THE CONTEXT

Gov. Tom Wolf came into office four years ago wanting to raise several taxes. A lot of attention has been paid to the debate over the severance tax, which hasn’t gone through. But Wolf did get the Legislature on board for several other increases. PA Post’s Ed Mahon analyzed their effect on taxpayers and the state’s overall  budget.

Wolf and team are focused, though, on today's inauguration ceremonies marking the beginning of Gov. Wolf’s second term and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s start in Harrisburg. PennLive’s Charlie Thompson and Angela Couloumbis of the Philadelphia Inquirer each recently profiled the York-born former mayor of Braddock, Allegheny County.  

The legislative branch, meanwhile, is already sworn in and getting back to business as usual today. WITF’s Katie Meyer pondered possibilities for the upcoming session in a recent State of the State episode and chatted about them with Scott LaMar on Smart Talk. She focused on the potential for criminal justice reform, in particular, in this story.

Tamaqua school officials will vote tonight on whether to suspend the district’s policy on arming teachers that’s now the subject of multiple lawsuits. Board members on the safety committee already voted to do so last week; tonight is expected to bring a decision by the full board. Jen Kinney will be there covering for Keystone Crossroads.

Check out the latest ‘energy, explained’ podcast episode in which StateImpact Pennsylvania’s Amy Sisk talks about how to vet and properly cover scientific studies with her colleague Susan Phillips and Knight/MIT fellow Elana Gordon, a former reporter for WHYY’s The Pulse.

Pennsylvania is one of the best states to retire, according to this analysis. The placement was mainly attributable to the state’s high quality of life. And, remember within the commonwealth, Montour is the ideal spot.