• Gov. Josh Shapiro to enhance public service employment with new executive order: Today, at the Commonwealth Job Fair, Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro will sign and executive order to boost job opportunities within Pennsylvania and connect more individuals with careers in public service. According to his office the order builds on last year’s inaugural Commonwealth Job Fair, where Shapiro signed the HIRE (Hire, Improve, Recruit, Empower) Executive Order, aimed at expanding pathways for Pennsylvanians interested in public service and strengthening the state’s workforce. (Source: WGAL)
• New initiative aimed to help Pa. homeowners replace invasive trees with native species: Non-native trees and shrubs are found in much of Pennsylvania. Even if they are planted with the intention of enhancing the landscape, homeowners may not realize the negative ecological and economic impacts they can have on nearby natural areas. This caused the Department of Agriculture to create a new initiative called the Pennsylvania Invasive Replace-ive Program, which gives homeowners the option to remove non-native trees and shrubs and replace them with native trees. (Source: WGAL)
• Lancaster County partners with national firm for new housing and homelessness strategy: Tuesday, county housing leaders brought in a national research firm Health Management Associates (HMA) to guide a three-year housing and homelessness strategic plan. HMA, which has a branch in Harrisburg, was chosen from 14 applicants that submitted proposals to the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority in January. The strategy is expected to be complete at the end of 2025 and will run through 2029, substituting the county’s existing five-year strategic plan created in 2019 that leaders say has become outdated. (Source: LNP)
• Democrats prepare for state Senate election battle with Josh Parsons: East Petersburg Mayor Andrew Malone is preparing for a special election in northern Lancaster County for the 36th state Senate district. He faces a well-known foe in County Commissioner Josh Parsons. Parsons has largely stayed in lockstep with President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, offering a slew of far-right policies, boasting that he ignored former Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Malone, a Freemason, moved to East Petersburg from Wyoming. If elected, he hopes to support first responders with his position. (Source: LNP)
• Nonprofit hopes for city approval for tiny home community in Harrisburg: Eden Village Harrisburg, a non-profit, is hoping to use 15 unused land behind the PennDOT building to develop a community of small, affordable homes. 32 homes are planned, which the organization intends to build to fight homelessness. The organization plans to use 6.5 acres out of the land. Each home is planned to be 400 square feet and will include full living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and ADA compliant kitchens. With the homeless encampment on Front Street due to be cleared out for the I-83 bridge project, the organization hopes to have the homes ready for them. (Source: FOX 43)
• Nation/world: Lawyer submits Trump’s address to Congress as evidence in case against DOGE (Source: NBC News) Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatens to cut American electricity over tariffs (Source: BBC News) California Senator Adam Schiff calls out insurers for not paying wildfire victims (Source: NBC News) Supreme Court refuses to re-freeze USAID funding (Source: CBS News) Mayors from U.S cities will testify before Congress on ‘sanctuary cities’ (Source: AP News)
