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All Detroit Recreation Centers will remain open during normal operating hours to provide heat relief.

Few people have had as much impact as John Stockwell on FAIR and our determination to bring to light the underreported realities of US foreign policy.

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for their free newsletters.Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to include $565 million in this year’s budget to continue closing an “adequacy gap” among public schools as his fellow Democrats push a proposal to overhaul tax-credit programs that fund private school scholarships.Republicans who control the state Senate have pushed back, calling for changes to the formula adopted two years ago to rectify the funding disparity and for an expansion of the scholarships.While a dispute over education funding contributed to a months-long budget impasse a few years ago, one key lawmaker thinks the issue won’t be much of a sticking point, in part because lawmakers in the divided state Legislature are pursuing a less ambitious agenda.“Last year’s education code bill was extremely dense and had a lot of things in it that we were extremely proud of,” said state Rep. Pete Schweyer, a Democrat, who chairs the House Education Committee, referencing additional oversight of cyber charter schools and a reduction in the money districts pay them.“This year, I don’t think it’s gonna be quite as robust, but I don’t necessarily think it has to be.”The state budget, negotiated behind closed doors by the governor’s staff and top lawmakers, is due June 30. While the major players have offered few details about negotiations publicly, they have all sounded optimistic they will avoid a prolonged impasse. Still, there remain differences of opinion, primarily on overall spending.Some Republican lawmakers oppose the ‘adequacy gap’ formulaLooming over all discussions about education is a 2023 ruling in which a state court found Pennsylvania’s school funding approach to be unconstitutionally inequitable and ordered lawmakers to fix it.In response, the legislature in 2024 adopted a state budget that acknowledged a $4.5 billion “adequacy” gap and instituted a formula that uses factors such as poverty and level of English proficiency to decide how much additional money a district should receive. Lawmakers have so far appropriated more than $1 billion to close the gap.Shapiro proposed an additional $565 million for underfunded schools this year, and state House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, a Democrat, told Spotlight PA this month that passing that boost is among his “priorities.” Shapiro also pitched $50 million increases to basic education and special education funding.But for many Republicans, the adequacy formula has become an issue. State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican, told Spotlight PA in early June that his caucus does not support it and that it should be reevaluated: “We view that formula as picking winners and losers.”Schweyer said any significant changes to the formula this year would likely “elicit some sort of response from the litigants.”Hillary Linardopoulos, policy director at the Education Law Center, one of the groups that brought the original school funding lawsuit against the state, declined to comment on the possibility of litigation should lawmakers approve a spending plan advocates deem inadequate.ELC and other public education advocacy groups have pushed lawmakers to adopt a firm funding timeline, rather than renegotiating an adequacy payment every year. The legislature hasn’t done that.Linardopoulos said she thinks the General Assembly should accelerate its funding, but the advocates recognize that rectifying the “decades-long injustice” takes time.“The court’s mandate is clear, and we intend to ensure that it’s properly implemented so that kids can thrive,” Linardopoulos said.The budget is negotiated by the governor’s office and top lawmakers from each chamber, and no one close to the talks has publicly commented on their status. Still, some Capitol insiders remain optimistic a deal could be signed as soon as early-to-mid-July. Such predictions have circulated in the past, before deep divides on certain issues spark hostilities.Possibly the worst example in recent history happened in 2023. That year, the state Senate passed a budget that included $100 million in taxpayer money to fund private school tuition for students in low-performing public districts. Shapiro had been publicly supportive of a voucher program during his campaign, but — facing pressure from fellow Democrats — vetoed that part of the budget. That decision remains a point of tension in his relationship with GOP leaders.With a multibillion-dollar gap expected between the state’s revenue and its expenditures, lawmakers will likely need to tap the state’s rainy day fund to offset rising costs, like education. State House Appropriations Chair Jordan Harris, a Democrat, said the public will understand.“We know that there is a significant cost to carry with public education, as well as we know what the court has required us to do,” Harris told reporters in mid-June. “These are things that must happen.”Democrats want more oversight of private school scholarshipsPennsylvania has for decades run programs that provide tax breaks to businesses and individuals that contribute money to educational nonprofit organizations, which then pay for students to attend private schools.The Educational Improvement and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs have grown steadily, and the amount allocated for scholarships is currently capped at $575 million.Last week, state Senate Republicans passed a budget-enabling tax code bill that makes several tax cuts and expands EITC by $25 million. Pittman said in an interview with WCCS Radio in Indiana County that the move was “very important for empowering parents.”The state House, meanwhile, has passed a bill that would overhaul these tax credits and replace them with a program that its supporters say targets more funding at disadvantaged students and provides more oversight. (The overall level of funding would stay the same.)According to the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Nikki Rivera, the legislation was inspired by an Independent Fiscal Office report from 2022 that showed the research agency did not have enough information to determine whether the credits “substantially enhance educational opportunities available to all Pennsylvania students.”At the time, the IFO’s analysts recommended the legislature permit the state to collect student performance and demographic data so that the programs could be meaningfully evaluated.Rivera’s bill would require the state’s auditor general to conduct compliance audits of scholarship organizations and participating private schools, while the IFO would produce reports studying overarching trends of contributors, scholarship organizations, and recipients.“It’s the same level of detail that any public school has to provide,” she said.The Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative think tank, claims those requirements are designed to “intimidate” donors, schools, and parents from participating.Another point of contention over Rivera’s bill is the proposed 2% administrative fee on contributions to help cover the cost of running the program. Rachel Langan, senior education policy analyst at the Commonwealth Foundation, said the fee would unnecessarily take away money from the organizations’ donations.Schweyer, the chair of the House Education Committee, said he doesn’t “hate” the tax credit programs. He backed the more thorough reporting requirement legislation, which won support from three House Republicans, to ensure the credits are working most effectively.“I’m not adversarial to it,” Schweyer said. “I want to expand it where it makes sense, and I want to make sure we have oversight over a massive program.”State Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver, chair of her chamber’s Education Committee, declined to comment for this story. Her spokesperson deferred emailed questions to Senate GOP leadership.The state’s longstanding debate over education tax credits is also being projected onto a much larger stage this year — Shapiro has until Jan. 1 to decide whether to enroll the state in a federal program that works essentially the same way as EITC. It offers individuals up to $1,700 in tax credits for contributions made toward private school scholarships.Even if the General Assembly passes legislation to opt in, the governor’s administration must provide a list of qualifying scholarship providers before the dollars can be rolled out next year.More than half of states have enrolled in the program, the Internal Revenue Service reported earlier this month, despite opposition from two unions representing 4.8 million educators nationwide.U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick are among the Republicans urging Shapiro to sign the state up.But the Shapiro administration has not yet made a decision. Last week, after the U.S. Treasury Department released more information regarding the program, Shapiro’s spokesperson Rosie Lapowsky said in an email that officials continue “to evaluate as we await additional information on how this will affect use of our existing tax credits, how states will be expected to administer the program, and how eligibility will be determined.”Langan told Spotlight PA that Shapiro should enroll in the federal program “as early as possible” because families are beginning to look into school tuition rates for the next semester.“It would just make it a much smoother rollout if we’re going to eventually opt in to do it before the school year starts,” Langan said.Spotlight PA’s Stephen Caruso contributed reporting.BEFORE YOU GO… If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. This story was funded in part thanks to the support of the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund. Learn more about how we are supported here.

More than 16 wildfires burning across the state, New Mexico governor's office says.

Правительство России с 1 июля временно закроет несколько железнодорожных пунктов пропуска на границе с Финляндией, Эстонией и Латвией.

Caracas, June 30, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has created a Presidential Commission for the Assessment of Housing and Infrastructure Habitability following the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that struck the country on June 24. The commission, chaired by structural engineer Francisco Garcés, began its work on Monday, June 29, in the states... The post Venezuelan Gov’t Sets Up Post-Earthquake Housing Commission appeared first on Venezuelanalysis.

An expected change of plea by former Stockton mayor Anthony Silva amid a deal in his fraud and identity theft case was postponed. Plea change delayed in ex-mayor Silva’s federal fraud, identity theft case is a story from Stocktonia News, a rigorous and factual newsroom covering Greater Stockton, California. Please consider making a charitable contribution to support our journalism.

Wisconsin will begin enforcing new federal eligibility rules that cut FoodShare and Medicaid for an estimated 7,200 refugees and other legally present immigrants. Wisconsin to cut FoodShare, Medicaid for thousands of refugees under new federal rules is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Haalandek 86. minutuan sartu du gol erabakigarria, eta 2-1 amaitu da partida. Norvegiak Brasil izango du aurkari astelehenean.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Massachusetts struck down Trump’s executive order that would erect obstacles to voting.

New Maine housing data shows about half of counties met building permit goals set by the state two years ago.

There are new executives in two key positions in the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The State Board of Education on Tuesday voted unanimously to name Paul Burns as interim education commissioner. Burns’ appointment comes as Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas leaves Tallahassee and the governor’s inner circle to take a job next week as president […]

La capitale ghanéenne Accra est sous les eaux depuis lundi 29 juin, mes pompiers annonçant un premier bilan de 12 morts et prévenant déjà qu'il pourrait s'alourdir. Près de 39 000 personnes ont été évacuées. Si les pluies et inondations sont fréquentes dans le pays, il s'agit là du mois de juin le plus pluvieux de l'histoire du pays.

Otpravnica poslova u ambasadi SAD Anu Pratipati (Prattipati) izjavila je u utorak da su, kako Kosovo nastavlja integraciju u međunarodnu zajednicu, mogućnosti za saradnju u mnogim oblastima, uključujući odbranu i energetiku, "neograničene", dodajući da američka preduzeća traže pouzdane partnere. Na događaju koji je organizovala ambasada povodom 250. godišnjice američke državnosti, Pratipati je rekla da njena zemlja želi da unapredi partnerstvo s Kosovom, jer je, prema njenim rečima,...

Со оваа реконструкција се менуваат министрите во осум министерства, еден вицепремиер се укинува, а се додава еден министер без ресор од редовите на Демократската партија на Турците (ДПТ) која е нов коалиционен партнер на ВМРО-ДПМНЕ

Ocho años después de su último enfrentamiento en la élite, Deportivo y Celta volverán a cruzar sus caminos en Primera División en una temporada marcada por el retorno blanquiazul y la consolidación europea del conjunto vigués.

O Brasil já conhece seu próximo adversário no mata-mata da Copa do Mundo. Com gol decisivo de Erling Haaland, a Noruega venceu a Costa do Marfim por 2 a 1 na tarde desta terça-feira (30), no estádio de Dallas, nos Estados Unidos, e se classificou para as oitavas de final da competição.

Legal advocates celebrated on Tuesday after the Supreme Court upheld the long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment’s right to birthright citizenship. But for some immigrant parents of U.S.-born children, the anxiety will linger.  This includes Andrew, a 35-year-old father who grew up in South Korea and asked to use a pseudonym to protect his identity. […]

علی جوانمردی: چالش‌های مسیر توافق آمریکا با جمهوری اسلامی

جی‌دی ونس معاون رئیس جمهوری آمریکا گفت: «اگر ایرانی‌ها عملکرد یا رفتار نامناسبی داشته باشند، فکر می‌کنم ما همچنان اهرم‌های فشار زیادی داریم تا اطمینان حاصل کنیم که این موضوع در نهایت به جایگاهی ختم می‌شود که برای اهداف آمریکا خوب باشد.»