Winners and losers for the week ending October 28

As we try to digest yet another October Surprise – this time, the FBI decision to re-open its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server scandal – it comes as a welcome diversion to dive into Winners & Losers. Because on a Friday afternoon, wouldn’t you rather be reading about lager and pigeon shoots than firewalls and market upheaval?

WINNERS

State university teachers: After a much-publicized strike began on Oct. 19, it took just three days for the 5,000-plus members of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties to receive a three-year contract agreement to teach at the 14 state-owned universities. Of course, they went almost 500 days without a contract previous to the Oct. 21 accord. Hello, School Reform Commission: We’re looking at you to do the right thing for Philly teachers.

Other lager producers: If Richard Yuengling, Jr. wants to salvage his namesake brewery’s market share, he’d better hops to it. Legions of former fans have been fermenting rebellion against the oldest brewery in America – swearing to drink different – ever since Yuengling went public with his support of Donald Trump. 

Eugene DePasquale: The incumbent auditor general, who has made a habit of landing productive, high-profile investigations in the news on a regular basis, has made a (so far) clean sweep of the newspaper endorsement circuit in his bid for re-election.

LOSERS

Kathleen Kane: In what is likely to be her last appearance in these pages for a spell, the disgraced former AG’s pleas for house arrest fell on deaf ears at her sentencing: She was given 10 to 23 months in prison for perjury.

Pigeons: And, really, all animals that would have been given extended protection under a PA House bill that was defeated, according to Democratic PA Rep. Mike Sturla, in large part by the National Rifle Association. The NRA wanted to make sure that the law wouldn’t cover pigeon shoots, which, OK.

Cameron McLay: the Pittsburgh police chief was censured by the city’s Citizens Police Review Board for violating both city rules and the federal Hatch Act for speaking in uniform at the Democratic National Convention in July. The board also noted the need for a uniform policy on, um, the city’s uniform policy.