Dr. Oz is reportedly expected to launch a GOP run for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. Here is the Playbook. 

News

‘Dr. Oz is expected to join Pa.’s U.S. Senate race’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “Pennsylvania Republican insiders say celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz is likely to join Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, perhaps as soon as this week.”

‘Pa. lawmakers prepare for a month of intense redistricting negotiations’: WHYY reports that “lawmakers in charge of redrawing Pennsylvania’s congressional maps are hoping to release their proposals within the next two weeks.”

‘Pa. House Majority Leader diagnosed with breakthrough case of COVID-19’: FOX43 reports that “Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Mifflin) has been diagnosed with a breakthrough case of COVID-19.”

‘Pa. Rep. Mark Gillen tests positive for COVID’: The Reading Eagle reports that “a lawmaker who represents Berks County in the state House of Representatives has contracted the coronavirus. Mark Gillen, 66, announced Monday afternoon that he has tested positive for COVID.”

‘Pennsylvania’s child care and staffing crisis, by the numbers’: Spotlight PA reports that “as a roughly $2 trillion social spending plan moves through Congress, transformational change could be on the horizon for child care in Pennsylvania and across the country. But now, an industry pivotal to the state’s economic recovery is facing severe staffing shortages.”

‘CDC is fixing its Pa. vaccine data after reports of inaccuracy’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “the CDC has acknowledged it misreported Pennsylvania’s coronavirus vaccination rates by not using updated data from the Commonwealth, an error that this month caused it to wrongly rank the state as first in the nation for adults with at least one dose.”

‘Montgomery County DA asks U.S. Supreme Court to review the state court ruling that freed Bill Cosby’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “Montgomery County prosecutors are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Pennsylvania court ruling that overturned Bill Cosby’s conviction this year and freed him from prison.”

‘Staffing shortages are holding back drug addiction treatment. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro says opioid settlement funds can help’: The Allentown Morning Call reports that “starting next year, funds from a recently settled opioid lawsuit will be doled out to local and county governments to help solve the problems caused by addiction to opioids and other drugs, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said at a Monday news conference.”

‘Faculty retirements at Pa. state universities are double the number of a typical year’: PennLive reports that “nearly half of the 165 faculty members who signed up for its most recent incentive to retire by next summer work at a Pennsylvania state university slated for consolidation in the 2022-23 school year.”

‘Doyle says Biden’s infrastructure plan will make broadband more accessible and equitable’: WESA reports that “U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle of Pittsburgh says President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan will make broadband access and upgrades to existing lines more equitable and that his work in Congress has helped lay the groundwork for those changes.”

‘Labor Secretary Marty Walsh Says Build Back Better Will Help Retrain Workers For Pittsburgh’s Jobs Of The Future’: KDKA reports that “U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said the president’s Build Back Better plan, now awaiting a Senate vote, is a job bill that will help this region.”

‘Witnesses testify in Pennsylvania school funding lawsuit, decision still weeks away’: WESA reports that “a landmark case is underway in Commonwealth Court on how the state funds school districts. The plaintiffs argue the government has underfunded certain districts so much that the state has violated its own constitution.”

‘City Council will debate limits on outside employment in wake of Bobby Henon’s bribery conviction’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “Philadelphia City Councilmember Maria Quiñones-Sánchez said she plans to introduce legislation next year limiting outside employment for Council members, a reform measure in response to Councilmember Bobby Henon’s conviction on federal corruption charges.”

‘New Philadelphia public defender puts focus on criminal justice system’s most vulnerable’: KYW Newsradio reports that “Philadelphia’s new public defender has had a long, winding road as a Jamaica-born immigrant who graduated from Cornell University. Keisha Hudson says her vision is to help the people who are most vulnerable in the criminal justice system.”

‘’A huge first step:’ City Council set to consider lead safety law’: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “about a month after introducing legislation aimed at reducing and mitigating lead exposure for Pittsburgh residents, particularly young children, City Council is set to consider the bill Tuesday.”

‘How will Reading redraw its City Council districts?’: The Reading Eagle reports that “Reading’s population increased almost 10% over the past decade and that means the City Council districts need to be looked at and possibly redrawn.”

‘Berks officials say distrust in elections is damaging the process’: The Reading Eagle reports that “fueled by former President Donald Trump’s failed attempt to claim his loss in the 2020 presidential election was the result of widespread fraud, a segment of the American population has serious doubts that the election process is fair and impartial.”

‘State College Borough poised to further extend masking ordinance. Here’s what happens next’: The Centre Daily Times reports that “after a formal recommendation issued Monday by the State College Board of Health, State College Borough is now poised to further extend its COVID-related mask ordinance through the end of January.”

‘Cumberland County approves 2022 budget that keeps real estate tax at the same rate’: PennLive reports that “the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Monday adopted the $291 million county budget for 2022. The General Fund is $97.7 million of the total county budget.”

‘Carlisle’s council will re-vote this week on landmark rental housing inspection ordinance – but not for policy reasons’: PennLive reports that Carlisle “Borough Council voted unanimously Nov. 10 to pass a major housing ordinance that will, for the first time, place rental housing properties on a cycle for mandatory safety and code inspections. Now, they’re preparing to do it all over again Wednesday.”

‘York County recount: What you need to know about the close races’: The York Dispatch reports that “crucial recounts in York County races started Monday.”

‘WGAL’s Kim Lemon signs off, retires after 42 years’: LNP | LancasterOnline reports that “after 42 years with WGAL, anchor Kim Lemon signed off for the last time on Wednesday.”

‘Sen. Comitta to hold healthcare enrollment town hall Dec. 6’: The Daily Local News reports that “state Sen. Carolyn Comitta will host a healthcare enrollment townhall with experts from Pennie, the official health insurance marketplace for Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers on Monday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. at West Chester Borough Hall.”

‘Pa. averages 5,000-plus new COVID-19 cases, 41 daily deaths over Thanksgiving holiday’: PennLive reports that “Pennsylvania said it averaged 5,325 new COVID-19 infections per day and 41 deaths from midnight Wednesday through midnight Sunday. Pennsylvania’s pandemic death toll rose to 33,308.”

‘Pa. warning system shows another rise in COVID-19 infection rate’: PennLive reports that “Pennsylvania’s rate of positive COVID-19 tests has risen to 12.1%, more than double the 5% threshold considered a sign of significant spread.”

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