Marc Levy, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - A sign on a door at The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is pictured at the Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Feb. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

State supreme court battles move to Pennsylvania, where 3 Democratic justices hope to keep seats

October 6, 2025

Republicans and Democrats have begun pouring money into an election this November for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. It’s the latest example of how state high court races have become proxy battles for the biggest issues roiling the country, from abortion to voting rights to redistricting. Both parties are expected to spend millions of dollars on campaign fliers, digital and TV ads and get-out-the-vote efforts. At stake is whether the highest court in the most populous presidential swing state will keep its liberal majority. But overall spending in Pennsylvania is nowhere near the $100 million spent this year in Wisconsin — a record amount for a state supreme court race.

FILE - People leave the The BlackRock investment company in the Hudson Yards neighborhood of New York, Tuesday, March 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Private equity sees profits in power utilities as electric bills rise and Big Tech seeks more energy

September 26, 2025

Private investment firms that are helping finance America’s artificial intelligence race and the huge buildout of energy-hungry data centers are getting interested in the local utilities that deliver electricity to regular customers — and the servers that power AI. Billions of dollars from such firms are now flowing toward electric utilities in places including New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Greg Brown, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor, says that’s because there’s a lot of money to be made. Buyout proposals are coming at a time when electricity bills are rising fast across the U.S. Opponents worry buyouts will further drive up electric bills for regular people.

FILE - Rolls of finished steel are seen at the U.S. Steel Granite City Works facility Thursday, June 28, 2018, in Granite City, Ill. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

The White House says it blocked US Steel’s decision to stop processing steel at Illinois plant

September 22, 2025

The White House says it intervened to block a decision to stop processing raw steel at U.S. Steel’s Granite City Works plant in Illinois. In a statement, the White House said Monday that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick delivered the message that President Donald Trump would exercise his so-called “golden share” power. That provision was a key element in the Trump administration’s decision to allow Japan-based Nippon Steel to buy out U.S. Steel. It gives the federal government a say in certain decisions involving domestic steel production. Earlier this month, U.S. Steel said it would stop processing steel slabs at its Granite City Works. On Friday, U.S. Steel reversed course.

US Steel changes course and will keep processing raw steel at Granite City plant in Illinois

September 19, 2025

U.S. Steel is reversing course and now says it’ll continue processing raw steel indefinitely at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois, nixing a decision that had put the plant on track to stop work in the coming weeks. U.S. Steel on Friday didn’t explain its reasons for changing course, other than it’ll maintain flexibility. It’s now barely three months after Nippon Steel sealed a deal with President Donald Trump to buy the iconic American steelmaker by giving the government a say over decisions that affect domestic steel production. The United Steelworkers union accused U.S. Steel of trying to “wiggle out” of commitments that Nippon Steel made in the deal.

Pennsylvania governor says US must ‘turn the tide’ against political violence, reject vengeance

September 16, 2025

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania says that the nation must “turn the tide” against political violence and the belief that government can’t solve problems. The Democratic governor delivered the remarks Tuesday at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit in Pittsburgh, days after the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk. Shapiro says political leaders must condemn all forms of political violence and reject the “rhetoric of vengeance.” Shapiro and his family fled the governor’s office residence in the middle of the night in April after an alleged arsonist broke in and set it on fire in an attempt to kill Shapiro.

FILE - High-voltage transmission lines provide electricity to data centers in Ashburn in Loudon County, Virginia, on Sunday, July 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers could be bumped off grids during power emergencies

September 12, 2025

As Big Tech’s data centers continue to grow threatening to overload U.S. electricity grids, policymakers are considering bumping the energy-hungry data centers off grids during power emergencies. Texas moved first to try to protect residents in the data-center hotspot from another deadly blackout like the winter storm in 2021 when dozens died. Lawmakers there passed a bill in June that orders up standards for power emergencies when utilities must disconnect big electric users. Now the concept is emerging in the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid and elsewhere as massive data centers are coming online faster than power plants can be built.

FILE - A giant ladle glows red after pouring molten iron in to a vessel inside the basic oxygen furnace as part of the processes of making steel at the U.S. Steel Granite City Works facility Thursday, June 28, 2018, in Granite City, Ill. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

US Steel to end steel production at Illinois plant but no layoffs

September 9, 2025

U.S. Steel will stop processing steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois, three months after Nippon Steel sealed a deal with President Donald Trump to buy the iconic American steelmaker. In a statement, the Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel said Tuesday that it’ll “optimize” its operations by focusing on processing raw steel at facilities in Pennsylvania and Indiana. It’ll end its production work at Granite City Works, likely in November, but it says it’ll keep paying the 800 workers there. They’ll keep their jobs at least until 2027, as a result of a national security agreement between Trump and Nippon Steel that allowed its buyout of U.S. Steel to go forward.

FILE - Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti speaks during a President Joe Biden campaign event in Scranton, Pa., April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Pennsylvania Democrats attract some buzz in the party’s bid to take back the US House

September 2, 2025

Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mayor Paige Cognetti is announcing a bid for Congress. Tuesday’s news adds another Democrat to 2026’s midterm election lineup in a state that’s key to next year’s congressional elections. Democrats are hoping to retake the majority in the U.S. House. Cognetti is viewed as the best candidate to try to unseat freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan. Cognetti’s candidacy is the second big get for Democrats in one week. Last week, the head of Pennsylvania’s state firefighters’ union, Bob Brooks, declared his candidacy to challenge freshman Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. That Allentown-area district already has five Democrats in the running. Brooks has support from Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Passengers board a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) bus in Philadelphia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Philadelphia’s mass transit cuts foreshadow possible similar moves by other agencies across US

August 25, 2025

Commuters and students in Philadelphia say they’re waking up earlier and scrambling to avoid being late as they navigate service reductions by the region’s public transit agency. The cuts took effect this week as the school year begins in Philadelphia, the nation’s sixth-most populous city. It could herald a wave of cuts by major transit agencies around the U.S. as they struggle with rising costs and lagging ridership. Cutbacks are also on the table at transit agencies in Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. In many places, funding hasn’t kept up with inflation while ridership is below pre-pandemic levels after many people had their routines disrupted by COVID-19.

FILE - Stacy Garrity, the Republican state treasurer of Pennsylvania, poses for photos at a campaign event at the Beerded Goat Brewing Co., Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy,File)

Republican Stacy Garrity seeks to challenge Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s reelection bid

August 18, 2025

Pennsylvania’s two-term elected state Treasurer Stacy Garrity will seek the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s reelection bid in 2026. Garrity’s announcement Monday comes after she teased a run for months and stepped up her criticism of Shapiro. Some top Pennsylvania Republicans hope Garrity will see a clear primary field, although those hopes have been buffeted in recent weeks by 2022’s losing gubernatorial candidate suggesting that he’ll run again. Shapiro carries a reputation as a disciplined messenger and powerhouse fundraiser. He’s grown into a national figure after he made Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ shortlist for vice presidential running mates last year.

FILE - Amazon Web Services data center is visible on Aug. 22, 2024, in Boardman, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act

August 8, 2025

Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers. It’s not clear that any state has a solution and the actual effect of data centers on electricity bills is difficult to pin down. Some critics question whether states have the spine to take a hard line against tech behemoths. Charlotte Shuff of the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group, says there’s a massive outcry over rising power bills. Some data centers require more electricity than cities or states. That’s pushing policymakers to rethink how transmission costs are spread among consumers.

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event on May 31, 2023, in Salix, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

DOGE sprouts in red states, as governors embrace the cost-cutter brand and make it their own

July 11, 2025

President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has spawned state-level DOGE initiatives as Republican governors and lawmakers aim to show that they’re in step. Critics say some of these initiatives are nothing new or duplicative, while some governors are using their DOGE vehicles to target welfare programs or diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The state initiatives have a markedly different character than Trump’s slash-and-burn approach. Steve Slivinski of the libertarian Cato Institute says much of what he’s seen is the same mundane stuff states routinely do to save money. Analysts at the pro-labor Economic Policy Institute say some governors and lawmakers are using DOGE agendas to consolidate power.

Conor Lamb speaks to the crowd at a town hall-style event organized by progressive groups at Central Penn College, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Enola, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

Democrats are trying to figure out what to do about John Fetterman. One of them is stepping up

June 26, 2025

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania isn’t even up for reelection until 2028, but already a one-time primary foe, Conor Lamb, is crisscrossing Pennsylvania looking and sounding like he’s preparing to challenge Fetterman again. At town halls across Pennsylvania, rank-and-file Democrats and allied progressive groups are inviting Lamb, a former congressman. Fetterman is under fire from rank-and-file Democrats for being willing to cooperate with President Donald Trump. Lamb says he isn’t running for anything right now, but he’ll do whatever he can to protect democracy and create a country with more opportunities for people. But to some Democrats, he’s sounding like a candidate.

FILE - Governor Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference regarding the shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Finding a strong candidate for governor in Pennsylvania may help GOP protect its US House majority

June 13, 2025

Job No. 1 for Republicans in Pennsylvania is to scrounge up a candidate to contest next year’s reelection bid by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, if only to aid other Republicans on the ballot. That’s because a lopsided Shapiro victory could doom the GOP’s narrow majority in the U.S. House that backs President Donald Trump’s agenda. Democrats are targeting four GOP-held congressional seats in Pennsylvania. That’s more than in any other state and one more than the three seats they need to retake the majority. Analysts say a valuable standard-bearer is important. That’s the candidate who delivers the party’s message and drives the enthusiasm of the party’s faithful voters.

FILE - A data center owned by Amazon Web Services, front right, is under construction next to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Berwick, Pa., on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)

Amazon to spend $20B on data centers in Pennsylvania, including one next to a nuclear power plant

June 9, 2025

Amazon says it will spend $20 billion on two data center complexes in Pennsylvania, including one it is building alongside a nuclear power plant that has drawn federal scrutiny over its arrangement to essentially plug right into the power plant. Kevin Miller of Amazon’s cloud computing subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, told The Associated Press on Monday that the company will build another data center complex just north of Philadelphia. The data centers are designed to meet growing demand for artificial intelligence products. Amazon has recently committed to big data center projects in Mississippi, Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina as it expands to compete with other tech giants.

Construction is seen at an Amazon Web Services data center on Aug. 22, 2024, in Boardman, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

States are rolling out red carpets for data centers. But some lawmakers are pushing back

May 30, 2025

The explosive growth of the data centers needed to power America’s fast-rising demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing has spurred states to dangle incentives in hopes of landing an economic bonanza. It’s also eliciting pushback in places where an influx of data centers has caused friction with neighboring communities. Activity in state legislatures — and competition for data centers — has been brisk. Many states are offering financial incentives or tax breaks worth tens of millions of dollars. In some cases, those incentives are winning approval only after a fight or efforts to attach riders that require data centers to pay for their own electricity or meet energy efficiency standards.

US government to have control in Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal, Trump and Sen. McCormick say

May 27, 2025

U.S. Sen. David McCormick says an arrangement for Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel will guarantee an American CEO, a majority of U.S. board members and U.S. government approval over certain corporate functions. McCormick spoke Tuesday on CNBC, four days after President Donald Trump suggested that an agreement on a “partnership” was at hand to resolve Nippon Steel’s nearly $15 billion bid to buy U.S. Steel that has been blocked on national security grounds. Trump said Sunday that U.S. Steel will be “controlled by the United States.” Many aspects outlined by McCormick and Trump have been floated previously by Nippon Steel, but Nippon Steel isn’t saying if it’s agreed to this deal.

Marc Levy.