Say it ain’t snow. Our debate calendar. White says governor’s race his to lose. Could York’s mayor be ousted? Pennsylvanians support funding hike for parks, forests. Here is the Playbook.

PA Weather
Ligonier | Showers and breezy, 42
Lancaster | Slight chance of rain, breezy, 48
Lehighton | Slight chance of showers, breezy, 46

PA Sports
76ers | d. Toronto, 112-97 (leads series 2-0); WED at Toronto
Flyers | tonight at TOR
Penguins | THU vs. BOS
Phillies | lost at COL, 4-1; tonight at COL
Pirates | today at MILW

News

Debate/Forum Calendar: As we close in on 30 days remaining before the May 17 primary, there are currently six forums or debates on the calendar for voters to hear from the candidates.

PA Governor Race: Campaign Believes “Race Is White’s To Lose”: In an internal memo obtained by PoliticsPA, the Dave White campaign believes that the GOP race for governor has been whittled to three candidates and that it is White’s race to lose.

• Follow The Money: GOP Governors Race: All the cycle 1 reports have been turned into the Department of State and the nine candidates vying for the Republican nomination for governor have combined to raise north of $13 million.
• Shapiro Says Sims’ Ad Wrongly Implies Endorsement: An ad by one of three people seeking the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor this year drew a complaint Friday and a sharply worded letter from the party’s presumed nominee for governor.
• Spotlight PA: Pa. primary election 2022: Your guide to the Democratic and GOP candidates for governor
• PennLive: Court challenges filed seeking to have Mastriano, Perry removed from May primary ballot 
• PennLive: Pennsylvania’s GOP gubernatorial candidates to debate Tuesday night 
• Philly Clout: Josh Shapiro to Brian Sims: ‘Cease and desist’ running ad that touts endorsement
• McClatchy: After Senate endorsement, Trump hovers heavily over Pennsylvania governor’s race
• Inquirer: Who’s skipping, what to look for, and how to watch Tuesday’s Republican debate for Pa. governor
• Spotlight PA: Pa. primary election 2022: Watch Spotlight PA’s GOP gubernatorial debate live

PA Senate Race: Oz, Mastriano Head Trafalgar GOP Poll: Another poll of likely Republican voters shows Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano in the lead in the quest for the GOP nominations for U.S. Senate and Governor.

• Inquirer: David McCormick is worth at least $116 million and maybe a lot more, a new report says
• AP: Pa. Senate candidate McCormick earned $22M as hedge fund CEO
• Politico: More Dem Senate hopefuls split with Biden on border

‘Pennsylvania health department to get new acting secretary’: The Associated Press reports that “Pennsylvania’s acting health secretary is leaving the job and Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday his physician general will take over leadership of the department.”

‘Scheller raises 10 times more than Dellicker in Republican primary for 7th Congressional District’: Armchair Lehigh Valley reports that “congressional candidate Lisa Scheller continued to raise more money than opponent Kevin Dellicker in the race to win the Republican nomination in the 7th District, according to the latest campaign expense reports.”

‘Pennsylvania’s plan fails to meet goal for reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, the EPA says’: WITF reports that “Pennsylvania is among Chesapeake Bay watershed states that, under federal law, must reduce pollution going into the bay by 2025. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the state is not on track to meet its reduction target.”

‘Pa. state agencies used less energy in 2021, but lagged on electric vehicle goals’: WHYY reports that “in the last three years, Pennsylvania state agencies’ energy use went down more than 12%, according to a report from the Pennsylvania GreenGov Council released Friday. But the state is falling behind on goals to buy electric vehicles.”

‘Doctors oppose bill that would let pharmacists continue to vaccinate children after pandemic’: WHYY reports that “a bipartisan bill in Harrisburg aims to permanently allow pharmacists and trained pharmacy staff members to vaccinate children. The temporary privilege is set to expire whenever the COVID-19 public health emergency ends.”

‘POLL: Pennsylvanians support funding hike for parks, forests’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “a majority of Pennsylvanians support increasing funding for the commonwealth’s 121 state parks and 2.2 million acres of state forest, according to a new poll.”

‘Confirmed avian influenza case has Pa. agriculture officials on high alert’: PennLive reports that “with a confirmed positive case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza appearing in the heart of Pennsylvania’s poultry country, state officials are on high alert to try to prevent it from spreading to more poultry farms.”

‘Pa. prison union says they need to fill 600 guard positions, but are staffing woes self-inflicted?’: PennLive reports that “Pennsylvania corrections officers say they need to fill more than 600 guard positions in prisons across the state and they want to use federal COVID relief money to help do it.”

Legislative Election Updates

‘Wave of GOP primary challengers seek Harrisburg shakeup over mail-in voting, pandemic response’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “driven by anger that started building up two years ago during the early days of COVID, Pennsylvania’s legislative Republicans face double-digit challenges in next month’s primary elections.”

‘Across Pa., progressive incumbent Dems aren’t getting party endorsements’: WHYY reports that “Philadelphia’s Democratic committee, which typically backs incumbents or stays out of contested primaries, last week officially endorsed Giangiordano over Fiedler — a snub that came with little explanation from the party insiders who made the call.”

‘Janet Diaz and Izzy Smith-Wade-El vying in May 17 primary to represent new 49th Legislative District’: LNP | LancasterOnline reports that “Democrats Janet Diaz and Izzy Smith-Wade-El both hope to trade a seat on Lancaster City Council for one in the Legislature.”

‘Two Democratic candidates vying for Dauphin County state House seat removed from ballot’: PennLive reports that “two Democratic candidates running for a Dauphin County state House seat were knocked off the primary election ballot after a successful challenge to signatures they collected, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.”

‘Andre Carroll hopes to bring his lived experience to the Pa. House’: Philadelphia Gay News reports that “Andre Carroll wants to see more elected officials who have lived experiences similar to the people they’ll represent.”

Regional Spotlight: Central
LNP | LancasterOnline: Without vote, Republican commissioners remove mail-in ballot dropbox from Lancaster County building 
LNP | LancasterOnline: Guidelines set for how Lancaster County citizens and organizations can apply for ARPA funding
LNP | LancasterOnline: How should Lancaster County spend $106 million in federal cash? Commissioners to seek public input
York Dispatch: Who will represent Michael Helfrich in oath lawsuit? Council may decide
York Dispatch: The future of Mayor Michael Helfrich will soon go before a judge
PennLive: Cumberland Valley to review 3 books in school library being challenged as unsuitable for kids 
PennLive: Hershey attorney to receive Pa. Bar Association excellence award
PennLive: Mansfield University receives $7 million loan to sustain operations 
PennLive: Six-week program aims to boost minority business owners in Harrisburg area
Inquirer: A Pa. agency approves $235 million sale of York sewer system to Pa. American
LNP | LancasterOnline: Former Lancaster mayor questions process around using city’s ARPA cash for Marietta Ave. lot
LNP | LancasterOnline: Lancaster farmer admits struggles with following federal judge’s orders concerning food safety
Carlisle Sentinel: Cumberland County officials recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month, plant pinwheels to honor victims 

Opinion  
Fred Keller: Biden’s inflation tax is here to stay
Kyle Sammin: Is Trump really a ‘kingmaker’? Let’s see what happens from his Oz endorsement
John L. Micek: These are the 10 best-funded PACs in Pa. politics | Monday Morning Coffee
John L. Micek: Pa.’s 2022 primary is a race for the base of the base. Why that’s a problem | Friday Morning Coffee
Mark O’Keefe: Democrats can win on the issues. But they need to sell them
Inquirer Editorial Board: 50 shootings during the weekend warns of a deadly summer in Philly 
Inquirer Editorial Board: Compassion is hard to come by in Pennsylvania’s broken prison system.
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: End COVID emergency while avoiding another crisis 
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: A tale of two jurisdictions: Pittsburgh police got it right on Saturday; Wilkinsburg didn’t
LNP | LancasterOnline Editorial Board: If we want skilled people to keep working in child care, we’re going to need to pay them more 
Doug Badger and Kevin Dayaratna: Clinging to emergency powers won’t stop the spread of COVID 
Bryan Cummings: We can avoid mask mandates if we do a better job of removing COVID from indoor air | Expert Opinion
John Eckenrode: 16-hour workdays, plummeting morale: Staffing at Pa. prison is a crisis 
Erich Pratt: What the left gets wrong about ‘ghost guns’ 
Cindy O’Brien: Public schools face unrelenting pressure from the left
Christopher Witko: The U.S. tax system is grossly unfair to the middle class
Merlyn Clarke: The real school choice: Paying for career/technical education or charter schools
Tnika Lewis, Amy Rabin, Juanita Smith and Jason Diggs: Telehealth must remain an option for Pennsylvanians
Dr. Denise Alston: Oral hygiene is essential for good health at every age
John Cole: Donald Trump’s Pa. primary ‘Easter egg’ | Editorial Cartoon
Chris Kirchner: Pinwheels are a reminder of the work ahead of us during Child Abuse Prevention Month 
Dick Polman: A pro-Putin president of France? Quelle horreur 
Mayra Skinner: Let sick and elderly prisoners like my brother come home 
Aaron M. Kinzer: In prison, a phone was my lifeline. Until I got caught with it.