👋 Hello, Thursday. Game 7. OT Winner. Congrats Hershey Bears on winning the Calder Cup.

PA Weather
Altoona | Cloudy, chance of rain, 66
Reading | Showers diminishing, 67
Carbondale | Cloudy, 64

PA Sports
Phillies (38-35) | Atlanta ppd | Th vs. Atlanta
Pirates (34-39) | Cubs 3-8 | Th-Sun vs. Miami
Union (9-5-4) | Orlando City 2-2 | Sat vs. Inter Miami

What’s Happening Today
The House will convene at 9a, while the Senate will convene at 11a. U.S. Supreme Court could hand down decisions at 10a.

What We’re Hearing
“My own colleagues vilify me when I vote with Republicans at times. Democrats and Republicans all have good ideas, right? They do.” – Sen. Lisa Boscola

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Top Story

1. Abortion Ruling Hands Democrats A Political Gift: An Issue That Wins Elections

“When President Biden rallied Democrats last September ahead of the midterm elections, he predicted the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade set off major electoral ramifications.

“Republicans have awakened a powerful force in this country: women,” Biden said. “Here you come.”

And he was right.” (The Hill)

Related

Bipartisan Group Of PA Legislators Announce Their Affiliation With Centrist Forward Party. “Four members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly on Wednesday became the first lawmakers in the state to affiliate with the burgeoning centrist Forward Party.” (PennLive)

State Lawmakers Join Forces With The Forward Party. “Andrew Yang’s newly established Forward Party is taking root in Pennsylvania.” (City & State)

• Boscola To Affiliate With New Forward Party. What Does That Mean For Lehigh Valley Democrat’s Future? (Morning Call)

A Push To Repeal PA’s Closed Primaries Is Up For Discussion (Again) In Harrisburg. “A state House committee on Thursday will consider two pieces of legislation that would eliminate Pennsylvania’s closed primary system, which leaves independent voters out of the early stages of the election process.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

State

2. Efforts To Overturn PA’s Landmark Education Funding Lawsuit Thwarted

“The Commonwealth Court judge who found Pennsylvania’s school funding unconstitutional earlier this year has rejected an attempt by Republican lawmakers to overturn her ruling. The Wednesday decision by Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer means it’s up to lawmakers to fix the state’s broken school funding system — unless they decide to appeal.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Senate Confirms Cabinet Nominations Of Davis-Jones, Walker. “The Pennsylvania Senate confirmed two more of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s cabinet nominations on Wednesday, bringing the total to 11.” (PoliticsPA)

PA Lawmakers Eye Liberalization Of Medical Marijuana Rules. “Pennsylvania state senators began advancing legislation Wednesday that would liberalize the state’s 5-year-old medical marijuana program by expanding the scope of who can buy it and allowing it to be sold in edible form.” (AP)

The PoliticsPA Interview: Keir Bradford-Grey. PoliticsPA had the opportunity to talk with the newest candidate for state Attorney General who is making her first venture into politics. (PoliticsPA)

PA State Police To Begin Equipping Troopers With Body Cameras This Summer. “Body cameras will start rolling out this summer to about half of the roughly 4,500 Pennsylvania State Police troopers, according to a department spokesperson.” (Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Natural Gas Impact Fee Revenue Up 19% As Capacity Issues Remain. “The natural gas impact fee that brings in revenue to local and state governments in Pennsylvania hit a new high of nearly $279 million.” (The Center Square)

Around The Commonwealth

3. The I-95 Live Cam Is The Sleeper Hit of The Season

“There’s new must-see TV in the Philadelphia region. It’s nothing streaming on Netflix, not any star-studded offering out of New York or L.A.

Instead, it’s a lot of little guys in yellow vests walking around and working heavy machinery on a construction site in Northeast Philly. There’s no high drama, no close-ups, no narration. Just action — constant, steady, sure. Almost hypnotic. And we can’t seem to look away.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

An Energy Telemarketer Called The Head Of The Office That Monitors Energy Telemarketing. It Didn’t Go Well. “It was a mix of bad behavior and bad luck that landed Great American Power in its current predicament. The Georgia-based company that sells electricity to consumers in Pennsylvania and Maryland is facing a litany of allegations of deceptive telemarketing after an investigation by state regulators.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Shapiro Nominates Ruggiero To Fill Lackawanna County Judge Vacancy. “Gov. Josh Shapiro has nominated Lackawanna County solicitor Frank J. Ruggiero to fill a vacant county judgeship until January.” (Times-Tribune)

Legislators Offer Comments On Passage Of Minimum Wage Bill. “State Rep. Jim Haddock on Tuesday voted for legislation that would increase Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2026. Haddock was joined by fellow Luzerne County Democrat Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, who noted that it’s been 16 years since the last minimum wage increase in Pennsylvania.” (Times Leader)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• When It Comes To Smart And Efficient Fixes For Philly’s Problems, Why Stop At I-95? (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Dissenting Votes Should Be Applauded Amid Political Rhetoric. (Tribune-Review)
• As Out of The Ordinary As ‘Trump World’ Is, It Could Get More Bizarre. (John Baer)
• Unequal School Funding Shows Why We Still Need Affirmative Action. (David M. Stone)
• We Should Continue To Improve PA’s Elections. (Jeff Greenburg)
• PA Highway Collapse Shows How Vulnerable How Roads Are. (Joyce M. Davis)

1 Hockey Thing

5. Bears Bring Home Calder Cup

Mike Vecchione scored the championship-winning goal with 3:41 remaining in the first overtime period to lift the Hershey Bears to a 3-2 victory over the Coachella Valley Firebirds and their 12th Calder Cup title as AHL champions.

The Bears trailed 2-0 early in the second period before tying the match on goals from Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre before the end of the frame.

Bear goalie Hunter Shepard made 45 saves and was named the MVP of the Calder Cup playoffs. (more from PennLive)

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