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| Today: Scarnati's firm, ballot fixes, Shapiro's 'Jekyll and Hyde,' pro pot, congressional conundrum, and Community Days cancellation. |
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Pennsylvania's Game Commission is defending its hire of former state Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati's law firm.
The commission entered into a $10,000-per-month contract last fall with the Jefferson County Republican's firm, Allegheny Strategy Partners, for help in “developing and strengthening relationships with members of the General Assembly," despite already having a legislative liaison on its payroll.
Angela Couloumbis reports a search of lobbying records shows only one other state agency has hired lobbyists since 2007. It's a practice challenged by good-government advocates and even some lawmakers.
State Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R., York) championed a bill last session that would ban the practice. Informed of the Game Commission's hire of Scarnati's firm, Phillips-Hill's office said she now plans to reintroduce the bill.
Read Spotlight PA's full report: Former top Pa. lawmaker's lobbying firm paid $41K by Game Commission in unusual arrangement. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"The NTSB is returning to East Palestine for our final board meeting for the same reasons we went last summer: Because the communities most affected by this tragedy deserve to hear our findings in-person and in real-time."
—National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy on plans to release the cause of the toxic train derailment at a hearing in June
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SPOTLIGHT PA STORE ON SALE: Our Exclusive PA Tote BagDesigned by a Pennsylvania artist just for Spotlight PA and printed by a local business.
Plus, get exclusive Spotlight PA apparel and accessories. SHOP NOW > |
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 MOBILE UNIT: In a first for Pennsylvania, Democratic Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija is proposing a mobile unit to help voters fix potentially disqualifying mail ballot mistakes, likening it to a pro-democracy "ice cream truck," Bolts reports.
 SHAPIRO SKEPTICS: Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro's latest budget address did little to assuage critics of his fracking industry embrace, per Inside Climate News. And with his new natural gas-focused economic development plan, some are crying "Jekyll and Hyde."
POT POLLING: Shapiro wants legal cannabis (and related tax revenue) for Pennsylvania, but what do Pennsylvanians think? New polling says two-thirds support adult-use cannabis here, a plank of Shapiro's latest budget, which he unveiled Tuesday.
 WATER WORKS: Federal lawmakers agreed that something needed to be done to protect critical U.S. water infrastructure following November's Iran-linked cyberattack on Aliquippa's water authority. City & State reports that's largely where the consensus ends.
 DAYS OFF: DuBois' Community Days festival won't happen this year due, in part, to "a lack of donations." Ex-City Manager Herm Suplizio played a key role in fundraising for the event and was accused last year of stealing associated funds in a sprawling corruption case.
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LUNAR NEW YEAR: Lunar New Year is days away. Lion dancing, drumming, and firecrackers are all lined up in Philly, WHYY reports.
BLACK HAIR: Allegheny County's Jasmine Green remembers the burn of hair-straightening treatments. TribLIVE says the impacts may be lasting.
SWIFT STUDY: Penn State Berks' new “Taylor Swift, Gender, and Communication” class is the envy of the Penn State system.
PA PRODIGY: Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff's last living piano student is 99 years old and living near Hershey, WaPo (paywall) reports.
COLD COMFORT: Good Morning America introduces the 71-year-old retiree who's been "scarf bombing" the Harrisburg area for years. |
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Are you a Berks County resident? We're seeking community input! Join one of our upcoming Spotlight PA - Berks County listening sessions:
Feb. 21: 5:30-7:30 p.m. at West Lawn-Wyomissing Hills Library | Register Here
A listening session is an informal, small-group discussion in which we are seeking your thoughts, opinions, and concerns on local news coverage, information access, community information needs, and news consumption habits. Visit spotlightpa.org/berks for more information. |
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Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag. Answers submitted by 5:30 p.m. on issue date will be counted. H E P A T L Y E T
Yesterday's answer: Incremental
Congrats to our daily winners: Don H., Marty M., Stacy S., Barbara F., Lynne E., Jon W., Dan A., Alan B., Bob C., Richard A., Susan N.-Z., Jane R., Beth T., Kimberly D., Judith D., Sharon B., Elaine C., Wendy A., Jody A., William Z., and Jeffrey F.
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