor of Pennsylvania subject to random drug testing? I’m beginning to worry about Ed Rendell. I think he’s on something. How else do you explain his recent end-of-the-year news conference where he proclaimed a successful year for his administration? I’m not sure Rendell is living on the same planet as 12 million other Pennsylvanians. Ed Rendell appears to be the governor of the state of dementia. Rendell has completed three full years as governor. During his tenure, state spending has grown to an astronomical $24.3 billion a year. And what are we getting for our money? The state’s...

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Five companies have bid for two casino licenses in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said. Statewide, the board received 26 applications for slots parlors in various locations, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday. The last day to submit a bid was Wednesday. The board expects to issue two casino licenses for Philadelphia by the end of next year. All applicants had to pledge to pay a $50 million license fee. The decision to open casinos in Pennsylvania reflects a desire to attract much of the business the state now sends to big resorts and casinos...

In the beginning, experts gave it a week. Two, tops. Now, a state Supreme Court justice finds himself out of a job, and other incumbents in Harrisburg are left sweating over their political futures because of what pundits are calling a "populist insurrection." The anti-pay-raise movement that many had dismissed early on as a passing thunderstorm is developing into a Category 5 hurricane that threatens to uproot incumbents across the state next year. "Rome is burning, and the empire is crumbling," said State Rep. Thomas C. Petrone (D., Allegheny), who took the raise but later donated it to charities, including...

WILKES-BARRE - Gov. Ed Rendell had a message for local and state Democrats Thursday night: go back to your roots. Democrats still provide the best chance for ordinary working families to get ahead and still give the best opportunities to senior citizens, Rendell told a roomful of local and state party members. "We take care of people. It's our job to," he said. Rendell was the main speaker at a cocktail party for Luzerne County Democrats held at the Ramada Inn in Wilkes-Barre. "This is the first time I've been to Luzerne County when neither (Wilkes-Barre City Mayor Tom Leighton)...

As the controversy over a pay raise for Pennsylvania lawmakers continues, a public relations event at a Pittsburgh elementary school this week turned out worse than state House speaker John Perzel of Philadelphia could have pictured -- literally. At the school event, Speaker Perzel again tangled with reporters over the pay raise (see related story) -- prompting a blistering editorial in Friday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette saying the speaker’s “arrogance was on full display.” But to make matters worse, says Prof. Terry Madonna, political analyst and pollster at Franklin and Marshall College, a photograph (above right) published by another Pittsburgh newspaper, the...

About 1,500 protesters stood in a steady rain on the steps of the state Capitol this afternoon to demand that the legislators huddled inside repeal the 16 to 34 percent pay raise they approved for themselves in July. "We are revolting against the opulent lifestyle these people have given themselves with our money,'' Harrisburg radio talk show host Bob Durgin thundered. "Do you want to repeal the raise? Do you want to get rid of legislators' car leases? Are you angry?" he asked the crowd, which boomed back "YES!" to each question. Other speakers took to the microphone and got...