Free Republic

Lebanon County commissioners want their pandemic relief money and they’ve gone to court to get it. The board filed suit in Commonwealth Court Wednesday to force Gov. Tom Wolf to release approximately $12.8 million in federal coronavirus relief funding that the administration has thus far withheld. The suit was authorized during an executive session discussion earlier this week. County Solicitor David Warner said the board is making its case on an argument that the bill appropriating the funds, which Wolf signed into law May 29, very clearly sets out a formula for the distribution of federal CARES Act dollars to...

California Attorney General Jerry Brown settled his global warming lawsuit Tuesday against San Bernardino County, working out an agreement on what had been a stumbling block to obtaining a deal on the state budget. Under the terms of the deal announced by Brown in a Los Angeles news conference, the fast-growing county in the heart of the Inland Empire of Southern California will amend its general plan within 30 months to include a greenhouse gas reduction policy. The process will include an inventory of all "known, or reasonably discoverable, sources of greenhouse gases" in the county. In addition, the county...

SAN FRANCISCO -- California Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced Wednesday a $2.6 million settlement with Diebold Inc., resolving a lawsuit alleging that the company sold the state and several counties shoddy voting equipment. Although critics characterized the settlement as a slap on the wrist, Diebold also agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to partially reimburse Alameda, San Diego and other counties for the cost of paper backup ballots, ink and other supplies in last week's election. California's secretary of state banned the use of one type of Diebold machine in May, after problems with the machines disenfranchised an unknown number...