This week's biggest Winners & Losers

Lt. Col. Kristal Turner-Childs made history this week when she was named deputy commissioner of staff for the Pennsylvania State Police. Turner-Childs is the first African-American woman in the 116-year history of the state police to attain the rank. In the role, she will assist the department’s commissioner in developing policies and procedures that improve efficiency within the agency. In a statement, Turner-Childs said she hopes her appointment will serve as an inspiration to others and prompt them to pursue their passions.

Bob Morgan’s making moves. After he resigned as the head of Luzerne County’s Bureau of Elections last month, Morgan took a job as the commonwealth’s Rural Development State Director by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He’s among 12 “incredible public servants” the USDA chose for their “proven track record,” according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. *insert greener pastures joke here*

While he did not receive former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Bartos is in an enviable position, as he ended the third quarter of 2021 with a fair amount of cash in support of his Senate bid. Bartos reported raising $650,000 in Q3, ending the quarter with $2.2 million cash on hand. Meanwhile, Jobs For Our Future, a super PAC supporting Bartos, raised $1.6 million and also reported $2.2 million cash on hand. Taken together, Jobs For Our Future and Bartos’ campaign head into an already-bitter GOP primary with plenty of cash to spend.

York school districts have been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. After school maintenance staff removed a plastic barrier from Central York elementary school teacher Chad Gerrick’s desk, he allegedly threatened to shoot people and infect others with COVID-19 at the school. A cafeteria worker reportedly heard Gerrick, who was arrested last Friday, say, “I don’t care how sick I am, I will come into school and spread COVID to everyone I can.” You can get upset over safety precautions being taken away, but terroristic threats are, well, sickening.

Classes are in session, but not for as many as you’d expect. The newest enrollment numbers at state universities showed a 5.4% drop from 2020 to 2021, the largest one-year percentage decline in more than a decade. Daniel Greenstein, state system of higher education chancellor, said it’s the pandemic’s impacts being seen this year, but enrollment has been steadily declining for years. The phrase “I love college” went away about as fast as Asher Roth’s career.

Joanne Van Saun, the former director of Luzerne County Children and Youth Services, pleaded guilty this week to one count of Endangering the Welfare of Children and two counts of Obstruction in Child Abuse Cases, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office. According to the AG, Van Saun directed employees under her purview to terminate at least 217 reports of child abuse and neglect received through the state’s ChildLine system as part of a plan to eliminate a backlog of child abuse cases. Per Shapiro’s office, Van Saun had employees submit false computer reports back to ChildLine, saying the referrals did not warrant investigation. Shameful.