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PA Weather
☀️ Pittsburgh | Sunny, 92
☀️ Harrisburg | Sunny, 93
☀️ Philadelphia | Partly Sunny, 94

PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (76-61) | San Diego 9-7 | Tue-Wed vs. San Diego
⚾ Pirates (64-74) | Milwaukee 4-2 | Tue-Wed vs. Milwaukee
🏈 Penn State (1-0) | West Virginia 38-15 | Sat vs. Delaware
🏈 Pitt (1-0) | Wofford 45-7 | Sat vs. Cincinnati
🏈 Temple (1-0) | Akron 24-21 | Sat vs. Rutgers
⚽ Union (14-4-8) | NY Red Bulls 4-1 | Sat vs. Cincinnati

What We’re Hearing
“First, in a free and pluralistic society, it’s never good to have the leadership be dominated by one side — especially if it’s way over on the right or way over on the left. It’s unhealthy. It’s extreme. And it leads to poor outcomes.” – Douglas Heuck

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Top Story

1. The Broken Politics of Allegheny County

“If you take any kind of serious look at Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, you would be hard-pressed to disagree with the observation that we are moving in the wrong direction — quickly — and that we need leadership that understands our problems and how to solve them.

Whether we want to face it or not, this region is in a period of crisis, demographically and economically. And yet, we are on the verge of having the weakest and least experienced political leadership — on every level — since I moved here 38 years ago.

Virtually the entire leadership group of Allegheny County is way over on the political left. There isn’t a moderate among them, and now we are one election away from an ironclad political domination of Allegheny County by far left “Progressives.” I’ll also add here, that in my view, politics in Allegheny County is broken and on the verge of leading us into a cascading decline.” (Pittsburgh Quarterly)

Related

Special Counsel Election Probe Continues With Focus On Fundraising, Voting Equipment Breaches. “Questions asked of two recent witnesses indicate Special Counsel Jack Smith is focusing on how money raised off baseless claims of voter fraud was used to fund attempts to breach voting equipment in several states won by Joe Biden, according to multiple sources familiar with the ongoing investigation, including Pennsylvania.” (CNN)

President Biden Touts Unions, Rips ‘The Last Guy’ In Labor Day Speech In Philadelphia. “President Joe Biden started his Labor Day remarks by thanking local Philadelphia union leaders, including Sheetmetal Workers Local 19 business manager Gary Masino, for hosting the day’s event. He also shouted out local elected officials, joking that he and Mayor Jim Kenney talk so often, it’s probably more than either talks to their own staff.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• New Biden 2024 Ad To Debut In PA (PA Capital-Star)

McConnell’s Frailty Casts Pall Over GOP Ahead Of 2024 Election. “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s health woes risk spilling into the 2024 race, where Republicans face new questions about whether their top tactician and fundraising magnet is up to the task of reclaiming the majority.” (Bloomberg News)

State

2. A Guide To The Candidates For PA Supreme Court

“The state Supreme Court is the final stop for lawsuits in Pennsylvania. Its seven members have the last word on legal questions about everything from election policy to abortion, and also oversee the commonwealth’s other courts and regulate the legal profession, including administering the state bar and disciplining lawyers who violate ethics rules.” (Spotlight PA)

Related

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Administration Has Slashed Wait Times And Backlogs For State Approvals And Licenses. “Shapiro’s administration has made significant progress, after completing the first-ever catalog of all 2,400 state permits, certificates, licenses, and other necessary filings to begin working or start a business in the state.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Cash Is King – Or At Least It Used To Be – And PA Lawmakers Want To Keep It That Way. “A state lawmaker wants to apply the brakes to businesses moving away from accepting cash for purchases. Rep. Russ Diamond sees this trend as creating an inconvenience and hardship to shoppers who lack access to a credit or debit card or some other form of digital payment.” (PennLive)

Shapiro Refuses To Intervene On PA Police Officer Data Disclosure. “Pennsylvania will not release a state-maintained database of certified police officers, even after a national coalition of newsrooms asked Gov. Josh Shapiro to intervene.” (Spotlight PA)

PA’s Second Family Announces Birth of Daughter. “The Second Lady and I are thrilled to announce the arrival of our daughter, Harper. We are grateful for the doctors, nurses and our doula for their care over the past nine months and during the delivery. They supported Blayre throughout her pregnancy and ensured her birthing experience was empowering.” (PoliticsPA)

Mastriano Announces Plan To Require EMS To Report Overdoses. “State Sen. Doug Mastriano has announced plans for legislation to require emergency medical services personnel to report overdose incidents to a statewide mapping effort launched by a 2022 law.” (Capitolwire)

PA Tracks Child Abuse In Ways That Could Be Unfair, And Long-Lasting, Study Says. “The study found that Black Pennsylvanians are twice as likely to be on the state’s child abuse registry. Between 2015 and 2021, Black people, who make up 12% of the state’s general population, represented an average of 22% of child abuse investigations and an average of 23% of substantiated cases.” (WITF)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Property Taxes Divide Allegheny County Executive Candidates, And Philly’s Experience Looms Large

“Allegheny County’s property tax assessment system will effectively be on the November ballot as political and governmental calendars align to give voters a clear choice on the future of the problematic property levy.

Even as the system appears ripe for change amid litigation and criticism that it unfairly taxes lower-income communities and new homebuyers, voters are set to choose a new county executive for the first time in 12 years this November.” (Public Source)

Related

Philly Mayoral Candidate David Oh Once Apologized For Saying He Was A Green Beret. But He Now Repeats The Claims. “The Green Berets are the Army’s elite special operations force known for their distinctive headwear. Members don’t take kindly to those who falsely claim to be part of it.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Sen. Williams Has A Plan to Fix Philly’s Crime Problem: Spank Your Kids. ““Spare the rod, spoil the child” may not actually be in the Bible, but it was on the mind of Delaware Valley state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams during a recent podcast interview with DVJournal.” (DV Journal)

Why This PA Lawmaker Thinks Child Influencers Need Legal Protection. “At a moment when even toddlers are growing online audiences of millions, a Pennsylvania lawmaker believes the commonwealth should become the latest state to protect children from labor and financial exploitation on social media platforms.” (Beaver County Times)

PA Says This Viral Outbreak Is Over. What This Means For The State Agriculture Industry. “A $1.6 billion industry for Pennsylvania is finally returning to normal operations.” (Erie Times-News)

DCED Supports Injunction Imposed On City of DuBois Halting Payments to Manager. “The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has notified the DuBois City Council that it is in support of a Clearfield County Court injunction which has temporarily halted the negotiation of a contract buyout of criminally-charged city Manager John “Herm” Suplizio.” (DuBois Courier Express)

Clarion Judge Rules Candidate Can’t Be Listed On Ballots. “Clarion County Judge Sara Seidle-Patton has sustained the challenges filed against Independent candidate Andy Montana, preventing him from being listed on the November election ballot.” (The Derrick)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Sorry, But We’re Not Getting Rid of Donald Trump That Easily. (Kyle Sammin)
• Democrats Beware: These Black Voters Are Fed Up, And Looking For A Political Home. (Salena Zito)
• ERIC Is Partisan, Expensive And Ineffective. Pennsylvania Should Leave It. (Sen. Cris Dush)
• Workers In PA Continue To Have , And Use, Real Leverage Over Employers. (Kim Lyons)
• PA Legislature Runs Secrecy Machine. (Citizens Voice)
• Could Pennsylvania’s Emission Standards Wreck Our Auto Industry And Energy Sector? (Ken Brier)
• Shapiro Must Rally Rescue Posse. (Chris Kelly)
• Allegheny County Executive Race – Looking For Real Change. (Joseph Sabino Mistick)
• Fancy, Expense-Paid Trips And Free Phillies World Series Tickets Benefit State Lawmakers, Not Their Constituents. (LNP)

1 Thing

5. Heat Wave

🥵HEAT OUTLOOK🥵
Tuesday: Similar to Monday 🟰
Wednesday: Hottest day of the week 📈
Thursday: A few degrees cooler in NW PA 🌡️
Friday: The heat finally breaks (except SE PA) 📉#PAwx pic.twitter.com/PRcbhmsCY5

— NWS State College (@NWSStateCollege) September 5, 2023

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