Free Republic

As hefty school taxes remain an unsolved problem in Pennsylvania, lawmakers are about to study ways to consolidate more school services-and even look at the controversial notion of mergin district administrations into countywide systems. State Rep. Stan Saylor, R-Windsor Township, is prodding lawmakers to consider countywide systems, saying it works in states such as Maryland. The House Education Committee expects to hold public hearings in the coming months. Meanwhile Rep. Bev Mackereth,R-Spring Grove, has asked House leaders to fund a study from next year's budget to examine the issue, saying lawmakers need to do their homework before eyeing a bill....

News and Notes from York County....March 5th Science and education interacted in York County last week. I'm talking about the weather. Around 11 O'Clock Monday night snow squalls came across the area and dumped a surprise coating of snow that led to icy spots everywhere. The meteorologists didn't know what was going on (it wasn't in the forecast) until it showed up on radar. School superintendents trusted the science and got burned. For whatever reason, most of them weren't prepared to delay school on Tuesday. My theory, they trusted the science and went to sleep, getting up too late Tuesday...

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Philadelphia trial judge filed a lawsuit Monday that seeks to reinstate the unpopular government pay raises, claiming the Legislature violated the state constitution when it repealed the increases two weeks ago. The suit was filed Monday afternoon in state Supreme Court on behalf of Common Pleas Court Judge Albert W. Sheppard Jr., said Richard Spiegelman, the chief of staff to Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr., who was named in the suit. Spiegelman did not want to comment on the suit, saying he had only seen it two hours before and had not discussed it with...