Ford Turner
The Morning Call
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Past articles by Ford:
Pa. lawmakers’ return a raucous one; partisan battles over special session rules
The Pennsylvania House returned to bitterly partisan form Tuesday after a six-week hiatus, as it adopted rules for a special legislative session on a proposed constitutional amendment to allow lawsuits by survivors of childhood sex abuse. → Read More
Pa. lawmakers finally returning Tuesday, ending month of gridlock
State lawmakers are set for a high-profile return to Harrisburg this week, with a special House session ending a month of gridlock in the lower chamber. → Read More
Pa. lawmakers slam Norfolk Southern as ‘greedy’ and ‘ignorant’ after East Palestine train derailment
Pennsylvania lawmakers are increasingly sounding off about the horrific Feb. 3 train derailment just over the state line in Ohio, calling railway company Norfolk Southern an “ignorant” exemplar of corporate greed → Read More
Pa. election debate on precanvassing mail ballots confronts new governor, Legislature
Pennsylvania and county officials hope to resolve the debate on precanvassing of mail ballots in 2023. → Read More
New Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro takes office and vows to seek a better state: ‘Your problems have become my priorities’
New Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was sworn into office on Tuesday about two hours after Austin Davis became the state’s first Black lieutenant governor, kicking off a new administration in Harrisburg. → Read More
Austin Davis sworn in as first Black Pa. lieutenant governor in debut of new administration
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis was sworn in Tuesday morning in the Capitol, the first Black elected to the second-highest office in Pennsylvania, whose oath-taking marked the start of a new executive administration in the state. → Read More
A lot at stake: Group will try to end Pa. state House logjam as quest to help child sex abuse survivors continues
The Pennsylvania House is at a standstill and the next best chance to end the logjam comes Tuesday, when Allentown Rep. Peter Schweyer and five other lawmakers sit down to talk. → Read More
A Lehigh Valley lawmaker will be part of the group trying to end Pa. House’s ‘partisan gridlock’
Pa. House Speaker Mark Rozzi chose Allentown Rep. Peter Schweyer to be part of a small, bipartisan work group trying to end partisan gridlock. → Read More
Pa. House starts special session on child sex abuse lawsuit measure
The special session that opened on Monday is intended to give second passage to a proposed constitutional amendment that would retroactively extend the timeline for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits. → Read More
Pa. House starts special session on child sex abuse lawsuit measure with uncertainty over rules
New state House Speaker Mark Rozzi of Berks County started off his first full week of a “uniquely taxing” journey in the post at midday Monday by convening a controversial special session on child sex abuse lawsuit legislation. → Read More
Pa. senators renew bipartisan push to let nurse practitioners care for patients without being tethered to doctors
A bipartisan pair of Pennsylvania senators plan to renew a legislative push to let nurse practitioners care for patients without contractural tethers to doctors. → Read More
Gov. Wolf’s call for special session of Legislature triggers new partisan battle in Harrisburg
A Friday afternoon call from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf for Legislature to convene a special session of the Legislature on Monday to advance a proposed constitutional amendment on child sex abuse lawsuits ignited a new partisan battle in Harrisburg. → Read More
Paid countywide school board? One Pa. lawmaker proposes a 10-year tryout as legislative session gears up
Newly elected Sen. Rosemary Brown's proposal for a one-county tryout of a paid, countywide school board is among hundreds of proposals for new laws in Harrisburg. → Read More
Lehigh Valley’s newest state lawmakers sworn in at Pa. Capitol
Three Lehigh County residents — Jarrett Coleman, Nick Miller and Josh Siegel — took oaths of office as first-time Pa. state lawmakers amid fanfare and before loved ones in the Capitol in Harrisburg on Tuesday. → Read More
Democrat Mark Rozzi of Berks County becomes speaker of Pa. House, vows to become independent and fight ‘back room dealmaking’
Berks County Democratic Rep. Mark Rozzi was voted in as Speaker of the House in the state Capitol on Tuesday as a closely divided chamber chose to back someone for the top job who had a strong history of support in both parties. → Read More
Open Records office directs Pa. to release documents on failed Allentown State Hospital competitive bid
As the Wolf administration prepares to sell the state’s Allentown State Hospital property directly to a development company led by J.B. Reilly, the Office of Open Records has ordered it to release documents it withheld from the public on an earlier, failed attempt to sell the property by competitive bid. → Read More
Outgoing Pa. state Sen. Pat Browne on his 28 years of lawmaking: ‘Hopefully, I made a difference’
Pat Browne had his hand in a lot of high-profile endeavors during his 28 years as a Lehigh Valley lawmaker in Harrisburg. → Read More
Sen.-elect Jarrett Coleman may try to stop Pa. sale of Allentown State Hospital property to City Center
Sale of the Allentown State Hospital property to a private developer continues to be controversial after the state denied a public records request for the appraisal on which the sale price was based. → Read More
Pa. lawmakers float nearly 200 ideas for new laws, but power struggle in House complicates route to passage
State lawmakers have unleashed a flood of 197 ideas for new laws, but an ongoing power struggle in the House may complicate their path to becoming actual legislation. → Read More
Qualified Lehigh Valley homeowners could get up to $50,000 for home repairs under new Pa. program
County and state officials are preparing to roll out a program that will give income-qualified homeowners grants of up to $50,000 to repair homes, and also help landlords with limited numbers of properties. → Read More