Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

House Speaker Keith R. McCall announced today that he has chosen to not run for another term as state representative for the 122nd Legislative District in Carbon County. "First off I want to say ‘thank you’ to the people of Carbon County for allowing me the honor and the privilege of serving you in Harrisburg," McCall said. "I’m proud to have lived my entire life here, and I hope and pray that my family and I will be here for as long as the Good Lord allows. "This decision is about my family. I first came to Harrisburg as a single 22-year-old man following in his father’s footsteps. Now I have a wonderful wife and two amazing children – all of whom I owe not only my thanks, but also a lot of missed dinners, football and baseball games, volleyball games and help with homework. "This decision was neither quick nor easy. The House of Representatives has been my life’s work, but – after one more year of very hard work yet to come – it will be time to take another s...

Ten-year-old Becky Boucher, of Hatboro, Montgomery Co., joins Governor Edward G. Rendell as guest of honor in the lighting of the Capitol Christmas Tree in Harrisburg. She and her mother, Wendy Boucher, were joined via satellite by First Lady Judge Marjorie O. Rendell and pediatric cancer patients at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital to lead the countdown to light the tree. Becky is a fifth-grade student at Upper Moreland Intermediate School. In 2007, Becky was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a common type of bone cancer. She is currently an outpatient in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. "The First Lady and I always look forward to this special time of year when we all come together to celebrate the magic of the season," Governor Rendell said. "While it is a time of much joy and celebration, it can be a difficult time for many families. I ask all Pennsylvanians to take a moment to remember the true meaning of Christmas and keep in mind those less fortunate tha...

Governor Rendell has called a meeting with legislative leaders to help resolve the dispute over table games that's holding up funding for the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State and other institutions and organizations. The meeting is scheduled for Monday. Pitt, Penn State, Temple and Lincoln are supposed to get more than $600 million in state funding this year, but that funding is linked to table games legislation. So far, legislators have not agreed on the license fee for casinos to add table games or how much to tax them. On Wednesday, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi sent a letter to House Speaker Keith McCall asking for a quick resolution to the issue. Scarnati and Pileggi expected to work on the legislation last week but McCall hasn't scheduled another House session until November 9. You can read the letter to McCall from Scarnati and Pileggi here . from Governor Rendell's Web site, Senate Republican Communications,...

The work of Kong Ho, associate professor of art at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, is on display in the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. “Reverberation: An Invitational Exhibit of the Work of Four Artists with Disabilities” is being sponsored by House Speaker Keith R. McCall, D-Carbon. The work of four artists with disabilities is on display this month in the Capitol’s East Wing Rotunda. The exhibition is being co-sponsored in honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month by the Governor’s Cabinet and Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities and the Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitation Facilities. “I am proud to serve as the sponsor of the exhibit of these very talented artists,” McCall said. “I hope many people will be able to see the exhibit and appreciate the gifted and distinguished artists that created these pieces.” Before moving to the Capitol, “Reverberations” was on display at the Pennsylvania Association...