As the final days of summer come to a close … the heat remains turned up as we approach the sprint to the general election on November 8.

Here’s who we think had a good week … and those who, perhaps, could have had a better one.

Joseph J. McDonald. The former Carbondale city council member faces theft and forgery charges for stealing more than $163,000 in lottery tickets. McDonald acknowledged he stole scratch-off tickets from his former employers, Mayor Justin Taylor and his wife, Ashley, while working at their store.

Robert Schwalm. The Bethlehem resident will have the opportunity to have an impact on hunting and wildlife conservation efforts in the state as he represents the Commonwealth as the first commissioner of the newly-created District 9 on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Board of Game Commissioners.

Barb Warwick. Pittsburgh Democrats have chosen Warwick as their nominee to be the next City Councilor from District 5. The seat was previously held by Corey O’Connor, who left to become county controller earlier this summer.

Joe Beddia. The owner of Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia was just named one of the 50 Best Pizzerias in the U.S. according to 50 Top Pizza. “Simple ingredients, [a] minimal space, and only four types of pizza on the menu for this pizzeria.

Matt Dowling. The state representative from the 51st District has introduced legislation that would allow people to voluntarily exclude themselves from the ability to purchase alcoholic beverages.The proposal would create a similar system to Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s self-exclusion list for gambling.

Larry Krasner. The Pennsylvania House voted Tuesday to hold the Philadelphia District Attorney in contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by a legislative committee searching for grounds to impeach him.

Patty Kim. The state representative announced a resolution on Friday to urge the FCC to work with the NFL and national broadcast partners to develop a system where fan input is considered when assigning secondary market broadcasts. That would mean showing the Steelers in Pennsylvania markets like the Harrisburg DMA.

Jake Tapper. The Philadelphia-bred CNN host took GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano to task for comments he made about Bryn Mawr’s Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy – the alma mater of both Tapper and Josh Shapiro. Mastriano claimed the Academy was “one of the most privileged schools in the nation.”

Darrell Clarke. The Philadelphia City Council President ordered special elections to fill four vacancies on the Council. The nomination process for special elections takes at least 18 days, preventing the City Commissioners, who run Philadelphia elections, from printing and sending out mail ballots for the election until the candidates are confirmed. That means the window to get and return mail ballots will be even smaller.