skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Federal inquiry traces payments from Gaetz to women; a new Florida-Puerto Rico partnership poised to transform higher-ed landscape; MT joins Tribes to target Canadian mining pollution; Heart health plummets in rural SD and nationwide; CO working families would pay more under Trump tax proposals.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transgender rights in Congress, a historic win for Utah's youngest elected official, scrutiny of Democratic Party leadership, and the economic impact of Trump's tax proposals highlight America's shifting political and social landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

House, Senate Redistricting Comes to a Close in Pennsylvania

play audio
Play

Tuesday, March 22, 2022   

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, rejected legal challenges to new state House and Senate maps last week, finalizing the legislative redistricting process.

The chair of the commission tasked with drafting the maps said he believes the districts fairly represent residents. The Legislative Reapportionment Commission, in a 4 to 1 bipartisan vote in February, approved the maps, which include 203 House districts and 50 Senate districts.

Mark Nordenberg, nonpartisan chair of the panel, said the commission made an effort to host a record number of public hearings, despite delays in receiving U.S. Census data.

"I do think that these maps will serve the people of the Commonwealth well for the next decade," Nordenberg asserted. "That seems to be the consensus view from the good-government groups and the leaders of minority groups, too."

Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre/Mifflin, is a member of the commission who voted against the maps. He said in a statement the court decision will "artificially create a Democrat majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives through deliberate racial and political gerrymandering."

The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced the 2020 census undercounted Black people and Native Americans, with Latinos having a net undercount rate of nearly 5%.

Nordenberg acknowledged some undercounts were expected because of the pandemic, but are still disappointing.

"You work hard to key your redistricting efforts to the census results that come from the federal government," Nordenberg explained. "We are required to do that. That news makes it all the more important that we did try to create minority-influence districts."

The new maps created majority-Latino districts in Philadelphia, Reading and Allentown. The state's Latino population grew by 45% between 2010 and 2020, according to census data, and its Asian population grew by 46%.

Candidates running for legislative office in Pennsylvania have until next Monday to submit their nomination petitions.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Since its founding, the CCA program has generated more than $2 billion for transportation and infrastructure upgrades, clean air and water initiatives, utility bill rebates, community solar, indoor air quality improvements and more. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

On Election Day, a broad coalition of conservationists, labor, and others helped defeat a ballot initiative to repeal Washington State's Climate …


Social Issues

play sound

In the wake of Donald Trump's re-election, teachers nationwide are bracing for more censorship battles. Currently, more than 40 laws in 22 states …

Social Issues

play sound

A new annual report shows New York City has more than 146,000 homeless students. The Advocates for Children of New York report finds this is an …


More than 3,000 Maine apprentices were actively working on industry-recognized skill certification in 2022, according to the Maine Department of Labor. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

State officials in Maine said they are working to expand the number of registered apprenticeship programs to help counter a persistent worker shortage…

Social Issues

play sound

School boards are nonpartisan, but a recent trend in Wyoming shows far-right candidates are bringing national politics to local elections. Public …

In 2020, roughly 9.9% of all U-S adults over age 20 were, or 28.6 million people, were affected by cardiovascular disease, according to a review article from the American Heart Association. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

It is National Rural Health Day and experts are flagging research showing increasing health disparities between urban and rural places, including in …

Social Issues

play sound

President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have promised to pass a new tax bill, and a new report breaks down the expected winners and …

Social Issues

play sound

Recent surveys show a majority of North Dakotans want housing that allows them to live independently as they age. But there aren't a lot of suitable …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021