☀️ Thursday. For many, the end of the work week.

PA Weather
Mercer | Mostly Sunny, 76
Boiling Springs | Sunny, 81
Milford | Mostly Sunny, 78

PA Sports
Pirates (34-32) | Cubs 6-10 | Th vs. Chicago Cubs
Phillies (34-34) | Arizona 4-3 (10) | Th vs. Arizona

What We’re Hearing
“It’s been a great opportunity to get to know colleagues in both parties. And it was a real honor to rep the Buccos … while raising money for a good cause.” – Rep. Chris Deluzio on the Congressional Baseball Game, won by the GOP, 16-5.

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. John Lawrence.

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Top Story

1. Shapiro Offers Plan For I-95 Reconstruction

“I want to get this road reopened as quickly as possible. I’m competitive, just like this great city. All of us here today. The trades, PennDOT, the city, the feds. This is our championship and we are ready to go. And I’m proud as hell to be on the team with all these guys and gals standing behind me here today.”

With those words, Gov. Josh Shapiro revealed plans to safely and quickly reopen the section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia that was damaged in a Sunday morning tanker truck fire. (PoliticsPA)

Related

PA Using Tons Of Recycled Glass Nuggets To Rebuild Collapsed I-95. “Pennsylvania will truck in 2,000 tons of lightweight glass nuggets to help quickly rebuild a collapsed section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and crews will work 24 hours a day until they can reopen the critical commercial artery, officials said Wednesday.” (AP)

How Recycled Glass Bottles Will Be Used To Rebuild I-95. “Called foamed glass aggregate, it is being used to build up the damaged section of the Cottman Avenue exit ramp. Workers will deposit 15,000 cubic yards of the stuff to support a temporary, six-lane highway while contractors rebuild the bridge that collapsed in a tanker fire Sunday” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

‘This Is Not Going To Stop’: Some PA Trump Supporters Are Tired And Looking For Alternatives. “As the unprecedented federal case against a former president unfolds, some Trump supporters in Pennsylvania are backing away from him, either doubtful of his electability or weary of the negative attention he attracts.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Biden Will Get A Big Union Endorsement Ahead Of His Philly Visit On Saturday. “The AFL-CIO will endorse President Joe Biden ahead of his rally with union members in Philadelphia on Saturday, according to two sources familiar with the plan.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Biden Offers $9B Reasons For Pennsylvanians To Re-Elect Him. “In advance of the 2024 election, when Pennsylvania will again be a major battleground, President Joe Biden recently announced that the state already has received $9 billion for infrastructure, plus another $2 billion in private investment spurred by legislation he signed into law.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

State

2. Republicans Want Self-Funders To Run For Senate. Their Record Is Far From Stellar

“Few things make political operatives more excited about a candidate than finding a self-funder — that is, a personally wealthy candidate who can foot the bill for their own campaign.

The track record of such self-funding candidates, however, is far less sterling and demonstrates the hubris of thinking money can paper over voters’ skepticism.” (The Messenger)

Related

Reschenthaler’s Trips, Deluzio’s Investments, And More Highlights From Lawmakers’ Finances. “Members of Congress are required to file annual statements of their financial holdings, privately funded trips, outside income, and any positions they or their spouses hold. The House filings were released Wednesday, while the Senate reports were released earlier.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

House Bipartisan Caucus Rolls Out Agenda. In a day of partisan politics, it can be refreshing to hear that representatives from both sides of the aisle want to meet to discuss the issues of the day without the inevitable posturing. (PoliticsPA)

Long Term Care Providers Seek Funds To Cope With Caring For Growing Senior Population. “Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities face a slew of issues, including staffing and budgetary shortages, that brought frontline caregivers to the state Capitol on Wednesday to ask lawmakers for more funding.” (PennLive)

PA House Panel Approves Lifting Trooper Cap, Votes On Pet Custody Rules. “A House committee voted unanimously Wednesday to lift the longstanding legal cap on how many troopers can be hired by the Pennsylvania State Police.” (Capitolwire)

PA House OKs Bills To Increase Phone Bill Fees To Support 911, 888. “Measures to raise fees on millions of phone bills in Pennsylvania passed the state House of Representatives on Wednesday in a bid to bolster funding for county-run emergency communication centers and the state’s 988 suicide hotline.” (AP)

PA Lawmakers Ask For Investigations After Gaming Regulators Met Privately With Casino Lobbyists. “Two Pennsylvania lawmakers have requested investigations into the state Gaming Control Board following a Spotlight PA story that detailed how top officials met privately with casino lobbyists about a major competitor and failed to disclose the meeting on public logs required by the regulatory agency’s ethics rules.” (Spotlight PA) 

Around The Commonwealth

3. ‘Simply Disgraceful’: Advocates Urge Lawmakers To Fund Improvements To School Facilities

“State lawmakers and advocates cited testimony from the fair funding case, in which the Commonwealth Court deemed the current model of funding public schools unconstitutional, as proof of the need to invest more in school facility maintenance and improvement projects.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Related

Dugan Resigning As Public Defender To Focus On Campaign For Allegheny County DA. “Matt Dugan told KDKA’s Marty Griffin that he wants to focus on his family after a grueling primary race — and to prepare an unusual general election rematch against Mr. Zappala in November.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Luzerne County DA Releases Report On Election Paper Shortage. “A Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office investigation of the November general election paper shortage found no evidence of criminal intent or activity, according to a copy of the report released Wednesday by District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce.” (Times Leader)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Inequitable Charter School Enrollment Practices Hurt Our Public Schools. (Sophia Seifert)
• Scrupulously Fair Trial For Trump Will Affirm American Values. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• PA Governors’ First State Budget Deals Can Get Dicey. Will Shapiro’s? (John Baer)
• Investing In Mental Health Is Better Today, Tomorrow. (Rep. Mike Schlossberg)
• Prosperity Is Possible. (Ashley Klingensmith)
• Haverford’s Curriculum Curation Doesn’t Get The Same Treatment As Other Districts’ In The Mainstream Press. (Broad + Liberty)

1 Thing

5. AI Versus The Spotted Lanternfly

An autonomous robot developed at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science uses AI to detect egg masses laid by the spotted lanternfly and a mechanical arm to suck them off the sides of trees and elsewhere.

How it works: The robot, called TartanPest, “pairs computer vision with a robotic arm attached to an electric tractor,” according to Carnegie Mellon. (See a video of it in action)

It traverses fields and forests to stamp out egg masses, which “contain 30-50 eggs and are often found on trees, rocks, outdoor furniture and rusty metal surfaces,” the school said.
Developed at the school’s Robotics Institute, the TartanPest “uses a deep learning model refined on an augmented image data set created from 700 images of spotted lanternfly egg masses from iNaturalist.” (Axios)

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