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Jun 21 2026EDUCATION

Pennsylvania’s Higher Ed Deal Hangs in the Balance Before June Deadline

Pennsylvania is at a crossroads with its higher education funding plan. After two years of bipartisan work, the state has created a performance-based model for its biggest public universities, linking state money to student success and economic impact. But with the June 30 budget deadline looming, t

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Jun 20 2026HEALTH

Measles concerns grow as World Cup visitors arrive in California

California is seeing a rise in measles cases just as thousands of soccer fans flood the state for the World Cup. A traveler from Hong Kong carrying the virus passed through Los Angeles International Airport on June 11, possibly exposing others to measles. That same week, another infected person trav

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Jun 19 2026POLITICS

Why California’s governors keep being Catholic

California often gets labeled as the most progressive state in America, full of tech billionaires and Hollywood dreams. But look closer and you’ll notice something odd: nearly every governor in recent decades has been Catholic. Five in a row, to be exact. That streak isn’t just a coincidence. The st

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Jun 17 2026POLITICS

California budget plan gets mixed reviews as new costs loom

California politicians recently approved a huge $356 billion spending plan that’s now waiting for the governor’s final okay. To pay for it, they’re adding three new tax ideas that could hit wallets soon. One plan extends a tax on health care providers that normally brings in money for Medi-Cal, but

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Jun 17 2026TECHNOLOGY

Why can driverless cars drive cities but not farms?

California first put rules in place for farm vehicles back in 1977, long before smartphones existed, let alone robots that could steer a tractor. Today’s farms use smart tools like AI cameras and GPS maps to grow food more carefully and cheaply. But those same farms are stuck with an old rule that s

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Jun 17 2026POLITICS

Skill Games in Pennsylvania: What’s Next for Local Businesses and State Revenue?

Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has just dropped a ruling that could change the game for thousands of skill game machines—those digital games you see in corner stores, bars, and clubs. These machines, often called "skill games" because players compete against each other rather than the house, have beco

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Jun 16 2026EDUCATION

School gaps in Wisconsin: How test scores and diplomas tell an unfair story

Wisconsin just landed at the bottom of a national review that compared how well white and Black students finish school. The state didn’t just finish near the bottom—it finished last. Researchers looked at high-school diplomas, college degrees, test scores, and graduation rates. In every single measu

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Jun 14 2026BUSINESS

When Big Mergers Get Messy: The Fight Over a $111 Billion Hollywood Deal

California isn’t ready to let this mega-merger sail through smoothly. Even though federal regulators gave the green light to the Warner Bros. and Paramount Skydance union, state officials are digging deeper. The California Attorney General’s office just signaled it’s not backing down, hinting the de

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Jun 12 2026POLITICS

California’s tax vote: Should high earners keep paying more for schools?

California voters will soon decide if wealthy residents should keep paying extra taxes to fund public schools. Enough signatures have been gathered to put the question on the November ballot. The proposal would lock in higher tax rates for top earners, originally approved in 2012 and extended in 201

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Jun 11 2026FINANCE

Tracking Digital Cash in Connecticut: How the State Keeps an Eye on Crypto

Connecticut treats digital cash almost like regular money when it comes to moving it around. Instead of writing a separate set of rules just for cryptocurrency, the state folds it into the same laws that cover sending, receiving, or holding money for others. This means if a business deals with crypt

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