Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
Many Philadelphians would like to forget Super Bowl Sunday. Based on a recent analysis of beer sales in the region, more of them than you think may not remember that night. Super Bowl Sunday was the single biggest day for beer spending in the region over the last two years, with residents spending more than 3.6 times as much money buying beer from grocery stores in the city and suburbs than the average day. If the game result was flipped, brewers would’ve been even bigger winners last month.
Scroll down for more of this week’s Winners & Losers!
Amanda Cappelletti -
State Sen. Amanda Cappelletti kicked off Women’s History Month in historic fashion: having a baby. Cappelletti gave birth to her daughter Taglia May McQuiston on March 6, she announced on Twitter, becoming the first state senator in the chamber’s more than 200-year history to do so. After Republican colleagues threw a baby shower for her earlier this year, Cappelletti joked Taglia would be a “bipartisan baby.”
State Troopers -
With a keen focus on improving public safety, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s inaugural budget comes with a nice boost for the Pennsylvania State Police. The governor’s budget would allocate $16.4 million for four new trooper cadet classes, which would train an estimated 384 new state troopers. He also proposed upgrading equipment and implementing standardized replacement cycles, among other measures.
Josh Shapiro -
After giving his first budget address as the commonwealth’s chief executive, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal earned some praise from Democrats and Republicans alike – with Shapiro seemingly lowering the temperature in the Capitol, at least for now. The state Senate’s top-ranking Republican, Kim Ward, even added that Shapiro “said a lot of things that we can all get on board with.” Not a bad result for his first budget speech.
Mike Zabel -
Democratic state Rep. Mike Zabel tendered his resignation from the state House yesterday after state Rep. Abby Major became the latest woman to accuse Zabel of sexual harassment. According to Major, Zabel propositioned her at an establishment in Harrisburg in 2022 and later tried to follow her to her car. Service Employees International Union 32BJ Political Director Andi Perez also publicly accused Zabel of sexual harassment – and House Democrats will now be setting up a website to educate people on how the House Ethics Committee handles harassment claims.
Cameron Edward Hess -
Hess is in quite the mess. Cameron Edward Hess of Cleona Borough was charged this week with felony and misdemeanor charges related to assaulting a police officer while forcing his way into the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. He now joins the nearly-1,000 individuals who have been arrested in connection to the breach since the insurrection.
Matthew Pistelli -
Matthew Pistelli may find himself asking for forgiveness after being charged with theft, criminal mischief and other charges after allegedly stealing a church bell in Pittsburgh, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Police found the cemetery grounds damaged and the bell missing, but later recovered it – and now Pistelli is scheduled for a preliminary hearing later this month.