It may be weeks until we have a state budget. And grant requests surge at foundations funding science research.

Spoiler alert, state lawmakers did not have a budget agreement in place by midnight, when the current fiscal year ended. However, that does not mean the state will immediately miss payments for public services. That would change if the impasse stretches over several months, meaning payments for county services and schools would be the first to be affected. Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa is upbeat though, saying he doesn't expect the months-long delays that have plagued past budgets. 

In Washington, the Senate's latest draft of the budget bill would quickly phase out lots of clean energy tax credits — including one for the production of clean hydrogen. That means new hydrogen businesses planned for the Philadelphia region could be scrapped. 

Pennsylvania organizations that fund science are experiencing an increase in applications for their grant dollars - and likewise, they're trying to increase funding requests, following the Trump administration's broad cuts to research funding. 

Dauphin County's Cleveland-Cliffs steel plant began idling operations Monday, affecting hundreds of workers as well as the entire community in Steelton. The company's decision leaves about 500 union workers and 60 salaried employees without jobs. 

Amazon plans to spend $20 billion to build two data centers in Pennsylvania, a move that state officials say will generate thousands of jobs over the next decade. But the full economic picture includes many unknowns - such as the centers’ full impact on electricity supply and prices, and the amount of tax revenue the state will forfeit to Amazon. 

The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams over the next five years with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia all set to join the league. Philadelphia's team would launch in 2030.  

 

 

Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.