Legislature
Opposites attract? Two Senators working across the aisle on Pa.’s election reform (abc27.com)
PA Gov for Pot: Tom Wolf Reiterates His Support for Cannabis Legalization (celebstoner.com)
There Were Big Plans For Former SCI Pittsburgh: What Happened? | 90.5 WESA
Other Voices: Prison gerrymandering in Pennsylvania must be addressed | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Top Pennsylvania Senate Republican Pushes for New Election Audit After Trump Pressure (msn.com)
Pennsylvania Senate Republican Behind Push To Kill Mastriano’s Forensic Audit Hired Top Lobbyist As Chief Of Staff – Internewscast
Trump-fueled election ‘audit’ sparks Senate GOP turmoil | Centre Daily Times
Sen. Corman changes election integrity plan | News, Sports, Jobs – The Express (lockhaven.com)
Pa.’s top GOP senator removing Mastriano from being in charge of election integrity plan | State | bradfordera.com
Pennsylvania GOP senators’ internal battle over imperiled forensic election audit goes public | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
GOP Feud: Corman changes forensic investigation, reassigns Mastriano’s staff in squabble over probe | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Overtime pay for up to 190K workers died in Harrisburg this summer. Why aren’t more people upset? – WHYY
Pa. senators will report spending | Opinion | bradfordera.com
PA Environment Digest Blog: Republicans On Senate Environmental Committee OK Letter Disapproving Final Carbon Pollution Reduction Reg. Covering Power Plants [RGGI] (paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com)
PA Senate Committee Letter Asks IRRC to Reject RGGI Carbon Tax | Marcellus Drilling News
Bill to create Opioid Task Force to address impacts on kids adva – WENY News
Pa.’s farmland preservation program surpasses 600,000 acres – Central Penn Business Journal (cpbj.com)
Broadband expansion bill seeks $500M from the American Rescue Plan | City & State PA (cityandstatepa.com)
Pennsylvania lawmaker proposes state-funded scholarship accounts for students (broadandliberty.com)
Lawmaker to introduce Pennsylvania College Voucher Program for direct grants to students | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
Legislation to update Pennsylvania private driver ed discussed during hearing | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
New sell-by law aims to reduce waste from Pa.’s dairy farms (abc27.com)
New state law designed to make Pa. dairy industry more competitive | Times Leader
Pennsylvania will welcome Afghanistan refugees, Gov. Tom Wolf says – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf reinstates mask mandate for state employees – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Legislators don’t have to be moderate to work together (poconorecord.com)
Breed-specific laws cause further harm | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Coronavirus – COVID-19
Facebook’s most viewed article in early 2021 raised doubt about COVID vaccine | WITF
New COVID-19 treatments, available in central Pa., may blunt death toll of delta surge – pennlive.com
Pa. will hire 100 contact tracers to replace 1,000 · Spotlight PA
How one Philly nursing home overcame hesitancy to get 98% of staff vaccinated | Opinion (inquirer.com)
School masks spur state fights | Guest Columnists | heraldstandard.com
Philadelphia law firm Kline & Specter mandating Covid-19 booster shots for employees – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
A Hospital Finds an Unlikely Group Opposing Vaccination: Its Workers – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Phil Valentine, talk radio host who regretted vaccine skepticism dies of COVID-19 – pennlive.com
Are vaccine mandates the future for companies in the Poconos? (poconorecord.com)
In Philly and its suburbs, health leaders plan for a booster shot rollout: ‘The situation will be better this time around’ (inquirer.com)
Business/Jobs
Pennsylvania unemployment dips to 6.6% in July | Pennsylvania | thecentersquare.com
AFL-CIO elects first woman, African American man to top leadership positions | WITF
United Steelworkers bolsters Biden’s promises to create jobs and tackle climate | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pa.’s unemployment rate dropped in July, still above national rate | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Nurses union at West Penn Hospital votes to ratify first contract | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pa. barbers, salons to get $20M in belated pandemic relief | Local News | phillytrib.com
Silicon Valley food allergy drug developer takes Montgomery County manufacturing space – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Delta variant prompts cancellations, hurts attendance in meeting and events industry – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
How a payment-processing company now worth billions came to the Lehigh Valley and where it’s headed – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Child care staffing shortage could make it harder for people to go back to work – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Allentown small businesses struggle to find employees – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Crime/Punishment
Can police shoot into moving vehicles while in pursuit in Pa.? (poconorecord.com)
United Fiber & Data: Police investigating report of $3.82M theft (ydr.com)
Education
‘Keeping kids healthy is my area’: Pediatricians pitch masks in schools, but not everyone wants to listen | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Council Rock School Board calls special meeting to consider latest county guidance on mask-wearing | Newtown Area | buckslocalnews.com
GOLDMAN: Are School Practices Part of the Problem? – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
North Penn School Board Backs Mask Mandate For All Students – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
‘Mask Wars’ Are Erupting In Schools As Students Return : Back To School: Live Updates : NPR
Bus driver shortages are latest challenge hitting US schools | WITF
Follow CDC mask-wearing guidance in Pa. schools (ydr.com)
Pennsbury equity and diversity plan bashed as critical race theory agenda (buckscountycouriertimes.com)
Amid debate of masks in schools, some Lancaster County parents ponder sending students for in-person instruction | Local News | lancasteronline.com
College school year starts with masks and vaccines | coronavirus | citizensvoice.com
Pitt offering remote option for first two weeks on Oakland campus | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Penn State will not require masks or proof of vaccination to watch football games live (inquirer.com)
How Pa. school districts are changing mask policies over Delta spread (poconorecord.com)
Mask requirements vary across Lackawanna County schools | Education | thetimes-tribune.com
Mask debates rage in Western Pa. as schools return to class | TribLIVE.com
Elections/Politics
Arizona Audit Has ‘Too Many Flaws’ to Trust Results, Says Former Republican Official (msn.com)
Gina Diorio: Understanding this year’s judicial elections (broadandliberty.com)
With an Eye to 2022, DelVal Dems Shy From Criticizing Biden – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
Amid COVID spike and Kabul crash, Biden & Wolf hang steady in new poll | Monday Morning Coffee | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
F&M poll shows a majority of conservative Pennsylvanians view 1/6 attack negatively | WITF
Our Readers Say: Reflections on the Montgomery County Republican Party | Opinion | mainlinemedianews.com
Luzerne County hires election consultant; two council members object to process | | standardspeaker.com
Chris Deluzio, Pitt Cyber’s policy director, announces run for Congress | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Transportation
Activists call for Rep. Conor Lamb to reestablish $10 billion cut from public transit | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper (pghcitypaper.com)
Spirit, one of PHL’s largest carriers, anticipates mass flight cancellations in coming months – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
Trenton-Mercer Airport expansion in Ewing NJ raises concerns for Bucks (theintell.com)
Speed cameras in PA: 2021 violations already exceed last year (theintell.com)
Amtrak study finds Scranton-NYC route would generate $87M | Times Leader
Big benefits with passenger rail service | Opinion | citizensvoice.com
Amtrak experiences summer resurgence after train travel collapsed early in COVID-19 pandemic (inquirer.com)
Health
Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley deaths from fentanyl soar – The Morning Call (mcall.com)
Opioid settlement left out pain management care and research on addictive drugs | Opinion | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Risk of drowning more prevalent in the summer months | The Numbers Racket | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Public health officials call for blood donations | Five for the Weekend | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Many ERs fail people who struggle with addiction. These new approaches might help | WITF
Medical marijuana sales sizzle in Pennsylvania, and the M&A market has been busy | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Commentary: Tower Health and Penn Medicine relationship will benefit community | Opinion | readingeagle.com
State News
People in rural Pennsylvania are desperate for internet. Biden’s infrastructure bill could help. | Nation/World News | readingeagle.com
Elizabeth Warren says a Pa. student loan CEO lied before congress (inquirer.com)
Lamb, Houlahan Take Different Tacks on Backing Biden’s Afghanistan Policy – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
How welfare reform failed Pa.’s poor families · Spotlight PA
Pennsylvania taking in Afghanistan refugees following Taliban takeover (poconorecord.com)
Meuser: Democratic spending bills are a ‘monstrosity’ | Crime-emergencies | citizensvoice.com
Editorial: Golf good for economy, but state needs to be open | TribLIVE.com
New report urges changes to Pennsylvania’s 1990s-era TANF benefit | State & Region | phillytrib.com
National News
Tropical Depression Henri Takes Its Time Drenching The Northeast : NPR
22 dead, 50+ people missing after deadliest flood event in Middle Tennessee history (abc27.com)
Gunfire erupts after Proud Boys and anti-fascists openly brawl in Portland without police intervention – OPB
Rev. Jesse Jackson Hospitalized For COVID-19 : NPR
Chaos Persists at Kabul Airport as Taliban Discuss New Government – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
New York City’s Economy Is Dealt a New Blow by the Delta Variant – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
In Haiti, Need Is Overwhelming, but Some Politicians’ Charity Rings False – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Could Election Day and Indigenous Peoples Day become federal holidays? (poconorecord.com)
Local News
Berks County to detain asylum-seeking immigrant women for feds | WITF
Nichols appointed interim receiver for Chester Upland | News | delcotimes.com
ARP funding plan: Erie plans how to use $76M COVID stimulus money (goerie.com)
‘It’s a public safety hazard’: City, state officials wrestle with repairs to crumbling flood channel of unclear origins | News | tribdem.com
Harvesting neighborhood pride: Blight committee garden a success | News | citizensvoice.com
Pittston Tomato Festival exceeds expectations | News | citizensvoice.com
Flash flood watch for parts of Northeast Pennsylvania in effect Monday | News | thetimes-tribune.com
Rain could not stop 15th annual Reading Pride Celebration | Local News | readingeagle.com
For 30 years, she has fought a waste-to-energy plant in Chester City: ‘We don’t have a choice.’ (inquirer.com)
Pitt
PG SPECIAL REPORT: Pittsburgh confronts rising wave of gun violence | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Downtown Pittsburgh apartments are filling back up, and more construction is on the horizon | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
With new fund, Catapult Greater Pittsburgh seeks to help Black first time homebuyers | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Pittsburgh Public School students, guardians given free Port Authority passes after bus driver shortage | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper (pghcitypaper.com)
Pittsburgh-created fundraiser raises $1 million in donations for gamers with disabilities | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper (pghcitypaper.com)
Pittsburgh community garden receives major grant to expand its operations | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper (pghcitypaper.com)
‘The people don’t want it’: Coal company’s plan for large Allegheny County mine gets fiery response at first public meeting | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh serves as research site for new test to detect Lyme disease | TribLIVE.com
Philly
Despite Vatican Allowance, Archdiocese of Philadelphia Bans Religious Vaccine Exemptions – DV Journal (delawarevalleyjournal.com)
Texas, Florida and Ohio have the best cities for remote workers – Philadelphia Business Journal (bizjournals.com)
‘I just started screaming’: Philly’s gun violence leaves children with lasting wounds | Analysis | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
Sigh. Another public transit pilot, another missed opportunity for Philly. | Opinion (inquirer.com)
Philly region ranked No. 1 for rodents in homes before the pandemic, when the problem only grew (inquirer.com)
New carpentry program in South Philly gives high school students tools they can use to build on | Jenice Armstrong (inquirer.com)
Philly residents rally in Northeast to support Afghan neighbors and incoming refugees (inquirer.com)
Kenyatta Johnson: We need to get sick and tired or being sick and tired | Local News | phillytrib.com
Gun violence is a disease that needs a vaccine | Local News | phillytrib.com
In an effort to combat Philadelphia gun violence ManUpPHL calls for volunteers to step up | Local News | phillytrib.com
Washington
Stacy Garrity: Joe Biden’s Afghanistan disaster (broadandliberty.com)
Carrie Sheffield: Inflationary $3.5T plan would hurt poor, elderly, minorities (broadandliberty.com)
Pentagon Calls On Commercial Airliners To Help With Afghan Evacuations : NPR
House Democrats Return to D.C. Deeply Divided – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Biden administration pitches asylum overhaul to speed border process | ABC27
US not meeting goal for evacuations from Afghanistan | ABC27
Voting by proxy becomes business as usual in the U.S. House | Analysis | Pennsylvania Capital-Star (penncapital-star.com)
