READING, Pa. — “When I look into the eyes of these young people, I see our future and see this as the wisest of investments we can make in a community that cares deeply for all of God’s children,” said Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro and other officials visited Millmont Elementary School in Reading on Friday. During his visit, Shapiro held a ceremonial signing of the state’s budget bill, which includes a $46.5 million increase to provide universal free breakfast to Pennsylvania public school students.
After today, not only will the Millmont elementary school kids benefit from this, but more than 1 million students from all across the commonwealth will also be receiving free breakfasts.
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“Today is an exciting day not only for the Reading School District, but also for children across the State of Pennsylvania,” said Reading School District superintendent Jennifer Murray.
Murray says this is part of the largest increase in education funding in Pennsylvania’s history — a total increase of $567 million.
“This funding is far-reaching and includes such things as increases in the basic education funding formula, historic increases.” Says Murray.
This universal breakfast program guarantees all of the nearly 70,000 students in Berks County the day’s first meal. For some, like state Rep. Manny Guzman (D-Berks), this is personal.
“I was one of those kids who came to school hungry, was hungry in class, and wondered where I was going to get my next meal,” Guzman said.
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He says his only meal a day was lunch. Now, children will not have the same difficulties.
“Because of this investment, countless children will begin their days with full bellies and ready minds.” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Khalid Mumin.
Of the seven competitive states that both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival, have a realistic shot at winning, Pennsylvania is the most populous and awards the most votes in the Electoral College, which in turn is used to select the overall winner of the election. read more
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate is set to hold a rally in Pennsylvania today, his fourth campaign stop in the state this month. Erie, located in the northwest corner of Pennsylvania, will host the former president at 2 pm local time.
This rally comes one month after his running mate, US Senator JD Vance held a similar event in the same city. Trump has another rally scheduled in western Pennsylvania for October 5.
Pennsylvania has emerged as a crucial battleground state in the 2024 election, with many of Trump’s allies considering it the most important state to win. The state’s significance stems from its large population and the substantial number of electoral votes it awards, making it a critical factor in determining the overall winner of the election.
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In fact, among the seven competitive states that both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have a realistic chance of winning, Pennsylvania stands out as the most populous and electorally valuable.
Trump allies broadly believe that if the former president beats Harris there, he is likely to return to the White House. But if Trump loses to Harris in Pennsylvania, the vice president has the inside track, in their opinion.
In a reflection of the stakes, Harris and Trump have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on ads in Pennsylvania in the months before the election, more than any other state in both gross and per capita terms.
Erie, the site of Trump’s rally, is a battleground inside a battleground. Erie County is one of two Pennsylvania counties that favored Trump in the 2016 election against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton before favoring President Joe Biden against Trump in 2020.
Trump narrowly won the state and the election overall in 2016, before losing both in 2020.
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This time around, Pennsylvania is again competitive, according to surveys. Harris leads Trump by 1.6 percentage points in the state, according to an average of polls maintained by polling and analysis website FiveThirtyEight. That difference is well within almost all polls’ margin of error.
Trump’s next rally in Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5, will take place in Butler, about 100 miles (160 km) south of Erie. That town was the site of a failed assassination attempt on Trump in July. A bullet grazed the former president’s ear.
JD Vance crisscrosses battleground Pennsylvania at a rally in Newtown, Bucks County – CBS Philadelphia
The vice presidential nominees are getting ready for Tuesday’s debate.
Meantime, Republican JD Vance is crisscrossing battleground Pennsylvania.
He held a rally in Newtown, Bucks County Saturday afternoon.
Earlier, he took part in a town hall in Monroeville, Allegheny County.
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