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 We're SO CLOSE to a big milestone: We've been challenged to raise $25,000 for Spotlight PA's work by next Saturday, and if we do it, we'll unlock a $25,000 matching gift. And we're almost to $10,000. Will you put us over the top of this first big moment of our 2023 Week of Giving campaign?
Don't miss this chance for your gift to be DOUBLED. Can we count you in?
You can also give by PayPal or Venmo, or by sending a check to: Spotlight PA, PO Box 11728, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1728. Thank you! |
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A daily newsletter by  |
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| Impeachment bill, medical history, without warning, police call, SNAP record, post-pollution, and a possible Little League World Series home team. |
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The GOP-led effort to impeach progressive Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner continues, and it's costing Pennsylvania millions.
According to WHTM: The cost for the impeachment is $2.8 million (and counting) in mostly legal fees. If you include expenses incurred by the state Senate, the cost to taxpayers is north of $3 million.
The legal tab is set to grow as the state House's impeachment managers, led by state Rep. Craig Williams (R., Delaware), appeal a Commonwealth Court decision that put the effort on ice to Pennsylvania's Supreme Court.
Read WHTM's full report: Pennsylvania taxpayers face multimillion dollar bill for Krasner impeachment.
THE CONTEXT: The Commonwealth Court decision being appealed to the state's highest court called the impeachment charges against Krasner legally insufficient under rules outlined in the Pennsylvania Constitution.
The appeal argues that lawmakers have the authority to decide if that bar has been met. It also contends that the murder case against Police Officer Ryan Pownall, which ended with Krasner being publicly reprimanded, amounts to "misbehavior in office," the basis of the impeachment charges.
Critics say the impeachment push is politically motivated and a waste of resources. Krasner calls it an affront to the voters who elected him twice. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"It's the only job I want to do, but I'm grateful the nation is looking at what we're doing here in Pennsylvania."
—Josh Shapiro on being Pennsylvania's governor and speculation about a possible 2028 presidential run; find the full WGAL interview here |
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We've been challenged to raise $25,000 by Aug. 19 to unlock a HUGE $25,000 matching gift. That means your contribution will be DOUBLED. Help sustain Spotlight PA's vital reporting for the remainder of 2023 now.
Thank you to the 146 people who have given so far, including Cheryl Y., who said, "You provide information on local and state issues that I can't find anywhere else!" Join Cheryl and make a tax-deductible gift in support of Spotlight PA now »
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» Unfinished budget has ag programs in limbo, via Lancaster Farming
» Pa.'s pro-Trump fake electors: Where are they now?, via Billy Penn
» Pa.'s new CIO ‘relentlessly customer-focused,’ via StateScoop
» Pa. politicians endorse for president, via USA Today (paywall)
» State workers ratify contract with pay raises, via PennLive (paywall) |
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Via @johnmcculloughphotography: a black and white warbler lurking in the shadows of Poe Paddy State Park. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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 BAD MEDICINE: ProPublica has the story of Pennsylvania doctor James McGuckin, a Radnor-based practitioner behind an empire of vascular clinics that's been accused of performing procedures without any documented need. And McGuckin is still seeing patients despite a string of lawsuits, disciplinary actions, and attempts to shut him down.
 NO WARNING: Officials have confirmed a tornado touched down in Allentown during Monday's storms, but some residents want to know why nothing above a tornado watch was issued. One meteorologist told Lehigh Valley News the twister's location in the storm made it harder to spot, and when it finally showed "it was already too late."
 POLICE RESPONSE: A new lawsuit alleges that a misunderstanding over a text message typo led to an Upper Saucon Township police assault and the illegal detention of a disabled woman. Lehigh Valley Live (paywall) reports: "The text said she ‘shot’ herself when she meant she ‘sh*t’ herself. Then, cops overreacted, the suit says."
 SNAP SURGE: Enrollment in Pennsylvania's SNAP program, often referred to as food stamps, is at a record high even as unemployment reaches record lows. Experts told WESA that recent policy changes and inflation are likely reasons why. Income limits for the program were raised last year; 1.98 million people are now enrolled.
 HEALTH EFFECTS: In the seven years since the Shenango Coke Works plant on Neville Island, near Pittsburgh, closed, ambient pollution has dropped by up to 90% and emergency room visits for cardiovascular disease in nearby residents dropped up to 61%. One researcher told The Allegheny Front: "Over time, it just keeps getting better." |
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FESTIVAL WEEK: The "largest free music festival in the U.S." is underway in Bethlehem, and authorities say there is no ongoing Musikfest threat after a bomb plot arrest believed to be connected to other incidents. - RELATED: Why some locals hate Musikfest, via LVN
BEY BOOST: Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour missed Pittsburgh (where fans consoled themselves) but not Philly, where web traffic for hotels, beauty services, and more soared around the time of her visit.BIG TICKET: A $1 million Mega Millions ticket was sold in Pennsylvania — the Zain Mini Mart in New Castle, to be exact. But Tuesday's full $1.58 billion jackpot belongs to a very lucky ticket sold in Florida.
LAND GRAB: State College is using eminent domain to acquire a downtown building that’s home to "one of the region’s longest running bars, a music shop, and a popular pizza spot." The goal? To build a parking lot.
GAME DAYS: The little league team of Media, Pennsylvania, is one win away from clinching a Little League World Series berth, via PennLive. Their next game is Friday. The world series opens this month in Williamsport. |
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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. A O T M A E R N T P U
Yesterday's answer: Abdicate
Congrats to our daily winners: Craig W., Don H., Kimberly D., John E., Barbara F., Becky C., Jane R., Susan D., Ted W., Richard A., Stacy S., Jon W., Anne and James B., Kim C., Elaine C., Tracy S., William Z., Daniel S., Eric F., Victoria F., Tom M., Wendy A., Susan N.-Z., David W., Daniel M., Doug W., Leslie B., and Dennis M. |
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