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STATE REVEALS POTENTIAL I-80 TOLL LOCATIONS

(Harrisburg) - The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has whittled down its list of potential locations for nine toll collection sites along Interstate 80. The commission revealed 20 locations today along the 311-mile roadway that could get one of the nine cashless tolling stations. Officials are not expected to select the final sites until sometime this fall. Sites that collect the most revenue while diverting the fewest vehicles onto alternate routes are the ones most likely to be selected, said project manager Barry Schoch. In most cases, the traffic diversion issue will be critical, because sites close to each other are projected to produce about the same amount of money, he said. (More)

CORBETT URGED TO DECIDE ON GOP CHARGES BY FALL

(Harrisburg) - Voters deserve to know before the November election whether Republicans as well as Democrats will be charged in the public corruption scandal at the state Capitol, Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday. Rendell was adamant that Attorney General Tom Corbett, a Republican, should make a swift decision on whether to indict lawmakers or aides in the House Republican Caucus or the Senate. Twelve people in the House Democratic Caucus were charged last month with theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest in the first phase of an 18-month grand jury investigation. "I don't understand why after two years you only could make your decision on Democrats," Rendell said while he was in Pittsburgh to make several economic development announcements. (More)

GovNetPA.com

TWO MORE FOR DEWEESE'S RESIGNATION

(Harrisburg) - Two more lawmakers have joined the groundswell pressuring House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese to step down because of his caucus's alleged involvement in a government corruption scandal. State Reps. Jesse White, D-Cecil, and Eugene DePasquale, D-York, both freshmen, said Mr. DeWeese should relinquish control of the caucus. Eight other lawmakers came forward with similar statements in recent days. One, David Levdansky, D-Forward, has said Mr. DeWeese should not only leave leadership, but also abandon his re-election campaign and leave the Legislature entirely. Mr. White and Mr. DePasquale said that Mr. DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, is a hindrance to reform efforts and must be accountable for crimes that may have been committed under his watch. (More)

VOTERS DOUBT LEGISLATURE CAN CHANGE

Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly want the Legislature to convene for a special session to enact legislation to end corruption, yet nearly three quarters of voters doubt that legislators will do what it takes to pass reforms to clean up their mess in the General Assembly, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. Both political parties have been tarred by the bonus scandal that led to charges against 12 current or former state House Democratic staffers or members, and 73 percent of voters say Republicans and Democrats are equally to blame. A majority of voters believe House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, who has not been charged with any crime, should resign his leadership post. (More)

TURNPIKE CRITICS FUEL PUSH FOR LEASE

The billboard message isn't intended as a compliment: "The Turnpike Commission: A study in power, patronage and politics." The Commonwealth Foundation, which supports leasing the PA Turnpike to a private company, said it's paying $1,580 a month for the billboard criticizing the commission, which operates the 532-mile highway. The sign is at South Second and Mulberry streets, near the southern entrance to Harrisburg off Interstate 83. Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed leasing the turnpike to a consortium of corporations in exchange for what he said will be about $1.1 billion a year for mass transit and highway projects. Legislators and the PA Turnpike Commission are resisting the proposal, saying it would be imprudent to rent out such a major public asset. (More)

MAYORS GATHER IN PHILLY TO FIGHT CRIME

Something is missing from the presidential campaign, according to many of the nation's mayors and police chiefs: a substantive debate about crime and how best to fight it. Dozens of them tried to put crime back on the agenda at a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting at the Westin Hotel in Philadelphia hosted by Mayor Nutter. At a noon news conference, they lamented the decline in federal funding for local crime-fighting programs and urged the national media and Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama to focus on urban violence. "I understand that Iraq and Afghanistan are extremely important. We all understand that," said Manuel A. Diaz, mayor of Miami and president of the mayors' group. (More)


Chip Bok, Akron Beacon Journal

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At a Capitol news conference this week, Senator Piccola and members of the Legislature called for the convening of a Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention. (Senate Republican Communications)

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