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| Today: Political planner, mayoral strategy, jail problems, debt mountain, a notable termination, and to the moon. Thanks for checking in. |
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School funding, permitting process updates, and legal relief for victims of clergy abuse top the state legislature's agenda in 2024.
While the state House is out of session until March, leaders in both chambers say they don’t plan to be idle during that time.
State House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) says work will continue to find a fix for Pennsylvania's "unconstitutional" school funding system — an official report is due out this month.
Bradford said his caucus continues to prioritize bills to raise Pennsylvania's static minimum wage, broaden protections for LGBTQ people, and require universal background checks for gun purchases.
The Democratic-led state House already passed several such bills this session, but the GOP-led state Senate hasn't taken action on any of them.
A spokesperson for the state Senate said its leaders are primarily concerned with pushing bills in one area: permitting and regulatory reform.
Read Spotlight PA's full report: School funding, permitting, long-sought constitutional amendment at top of Pa. legislature’s 2024 agenda. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"I deserve a second chance as anybody does, and I still want to be able to make a positive impact."
—Joshua Hall, who made death threats against U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.), on recently filing to run for Congress himself in Pennsylvania |
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Snowfall in Harrisburg on Saturday, via Spotlight PA's Sarah Anne Hughes. Have a Pennsylvania photo to share? Send it to us by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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 DECISION 2024: The U.S. Supreme Court will weigh former President Donald Trump's eligibility for 2024 ballots under the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause, following a Colorado court ruling. The high court will move quickly. Oral arguments are set for Feb. 8.- RELATED: Biden in Pennsylvania speech: America must decide whether democracy remains its sacred cause, via Capital-Star.
- Pa. Sec. of State says he lacks authority for Maine-style removal of Trump from 2024 ballots here, via CBS3.
 KENSINGTON PLAN: Philly Mayor Cherelle Parker is vowing to end the city's infamous Kensington drug market, and says the efforts won't be without controversy. But The Inquirer (paywall) says the question remains: Can Parker succeed where others have failed?
 OFFICIAL OVERSIGHT: Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato attended her first jail oversight board meeting last week, breaking from her predecessor who sent a surrogate on his behalf for years. WESA reports on the board's new members and old problems.  DEBT DELIVERANCE: A plan from state Rep. Arvind Venkat (D., Allegheny) to use state funds to purchase and forgive huge sums of medical debt saddling Pennsylvanians didn't make it into this year's final budget, but the story isn't over yet, PennLive (paywall) reports.
 FIRST ORDER: Lancaster County’s new clerk of courts, Nicky Woods, began her tenure by firing a top aide, Dimary Serrano, who won Courthouse Employee of the Year weeks prior, LNP (paywall) reports. Woods declined to discuss the personnel matter. |
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| 🏆 NEXT QUESTION: Stay on top of the news last week? Prove it with the latest edition of The Great PA News Quiz: 2024 anxiety, minimum wage wave, 14th Amendment, and state lawmakers get a raise. |
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MASK RULES: Main Line Health is the latest Pennsylvania health system to require masks again amid a spike in admissions of patients with respiratory illnesses, The Inquirer (paywall) reports. UPMC made the move last month.
IN MEMORIAM: Pennsylvania's suspected oldest man, Horace Baumer, died in Pottsville just before the new year. He was 110 years old.
ON SCRIPT: State Rep. Joe Adams (R., Wayne) wants cursive instruction made mandatory in Pennsylvania schools. Not everyone agrees.
MOON SHOT: Today, a Pittsburgh company begins its attempt at the first moon landing since the Apollo missions a half-century ago.
'ROAD CLOSED': A visual reminder, by way of Bucks County, that "ROAD CLOSED" signs are there for a reason. The driver was not hurt. |
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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:
Jan 13: 10 a.m.-noon at Exeter Public Library | Register Here
Jan 23: 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Fleetwood Public 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. I D E D T P E A T E M R
Friday's answer: Interlocutor
Congrats to our weekly winner: Sharon B.
Congrats to our daily winners: Marty M., Don H., Stacy S., Eric F., Tracy S., Susan N.-Z., Jon W., Barbara F., Craig E., Alan B., Dennis M., William Z., Richard A., Wendy A., Kimberly D., and Tom M. |
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