• Congressman Lloyd Smucker advocates for Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’: The House and Senate will soon negotiate Trump “big, beautiful, bill.” 11th District Congressman Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster) was pivotal in delaying a vote on a budget resolution, which would have advanced the process of reconciliation, the procedural method used on budgetary items that allows a majority party to pass measures without the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. The senate introduced a budget resolution that has the savings floor of $4 billion instead of the $1.5 trillion sought by House Republicans. This was refused by House republicans despite support from House leadership. Smucker’s resistance delayed the vote on the bill for a day, forcing Senate Majority Leader John Thune to publicly commit that the final bill would closely align with the House plan, along with a commitment that an amendment from Smucker that would tie any future tax cuts with spending cuts. The next day the bill passed with Smucker supporting it. (Source: Fox 43)
• West Art set to reopen for concerts: West Art plans to reopen after two months of renovations. Wednesday evening, the organization announced that it passed its final inspection with the City of Lancaster, and its first show slated for Saturday, featuring musicians Derek Zanetti and Dan Smith. The venue was instructed to close from Lancaster city’s Bureau of Building Code Administration, due to ongoing renovations for its upcoming cafe. Co-owner Josh Gibbel said, the cafe will not open for another month or so. (Source: LNP)
• Part-time LG Health Workers may face largest insurance premium hikes: A benefits change starting July 1 may cause part-time Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health (LGH) workers to pay as much as three times more for health insurance than full-timer workers. Acknowledging the issues that may arise by the increase, the health system is providing some of the hardest-hit workers a six-month biweekly stipend ranging from $37 to $128. That’s according to emails and documents obtained from an LG Health worker, which display that health insurance costs are rising as part of an effort to align benefits with those offered across the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The new insurance plans, are divided into two categories: a higher and lower cost plan. The plans cost vary depending on the option chosen. Plans only covering the employee are the least expensive and plans covering a family the most expensive. (Source: LNP)
• Suspect in Governor’s mansion arson relocated to psychiatric prison: Per the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Records, Cody Balmer, a suspect charged with arson on the Governor’s Residence, has been moved to a prison with a psychiatric facility. Thursday, Balmer, who is charged with arson, terroristic threats and attempted murder, was moved to SCI Waymart in Lackawanna County. Blamer’s mother contacted Penbrook Police on April 10, out of concerns for his well being. Officials report that Balmer’s mother also contacted Crisis Intervention on April 6; but police say since Balmer did not make threats to himself or others, his case “did not meet the threshold for an involuntary mental health evaluation.” Balmer told a judge, during a preliminary arraignment, that he did not suffer from mental illness and that it was only “a rumor.” (Source: CBS 21)
• Nation/world: Trump cuts funding for U.S’s largest health of women (Source: MSNBC) AP Source say Hegseth installed unsecured internet line in his office to connect to Signal (Source: AP News) Companies starting to make warnings on tariffs (Source: NBC News) Titians land top pick in 2025 NFL Draft (Source: UPI)
