This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

As Pennsylvania officials try to navigate a critical nursing shortage that continues to plague the state, the Shapiro administration this week began implementing an interstate nurse licensing compact that will allow nurses with a multistate license to practice in Pennsylvania. The new compact will apply to registered nurses and licensed practical nurses with appropriate multistate licenses, meaning they can work in the state beginning on Sept. 5.

There was plenty to celebrate among the ranks of the Pennsylvania State Police this week. Fifty new troopers were welcomed to the ranks after graduating from the State Police Academy in Hershey. On top of that, Gov. Josh Shapiro made two moves that could help back the blue even more. First, his administration lifted college credit requirements for cadet applications in an effort to help with recruitment. Lastly, Shapiro decided not to require the police to release a state-maintained database of certified police officers, despite a coalition of newsrooms calling for the governor to intervene.

A commonwealth-based health system is once again setting a national standard. This time it’s WellSpan Health, which became the first health system in the state and third nationally to receive the Health Equity Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. As to WellSpan’s work in the area – well, it spans analyzing clinical performance to reviewing consumer experience to ensure fairness and equity.

As mentioned above: Facing pressure from newsrooms to release a state database of certified police officers, Shapiro’s office recently declined to intervene, despite the fact that the information contained in the database is already public data, according to a report from Spotlight PA. The Shapiro administration told Spotlight PA that members of the public can access officer information from individual police departments. According to the report, 34 states across the country have provided access to police rosters, while 16 states – including Pennsylvania – have declined to do so.

The City of Chester is once again in the headlines for its financial woes, as the city was hit with a $860,000 tax bill from the Internal Revenue Service this week, according to the Delaware Valley Journal. The city originally had an unpaid balance of $132,844.55, but with interest and fees, the figure is now at $859,975.36. That’s not the type of bill that you ever want to receive.

Sentences stemming from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot continue to drop – and the commonwealth has no shortage of culprits. This week, James Wayne Maryanski of Boyertown was arrested Monday on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his alleged spraying of a police line with a chemical irritant. Elsewhere, Zach Rehl, president of the Philadelphia Proud Boys, faces sentencing Thursday in what could be the longest sentence issued to anyone charged in connection to the riot thus far.