First Read – Jan. 2, 2024

WEATHER: Philadelphia: sunny, high of 42; Harrisburg: partly sunny, high of 42; Pittsburgh: mostly cloudy, high of 37.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* To finish off 2023, City & State took a look at some of our most popular stories of the year and what they meant to our coverage.

NEW THIS MORNING:

* Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker reportedly took the oath of office yesterday ahead of today’s inaugural festivities, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

* A water leak above the chamber ceiling in the state House will likely delay legislative action in 2024, as the House is not expected to vote on any bills until March 18, Spotlight PA reports. 

* From an expansion of the state’s Clean Slate Law to a new law designed to prevent porch pirating, there are several new state laws taking effect in 2024, WPXI reports.

* Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman told NBC’s “Meet The Press” over the weekend that he worried checking himself into the hospital for depression would end his political career, The Associated Press reports. 

* A poll from Muhlenberg College found that 51% of Pennsylvanians approve of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s performance as governor during his first year in office, Fox 43 reports. 

* Shapiro’s administration returned a $2,450 PlexiDor electronic dog door purchased with taxpayer funds for the Governor’s Residence after previous reporting revealed the purchase, LNP reports.

* A new study from the University of Pittsburgh found that legislation in Congress could expand access to methadone, a medication that is used to help treat opioid withdrawal symptoms, WESA reports. 

* Shapiro, his cabinet and judges in the state will receive a $3.5% pay raise in 2024 due to a state law that provides pay increases for the governor and other state officials, PennLive reports. 

* The hacking of the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa has prompted U.S. security leaders to issue new warnings about water infrastructure hacks as government entities attempt to strengthen water utilities against cyberattacks, the AP reports. 

* In his final message to Philadelphians as mayor, Jim Kenney ended his tenure on a positive note, and called his two terms the “honor and privilege of a lifetime,” the Inquirer reports. 

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer has an op-ed from Kate Parker and Nicole El from the Defender Association of Philadelphia, who write that a new ski mask ban in Philadelphia will not effectively deter crime.

* The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review examines an agreement between Ancestry.com and the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission and an ongoing battle for state genealogical records. 

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is defending his decision to withdraw his name from the ballot in states where Donald Trump’s name is being removed from the ballot, with Ramaswamy calling the decisions “deeply unconstitutional,” The Hill reports. 

* U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued his year-end report on the federal judiciary, which focused on the need for “caution and humility” in the artificial intelligence space, though Roberts did not comment on the court’s ethics controversies or Trump’s legal disputes, Axios reports.

TODAY’S SKED:

11:50 a.m. – Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker to deliver inaugural address, The Met, 858 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. 

1:30 p.m. – Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel to be sworn in, Russell Conwell Middle School, 1849 E. Clearfield St., Philadelphia. 

3 p.m. – Parker to sign three executive orders, Mayor’s Office, Room 215, Second floor, City Hall, Philadelphia. 

KICKER: 

“When it got released where I was and where it was going, it was a big story. And so, I had assumed that that would be the end of my career.” – Fetterman on his decision to check himself into the hospital for depression treatment, via the AP