HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Legislation to amend Pennsylvania’s constitution that could cut short the current Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court is advancing through the Republican-controlled Legislature. Final approval of the constitutional change could land in front of voters on the May 2021 primary ballot. It’s a tight timeline, but possible with concerted action.
The crux of the Republican-penned constitutional amendment is this: Instead of Supreme Court justices and appellate court judges running for 10-year terms in statewide elections, they would run for the seats in judicial districts where they live. Democrats call it a scheme to gerrymander the courts. Supporters say it would create more geographic and ideological diversity on the bench.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The 14 Pennsylvania state universities hope to reduce the size of their faculties by offering an incentive for professors eligible for retirement. PennLive reports that the State System of Higher Education’s governing board on Thursday approved the plan to align staffing with the decrease in student enrollment.
The incentive increases the maximum number of unused sick days retirees can be paid out for to 125. Previously the maximum was 50 days. However, 200 faculty members have to sign up in order to make this plan cost-effective.
MOUNT CARBON, Pa. (AP) — A 44-acre Schuylkill County community with fewer than 90 residents faces the possibility of being absorbed by an adjacent city because there isn’t enough citizen interest to keep its government functioning. No one except the newly elected mayor of Mount Carbon showed up this month for a reorganizational meeting.
The borough’s fate has hung in the balance since last year, when all three council members quit and the borough secretary resigned. A retired railroad worker was elected mayor in November with two write-in votes. The county courthouse is currently collecting residents’ tax payments, but no one is maintaining borough infrastructure. Port Carbon could be absorbed by Pottsville.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s governor is back in the United States after an unannounced trip to Israel that mixed personal travel with state business. Wolf’s office said the second-term Democrat returned Thursday. A spokesman says Gov. Tom Wolf and his wife, first lady Frances Wolf, spent three days at the end of their trip engaged in cultural and civic exchange programs and economic development efforts. His office said the trip wasn’t announced until it was over for security reasons.
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