First Read PA – Nov. 1, 2023

WEATHER: Philadelphia: mostly sunny, high of 50; Harrisburg: decreasing clouds, high of 48; Pittsburgh: snow showers and rain, high of 40.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* City & State has been Conjuring up some of Pennsylvania politicos’ worst nightmares. Pulling from scary movies of old and new, here are several Happenings that could create a Nightmare on State Street to a Haunting in Pennsylvania.

* House Bill 999, a measure that would repeal the death penalty in the commonwealth and formally end the practice, was approved with a mostly party-line vote yesterday, earning the support of the committee’s 14 Democrats, as well as Republican state Rep. Paul Schemel, the lone GOP “yes” vote on the bill. 

NEW THIS MORNING:

* Four of Pennsylvania’s top universities edged closer to receiving overdue state subsidies when the state House of Representatives approved their annual state subsidies yesterday, setting a condition that the schools freeze tuition next year, The Associated Press reports. 

* Gone are the days of Republicans cautioning voters away from using the postal service to cast their ballots. Pennsylvania Republicans, led by national party leaders, are trying a different course of action – encouraging vote by mail in next week’s critical state Supreme Court race, with an eye toward the benefit it could bring in next year’s presidential race, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

* Becoming a judge of elections required Jay Schneider to go through comprehensive training from his county’s election department. He saw the process from the inside. And now, he told Votebeat and Spotlight PA, he feels confident that the kind of major fraud that was so widely discussed in 2020 just isn't possible.

* Pennsylvania voters don’t know much about the upcoming state Supreme Court race, but most have an opinion on the 2024 presidential election, with many saying both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are too old to serve another term, according to a recent poll, the Inquirer reports. 

* Jury selection is set to begin today in John Dougherty’s second felony trial in as many years. This time, he’s accused of embezzling more than $650,000 from Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the union he led for nearly three decades, the Inquirer reports. 

* More than two dozen Jewish religious leaders issued a public letter yesterday expressing “frustration and anger” stemming from U.S. Rep. Summer Lee’s position on Israel’s response to Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas, WESA reports. 

* Allegheny County will see a new top elected official for the first time in 12 years, as a progressive candidate faces a Republican campaigning on centrist views who hopes moderate Democrats will cross party lines at the polls next week, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. 

* Legislation that expands Pennsylvania’s anti-hate protections beyond race and religion to include sexual orientation, gender identity, age and disability status passed the state House of Representatives yesterday, PennLive reports. 

* Two former administrators at a Bucks County assisted-living facility were sentenced yesterday to 3-to-24 months in the county jail for failing to report the sexual assaults of three dementia patients by another patient in their care, the Inquirer reports. 

* Arcadia University violated federal Title IX rules when it failed to investigate alleged sexual harassment by a professor “despite the university repeatedly receiving reports over several years from students and faculty that the professor harassed students,” the U.S. Department of Education said, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports. 

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer has an op-ed from Zahava Stadler, project director for the Education Funding Equity Initiative at New America, who writes that there is quite a lot of education funding in Pennsylvania – it’s just in the wrong places.

* The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that perhaps the best thing that can be done to support all babies – but, in particular, Black babies – is to remember that support has to start with providing a support system for mothers.

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 25, the state is facing intense scrutiny over its permissive gun laws. For instance, Maine allows most adults to carry a concealed weapon in public without a permit. Recent attempts to enact laws requiring universal background checks and waiting periods have failed, The New York Times reports. 

* President Joe Biden will visit Minnesota farm country today to promote his administration’s work to support farmers in the fight against climate change and help rural areas connect to broadband, Politico reports.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To David Bubas, senior director of the UPMC Center for Engagement and Inclusion … 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:

9:30 a.m. – The Philadelphia LNG Export Task Force meets, 515 Irvis Office Building, Harrisburg. 

10 a.m. – The House Health Subcommittee on Health Care holds an informational meeting on legalizing cannabis for adult use, Room G50, Irvis Office. Watch here. 

10 a.m. – Philadelphia City Council Committee on Public Safety meets virtually. Watch here.

10 a.m. – Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committee meets, Council Chambers.  

11 a.m. – Attorney General Michelle Henry announces the expansion of the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative in Butler County, Butler County Courthouse, Courtroom 1, 124 W. Diamond Ave., Butler. 

11 a.m. – DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh and PUC Chair Stephen DeFrank will visit Tri County Community Action to announce the start of the annual Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program application process, 123 North Enola Drive, Floor 2, Enola. 

1 p.m. – Press conference on protecting voting rights, East Wing Rotunda, Harrisburg. 

1:30 p.m. – AG Henry will discuss the investigation of a house explosion in Greene County in 2018 that resulted in criminal charges, Office of Attorney General Pittsburgh Office, 1251 Waterfront Place, Mezzanine Level, Pittsburgh. 

KICKER: 

“I know there are a lot of Republicans who think voting in person actually helps Republican candidates but pre-election day voting actually saves campaigns precious dollars.” – state treasurer Stacy Garrity, via the Inquirer