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A daily newsletter by  |
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| Today: Stormwater suit, election outlook, Medicaid purge, voting by mail, official protest, and Pittsburgh's policing changes. |
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More Pennsylvania municipalities are turning to stormwater fees to alleviate the burden they face in fixing aging infrastructure that’s being tested by climate change.
Municipalities argue stormwater fees should apply to all properties that benefit from the projects funded, even those that are exempt from taxes.
The fees have opponents, among them farmers who employ separate mitigation practices and large property owners confronted by pricey bills.
A related case has made it all the way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Andy Yencha, a water resource educator at Penn State Extension, said if a legal decision forces municipalities to find a new way to generate revenue for stormwater infrastructure, local governments could turn to raising property taxes instead. Read Spotlight PA's full report: Some Pa. municipalities are turning to fees to cover rising stormwater costs, but pushback and a lawsuit threaten that revenue. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
“I think the Latino vote could be the deciding factor.”
—Victor Martinez, aka “DJ VJ Mar,” who believes Latinos in Pennsylvania should be prioritized by the presidential election campaigns.
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ROW RACES: Join us Thursday, April 11 from 6-7 p.m. ET on Zoom for a live guide to Pa.’s candidates for attorney general, auditor general, and treasurer and how their terms would impact you. Register here and submit your questions to events@spotlightpa.org.
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| A grackle at Willows Park in Villanova, via Elliott C. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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 PRESIDENTIAL POLLS: In a two-party race, President Joe Biden is leading former President Donald Trump by 10 points among Pennsylvania voters, according to new F&M College polling. But when third-party candidates are included, Biden’s lead drops to two points, within the margin of error. Support for third-party candidates is something Democrats have been concerned about in this election.
 MEDICAID ROLLS: Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services expects its Medicaid “unwinding” to be largely completed by June, WESA reports. So far, 1.8 million people statewide have had their coverage renewed, while 738,600 lost their coverage. State officials are determining the status of more than three million Pennsylvania residents enrolled in the program. The “unwinding” followed the end of a pandemic-era federal continuous enrollment policy.
 DRAG PROTEST: East Hempfield Township supervisors in Lancaster County have voted to withhold funds from a public library until another library in the same system agrees to stop holding drag queen story hour events, WGAL reports. The $26,700 is being withheld from the Mountville Library, which belongs to the same network as the Lancaster Library, where a Drag Queen Story Hour recently drew threats that extremism experts say fit a familiar pattern, per LNP (paywall).
 CRIME CONCERNS: Mayor Ed Gainey said concerns about Pittsburgh's public safety being impacted by overnight police staffing reductions does not reflect the city’s crime data, WESA reports. Some, including local officials, were worried the force reduction between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. would be exploited. But Gainey said weeks in, there has been no spike in crime during those hours. |
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WRESTLE-VANIA: If you smell what the Philadelphia International Airport is cooking … you might just be one of the many fans coming to the town for WrestleMania 40 this weekend. The airport rolled out a new replica wrestling ring and title belts display just in time for the two-night event. PERCHED PROPERTY: A building in Greene County was left hanging over a landslide following heavy rains that hit the region and much of the state this week. KDKA-TV has the images and reports the property is a garage. |
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Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag. Answers submitted by 5:30 p.m. on issue date will be counted. A S I N E O L T O D
Yesterday's answer: Cognizance
Congrats to our daily winners: Elaine C., Jody A., Marty M., Bob C., Jon W., Jane R., Don H., Richard A., Stacy S., Gabrielle G., Alan B., Amelia M., Christina M., Susan N.-Z., Malachy M., Janet S., David W., Lynne E., Vicki U., Barbara F., Jeffrey F., Dan A., Wendy A. Tom M., Rick W., William Z., Daniel M., and Ada M.
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