First Read PA – Nov. 2, 2023

WEATHER: Philadelphia: frost then sunny, high of 50; Harrisburg: frost then sunny, high of 49; Pittsburgh: sunny, high of 47.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* Judicial elections can be complicated, so City & State has put together a guide with what you need to know about this year’s appellate court elections in Pennsylvania, as well as the history behind how each court operates within the commonwealth’s judicial system.

* City & State spoke with state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, a Republican from Montgomery County and chair of the state Senate Communications & Technology Committee, about the challenges related to AI and the public sector’s potential approach to regulating it. 

NEW THIS MORNING:

* Two court decisions striking down Pennsylvania's participation in an interstate program to reduce carbon emissions yesterday have set the stage for the matter to advance to the state's highest court, Spotlight PA reports.

* State authorities have announced charges against a company over a natural gas explosion that leveled a house and injured a western Pennsylvania family five years ago, The Associated Press reports.  

* Gov. Josh Shapiro announced yesterday the launch of his “money-back guarantee” for many state applications, in an effort to make the state government more responsive and accountable to its residents, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. 

* The two men who escaped from a Philadelphia jail earlier this year were aided by a series of institutional shortcomings or blunders, prosecutors said yesterday, including cell doors that the men were able to manipulate open, a guard who fell asleep on her shift and external motion sensors that had been turned off because they’d been continually detecting geese landing nearby, the Inquirer reports. 

* With almost no public polling, the competitiveness of the mayoral race in Philadelphia, America’s poorest major city, remains uncertain. One week before voters go to the polls, Republican David Oh believes that he has a real shot at victory against Democrat Cherelle Parker, City Journal reports. 

* As America gears up for another potentially bruising presidential election in 2024, Gov. Josh Shapiro may have 2028 on his mind when he visits New Hampshire this weekend, LehighValleyNews reports. 

* A hotly contested race between Republicans and progressives for two seats on Philadelphia City Council has in the final weeks become about issues local policymakers rarely touch: international conflict and abortion, the Inquirer reports.

* Part of a highly visible homeless camp in Downtown Pittsburgh is scheduled to be removed next week – the first such clearance under a policy that city officials drafted this summer, WESA reports.  

* A House subcommittee yesterday held the chamber’s first-ever hearing on recreational adult-use marijuana legalization featuring experts from the medical and substance abuse fields, as well as academics who study the legal marijuana market, PennLive reports. 

* Under pressure from heavyweight donors and others to do more to combat antisemitism on campus, the president at the University of Pennsylvania announced yesterday morning a multipronged action plan, including the establishment of a task force and a student advisory group to focus on the “Jewish student experience” there, the Inquirer reports. 

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer writes that it is up to voters to hold officeholders accountable and make their voices heard at the ballot box. As former President Barack Obama once said, this November, don’t boo – vote.

* PennLive has a column from John Baer, who discusses how Mike Pence’s exit from the presidential primary could impact Donald Trump. 

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Maine, shortcomings in mental health treatment, weak laws and a reluctance to threaten personal liberties seemed to derail even concerted attempts to thwart such tragedies, The New York Times reports. 

* The war in Gaza and a serious medical emergency suffered by the Marine Corps’ top officer have forced into the open months of simmering Republican frustration with Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s expansive hold on Biden’s military nominees, driving several of his colleagues to publicly denounce the gambit and urge Senate leaders to take immediate action to end the impasse, The Washington Post reports.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To Superintendent of Schools at North Penn School District Todd Bauer … and to Philadelphia Bar Association Executive Director Harvey Hurdle… 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 a.m. – The Basic Education Funding Commission meets, Central Penn College Conference Center, 600 Valley Road, Summerdale. 

10 a.m. – The Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee holds a joint public hearing with the Ohio Public Utilities Commission on inter-state relationships within the PJM grid, William Penn Omni Hotel, Lawrence Welk Room, Pittsburgh. 

10 a.m. – Philadelphia City Council meets, Room 400, City Hall. 

11 a.m. – Gov. Josh Shapiro and CNX Resources Corporation President and CEO Nick Deiuliis will announce a historic collaboration between the commonwealth and the company to protect public health while supporting the energy industry, 1 Stone Road, Claysville. Watch here. 

1:30 p.m. – The House Democratic Policy Committee holds an informational meeting on tourism and economic impact, 53 E. North St., Suite 3, York. 

2 p.m. – The House Appropriations and Education Committees hold a joint public hearing on the Pennsylvania Education Tour, Kings College McGowan School of Business, Burke Auditorium, 131 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre. 

KICKER: 

“Call it negligence, call it malfeasance, call it whatever you want … We are here to talk about a problem.” – Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner, via the Inquire