First Read – Jan. 16, 2024

WEATHER: Philadelphia: wintry mix, then snow, high of 35; Harrisburg: snow, chance of snow, high of 30; Pittsburgh: chance of snow, then cloudy, high of 20. 

FROM CITY & STATE:

* While urban forestry initiatives have begun benefitting underserved communities in Philadelphia, federal funds are needed for it to become our nation’s biggest green city. 

* Our partners at Route 50 report that 35 states are participating in the 2024 launch of a program that will provide low-income families $40 per child for groceries during the summer months when schools are not in session.

NEW THIS MORNING:

* For the first time this cycle, the eight Democratic candidates seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in the 10th Congressional District met for a forum. The candidates mostly agreed on voting, abortion rights and health care, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports.

* An increase to the phone fee users pay to support emergency services will help fill staff vacancies and upgrade infrastructure, but county officials said yesterday that the 30-cent raise isn’t enough to prevent local tax increases, Spotlight PA reports.

* At a series of events across Philadelphia yesterday, President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey joined other elected officials to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on what would have been the assassinated civil rights leader’s 95th birthday, the Capital-Star reports. 

* Pennsylvania will soon convene a committee to decide how to spend the state's first-ever funding for public defense, though experts cautioned the investment won't be enough to level the playing field, WESA reports.

* According to Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration, she spoke with President Joe Biden yesterday about public safety issues, affordable housing and the opioid crisis afflicting the city’s Kensington neighborhood, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

* The state Department of Environmental Protection said it has received $3 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop a Priority Climate Action Plan focused on reducing emissions in the commonwealth’s industrial sector, The Indiana Gazette reports.

* WIC, a federal program built to improve nutrition for new mothers and kids, is growing for the first time in over a decade thanks to changes made during the pandemic. But difficulties in access have long suppressed participation, GoErie reports.

* Advocates and dentists are hopeful a state House bill will restore dental services for adults with Medicaid. The legislation passed the Democratic-controlled state House last month in a bipartisan 153-50 vote, WESA reports.

* Audits released by the Lancaster County Controller’s Office last week  found numerous instances of missing paperwork and poor controls for maintaining and tracking important courthouse functions at the clerk of courts office, LancasterOnline reports. 

* After a careful analysis of big-ticket property assessments around the district, Cumberland Valley officials have targeted 45 mostly commercial properties they believe are significantly underpaying when it comes to school property tax bills, PennLive reports.

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that U.S. Senate hopeful Dave McCormick and incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey are accumulating cash heavily – a prediction they made months ago, when U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin announced he would not seek reelection. 

* The Inquirer writes that if politicians or any individuals must quote MLK, they should capture the authentic King, not the whitewashed version you see in snippets of quotes about light driving out darkness or the arc of the moral universe. 

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* Donald Trump romped to a decisive victory yesterday in the frigid Iowa caucuses, cementing his formidable grip over the Republican Party. Florida Gov. Ron Desantis edged out former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for second place, The Washington Post reports.

* Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital yesterday, after spending two weeks there to treat complications from surgery for prostate cancer he kept secret from senior Biden administration leaders and staff for weeks, Associated Press reports.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To Mark Longietti, Director of Business & Community Development, City of Hermitage … 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. – Gov. Josh Shapiro, Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne, Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, state Rep. Steve Samuelson and state Sen. Lisa Boscola will kick off the 2024 filing period for eligible Pennsylvanians to submit applications for rebates, as part of the expanded Property Tax/Rent Rebate program, Litzenberger House, Bethlehem. Stream here. 

11 a.m. – House Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee meeting, Room G50 Irvis Office. Stream here.

11 a.m. – City of Pittsburgh 2024 Budget Assessment briefing, City-County Building, Pittsburgh. 

12 p.m. – House Policy Committee, Huntingdon County's Bailey Building, Huntingdon. 

2 p.m. – City of Pittsburgh anti-litter briefing, City-County Building, Pittsburgh. 

KICKER: 

“I think I’m safe to say, we all agree that Scott Perry must go.” – Rogette Harris,  Dauphin County Democratic Party Chair, via Penn Capital-Star.