Election Live Updates: Virginia Passes New Map, Lifting Democrats’ Midterm Chances

Virginia Passes New Map, Lifting Democrats’ Midterm Chances
The state’s voters approved a map that could give Democrats four more House seats, putting the party on more even footing in the nation’s gerrymandering war.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04...

Statewide outage to online testing system delays PSSAs at several Lancaster County schools At least five Lancaster County school districts had to postpone the first day of standardized testing on Tuesday due to statewide outages affecting the online testing system.

Statewide outage to online testing system delays PSSAs at several Lancaster County schools
Many schools switched to online testing in recent years, as Gov. Shapiro required schools to begin testing in a digital format by this year.
lancasteronline.com/news/local/s... via @lancasteronline

.@PASchoolsWork 2026 School District Fact Sheets
These fact sheets provide a district-specific snapshot that you can use to ground conversations about what fair, adequate school funding looks like in communities across Pennsylvania.
paschoolswork.org/school-distr...

Pennsylvania high school history instructor named nation's Teacher of the Year A high school history teacher in Pennsylvania who helps students look inward to find their strengths and outward to find community has been named the 2026 National Teacher of the Year.

Pennsylvania high school history instructor named nation's Teacher of the Year apnews.com/article/nati...

Bill would keep Pennsylvania public schools from funding some cyber charter students HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — A new bill in the Pennsylvania State House looks to tighten cyber charter regulations in the state by preventing districts from being forced to foot the bill for stud…

Bill would keep Pennsylvania public schools from funding some cyber charter students www.abc27.com/pennsylvania...

Show me the money: Businesses line up for $166B in refunds from Trump's illegal tariffs • Pennsylvania Capital-Star The U.S. Customs and Border Protection tariff refund system went live Monday, marking what small business advocates call a “complex” first step for entrepreneurs to recoup $166 billion in import taxes...

Show me the money: Businesses line up for $166B in refunds from Trump’s illegal tariffs penncapital-star.com/2026/04/20/r...

Supreme Court will hear from religious preschools challenging exclusion from taxpayer-funded program WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear from Catholic preschools that say it’s unconstitutional to exclude them from a state-funded program because they won’t admit…

Supreme Court will hear from religious preschools challenging exclusion from taxpayer-funded program www.abc27.com/news/us-worl...

Philly’s school closure plan has been tweaked and a vote is scheduled The plan has been adjusted to spare another school. The board intends to vote on the plan at their next meeting on Thursday.

17 school closures: Philadelphia Board of Education to vote on new facilities plan Thursday
.@ChalkbeatPHL .@CarlySitrin .@RRedelmeier
www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

The insider trading suspicions looming over Trump's presidency The BBC has found a pattern of spikes in trades ahead of public announcements by the US president.

BBC News: The insider trading suspicions looming over Trump's presidency
bbc.com/news/article...

Byron Donalds Dominates 2026 Fundraising Race As Mom Crashes Florida Campaign Stop U. S. Rep. Byron Donalds is solidifying his position as the clear frontrunner in the 2026 Florida gubernatorial race, posting fundraising numbers that dwarf the rest of the field combined.

Byron Donalds Dominates 2026 Fundraising Race As Mom Crashes Florida Campaign Stop
High-profile backers include Philadelphia billionaire Jeff Yass and the Club for Growth, who each gave $2.5 million
www.aol.com/news/byron-d...

Contributions to Jeff Yass' Students First PAC 2010-2026 Source:
PA Dept. of State Campaign Finance Reporting Website
www.campaignfinanceonline.pa.gov/pages/CFAnnu...

PA governor’s race: See how much the candidates have raised Explore how much money Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Stacy Garrity have raised in their campaigns for PA governor.

The money race
Explore how much money Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Stacy Garrity have raised in their campaigns for Pa. governor. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/04... via @SpotlightPA

Philadelphia to offer fans free transport when leaving World Cup games (Gift Article) Lincoln Financial Field will host six men's World Cup matches this summer, with Brazil and France among the teams playing in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia to offer fans free transport when leaving World Cup games www.nytimes.com/athletic/720...

Why a Democratic Senate, Once Unthinkable, Is a Real Possibility

Why a Democratic Senate, Once Unthinkable, Is a Real Possibility
Helped by a favorable national environment and strong candidate recruitment, Democrats are tied or ahead in four Republican-held seats, polls show.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/u...

How to vote in PA as a college student for the May 19 primary Find out how to register and vote in Pennsylvania as a college student ahead of the May 19 primary election. Deadline to register: May 4.

Pa. primary election 2026: Everything college students need to know about voting www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/04... via @SpotlightPA

Where to watch the 2026 Boston Marathon today on free streams, TV Patriots Day arrives in Boston on Monday with a time-honored tradition in the running of the 130th Boston Marathon.

Where to watch the 2026 Boston Marathon today on free streams, TV
www.pennlive.com/tv/2026/04/w...

Why Yale’s term paper on what’s wrong with college gets a ‘D-’ | Will Bunch An Ivy League university's report on the loss of faith in higher ed ignores what really killed the American Dream of college.

Why Yale’s term paper on what’s wrong with college gets a ‘D-’ | Will Bunch www.inquirer.com/opinion/yale... via @phillyinquirer

PA Cyber Charter Tuition Rates for Regular Ed range from $8383 to $27331 per PDE XL as of April 2026, with
Special Ed Rates ranging from $15864 to $58539.
www.pa.gov/content/dam/...

NL proposes 4.8% tax hike | Times News Online Northern Lehigh School District has proposed a 4.8% tax increase for the 2026-27 school year, though directors said the final hike approved in June is unlikely to be that high. On a 7-2 vote Monday, t...

Northern Lehigh SD proposes 4.8% tax hike – Times News Online
Charter and cyber charter tuition included in main cost drivers
www.tnonline.com/20260418/nl-...

Behind Trump’s Public Bravado on the War, He Grapples With His Own Fears The president’s impulsive style has never been tested in a sustained military conflict, and he’s been ruminating on Jimmy Carter’s failure in Iran.

Behind Trump’s public bravado on the war in Iran is a president grappling with his own fears. www.wsj.com/politics/nat... via @WSJ

Who will stop the ‘waterfall of weirdness’ from the White House? With Republican leaders silent and the Supreme Court uncertain, declining poll numbers suggest voters may be the only check on Trump's autocratic impulses before midterms.

Who will stop the ‘waterfall of weirdness’ from the White House?
Opinion by Former Pa. Lt. Gov. Mark Singel
www.pennlive.com/opinion/2026...

Battleground Republicans are starting to worry about the Senate Democrats still face serious challenges to flipping the chamber. But Republicans are no longer dismissing the threat as quickly as they once did.

Battleground Republicans are starting to worry about the Senate politi.co/4sIQO3s via @politico

What data says about graduation rates, school budgets, more | Kulick Kulick: Graduation rates are rising, while many districts face tough budget choices. Here's what data tells us about public education in Pennsylvania.

What data says about graduation rates, school budgets, more | Kulick www.poconorecord.com/story/news/c... via @poconorecord

Ciresi, Tomlinson introduce bill to require third parties to evaluate charter school students with special needs HARRISBURG, April 17 – Legislation to strengthen fairness, transparency and accountability in how students are evaluated for special education services in charter schools was introduced on Friday by s...

Ciresi, Tomlinson introduce bipartisan bill to require third parties to evaluate charter school students with special needs
www.pahouse.com/SouthEastDel...

The 2026 primaries likely to shape the Pennsylvania House and Senate We talked to insiders, candidates, and more to build this list of the May primaries likeliest to shape the Pennsylvania House and Senate.

The 2026 primaries likely to shape the Pennsylvania House and Senate .@StephenJ_Caruso www.delcotimes.com/2026/03/31/t...

Wowwwwwwww

PA governor’s race: See how much the candidates have raised Explore how much money Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Stacy Garrity have raised in their campaigns for PA governor.

The PA Governor's money race:
Garrity's top donor to date is University City Housing Co., a real estate firm owned by Michael Karp, who is also the founder of a West Philadelphia charter school
www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/04... via @SpotlightPA

With GOP defections, including Pa.'s Fitzpatrick, US House passes bill extending legal status for 350,000 Haitians • Pennsylvania Capital-Star The U.S. House on Thursday passed a measure that would extend Temporary Protected Status for Haiti for three years, in a rare rebuke by the GOP-led Congress to President Donald Trump’s mass deportatio...

With GOP defections, including Pa.’s Fitzpatrick, US House passes bill extending legal status for 350,000 Haitians
penncapital-star.com/2026/04/16/r...

Democrat Analilia Mejia wins New Jersey’s special election: Why it matters The race was seen as a bellwether for the upcoming midterm elections, which will determine which party controls Congress.

Democrat Analilia Mejia defeats Republican Joe Hathaway in NJ's 11th Congressional District special election. Here’s why it matters
The race was seen as a bellwether for the upcoming midterm elections, which will determine which party controls Congress.
whyy.org/articles/ana...

Average household in Elanco will pay $97 more to balance $70M school budget When: Eastern Lancaster County school board committee of the whole meeting, April 13.

Average household in Elanco will pay $97 more to balance $70M school budget
Higher cyber charter school expense caused another 0.5% increase.
lancasteronline.com/news/regiona... via @lancasteronline