Gov. Shapiro warns Medicaid cuts would hurt PA. A 4th of July parade is nixed. And a Friday WITF Music feature.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is warning that cuts to Medicaid health care that Congress is considering would mean billions of dollars in lost federal aid to Pennsylvania, hundreds of thousands of people losing access to the program and more rural hospitals shutting their doors. 

In Harrisburg, legislation designed to improve access to hospital financial-aid programs in Pennsylvania has been approved by the state House. Allegheny County Democrat Arvind Venkat authored the bill to prevent patients from falling into medical debt. The bill received strong bipartisan support, including from Republican Tim Twardzik of Schuylkill County. 

More than a thousand postdoctoral scholars and research associates at the University of Pennsylvania want to form a union. The school is challenging that move.  

It’s not even Memorial Day yet, but this year’s Fourth of July parade is already being cancelled by one Philadelphia-area township, amid security concerns. There is no definitive threat facing Whitemarsh Township in Montgomery County, but township officials are leaning on the side of safety. 

Lancaster City Council joined a chorus of municipalities voicing their support for a $15 minimum hourly wage in Pennsylvania. By a 7-0 vote, the council passed a resolution supporting House Bill 1150, which would more than double Pennsylvania’s minimum hourly wage, currently $7.25. 

As Rite Aid drug stores are preparing to shut down, Pennsylvania's Attorney General is advising customers of other, more crucial deadlines. AG Dave Sunday says June 6th is the final day consumers can use Rite Aid gift cards, coupons, bonus points, or other in-store rewards. 

A new $19.1 million dollar Lancaster County manufacturing facility opened this week and is ramping up production of bone broth and soup. The company Kettle & Fire is launching with 60 employees but plans to eventually grow to a workforce numbering close of 150. 

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman is calling for bipartisanship in order to tackle the issue of air traffic safety. Fetterman took the opportunity to highlight a Pennsylvania school. He told Franklin McIntosh, the FAA's deputy head of air traffic control, about the Community College of Beaver County, the only school in Pennsylvania that offers FAA air traffic controller training. 

Musician Zachariah King hails from the Perry County village of Eshcol, which helped form his musical career. King and his bandmates stops by our studio and talks with WITF Music’s Joe Ulrich about his music, community, and the preservation of local heritage. 

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