A prayer said on the floor of the state House causes a controversy, while state Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell is sworn into office. Here is the Playbook.

House Prayer Stirs Controversy: On the day the state House swears-in the first Muslim woman to office, a freshman GOP lawmaker thanked Jesus and President Donald Trump for his unequivocal support for Israel.

SD41: Pittman Receives GOP Nomination: White’s former chief of staff said his top priority will be ensuring the growth and production of the state’s natural gas and coal resources.

Harrisburg & DC  
AP: Freshman’s prayer in Pennsylvania House generates complaints
AP: Surprise? Pennsylvania’s 2020 primary could be competitive
WITF: The Pa. House’s first Muslim woman spent her first day addressing ‘offensive’ invocation
WESA: Senate Special Election Candidates Raised $1M Each In 2019
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Pa. Legislature’s first Muslim woman calls prayer delivered by fellow House member blatant ‘Islamophobia’
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Pa. Democratic U.S. Reps. Matt Cartwright, Conor Lamb, and Susan Wild targeted in new GOP digital ad blitz: report
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: The Mueller Report: Attorney general’s memo to Congress was a ‘book review,’ one Pa. lawmaker says, pressing for full release
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: Veterans could use military experience to get professional licenses under this Senate proposal
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: House committee votes to eliminate cash assistance for disabled adults, people with addiction
PLSReporter: Opening prayer stirs controversy among House lawmakers
PLSReporter: Local businessman makes second attempt at district 37 senate seat
PLSReporter: Movita Johnson-Harrell sworn in as state representative
PLSReporter: Five bills to watch for the week of March 25
PLSReporter: Legislators bring up #MeToo legislation once again   
PLSReporter: DHS removes all students from Glen Mills School
Patriot News: ‘Divisive’ opening prayer given as first Muslim woman is sworn into Pa. House
Patriot News: Pa. House panel votes to end cash assistance to Pa.’s poorest citizens
Patriot News: Bills seek to establish independent process for handling sexual misconduct claims against lawmakers   
PLSReporter: Legislators, veterans highlight need for smoother pathway between military service, professional licenses
StateImpactPA: State investigating potential cancer cluster in Washington County; some residents fear an environmental cause
Beaver County Times: Farm disaster relief available for crops lost to heavy rains in 2018
The Times Leader: Casey hopes Biden will run, stops short of endorsement  
The Times Leader: Casey, other lawmakers weigh in on Mueller probe

Philadelphia
Inquirer: City Council candidate Devon Cade drops legal challenges to 30 primary competitors
Inquirer: More cities need soda taxes like Philly’s, pediatrician group recommends
Inquirer: An enormous Confederate flag is going on display in Philly this week — here’s why
Philly Voice: GOP mayoral candidate Billy Ciancaglini says people calling him ‘a Nazi’ are ‘ridiculous’ and wrong
WHYY Newsworks: Philadelphia City Council starts budget hearings with lots of questions and some answers
Billy Penn: Philly’s sheriff’s office, which operates with little oversight, has doubled in size  
Philadelphia Magazine: Report: Philly Is Gentrifying More Than San Francisco, the Poster Child for Displacement
KYW Newsradio: What to expect when Philly budget hearings begin in City Council

SEPA
Pottstown Mercury: State legislators introduce new #MeToo bills
Inquirer: State orders ‘emergency removal’ of remaining boys at Glen Mills Schools after abuse revelations
Delco Daily Times: District budget, construction finance on the table in Upper Darby

Pittsburgh
WESA: Senate Special Election Candidates Raised $1M Each In 2019
Post-Gazette: Students march across city after Downtown Antwon Rose rally
Post-Gazette: Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner pleads not guilty in Detroit criminal case
Post-Gazette: County to examine Children’s Fund for early learning, after school programs
Post-Gazette: Meeting set on proposed shale gas well at U.S. Steel mill in Mon Valley
AP: Foreman defends acquittal of officer for black teen’s death
AP: Pittsburgh official, husband arraigned in Detroit hotel case
Tribune Review: Commissioner Cerilli won’t comment on campaign money from dead man tied to massage parlor prostitution ring
Tribune Review: Penn Hills school board member resigns to devote more time to fighting injustices
KDKA: Wagner, Husband Plead Not Guilty During Arraignment In Detroit
KDKA: KDKA Investigates: State Grand Jury Probing Shale Gas Industry
City Paper: More than a thousand march in student-led protest calling for justice for Antwon Rose II

SWPA  
Beaver County Times: State Sen. Vogel bill creates Election Law Advisory Board
Beaver County Times: Hearing for county controller petition challenge postponed
Beaver County Times: Farm disaster relief available for crops lost to heavy rains in 2018
Observer-Reporter: Judge to rule today on clerk of courts’ ballot eligibility
Altoona Mirror: Jordan withdraws candidacy for mayor  
Altoona Mirror: Marshall will manage city again as interim
Johnstown Tribune-Democrat: Ebensburg council mulls sale of airport
Johnstown Tribune-Democrat: Mueller report reaction varied

NEPA
The Times Leader: Casey hopes Biden will run, stops short of endorsement  
The Times Leader: Casey, other lawmakers weigh in on Mueller probe
Citizens Voice: W-B police arrest county council candidate
Citizens Voice: ‘I expected it to derail:’ Locals react to Mueller report
Times-Tribune: Scranton School Board appoints new board member, discusses possible elimination of preschool  
Times-Tribune: Debate about City Hall renovation, relocation involves PenFed building  

South Central  
Carlisle Sentinel: Q&A: Sen. Pat Toomey discusses border security, Saudi Arabia, President Trump
Carlisle Sentinel: Residents pack hearing for proposed Shippensburg Township casino
Patriot News: Marijuana legalization talk attracts big Perry County crowd, many arguments for and against
Patriot News: Three Mile Island fuels debate over climate change, carbon emissions and the future of nuclear energy
Patriot News: Public will never know truth behind Three Mile Island, anti-nuclear energy advocates say
Patriot News: Harrisburg Senators and city plan ‘major upgrade’ on City Island, mayor says  
Patriot News: Middletown council, Press & Journal settle court fight over council’s decision to pull ads from the newspaper
LNP | LancasterOnline: No more snow days? Legislation would allow schools to replace snow days with ‘flexible instructional days’  

Lehigh Valley   
Reading Eagle: Longswamp Township supervisor Joyce Marin wants to be Berks County commissioner
Reading Eagle: Court throws out challenge to former Maxatawny official’s nominating petition
Reading Eagle: Reading council presents developer Alan Shuman with a commendation
Reading Eagle: Bankruptcy court approves initial loan to keep Reading Eagle Company operating
Morning Call: Pennsylvania lawmakers’ varied reactions to the Mueller report so far
Morning Call: Politics as Usual

North by Northwest
Centre Daily Times: Borowicz’s prayer in Pennsylvania House generates complaints
Erie Times-News: Gov. Wolf pushes for severance tax during Erie County visit  
Erie Times-News: Millcreek’s Aliota knocks one candidate off ballot  
Erie Times-News: Erie Times-News files right-to-know appeal regarding $100,000 donation  
Erie Times-News: Tentative deal reached on Erie LERTA expansion
Opinion  
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Pass paid parental leave: Family-friendly policy is long overdue in U.S.
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Banking for all: Cities should press for branches in poor areas
Inquirer Editorial Board: Who helped Russia undermine the election? We did.
Inquirer Editorial Board: Is city doing enough to combat sexual harrassment?
Val DiGiorgio: It’s time to move on from the collusion myth
Josh Freed: Closing nuclear plants is a bad deal for Pennsylvanians
John L. Micek: Three Mile Island at 40: ‘We were told a nuclear accident was as likely as a meteor falling from the sky’
John Baer: Holy accountability! Harrisburg is getting some!
John L. Micek: How long will we be debating the Mueller Report? Howzabout ‘Forever?’ | Monday Morning Coffee
Tony Norman: Here come the jurors of tomorrow
Trudy Rubin: Truth about Mueller report: Trump’s behavior provoked it and still helps Russia
Shira Goodman: Maybe, just maybe, we’re doing it wrong. What New Zealand can teach us about gun control
Abraham Gutman: What they’re saying about the Mueller report from left, right and center
John Affleck: March Madness: With gambling legal in eight states, who really wins?
Claudia De Palma: Philadelphia can’t afford the price of hiring bias
Jenice Armstrong: Courtesy titles old-fashioned? Not so fast, as reaction to an old Maya Angelou video reminds us