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Pennsylvania budget negotiations take a holiday – Washington Examiner

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Pennsylvania budget negotiations take a holiday – Washington Examiner


(The Center Square) – The state capitol fell quiet Wednesday after lawmakers left town for the Fourth of July, intent on hammering out a budget deal over the weekend – maybe.

The holiday break means the plan could be a week or more overdue. Still, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, said discussions remain “engaged,” “productive” and “cordial.”

“But I will also say that details matter, words on paper matter, and as we always say, unless everything’s agreed to, nothing’s agreed to,” he said.

The tongue-in-cheek remark rings true every budget season, though the contention of last year’s talks seems absent, for now.

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“One thing we all learned a little bit last year, myself included, is to try to figure out a better way to navigate this process,” Pittman said. “We really are committed to the notion that divided government shouldn’t be dysfunctional government.”

Education priorities elude compromise, Pittman said. As does human services spending. In the former, a constitutional mandate to equalize school district funding looms large over negotiations.

A revised formula passed the House in June, though it has yet to be considered in the Senate. Pittman said “some hard realities are setting in” about the new calculations.

“As I’ve said before, there are 500 school districts in this commonwealth,” he said. “Every single one of them has a different sense of what is fair.”

Critics of the revised formula say it hurts nearly two-thirds of school districts and should be scrapped entirely. Supporters laud the multi-billion dollar plan as long overdue.

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In the end, it will be up to House Democratic leaders, Senate Republican leaders and Gov. Josh Shapiro to meet in the middle. Pittman said he’s confident that can still happen before the lapse impacts state services.

The House gaveled out until Friday at 3 p.m., while the Senate isn’t scheduled to reconvene until 3 p.m. Saturday.

In the meantime, Pittman said, staffers will work “around the clock” to finalize a deal, and the chamber can be ready to come back “at a moment’s notice.”



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Pennsylvania

Ticket sold in Pennsylvania worth $1M as Mega Millions swells to $1.15B for post-Christmas draw

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Ticket sold in Pennsylvania worth M as Mega Millions swells to .15B for post-Christmas draw


Billionaire dreams continue through Christmas after no ticket purchased in the $1 billion Christmas Eve 2024 Mega Millions draw hit the jackpot.

The jackpot rolled again — this time to $1.15 billion — after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024.

Léelo en español aquí.

Don’t throw away your tickets just yet as one sold in Pennsylvania is worth $1 million, according to Mega Millions.

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What were the winning Mega Millions numbers drawn on Christmas Eve?

The Mega Millions draw for Dec. 24, 2024, went like this: The white balls drawn were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46, plus the gold Mega Ball 3.

Ticket sold in Pennsylvania strikes $1 million prize

In total, fours tickets sold matched all five white balls, but missed the gold Mega Ball, the lottery said. Those tickets sold in California, Missouri, Wyoming and Pennsylvania are worth $1 million a piece.

NBC10 has reached out to Pennsylvania Lottery to find out where the Keystone State winner was sold. However, the state lottery offices are closed for Christmas, so the winning store won’t be revealed until Thursday at the earliest, a spokesperson said.

Nearly 4.3 million tickets sold around the country in Tuesday’s draw matched at least the gold Mega Ball and are worth $2 or more.

Once again, the winning numbers in the Dec. 24, 2024, draw were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46, with a Mega Ball of 3.

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If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, please call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700 to speak to a counselor. Help is also available via an online peer support forum at www.gamtalk.org, and additional resources can be found at NCPG website.

When is the next Mega Millions draw?

Get out $2, jump into office pools and gift tickets to family as the next Mega Millions draw on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, is worth at least $1.15 billion for the annuity and $516.1 million lump sum cash value, Mega Millions said.

That massive jackpot is the fifth largest in the game’s history, Mega Millions said.

“We know that many people will likely receive tickets to Friday’s drawing as holiday gifts, and what a gift that would turn out to be if you ended up with a ticket worth a $1.15 billion jackpot,” Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a Christmas news release. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays – whether Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, or any other way people choose to celebrate the season – than by helping fulfill the dreams that come with a prize like this and prizes that will be won at all levels of the game.”

What are the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot?

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, plus the Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.

When did someone last hit the Mega Millions jackpot?

It’s been since Sept. 10, 2024, since a ticket sold in Texas hit all five numbers and the Mega Ball to win an $810 million jackpot.

Good luck!



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Pennsylvania

Future Oscar Hammerstein Museum in Doylestown gets $500K in Pa. funds

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Future Oscar Hammerstein Museum in Doylestown gets 0K in Pa. funds


Junker said members of the executive committee have launched their own matching challenge, donating $100,000 once the same amount has been raised.

The museum bought Highland Farm a year ago from the previous owner who operated it as a Rodgers and Hammerstein–themed bed-and-breakfast. Hammerstein lived in the farmhouse for the last 20 years of his life, a period when he and composer Richard Rodgers created some of the most enduring musicals of American theater, including “The Sound of Music,” “Oklahoma” and “South Pacific.”

“Institutions like this help us to lead lives of purpose and meaning, they enrich our lives and provide opportunities for lifelong learning for folks of all ages,” said state Rep. Tim Brennan, a former board member of the museum. “Investing in this organization is an investment in our future.”

The first RACP grant in 2020 went toward buying the property and doing basic maintenance.

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“One of the first things we did was install a security system,” Junker said. “Because we have started to collect some artifacts.”



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2 Western Pennsylvania men charged in murder-for-hire plot confession to pastor, police say

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2 Western Pennsylvania men charged in murder-for-hire plot confession to pastor, police say


State police in Western Pennsylvania have charged two men in a murder-for-hire plot after one of the suspects allegedly confessed to his pastor.

NBC News affiliate WJAC reports David Vanatta, 49, and Colton Baird, 32, both of Elk County, were jailed for an alleged plot to kill Vanatta’s ex-wife.

An affidavit obtained by WJAC states Vanetta confessed to a pastor that he paid Baird $2,000 to kill his ex-wife. The pastor then reported the information to police.

Police say the ex-wife was never harmed.

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Online court records show Vanatta and Baird are facing several charges, including criminal solicitation – criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit criminal homicide and attempted homicide. Both men are being held in the Elk County Prison without bail.

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