Pennsylvania
Free air conditioners available again in Pa. through utility assistance program

A need for cooling bill assistance
Even when a household has access to an air conditioner, they may not be able to afford to run it.
“If you’re going to burn an air conditioner, it’s going to make your bill go up,” said Victoria Miles-Chambliss, secretary and treasurer of the Kingsessing-based nonprofit Empowered CDC, who helped people try to navigate the cooling program last summer. “It’s like, I either sweat to death or I get air conditioning and don’t have enough money to … get medication or this, that and the other.”
Some states, including Delaware, allow LIHEAP money to be used for summer electricity bills. But so far, Pennsylvania’s LIHEAP cooling pilot program only covers air conditioning units or A/C system repairs.
A survey of over 100 residents of low-income neighborhoods in Philly by the faith-based nonprofit Esperanza and Community Legal Services last year found that just 6% of respondents lacked an air conditioner in their homes. But 76% struggled to afford their energy bills in the summer.
“You can have the air conditioner, but if you can’t afford it, then it’s not going to really help you when it’s really hot,” said Christina Gareis, a former community public health coordinator at Esperanza who co-authored the report.
A whopping 89% of survey respondents said they limit their use of air conditioning to keep costs down.
“Most respondents are limiting A/C use so they don’t get a shutoff notice,” said Ángel Ortiz-Siberón, vice president of research & strategic initiatives at Esperanza. “Yet many of our respondents still dealt with shut off notices during the summer.”
Over the last few years, tens of thousands of PECO customers have had their electricity shut off for nonpayment each summer, excluding 2020, when terminations were paused because of the pandemic.
Nationwide, households of color experience energy insecurity at higher rates than white households. Nearly all of the respondents to Esperanza’s survey identified as either African American or Hispanic/Latinx. Many live in ZIP codes in North and West Philly that were at least partially redlined.
“People should be able to be cool in their own homes, as opposed to having to leave their homes for a cooling center on high heat days,” Dr. Jamile Tellez Lieberman, senior vice president of community engagement, research and health equity at Esperanza, wrote in an email. “Even beyond A/Cs, it’s a question of equity and justice, colored by race.”
Based on input from residents, Community Legal Services and Esperanza recommended Pennsylvania expand LIHEAP bill assistance year-round to cover both heating and cooling by allocating state money to supplement federal funding.
“The number one barrier [to cooling] is that there’s not grant assistance available in the summer to the extent that there is assistance available in the winter,” said Joline Price, a supervising attorney in the energy unit at Community Legal Services. “We would want people to be able to get grants both for heating and cooling, not to be choosing between the two.”
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, which administers LIHEAP bill assistance, said the agency is open to exploring a cooling program in the future.
“We recognize that sweltering summer months can pose a threat to the health of vulnerable Pennsylvanians,” spokesperson Natalie Scott wrote in an email.
But without additional funding, Pennsylvania would need to take money away from the traditional heating bill assistance program to pay for cooling bill assistance, Scott said. DHS has not yet studied the demand and costs associated with running LIHEAP bill assistance year-round but plans to do so in the future.
“We plan to work in partnership with our stakeholders and advocates to analyze the demand and cost of these programs so we can balance these needs and serve the vulnerable citizens of the commonwealth throughout the year,” Scott wrote. “DHS is in support of additional funding or the expansion of LIHEAP to better serve Pennsylvanians during the summer heat.”

Pennsylvania
Guy Ciarrocchi: McCormick promotes Pennsylvania in a most un-Pennsylvanian way

It’s a tale of two outlooks. A tale of two different priorities. Of two different types of leaders.
Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick invited the President, much of his cabinet and almost 3 dozen of America’s top corporate executives from technology, energy, manufacturing, finance and workforce development to collaborate at his “Pennsylvania Energy & Innovation Summit.”
The focus: America — not China — must win the battle to develop and use artificial intelligence. And Pennsylvania should lead the way to this new economy, with more natural gas energy than Saudi Arabia has oil, technology hubs, nuclear, coal and hydro-powered plants, and countless universities and trade schools.
Before they left, the President and his cabinet pledged to do everything they could with policies and regulatory support. Executives pledged to work cooperatively and focused on that vision. And over $92 billion was publicly committed for specific technology and energy projects. That’s just the start.
A freshman senator with business, military, and government experience looked at the technology challenges and opportunities facing America and our state, looked at our existing assets and set forth a vision and a plan to do it. America’s best and brightest came to Pittsburgh and said: “yes!”
Contrast this with Harrisburg. For the third time in three years, Pennsylvania doesn’t have a budget on time. For the third year in a row, Governor Shapiro is trying to spend more money than we have in revenue. For the third year in a row, he pushes “fixes” to allow him to spend more than we have: raise taxes, create new taxes and borrow from our savings.
The GOP-led State Senate is opposed to spending more than we have, raising taxes, and borrowing to fill Shapiro’s debt.
That’s the story of the last three years — and, frankly, for far too long.
A state that’s old and getting older — the fifth highest percentage of seniors. (Florida beats us because seniors actually move there.) A state with a stagnant population. We were third when I was born; now fifth. We were sixth after the 2010 census and only slipped back into fifth because Illinois fails more.
Harrisburg deals in the short-term. Budget by budget. Governors create new taxes to fill the shortfalls because we are old and too poor. And they “have to” offer taxpayer funded assistance to more and more citizens. All too often, governors try to keep or attract companies by giving them money: “how much do we have to bribe you to stay here or come here?”
Pennsylvania elected officials have all too often been short-sighted, miss the bigger picture, and rarely think big.
Under Governor Ed Rendell, it became clear that Pennsylvania was sitting on a huge amount of natural gas — and engineers learned how to get to it. When Governor Tom Corbett arrived, it was crystal clear that “huge” was really huge. Just like discovering oil in Venango County a century earlier, Pennsylvania had the chance to lead and create almost unlimited jobs.
Yet the talk in Harrisburg: “we should create a new tax and make sure ‘we make money’ off of this.”
Politicians anxious to spend money tried to create a tax for this brand new industry — to raise short-term dollars rather than grow the industry and make billions. (Almost $4 billion last year alone.) Fortunately, Corbett and Lt. Governor Jim Cawley convinced the legislature to avoid strangling that new industry with short-sighted taxes. (Author’s note; I was Cawley’s Chief of Staff.)
In 2012, word was floating around the capital that Amazon was looking to construct warehouses across Pennsylvania — not only because of the large population, but because we are the “Keystone State” with access to much of America by truck, rail and boat.
What was the response from legislators? Meet with Amazon and see what they needed? Nope. Reach out to local officials to see what locations our state could market to Amazon? Nope!
Legislators introduced a bill to create a “warehouse tax.”
Shapiro is the chief of short-sightedness. First, he’s pushing to impose a huge tax on video quiz games you find in VFW halls, bars and sandwich shops, and wants to legalize and tax recreational marijuana to “make money.”
Plus, of course, he wants to expand taxpayer funded programs to more and more people who fell behind during the Biden/Harris inflation years.
Shamelessly, Shapiro actually attended the Summit — to get campaign photo-ops.
What he forgot to mention is that he’s fighting before the Supreme Court to unilaterally tax Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry (punishing them for “climate change”), and then take that money to pay consumers back for the inevitably higher gas rates he’ll cause — and subsidize wind-turbines. Plus, he’s slow-rolling permits to build, expand, and modernize our natural gas pipes. As a result, too much gas sits underground or is shipped by rail cars.
That’s short-sightedness coupled with left-wing ideology — and the chutzpah to fly to the Summit for the photo ops.
Two different visions: economic growth — with Pennsylvania leading the nation — versus more taxes, legalized pot, and more handouts.
Two different leadership styles: boldness and collaboration, versus: “get me through this budget so I can go to Iowa and campaign without any headaches.”
McCormick offers a new way for Pennsylvania: for leaders to lead. But much of what was discussed at the Summit needs a Governor and legislature willing to be bold, with commonsense legislation and regulations.
Florida wasn’t always Florida 2025. Nor was North Carolina, nor Austin, Texas. It took leadership and boldness.
Is Harrisburg ready? If not, are we ready to demand it?
Guy Ciarrocchi is a Senior Fellow at the Commonwealth Foundation. The former Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Marcellus Shale Coalition (Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley), he writes for Broad + Liberty and RealClear Pennsylvania. Follow Guy at @PaSuburbsGuy.
Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania, firefighters will have new placard system to help identify dangerous buildings

Firefighters in Chester, Pennsylvania, now have a new tool to help protect them before they even set foot inside a burning building.
A new vacant building placard system is being rolled out across the city to warn first responders about structures that may be too dangerous to enter. The initiative is part of a $50,000 FEMA grant and is the first program of its kind in Delaware County.
Vacant and structurally compromised buildings are now being marked with placards. They are visual warnings that alert fire crews to potential dangers inside.
“Throughout the city, we have some dilapidated buildings,” Battalion Chief Jon Ley from the Chester Bureau of Fire said. “The city is old. A lot of legacy construction.”
The initiative was prompted by a 2022 fire on Baker Street, during which three firefighters were injured. One was seriously injured after he fell through a hole in the floor.
CBS News Philadelphia.
“Baker Street was one of the biggest things — that changed a lot of things,” Ley said. “We changed our mayday protocol. It changed how we do things as far as not being aggressive as a fire department, but as far as being in the know.”
Placards are synced with a real-time digital map, giving crews immediate access to the condition of vacant buildings while en route.
“The building’s already been on fire; it’s under intense heat. Inflamed or it’s going to have to collapse, or could lose firefighters, said Ley. “That’s where the risk vs. gain comes in.”
In many cases, the answer might mean fighting fires from the outside instead of entering unstable structures.
On East 7th Street, one vacant home has deteriorated so badly that a tree is growing through the roof. Residents say the placard system is a much-needed step forward.
CBS News Philadelphia.
“I do think they should like, knock down these little vacant buildings,” said Dezheona Butcher, a Chester resident. “They could turn it into something, rebuild it. Turn it into a house, a home. Somebody needs a home. Everybody needs a home.”
Chester firefighters routinely survey neighborhoods to update their building database. As structures are repaired or deteriorate further, their status is updated to ensure crews always have the latest information.
The placard system is part of a broader initiative aimed at protecting both firefighters and the communities they serve.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania man accused of threatening to behead Tampa General Hospital CEO with guillotine

TAMPA, Fla. – A Pennsylvania man is facing federal cyber harassment charges after investigators say he threatened to behead the CEO of Tampa General Hospital.
What we know:
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Lawrence Brunn, 63, of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, has been harassing the head of TGH since at least 2023.
The harassment became more frequent and intense over the last two years, according to the Department of Justice.
READ: Trial date set for FSU mass shooting suspect
Documents show that Brunn’s threats included calling for the CEO’s execution and frequently referring to his beheading utilizing a guillotine.
According to the USAO, in one post from April 9, 2025, Brunn stated that the CEO “should have his head chopped off” and further stated that he “should be scared…of we the people.”
In addition to online postings, the DOJ said Brunn also sent mail to the CEO’s private home, as well as his neighbors’ residences, and members of the Board of Trustees for Tampa General Hospital.
What we don’t know:
It’s unclear what, if any, connection Brunn had with the CEO or TGH.
What’s next:
Brunn faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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