Environmental advocacy organizations gathered in front of the city-county building Wednesday, to urge the Allegheny County Health Department to place stricter regulations on the local Clairton Coke Works site. 

In addition to its sports teams, one of many things Pittsburgh and its surrounding area have become well-known for is lackluster air quality. At the press conference residents complained that in addition to their health concerns the air around them held a “putrid” odor they attribute to emissions of hydrogen sulfide.

While many eyes were on the general election this week, online gaming in Pennsylvania experienced a huge boost with the launch of PokerStars, the state’s first online poker site. Thursday, the daily fantasy powerhouse DraftKings’ online sportsbook goes live in the Keystone State.
 
Both sites were approved recently by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and went through soft testing windows earlier in the week. The commonwealth now has six online sportsbooks and four online casinos to compete with the dozen brick and mortar casinos.

The Animal Destruction Method Authorization Law states that injectable euthanasia is the accepted method for killing a domestic animal, but ambiguities in the law do little to prevent owners from killing an animal by firearm if they deem it ill or aggressive. Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton) wants to clarify definitions in the law to ensure proper enforcement of animal cruelty. 

“How can injection be said as the only form of destruction?” Boscola asked. “What is there to prevent a cat or dog owner from shooting them?” Boscola filed a cosponsor memo in October asking for support for a bill to resolve the ambiguities.

Tuesday marked the last hurrah for straight-party voting in the state, with the option to vote for every candidate of a single party via the push of a button set to disappear next spring after Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law a significant overhaul of the state’s election system.

The provision was a key bargaining chip for Republicans in potentially reforming the state’s election system. The first attempt at ending straight-ticket voting was met with Wolf’s veto pen over the summer, however, with the governor citing potential effects on voter turnout.