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The Morning Agenda

The Morning Agenda

By: WITF Inc.
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Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your six. Each weekday morning, host Karen Hendricks will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.

2025 WITF
Politics & Government
Episodes
  • A $150 million expansion project launches in Lancaster County. And a remarkable story of cancer recovery this holiday season.
    Dec 24 2025

    A central Pennsylvania bio-lab is planning its largest expansion yet. Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories will build a new three-hundred-thousand-square-foot facility at its New Holland campus in Lancaster County.

    Pennsylvania communities lost millions in expected federal funding this year after Congress passed a short-term spending bill that wiped out Community Project Funding grants for fiscal year 2025. The Lehigh Valley lost money planned for infrastructure and public safety initiatives, including an opioid task force.

    A former speaker of the state House of Representatives will not seek reelection for his Lancaster County district in 20-26. Representative Bryan Cutler’s exit comes after a turbulent few years.

    This holiday season, the Philadelphia Ballet, like many ballet companies across the country, is performing “The Nutcracker." One of the company’s principal dancers, Nicholas Patterson, made his solo debut earlier in December. It's a remarkable turnaround for a dancer who could barely walk a year ago, due to stage four cancer.

    And this programming note: The Morning Agenda will be taking a holiday break for a week, from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day, returning with a new episode on Friday, January 2nd.

    If you're already a member of WITF's Sustaining Circle, you know how convenient it is to support programs like the Morning Agenda. By increasing your monthly gift, you can help WITF close the budget gap left by the loss of federal funding. Visit us online at witf.org/increase or become a new Sustaining Circle member at www.witf.org/givenow.

    Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    10 mins
  • Emergency medical supplies—by drone? And a breakdown of $14 million in state grants headed to community projects across Pa.
    Dec 23 2025

    Aerial photographs, weather observation and even food delivery are a few of the uses for drones. What about getting emergency medical equipment to rural areas where it’s needed, quickly? There’s now a public-private partnership aiming to use drones to do just that in central Pennsylvania.

    The U-S Department of Justice says it won’t require names of minors who received gender-affirming care at hospitals operated by UPMC. Patients' identities are embedded into their medical files.

    The holiday travel season is expected to set records. AAA estimates more than 122 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between December 20th and January 1st.

    Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is now serving in a leadership role among Eastern U-S attorneys general.

    More than 14-million dollars in grant funding is being awarded to community projects across Pennsylvania, by the state's Department of Community and Economic Development. The projects support communities in four areas: flood mitigation, recreational trails, improvements to sewage facilities and watersheds. More than 4.4 million dollars is being awarded to about 30 community projects in Dauphin County.

    If you're already a member of WITF's Sustaining Circle, you know how convenient it is to support programs like the Morning Agenda. By increasing your monthly gift, you can help WITF close the budget gap left by the loss of federal funding. Visit us online at witf.org/increase or become a new Sustaining Circle member at www.witf.org/givenow.

    Thank you.

    Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    10 mins
  • Trump admin. proposes environmental changes that would affect Pa. waterways and (in a deep dive) its hellbenders.
    Dec 22 2025

    The US Environmental Protection Agency heard testimony in Pittsburgh last week regarding proposed changes to the Clean Water Act. The Trump administration has proposed limiting which waterways can receive federal protection.

    Pennsylvania is joining a lawsuit against Uber, accusing the rideshare app of deceptive and unfair practices related to its subscription service.

    A former Lancaster County police officer was sentenced to up to 57 years in prison for raping and sexually assaulting three girls in the 1990s. Andrew Scott Selby received the sentencing from a Chester County judge after Lancaster County judges recused themselves to avoid a potential conflict since Selby is a former officer.

    Hundreds of rapes in the State College area went unreported in public police data for nearly a decade.

    Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is co-leading a bipartisan coalition of 35 Attorneys General who want Meta to stop promoting misleading weight-loss advertising.

    Cumberland County officials have revealed and installed its America 250 bell, part of the statewide "Bells Across PA" initiative.

    A 14-year-old Schuylkill County girl will sing the national anthem to kick off the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show.

    And a deeper dive:

    The Trump Administration plans to weaken the Endangered Species Act, and that could impact the fate of an ancient creature that lives in Pennsylvania-the eastern hellbender salamander.

    In uncertain times, our community counts on facts, not noise. Support the journalism and programming that keep you informed. Donate now at www.witf.org/givenow.

    Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    13 mins
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