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What a court ruling means for rejected mail voters

Plus, 'massive violations' inside an ICE facility.

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Monday, September 9, 2024
Today: Ballot ruling, 'inhumane' immigration holds, cellphones and school shootings, lead loopholes, texting 911, and a troubled bridge over water.
ELECTION LITIGATION

Pennsylvania voters can cast provisional ballots in place of mail ballots that were rejected because of an error, Commonwealth Court ruled last week. 

The ruling overturns a Butler County judge's decision in a closely watched case, one of several with implications for November's presidential election in the key swing state of Pennsylvania.

A broader case on whether mail ballots can be rejected because voters failed to properly date their return envelopes is moving forward after an appeal, setting the stage for a state Supreme Court decision.

Read Spotlight PA and Votebeat's full report: County was wrong to reject provisional ballots from voters who made mail ballot errors, court says.

NOTABLE / QUOTABLE

"Your failure to resist the Committee’s improper demands and resolutely defend your faculty makes a mockery of your university’s avowed commitment to academic freedom."

Middle East studies non-profit MESA accusing University of Pennsylvania officials of placing holds on professors’ emails and agreeing to share their syllabi with a U.S. House committee probing campus antisemitism
📍 LANDMARKS ART
An illustration of Pennsylvania with iconic landmarks throughout.
Our exclusive PA Landmarks Artwork features landmarks and favorites from across Pennsylvania. And now — for the first time ever — it can be yours for your home, office, or as the perfect gift for the coming holiday season.

Four years ago, we commissioned Pennsylvania artist Brandt Imhoff to dream up an exclusive, hand-drawn design showcasing the pride and joy of the commonwealth. That design became the showcase of our popular tote bag.

Framed prints now available in 11x17, 14x20 and 18x24. Gets yours now »
ORDER NOW
📱NEW MOBILE APP
In case you missed it, Spotlight PA launched a new mobile app. Download for free to see our latest stories in an accessible, easy-to-read format and get the latest on events, product offerings, and more.

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📅 UPCOMING EVENTS
On Thursday, Sep. 19 from 6-7 p.m. ET,  join Spotlight PA’s Ed Mahon on Zoom for a live panel on Pennsylvania’s child care staffing shortage, and the solutions proposed by lawmakers and advocates. RSVP HERE.
📷 POST IT
Millersburg, Dauphin County, via Elaine M. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania.
The sun setting (or perhaps rising) over fields and hills.
DAILY RUNDOWN
Today's top news story in Pennsylvania.
'MASSIVE VIOLATIONS': An ICE detention center in Clearfield County is subjecting migrants to “inhumane, punitive, and dangerous conditions,” according to a report by Temple law students and a Philadelphia-based immigrant advocacy group. WHYY says the privately owned facility is the largest immigrant detention center in the Northeast. Advocates say it's "riddled with massive human rights violations."
 
Today's second top news story in Pennsylvania.
CRISIS CALLS: Last week's school shooting in Georgia — and the panicked text messages between students and their parents — has touched off a debate about cellphone bans in schools and expectations of greater parental pushback to such policies, per Education Week. Pennsylvania's latest state budget included financial backing for school cellphone lockups. Lots of schools have already opted in.
 
Today's third top news story in Pennsylvania.'POORLY ENFORCED': The federal government is sending millions of dollars to Pennsylvania so schools can test their water for lead. But one research and policy center says "Pennsylvania’s 2018 rules requiring school districts to test for lead annually are poorly enforced, include loopholes to avoid testing, make it difficult for the public to find test results and do little to protect children," Capital-Star reports.
 
Today's fourth top news story in Pennsylvania.EMPTY BEDS: Hundreds of unhoused people in Allegheny County were stuck on waiting lists while county-administered housing units sat empty last year, a county controller's audit found. The audit, focused on the county's use of state funds for a homeless assistance program, found inefficiencies and funding shortfalls at a time of high demand. “There’s a domino effect," Controller Corey O'Connor said.

Today's fifth top news story in Pennsylvania.MISSING MEDS: Michael Keefe says he was cut off of methadone while imprisoned in Luzerne County, resulting in severe symptoms and a violation of his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, WVIA reports. A 25-year-old died by suicide two days after entering the jail in 2023, her family says while in opiate withdrawal. The county paid $780,000 to settle a lawsuit over a similar death in 2018.
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🤔 Know your news? Just over 10% of readers got a perfect score on last week's news quiz. See how you stack up with this week's.
IN OTHER NEWS
EXTENDED STAY: Kamala Harris spent the weekend in Pittsburgh preparing for tomorrow's presidential debate in Philly. Analysts say it's a sign of Pennsylvania's outsize role in this race. Harris expects to be back in the commonwealth Wednesday for a 9/11 visit to Shanksville.

STATEWIDE SERVICE: A service that allows people to communicate with 911 dispatchers by text instead of a phone call is now available in every Pennsylvania county. WGAL explains how it works.

UNHAPPY ORG: ArtsAltoona is facing $40,000 in unpaid gas bills and a $60,000 sewer line repair, all as a busted water pipe affects a key source of revenue, the Mirror reports.

TRAIL'S END? A plan to build transitional and permanent housing for unhoused veterans in Harrisburg is drawing pushback over the potential impacts on a popular walking and biking trail, PennLive reports.

BRIDGE WORK: The ailing Veterans Memorial Bridge between York and Lancaster Counties will close for three years of repairs, YDR (paywall) reports. PennDOT says it's too difficult and costly to simply build a new one.
SCRAMBLER
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 countedPlease include your first name and last initial.
 
Y N M A M I S D
 
Friday's answer: Paradisiacal 

Congrats to our weekly winner: Jack R. 

Congrats to our daily winners: Sherri A., Elaine C., Don H., Jon W., Jane R., Barbara F., Barb K., Bob C., Stanley J., Stacy S., Wendy A., Richard A., Daniel S., Annette I., Susan N.-Z., Timothy A., Lynne E., Craig E., Jeff F., William Z., and Tom M.
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