Answering rapid fire questions on property taxes, gerrymandering and marijuana, the four Republicans vying to challenge sitting Democratic Governor Tom Wolf mostly held back from swiping directly at each other Saturday night.

Held on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus in Pittsburgh, the debate showcased a uniform platform among all four candidates — that Pennsylvania’s government is inefficient, its taxes high, its budget bloated and its regulations burdensome.

Pittsburgh City Council is considering legislation that could make first-time homebuying in the city a little easier and help alleviate some longtime homeowners from the perils of gentrification and property maintenance.

Councilman Dan Gilman (District 8), along with Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith (District 2), introduced three separate bills Tuesday that fall in line with measures laid out under the Affordable Housing Trust Fund passed a year ago, but would provide a better operational framework.

Continuing our vignettes on 2016 legislative priorities, this feature spotlights Senate Republicans, a caucus looking at 2016 as a way to get many of their 2015 priorities across the finish line while trying to find governmental efficiencies and opportunities to create jobs in Pennsylvania.

“Many of the priorities that were priorities at the beginning of 2015 continue to be at the top of the list,” said caucus spokesperson Jenn Kocher.

At the top of that list is public pension reform legislation.

Checking-in for the first time since Christmas? Well, lots happened that you may have missed and we’d like to get you back up to speed.

While you might have known that just before Christmas, the General Assembly delivered a $30.2 billion budget to the governor’s desk without his agreement, you might have missed the governor’s line-item veto of that measure on December 29^th.

In sum, Gov. Tom Wolf’s use of his veto blue-lining pen allowed about $23 billion to get out to state government, local government, and public schools.

Despite his actions, Gov. Wolf was not thrilled about the budget that landed on his desk.

“I am expressing the outrage that all of us Pennsylvanians should feel about the garbage Republican legislative leaders have tried to dump on us,” he said. “This budget is wrong for Pennsylvania and our legislators—the folks we elected to serve us need to own up to this—they need to do their jobs.”