This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

Project Veritas and conservative activist James O’Keefe settled a lawsuit in the commonwealth this week over false claims that a postal worker committed voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Erie Postmaster Robert Weisenbach – who voted for Donald Trump in 2020 – said accusations that spread online forced him to flee his home after his address was shared. Weisenbach settled the lawsuit on undisclosed terms, with Project Veritas and O’Keefe acknowledging – not with posthaste – the fraud claims were false.

The recently retired Philadelphia City Council president didn’t have to look far for his next gig. Clarke, who was nominated by Gov. Josh Shapiro to serve on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, was unanimously approved by the state Senate this week. For a nearly $90,000 salary, the occasional commute from Philadelphia to Harrisburg doesn’t seem too bad.

The state Senate Education Committee this week unanimously advanced a bipartisan bill that seeks to improve literacy levels across the commonwealth. The bill, Senate Bill 801, sponsored by GOP state Sen. Ryan Aument and Democratic state Sen. Anthony H. Williams, would implement evidence-based reading instruction for students in kindergarten through third grade, while also establishing reading screenings in those grades to identify struggling readers. Additionally, the bill would require schools to develop intervention plans to help students with reading deficiencies.

Walter Eiseman, a former building inspector for the City of Pittsburgh, has pleaded guilty to taking bribes, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. According to the report, Eiseman asked a developer for – and received – appliances for his home, including a stove and refrigerator, and agreed to prioritize a temporary occupancy permit for the unnamed developer. Eiseman also reportedly solicited more than $4,000 worth of cabinets, which he didn’t receive. He has agreed to give up the appliances as part of a plea deal, so he’ll be in need of a new fridge, at the very least.

A chapter of Moms for Liberty – the self-described parental rights group that rose to prominence amid school shutdowns during the height of the pandemic – has formally dissolved in Lehigh County. The local chapter, which had membership numbers as high as 200 during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, saw interest diminish significantly in recent years, with its three remaining members voting to dissolve the chapter earlier this month. It’s been quite the downturn for a grassroots group that had as many as 27 chapters in the commonwealth just last year.

The Pennsylvania court system this week was the target of a dedicated denial-of-service attack – a type of cyberattack in which malicious actors flood a host or network with traffic until the target crashes or cannot respond. Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Debra Todd said in a statement that the court system remains “in a virtual battle with an unknown opponent who continues to target our online platform.” The court system is working with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to address the attack, according to Todd. The good news? There’s no sign that any court data has been impacted, and the state’s courts remain open.