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PA Weather 
Connellsville | Mostly Sunny, 79
Williamsport | Mostly Cloudy, Chance of Showers, 76
Pottstown | Partly Sunny, 80

PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (61-51) | Tue-Thu vs. Washington
⚾ Pirates (51-61) | Atlanta 7-6 | Tue-Thu vs. Atlanta
⚽ Union | Tue vs. NY Red Bulls (Leagues Cup Rd of 16)

What We’re Hearing
“I’m committed to lead the effort to recruit and train Young Republicans from across our Commonwealth to run for public office and make a difference in their communities,” said state Rep. Thomas Kutz (R-Cumberland), on his bid for Chair of the PA Young Republicans. 

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Top Story

1. PA State Police announce body camera pilot program.

“Pennsylvania State Police officials announced a new body camera pilot program for select state troopers ahead of a planned statewide rollout.

The pilot program, which began two weeks ago, applies to patrol troopers in Troop H, Carlisle, who will wear the cameras while on duty. Eighteen cameras will be shared between 43 troopers as a way to reduce costs, according to the State Police.” (City & State PA)

Related

State Police begin wearing body cameras as part of a $40M pilot program in south-central Pa. “The Pennsylvania State Police have started a body-camera pilot program in south-central Pennsylvania, a long-awaited move that came less than two months after a fatal police shooting of a Glen Mills car enthusiast on I-95 in Philadelphia.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Pa. State Police troopers start testing body-worn cameras. “Pennsylvania State Police said Monday they have launched a new – and hopefully, final – pilot of body-worn cameras for its roughly 4,650 troopers.” (PennLive)

Pennsylvania State Police launch body camera initiative. “Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris has announced the start of a pilot program that has been designed to help departments become ready for implementing body-worn cameras.” (ABC27)

State

2. Gov. Josh Shapiro praises High Steel Structures Inc. for its work to help rebuild the I-95 bridge.

“Gov. Josh Shapiro visited High Steel Structures Inc. on Monday to praise the East Lampeter Township company for its work to help rebuild the I-95 bridge destroyed in a June 11 fatal tanker truck crash that forced the temporary shutdown of a section of the heavily traveled highway in Philadelphia.” (LNP | LancasterOnline)

Related

Gov. touts I-95 rebuild progress at steel factory in Lancaster. “In a visit to Lancaster’s High Steel Structures, the company tasked with creating the steel beams that will be used in the permanent rebuild project of the I-95 bridge that collapsed in June, Pa. Governor Josh Shapiro took a moment to celebrate how quickly workers were able to work together to move the project forward.” (NBC Philadelphia) 

Lancaster County fabricator playing big role in I-95 rebuild. “Gov. Josh Shapiro visited High Steel Structures, which recently completed the first of 16 steel girders that will be used to rebuild I-95 in Philadelphia.” (WGAL)

The Whole-Home Repairs program is remaking the housing landscape. “The first-of-its-kind legislation has garnered so much demand from residents across the commonwealth that Democrats are already calling for the program to get consistent funding in future years.” (City & State PA)

Pennsylvania cuts at least 137,000 people from its Medicaid program as some participants fight paperwork denials. “At least 137,000 people have been terminated from Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program since April, when a pandemic-era rule that had guaranteed continuous enrollment in the low-income health insurance program ended.” (WHYY)

Who are prominent Pennsylvanians endorsing for president? Your guide. “The USA TODAY Network is keeping a running tally of these endorsements because of the commonwealth’s importance on the electoral map. Pennsylvania is widely considered a “purple” battleground state, its 19 Electoral College votes critical to winning the White House.” (USA Today)

Bill would ensure VA services are accessible for veterans with disabilities. “U.S Sen. Bob Casey, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott have introduced the Veterans Accessibility Act to ensure that the VA complies with federal disability laws and makes its programs accessible for people with disabilities.” (Times Leader)

Federal agency asks for public input on proposal to implement Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. “The U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) publicly shared a proposed regulation on the federal register Monday that it says will allow the agency to enforce a recently enacted law expanding workplace protections to pregnant workers.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Report gives suggestions to improve safety on Pennsylvania’s rural roads. “Rural America has 20% of the country’s population and 46% of the nation’s car crashes. A lack of resources, both in cash and workers, poses a challenge to avoiding wrecks and deaths.” (The Center Square)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Kutz Launches Bid to Lead PA Young Republicans.

“A freshman lawmaker has thrown his hat in the ring to lead the Pennsylvania Young Republicans.

State Rep. Thomas Kutz (R-Cumberland) sent out a press release on Monday announcing his candidacy to serve as Chair of the Pennsylvania Young Republicans for the 2024-2025 term.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Amtrak officials, Pa. and NJ Congressmen members tour potential train station sites for service to NYC. “Passenger train service from Scranton to New York City just got one step closer to becoming a reality. Monday, Amtrak officials joined PA and New Jersey Congressmen to tour sites for potential train stations.” (WFMZ)

Penn State gender pay gap is among worst compared to public Big Ten schools, federal data show. “Penn State is facing at least one allegation of wage discrimination, while salary data show the university’s gender pay gap is among the worst in the Big Ten.” (Spotlight PA)

Legal challenge seeks to bump Working Families Party candidate from ballot for Philly city commissioner. “A bipartisan group of voters filed a legal challenge Monday to remove a Working Families Party candidate running for city commissioner in Philadelphia from November’s general election ballot.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Public safety concerns provide openings for Allegheny County’s candidates in November elections. “The topic of public safety has been a hot one in Pittsburgh this summer — from a debate over whether a recent report on the city’s police staffing is on point, to the designation of a patrol unit specifically to focus on curbing issues on the South Side, to Mayor Ed Gainey’s announcement of a peace initiative to connect with community groups and encourage suitable conflict resolution.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

City councilor says property owners should take responsibility for ‘problematic’ bars. “City Councilor Bruce Kraus — who has represented the area for 15 years — argues that another group should be part of the debate about the neighborhood’s atmosphere: commercial property owners.” (WESA)

Judge denies Pittsburgh Post-Gazette request to bar workers from picketing on company property. “An Allegheny County judge has denied the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s request for an injunction against its unionized employees, who’ve been on strike for the past 10 months.” (WESA)

Lancaster home rule commission gets overview of city’s finances, approves preliminary budget. “Members of Lancaster’s home rule study commission got an overview of the city’s finances from an outside adviser at last Thursday’s meeting and approved a preliminary budget for their work.” (LNP | LancasterOnline)

Philadelphia is among the top cities on the planet for marijuana consumption, study says. “Philadelphia is among the largest cannabis-consuming cities on the planet, according to one new study.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Report: First-time homebuyers in Philly area need to make more to afford a starter home. “The hits keep coming for first-time homebuyers in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.” (WHYY)

Parkside councilman arrested in shopliftings suspended of all paid duties. “Parkside Borough Council recently voted to suspend Councilman Robert A. Powers from his paid positions with the borough.” (Delaware County Daily Times)

Beaver County Commissioners offering funds for police and fire department mergers. “As many police and fire departments across western Pennsylvania continue to face low funding and personnel shortages, Beaver County Commissioners are offering incentives for communities to combine their public safety forces.” (Beaver County Times)

Cumberland County attorney, developer charged with assaulting cops with flagpole during Jan. 6 riot. “Federal investigators on Monday arrested a Cumberland County attorney and real estate developer, accusing him of assaulting officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.” (PennLive)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Josh Shapiro is showing how to break the politics of resentment (E.J. Dionne Jr.)
• Visit a prison; it’ll change your mind about them (Marla Brown)
• Between Biden’s baggage and Trump’s indictments, the country needs a fresh start (Kyle Sammin)
• By stalling on RGGI, here’s what Pa. residents are missing (Joseph Otis Minott)
• Memo to Madam Mayor: Radically Rethink Transit (Robert Ravelli)
• Cherelle Parker Can Solve Our Housing Crisis (Jon Geeting)
• With new weapons slow to arrive from NATO allies, Ukraine surprises Putin with sea drones (Trudy Rubin)
• One summer movie shows how dangerous artificial intelligence can be | Youth Views (Aarushi Dedhiya)

1 Thing

5. AI has come for the Phillie Phanatic. Grab your hot dog cannons.

“The marketing team of an online sports book is the latest to get AI fever. This time, they’ve come for the Phillie Phanatic, our beloved green bird from the Galapagos, and tried to offer a cold dead-in-the-eyes wannabe.

Companies can’t keep getting away with this.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

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