First Read – Jan. 23, 2024

WEATHER: Philadelphia: mostly cloudy, high of 39; Harrisburg: chance of freezing rain, high of 42; Pittsburgh: chance of freezing rain, high of 41. 

FROM CITY & STATE:

* Democratic state Rep. Jared Solomon picked up another endorsement in the race for attorney general, this time from Pittsburgh Fire Fighters IAFF Local No. 1. You can find City & State’s running list of candidates and endorsements in the AG race here.

* Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee Majority Chair Jordan Harris covered plenty of topics during his speech at yesterday’s Pennsylvania Press Club lunch, from policy wins in the state budget to legalizing adult-use marijuana. 

NEW THIS MORNING:

* Gov. Josh Shapiro waffled on hot-button climate issues on the campaign trail but he pledged that by 2030, 30% of the energy sold in the commonwealth would come from renewable sources, up from 8% now, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

* Human error caused the loss of thousands of records from at least two state agencies stored on the state’s computer system servers, with some data from the State Police and State Employee’ Retirement System yet to be recovered, PennLive reports.

* State Rep. Jordan Harris said yesterday he’s confident that the General Assembly will step up to implement the recommendations of a bipartisan commission charged with drafting a plan to fix the public education funding system, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports. 

* Pittsburgh-area Democrats marked the anniversary of Roe v. Wade yesterday with a press conference urging voters to keep the reproductive rights it enshrined – and the revocation of them – in mind throughout the 2024 election cycle, WESA reports.

* U.S. Senate hopeful Dave McCormick traveled to the Israel-Gaza border to make the case that the Biden administration hasn’t backed Israel strongly enough since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the Associated Press reports. 

* A group of Democratic lawmakers yesterday announced they plan to introduce legislation to undo the requirement that abortion clinics in the state meet the same regulations as ambulatory surgical centers, the Capital-Star reports.

*At least two primary challengers intend to take on state Rep. Amen Brown, a two-term Democrat and unsuccessful mayoral candidate who represents the city’s 10th legislative district, the Inquirer reports. 

* A Centre County farmer was among those who testified yesterday about the State College Area Connector project, saying the major highway construction would likely force him to shut down his family farm, Centre Daily Times reports.  

* Volunteer fire companies rely on raffles and bingo to stay open, but state law prohibits them from accepting cashless payments, a condition that limits their fundraising abilities and has some of them considering breaking the rules, Spotlight PA reports.

* After hitting a stumbling block in its efforts to fire the district's law firm, a contingent of far-right West Shore school board members discussed removing language that requires the district to provide a reason for cutting ties with its solicitor, York Dispatch reports.

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer has an op-ed from state Rep. Tarik Khan, who writes that on the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, he and Harrisburg colleagues will announce a bill to lift the onerous restrictions on abortion providers that do nothing to improve health.

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* The Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration yesterday, allowing federal officials to cut or remove parts of a concertina-wire barrier along the Mexican border that Texas erected to keep migrants from crossing into the state, The New York Times reports.

* Donald Trump is aiming for a commanding victory today in New Hampshire. The biggest question is whether Trump’s last major rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, will be able to eat into his margin – or pull off an upset outright, AP reports.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To Hannah Barrick, executive director at the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials … to Dustin Morris, executive director of the state Senate Banking and Insurance Committee … and to Florencia Polite, chief of general obstetrics & gynecology at Penn Medicine … Want to wish someone a happy birthday in our newsletter? Email their name, job title and upcoming birthday to editor@cityandstatepa.com.

TODAY’S SKED:

10 a.m. – The City of Pittsburgh City Council meets, Council Chambers, City-County Building, Pittsburgh. Watch here.

1 p.m. – Dept. of Human Services Sec. Dr. Val Arkoosh and findhelp CEO Erine Gray will visit Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County to announce the launch of the PA Navigate website, CAP Lancaster, Lancaster.  

5 p.m. – Allegheny County Council meets, Allegheny County Courthouse, Pittsburgh. 

KICKER: “We have less rights than our mothers. Our children have less rights than their grandmothers.” – U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, via WESA.