First Read: Feb. 26, 2024

WEATHER: Philadelphia: mostly sunny, high of 58; Harrisburg: mostly sunny, high of 59; Pittsburgh: increasing clouds, high of 60. 

FROM CITY & STATE:

* UFOs, weed grows and more – here are some of the moments that you may have missed during last week’s budget hearings in Harrisburg. 

* On Thursday, Joe Khan received an endorsement from the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance, while Eugene DePasquale earned a nod from the Beaver County Democratic Committee. You can find City & State’s running list of candidates and endorsements in the AG race here. 

NEW THIS MORNING:

* With the help of millions of dollars in federal funding, Pennsylvania has plugged more oil and gas wells in the last year and a half than it did in the past decade, Spotlight PA reports.

* Kensington Avenue faces uncertainty and hope ahead of City Hall’s crackdown. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has yet to release specifics on her plan to dismantle a billion-dollar drug market and stabilize the neighborhood, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

* Coming on the heels of the chaotic 2022 U.S. Senate race, the campaign for Pennsylvania’s other seat this year might seem downright quaint, PennLive reports. 

* Could a slowdown in the Philly real estate market impact the city budget? The city expects to bring in about $110 million less in transfer tax revenue than initially projected by the end of the fiscal year in June, the Inquirer reports.

* Pittsburgh Regional Transit and the union that represents bus drivers have reached agreement on an expanded effort to train new drivers and reduce the trips canceled because there is no operator available, the Pittsburgh Union-Progress reports. 

* A rural Pennsylvania county and its elected officials may have to pay the state elections agency hundreds of thousands of dollars to reimburse it for legal fees and litigation costs in a three-year battle over allowing outsiders to examine voting machines, WESA reports.

* Brandi Tomasetti is back on the ballot after asking the Commonwealth Court to overrule the state’s decision to reject her petition signatures, LancasterOnline reports.

* Democrats have been trying to figure out a way to unseat Republican state Sen. Scott Martin since he was first elected in 2016. Here's one tactic that’s sure to fail: not fielding an opponent, LancasterOnline reports.

EDITORIAL PAGES

* The Tribune Review writes that there are places that a school district can cut corners to set up bigger building projects later on. One thing that cannot be sacrificed – school security. 

* The Inquirer has an op-ed by Kyle Sammin, who writes that Democrats and Republicans agree on something: no outside competition. Whenever the government has power over something, it can become a way for those in office to help their friends and hinder their enemies.

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Former President Donald Trump painted a bleak picture Saturday of what would happen to the country should voters reelect Joe Biden to the Oval Office in November, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports.

* President Joe Biden and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, the two men holding the most powerful elected positions in the country, have rarely talked. They don’t know each other, Politico reports. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To Anna Payne, Middletown Township supervisor … to Jerry Jordan, president, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers … and to state Sen. Gene Yaw … 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. – Joint Legislative Budget and Finance Committee meeting, Room 461, state Capitol, Harrisburg.

10 a.m. – House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee meets, Room 523, Irvis Office, Harrisburg. Watch here.

10 a.m. – House Appropriations Committee meets, House Chamber, state Capitol, Harrisburg. Watch here.

11 a.m. – House Democratic Policy Committee meets, Room 515, Irvis Office, Harrisburg. 

1 p.m. – House Appropriations Committee meets, House Chamber, state Capitol, Harrisburg. Watch here.

1 p.m. – The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs joins the Pennsylvania Lottery, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania and an individual in recovery from problem gambling to kick off March as National Problem Gambling Awareness Month in Pennsylvania, Capitol Media Center, state Capitol, Room 01 East Wing, Harrisburg. 

7 p.m. – Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker will attend a town hall addressing the state of Black education in Philadelphia, Free Library of Philadelphia, Montgomery Auditorium, 1901 Vine St., Philadelphia. 

KICKER: “We’ll be losing World War III with weapons the likes of which nobody has ever seen before. These are the stakes of this election.” – Trump, via the Capital-Star