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Preparing to defend himself this fall against a massive federal corruption indictment, state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) said Friday that he would not return to the senate floor before his term ends, The Inquirer reports.

His announcement, made during a holiday session on the chamber floor, was not unexpected, as Fumo is marshalling considerable resources to fight the 139-count indictment. He is accused of, among other things, using taxpayer money for political purposes. He has denied any wrongdoing.

"I will miss it terribly. I spent half my life here and I spent it here with every fiber in my body," the 30-year incumbent said. "I've loved it, I've hated it. I've had great experiences and very sad ones."

Kathy Dahlkemper found out this week her race was being changed from likely Republican to lean Republican. Find out who joins Dahlkemper as a winner this week.

HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania state legislature has entered a panicked frenzy this week as lawmakers race to approve the budget, which leadership reached a handshake agreement on early Monday morning. Most lawmakers wanted to be out of Harrisburg by Friday.

But that's not likely to happen, according to Capitolwire (subscription required).

An attempt Wednesday night to work past 11 p.m., when the House is supposed to adjourn, failed when lawmakers complained it was ran contrary to reforms the House tried to make after the pay-raise scandal in 2005.

That prompted House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese (D-Greene County) to say the House will probably need to work Friday and Saturday.

Is a personal family tragedy relevant to a run for political office? View the first part of Tom Manion's "Letters from Travis" below and judge for yourself:

The Pennsylvania Democratic Committee sent out a fund raising email today talking about the upcoming 4th of July weekend.  Executive Director Mary Isenhour talks about her childhood memories of the 4th and shared her receipt for KC BBQ Ribs.  We are always looking for good BBQ receipt so thought we would share it with our readers.  We just hope this is not a Cindy McCain situation and find out its really from Betty Crocker's website.

The National Newspapers Publishers Association has awarded the Philadelphia Tribune as the best newspaper in the country.  The Tribune is the nation’s oldest black newspaper.  The paper took six of the ten awards including Best Newspaper, Best Special Edition, Best Business Section, Best Youth Section, Best Original Advertising and Best Editorial.

Congressional candidate Craig Williams: Campaign photoSeeking to bolster his credentials as a Republican in favor of off-shore drilling, Craig Williams announced Wednesday that he would take a trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge this month.

Williams, who is running against U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Edgmont) in the 7th Congressional District, said the purpose of the trip is to "raise awareness about the availability of domestic energy sources."

"With gas prices at an all time high, we ned to take steps now to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Williams said in a statement. "We have energy resources available to us domestically that can cut our dependence on foreign oil and provide a bridge to tomorrow when we can more heavily rely on renewable energy sources..."

Expecting a second child, York Mayor John Brenner says he won't seek reelection, the York Daily Record reports.

Brenner, who was elected the town's youngest mayor in 2001, said he made his announcement now to give the Democratic Party enough time to choose a replacement nominee.

He did not rule out future political work. 

"It is with a heavy heart and mixed emotions that I announce I will not run for office in 2009," Brenner said."

U.S. Sen. John McCain: Getty Images PhotoU.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) sure wants to push his presidential opponent to the limit in Pennsylvania. He rolled through the state this week with dual stops in Harrisburg and the Philadelphia suburbs, determined to compete in a state that many are forecasting will go to U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Now he's planning on appearing in Wilkes-Barre on July 23, The Times Leader reports.

Details are still being finalized, but it looks like he'll depart from the requisite town hall meeting in favor of a luncheon, though a second event in this town 100 miles north of Philadelphia could also be in the works.

The luncheon is being coordinated by Dan Meuser, who lost a close primary race this year to Chris Hackett to be the GOP nominee for the 10th Congressional District.

Pennsylvania is one of four states that will see the Republican National Committee's first ad of the general election campaign this weekend, The AP reports.

The $3-million RNC ad campaign will put the same ad, which reportedly focuses on energy security issus, on stations in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio

The effort is being coordinated by a media firm that worked on Mitt Romney's primary campaign, The AP reports.