😅 Hello Wednesday. Another day that reminds us that summer is not over.
Pennsylvania Weather
🌤️ West Pittsburg | Partly radiant, chance of thunderstorms, 89
🌤️ Newville | Mostly radiant, chance of thunderstorms, 97
🌤️ Shavertown | Mostly radiant, chance of thunderstorms, 86
Sports PA
⚾ Phillies (78-54) | Houston 5-0 | Wed. vs. Houston
⚾ Pirates (62-70) | Cubs 5-9 | Wed. vs. Cubs
⚽ Union (6-9-10) | Wed vs. Columbus
👂 What do we hear. Vice President Kamala Harris and her candidate for vice president, Governor Tim WalzOn Thursday evening, they will give their first interview to CNN.
🤔 Do you know? Less than half of U.S. states require employers provide paid leave for votingNew York, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia are neighboring states that give employees time off to vote.
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The most vital story
1. Who exactly is the Auditor General?
“November 5 will be a pivotal day for the Commonwealth. Yes, there is a role we will play in the presidential race itself—a real contest of firsts. Will Kamala Harris win to become the first female president? The first president of Asia? Or Donald Trump win to become the first felon president? This is an important race, one on the scale of which the Commonwealth will certainly put its thumbs up.
But there are other important elections in Pennsylvania on November 5, including the election to elect our next attorney general. Eugene DePasquale (D) or David Sunday (R) — As Citizen co-founder Larry Platt noted this spring, this may be the most important race in this election that no one is paying attention to.
Several levels of attention below the AG race, there is another AG race on Nov. 5 — the race for state auditor general. (True story: I spent the first day of researching this story believing I was writing about the attorney general race. “Wait, which AG are we talking about?” I finally asked. “The auditor general? What the hell is that?”)” (Citizen of Philadelphia)
Elsewhere
Vance will be in Erie on Wednesday. What does he plan to discuss?. “Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance is scheduled to deliver a speech on the economy and energy during a campaign visit Wednesday in Erie.” (Erie Times-News)
Biden, Harris to Campaign in Pittsburgh on Labor Day“Western Pennsylvania could once again be the center of the political universe this Labor Day. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to return to the area for the holiday.” (WESA)
Letter calls for ‘reworking’ of farm bill amid SNAP confusion“Congress’ stalled effort to update the five-year-old Farm Bill rests on a misunderstanding over how food stamp benefits are calculated for 42.1 million Americans.” (Central Square)
Country
2. Postal voting causes problems with tracking voting results
“An election transparency proposal has one state lawmaker opposed by the State Department. At the center of the rift: changes to Pennsylvania elections resulting from the passage of Act 77 in 2019.”
The Lecherous. Brada Roae (R-Meadville) introduced House Bill 2542, which would require the Department to re-update precinct vote counts online, allowing voters to track the progress of the count.
“The election results section on the Department of State website previously showed how many polling precincts there were and how many precincts had been counted,” Roae wrote in a legislative memo. “It also showed what percentage of precincts had reported results. The Department of State still receives this information, but they have removed it from their website so that members of the public can no longer see it.” (Central Square)
Elsewhere
Trump campaign and Republican Party continue to push Pennsylvania voters to adopt mail-in and absentee voting“With Democrats fresh off the excitement of their national convention, the Trump campaign and the Republican Party are looking to steal some of the opposition’s clout by evening the playing field when it comes to mail-in and absentee ballots in a key battleground state.” (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
Westmoreland commissioners urged to switch to paper ballots for November election“Westmoreland County commissioners were urged Tuesday to abandon touchscreen computer voting at polling places in November in favor of paper voting.” (Greensburg Tribune-Review)
U.S. Senator Chris Coons, a Biden ally and Harris campaign co-chair, calls NEPA a ‘central’ path to victory“The commonwealth is literally the tipping point, the cornerstone of the Democrats’ hopes of taking back the House, of holding the Senate, of winning the White House. And the counties around Scranton — Luzerne, Lackawanna — are absolutely central.” (WVIA)
Around the Commonwealth of Nations
3. Washington County, Pennsylvania and National Republican Party Commissioners Consider Appealing Court’s Vote-By-Mail Ruling
“The Washington County Republican Party Committee and the state and national Republican Party organizations are considering whether to appeal last week’s absentee ballot court decision.
If an appeal is filed, the battle over mail-in voting in Washington County may not be over. For now, though, a Washington County judge’s court order stands.
If a postal vote is disqualified because of errors in markings on the outer envelope, the voter must be notified. And must be given the opportunity to vote in person using a provisional ballot on election day.” (WTAE)
Elsewhere
Five Ways Philadelphia’s Economy Could Be Shaped by a Harris or Trump Presidency. “Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are offering starkly different economic plans. Here’s what it could mean for Philadelphians.” (“Philadelphia Inquirer”)
Early 2024 numbers give cause for optimism about Pittsburgh’s finances, but concerns remain“Amid ongoing concerns about the city’s financial health, both Mayor Ed Gainey’s budget office and the city comptroller agreed that Pittsburgh’s finances look promising in the first half of the year — at least for the foreseeable future.” (WESA)
Rural Pennsylvania faces widening health care gap, state officials say loan forgiveness could help“Health care workers in rural Pennsylvania would be eligible for student loan debt relief under a bipartisan proposal aimed at addressing workforce gaps in remote communities.” (PA reflector)
Editorial
4. What do you mean
- Abortion may not be a winner for Democrats this fall. (Jason L. Riley)
- Trump’s anti-Semitic attack on Gov. Josh Shapiro should be strongly condemned. (Philadelphia Grandstand)
- Wyoming County Democrats Take on Trump and Project 2025. (Chris Kelly)
- The mainstream media confirm RFK’s thesis. (Beth Ann Rosica)
- Public speaking can assist win (or lose) the presidency. (Elaine Maimon)
- What can we learn from the spat between Senator John Fetterman and his communications director. (Cliff Smith)
- The Sunday hunting ban is unfair and hurts Pennsylvania’s economy. (Brian Pitell)
- Let’s stick to the facts about arcade games, not the nonsense spewed by opponents. (Mike Barley)
- Reactivation of the Clean Power Plan will reduce energy availability in Pennsylvania. (Senator Greg Rothman)
1 Autumn thing
5. Leaf Peeking Close to Home: Bucks County Rated No. 1 for Fall Foliage
“You don’t have to trek to New England to see the brightest fall foliage in the country, according to a national travel magazine. All the gorgeous fall colors are right around the corner, because Bucks County is the nation’s number one must-see fall destination.
Travel + Leisure magazine informs its 5 million monthly readers that Priceline, an online travel company, analyzed “search volume data” and determined that Bucks County is the most popular destination for fall foliage viewing this year. (Bucks County Courier Times)
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