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A daily newsletter by  |
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| Center right, 'barrier borders,' crisis staff, troll talk, federal sentence, labor loss, and political vultures. Friday has arrived. Enjoy your weekend. |
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U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R., York) was at the center of former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election from inside the White House, according to a Senate Democratic report released Thursday.
Per the report, Perry worked to install Trump loyalists in the Justice Department in the final days of Trump's presidency and spread false, conspiratorial claims about Pennsylvania ballot counting to DOJ officials.
Perry's office did not immediately return a request for comment from Politico.
THE CONTEXT: As Trump waged an extensive and failed legal campaign against the 2020 election results, he also urged his own DOJ to declare the balloting corrupt, even though they had no evidence to support the claim.
With such a declaration, The New York Times reported, Trump would have had more leverage to rally congressional allies against the results.
Perry's involvement in that pressure campaign was further solidified with Thursday's release of the Senate Judiciary Committee's majority report, which also urges House members investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol siege to home in on Perry and another Pennsylvania Trump ally: State Sen. Doug Mastriano. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE"While we have had a few important votes over three weeks, we have not done the hard work that Pennsylvanians need us to do." —House Minority Leader Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia) on the legislature's accomplishments in the first weeks of this fall session |
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| » CRISIS OF CARE: Join us today at noon EST via Zoom for a free Q&A on rising rates of Alzheimer's disease in Pennsylvania, the barriers to care, and the solutions urged by advocates. Register for the event here and submit your questions to events@spotlightpa.org. |
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| Thanks, Robert S., for this sunset shot of a Cumberland County soccer field. We hope you stopped for a quick game! Send us your gems, use the hashtag #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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 LEARNING GAPS: Pennsylvania is home to an especially high number of "barrier borders" between neighboring school districts denoting stark contrasts in educational opportunities and outcomes. USA Today reports the boundaries wouldn’t matter if school funding and affordable housing were equally distributed, but they're not.
 CRISIS MODE: Providers of home and community-based health care for people with disabilities say there are too few workers to meet the need, risking vital services for an especially vulnerable population. Advocates tell WESA the problem — driven by low government reimbursement rates — was already a crisis but now threatens to collapse the system.
 'PARODY BILL': A bill recently floated by state Rep. Chris Rabb (D., Philadelphia) that would require vasectomies for all men over 40 or who have more than three kids was indeed parody legislation, Politifact reports. But the Texas abortion restriction that inspired it was not, resulting in a temporary block by a federal judge earlier this week.
 CASE CLOSED: Former West Hazleton Police Chief Brian Buglio has been sentenced to two months in federal prison for threatening a civilian with felony charges in retaliation for negative posts on Facebook about Buglio's department. Morning Call reports Buglio stepped down as police chief but still holds a $31-an-hour role as public safety director.
 LABOR RULING: Organizers plan to appeal a final ruling by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board that effectively ends a years-long unionization effort by University of Pittsburgh graduate assistants, the Post-Gazette reports. Meanwhile, a separate drive involving faculty has reached an election, with voting slated to continue through Oct. 12. |
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SHOP PLAN: Tired of waiting for a grocery store to come to them, residents of Pittsburgh's Hazelwood neighborhood could make one themselves. WESA reports the unorthodox proposal could test the city's commitment to community-driven development.
SIGHT SEEN: The recognizability of the Pittsburgh location pictured behind Sir Mick Jagger in a photo taken after his band's Heinz Field show has been called into question. Reply to this email if you recognize it.
FIGHT SONG: There are three finalists for the new song that will be played every time the Philadelphia Flyers score a goal at home. You have until Oct. 12 to rank your choices, but please make "Tarzan Boy" all of them. Thank you.
BAGEL BRO: A well-traveled sourdough starter named "Helen Mirren" is one of the secrets behind Philip Korshak's bagels, now on sale at his new shop at 10th and Morris streets in South Philly, The Inquirer reports.
THE BIRDS: Turkey vultures have overrun the building that houses Centre County's government, roosting on the roof, the 9-1-1 communications tower, and causing at least one flood, WJAC reports. |
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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. T E R U O B R M A
Yesterday's answer: Pandemonium
Congrats to our daily winners: Craig W., Michelle T., Susan F., David I., Mike B., Marty M., Kim C., Don H., Doris T., Lynne E., Gene L., Judith D., Susan D., Bette G., Beth T., Jodi R., Irene R., Sherri A., Ken J., Daniel M., Elizabeth W., George S., Ted W., Theresa T., Kimberly S., Elaine C., Jill A., Tim B., Kyle C., James B., Ann E., Suzanne S., Vicki U., Eddy Z., Bill S., Joel S., John P., Laura R., Craig E., Mary Kay M., Lex M., Richard D., David W., Bill C., Karen W., and Myles M. |
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