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Shapiro admin asks USDA to reconsider $13 million in cuts to Pennsylvania food banks

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Shapiro admin asks USDA to reconsider  million in cuts to Pennsylvania food banks


Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is asking President Donald Trump’s administration to reconsider its decision to cancel $13 million in funding for Pennsylvania food banks to buy food from local farmers.

Shapiro said Tuesday the U.S. Department of Agriculture illegally canceled a three-year contract the agency and the state had agreed to in December. In response, he said, Pennsylvania’s secretary of agriculture will file an internal appeal with the agency challenging the cancellation.

If USDA does not change course, he said, Pennsylvania may take legal action.

“Pennsylvania farmers and food banks are owed $13 million, and I won’t stand by and let our farmers get screwed in the process,” Shapiro said at a news conference Tuesday at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, which lost $1.8 million in expected federal dollars.

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Shapiro, a first-term Democrat and a former state attorney general, has already sued the Trump administration once over a $2.1 billion freeze to environmental and energy projects in the state. And the governor warned last week after Trump signed an order to begin dismantling the Department of Education that he would consider legal action against the administration if Pennsylvania students are affected.

» READ MORE: Pa. food banks are facing millions in federal funding cuts as they fear increased need

Earlier this month, USDA announced it would end the $470 million Local Food Purchase Agreement Program, arguing it was time to move on from the pandemic-era initiative.

In a letter to the federal government Tuesday, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said USDA had told the state the program no longer met the agency’s priorities. He responded that there was no basis for the claim, noting that the program had supported 190 farms statewide while providing 25.9 million pounds of food to charitable organizations in the last three years.

In a statement, a USDA spokesperson reiterated that the agency was moving away from COVID-era programs, and said the agency remains committed to its mission of strengthening food security, agriculture markets, and access to healthy food.

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”There is nothing unlawful about sunsetting a time-limited, pandemic-era initiative that does not align with the current Departmental priorities,” the statement said. “Unlike the Biden Administration, which funneled billions in [USDA’s Commodity Credit Corp.] funds into short-term programs with no plan for longevity, USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact.”

In the meantime, USDA’s decision to cancel the program left food banks across the state grappling with the loss of funding that covered the cost of well over one million meals annually in the Philadelphia metro area alone. The funds were set to be distributed to 14 food banks across the state over three years.

» READ MORE: Pa.’s new attorney general won’t be suing President Trump. What you need to know about Republican Dave Sunday’s quest to be a ‘boring AG.’

Philabundance, which serves Philadelphia and the suburban counties, lost 18% of its food purchasing budget. Philadelphia’s Share Food Program lost $1.4 million and the Bucks County Opportunity Council lost around $260,000 annually.

The cuts came as food bank leaders said they are facing demand that mirrors the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders are worried food insecurity will continue to get worse amid tariffs, rising housing costs, and Republican proposals to slash food stamps and other social safety net programs.

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George Matysik, executive director of the Share Food Program, said in a statement prior to Shapiro’s announcement that the organization was at risk of losing $8 million in food and funds this year because of a combination of several funding cuts.

“President Trump is declaring war on Poor People. This time targeting hungry students and their families, the Trump administration recently handed down yet another round of unconscionable funding cuts — and we are still bracing for what’s to come,” Matysik said.

Chris Hoffman, the president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, said at Tuesday’s news conference that he was in touch with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and was hopeful the food purchase program could be made permanent in the next farm bill.

Shapiro, who has indicated a willingness to work with the Republican president, was steeply critical of the Trump administration, which he said had harmed the very farmers it claims to support.

» READ MORE: Gov. Josh Shapiro says he’ll consider legal action against the Trump administration if education cuts affect Pa. students

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He called Trump’s efforts to impose tariffs the “dumbest economic decision I’ve ever seen a president make” and framed the funding cuts as yet another example of chaos sown by the federal government that would harm families and businesses in Pennsylvania.

“All of the chaos he’s created is doing real harm to our farmers,” Shapiro said. “Here in Pennsylvania, we want to make clear that we give a damn about our farmers and we’ve got your backs.”



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Pennsylvania

House Republicans stall activity, Pennsylvania Rep. Meuser calls tactics ‘foolish’ | Fox Business Video

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House Republicans stall activity, Pennsylvania Rep. Meuser calls tactics ‘foolish’ | Fox Business Video


House Speaker Mike Johnson sent representatives home early as hardline Republicans stalled floor activities, demanding action on the SAVE America Act. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, urging House Republicans to unify and avoid giving power to Democrats. Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) labels the stalling tactics ‘foolish,’ emphasizing the need for legislative progress and appropriations.



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Measles detected in two more counties in Pennsylvania as health department recommends early vaccination

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Measles detected in two more counties in Pennsylvania as health department recommends early vaccination


Pennsylvania health officials have now detected measles cases in York and Northumberland Counties as cases in Lancaster County, the center of an ongoing outbreak, continued to rise.

And the state health department is now recommending early measles vaccinations for infants beginning at 6 months in affected areas in an effort to protect them against the spread of the highly contagious disease, which is particularly risky for young children. The same precautions should be taken by families with infants traveling to these areas.

Six Pennsylvania counties have now seen measles cases since an outbreak was first confirmed in Lebanon County in April. In all, the state has reported 81 measles cases across eight counties in 2026, more than five times the cases reported in 2025.

State health officials said it was too early to tell how the latest cases in York and Northumberland Counties are connected to others in the region, but that contact tracing investigations are continuing. All cases were among people who had not received at least two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) or whose vaccination status was unclear.

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As of Wednesday, six cases had been confirmed in Northumberland County, to the north of Dauphin County, and one case had been detected in York County, along Lancaster’s western border.

Lebanon County has reported 20 cases and Dauphin and Berks Counties have reported two cases each.

Lancaster County has seen 38 cases of measles since late April, with health officials confirming seven cases in the last two weeks. The area was at the center of a prior measles outbreak in January, when state health officials confirmed eight cases in Lancaster County and an additional four between Chester and Montgomery Counties.

Vaccination rates among kindergarteners have decreased across Pennsylvania in recent years, and some counties affected in the current outbreak have particularly low rates, including Lancaster, where about 88.5% of kindergarten students are vaccinated. Health experts say that 95% of a community must be vaccinated to prevent the spread of the disease.

Health officials have been conducting contact tracing to detect as many cases as possible. In the current outbreak, they have twice warned Lancaster residents that they could have been exposed to measles.

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Shoppers and employees at a local Kohl’s were potentially exposed to the virus over four days after a staffer tested positive in late May, LancasterOnline reported. And a person with measles visited the Lancaster County Courthouse on June 3.

But doctors in Lancaster County say they fear some measles cases are going unreported, either because patients don’t understand the importance of tracking measles cases or because they fear repercussions.

No cases have been confirmed in the Philadelphia region during this outbreak. But Delaware County health officials said last week that they had detected measles in two wastewater samples, indicating that someone with measles had used a bathroom connected to the county’s public water supply. It was unclear if that person lived in the county or was passing through.

Early vaccination recommended

On Wednesday, a statewide health alert urged physicians to accelerate vaccination schedules to protect children against measles. Officials had said they were considering the measure earlier this month as cases continued to rise.

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Measles can infect nine in 10 unvaccinated people who are exposed to it, and can linger in the air for up to two hours and incubate in patients for three weeks. The disease typically presents with a fever and a rash but can cause brain inflammation and pneumonia in serious cases.

Typically, children receive the first of two MMR vaccines at 1 year old, then a second between 4 and 6 years old.

But children as young as 6 months can receive an additional “dose zero” to protect them from the disease amid an outbreak. In its alert, the state health department said parents should vaccinate infants between 6 and 11 months with the “dose zero” if they live in affected areas or if they’re planning to travel there.

Those children should then receive additional MMR doses at 12 to 15 months and 4 to 6 years.

This “dose zero” is less effective than doses given at 1 year old, officials cautioned. But it’s 58% effective against measles when given at 6 to 8 months, and 83% effective when administered at 9 to 11 months.

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“Early MMR vaccination is safe and provides modest protection when measles is spreading,” officials wrote in the alert.

Children older than 12 months who haven’t been vaccinated should get an MMR dose immediately, and a second 28 days later, health officials said. Unvaccinated adults, or those without evidence of immunity, should also get two MMR doses.

And anyone who has received one dose of the MMR vaccine in the past should get a second at least 28 days after their first, officials said.

Usually, children who received a first dose at around 12 months wait to get their second dose until they’re 4 to 6 years old. But in an outbreak situation, those children should get their second doses early — at least 28 days after their first shot.

Adults born before 1957 are typically considered immune, but healthcare workers in that age group who don’t have lab evidence of immunity or prior infection should consider getting vaccinated, state officials said.

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Adults who received an inactivated measles vaccine between 1963 and 1967 are considered unvaccinated during an outbreak, and should also get two doses of the current MMR vaccine.

Pregnant people, people with severely weakened immune systems, and people who have a history of experiencing severe allergic reactions, like anaphylaxis, to a vaccine ingredient or to a previous dose of MMR cannot receive the vaccine.



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The Dish: Caesar salad with a twist from Rivertown Taps in Phoenixville, Pa.

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The Dish: Caesar salad with a twist from Rivertown Taps in Phoenixville, Pa.


PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (WPVI) — We are heading to Rivertown Taps in historic Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, to make a classic fan favorite, Caesar salad.

And when they say “taps,” they mean it.

There are dozens of drinks, beer and beyond, on tap at Phoenixville’s first self-serve drink tap wall.

“Phoenixville has always been a very beer-centric town, and we’re beer-centric people, so we wanted to have a really curated selection,” says Chef Owner Lewis Leiterman. “We have 36 drinks on tap.”

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Just grab a charge card, choose your glassware and choose your own adventure.

“You pay for whatever you pour by the ounce,” says Leiterman. “You can pour as much or as little as you like.”

The building dates back to the 1800s, and Leiterman made sure to preserve pieces of that history, while bringing something super fresh to the strip.

“We make pastas from scratch,” he says. “We extrude all of our own pastas in house. We do all of our fresh-filled pastas all by hand. We make all our own breads. Everything that’s in here is from scratch.”

The mission includes a commitment to locally sourced food.

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Today, we’re making a house favorite: the Caesar salad – with a twist.

“I hate chasing croutons around a salad, like, the fork never kind of sticks into it,” says Leiterman. “We still wanted that crunch factor, like the classic crouton, but different. What we did was we took some of our old bread and we kind of toasted it up and made a coarse panko texture.”

It’s becomes a universal crouton that makes its way throughout the salad.

“We like to feature seasonal vegetables in our Caesar salad, just for a little bit more flavor and nutrition,” says Leiterman.

He grills up some nice asparagus, and then adds some protein.

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“I love a soft boiled egg on a salad to add more sustenance to a salad and a little bit of heartiness to it,” he says.

The build starts with a mix of greens, like red romaine and red watercress.

The dressing gets a gourmet kick.

“We do a black garlic and truffle Caesar,” he says. “We don’t like to overdress it. My pet peeve is those thick Caesar dressings.”

Add the asparagus to gently warm the salad, shave on some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, add the soft boiled egg and finally, the breadcrumbs.

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