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Why a NY ruling could be trouble for RFK Jr. in PA

Plus, Democratic registrations see post-Biden bump.

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Friday, August 16, 2024
Today: Ballot challenge, registration bump, syringe services, boycott question, hidden report, AI RTK, strike suit, and an unpopular 'dirt mountain.' 
BALLOT BEEF
A court decision disqualifying independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from New York state's ballot over residency claims could have implications for his effort to stay on the ballot in Pennsylvania.

Kennedy's campaign is appealing the ruling, which found the candidate listed a "sham" New York address on his nominating petitions, the AP reports. A challenge brought against his candidacy in Pennsylvania — and backed by the same Biden-allied PAC — makes a similar claim

The commonwealth challenge heads to court on Tuesday in Harrisburg.

Much has been made of the potential for Kennedy to sway which major party candidate takes home Pennsylvania's 19 coveted electoral votes. New polling has Democrat Kamala Harris up by three in Pennsylvania with Kennedy included. Six percent of voters picked Kennedy.
NOTABLE / QUOTABLE

“Some people are going to become fabulously wealthy and drive progress on climate transition.” 

—Witold Henisz, an administrator at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, on training business students for the climate economy
48 HOURS LEFT
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📷 POST IT
Sunflowers and sun power, via @yatsko. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania.
The sun setting over a sunflower field.
📅 UPCOMING EVENTS
PEOPLE POWER: Join us Thursday, Aug. 22, from 6-7 p.m. for a free panel on why local government struggles to attract and retain talent. Register here and submit questions to events@spotlightpa.org

BERKS BUREAU: Join us on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. for a session on our plans for a Berks County reporting bureau. Register here.
DAILY RUNDOWN
Today's top news story in Pennsylvania.
POST-BIDEN BUMP: Democratic voter registrations have jumped in Pennsylvania since Kamala Harris took over the top spot of the Democratic Party's presidential ticket, Capital-Star reports. Republicans had been gaining steady registration ground here. Nick Field writes that Democrats lost 2,214 registrants between April and July, and added 11,650 registrants in the past three weeks.
 
Today's second top news story in Pennsylvania.BY THE NUMBERS: Despite being highlighted as a priority in opioid epidemic settlements, syringe services are widely considered illegal in most of Pennsylvania under our drug paraphernalia law. Spotlight PA runs down the figures that stand out in this battle.

Today's third top news story in Pennsylvania.ISRAEL BOYCOTT: A top Pittsburgh mayoral staffer has resigned after endorsing an Israel boycott ballot question that could impact city contracts for everything from vehicles to computers. WESA reports Mayor Ed Gainey's now-former spokesperson, Maria Montaño, was among the staffers to sign a petition in support of the ballot question, even as the Gainey administration questioned its legality.

Today's fourth top news story in Pennsylvania.HIDDEN REPORT: Workers were sickened while cleaning up creeks around the site of last year's Norfolk Southern train derailment near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border, but that information was kept from the public, the AP reports. The railroad says symptoms were short-lived, while others say they show the extent of waterway contamination, even as federal regulators insisted the environment was safe.

Today's fifth top news story in Pennsylvania.MASS RTKS: AI-generated Right-to-Know requests submitted under names like "Frank Curry" are flooding Pennsylvania counties, the Tribune-Democrat reports, prompting state officials to issue new guidance. On the heels of that guidance, counties like Somerset are declaring “anonymous requests will not be considered.”
Support Spotlight PA's investigative journalism for Pennsylvania and for a limited time, your gift will be DOUBLED.
🤔 THINK YOU KNOW YOUR NEWS? Prove it with this week's news quiz: Storm damage, ballot access, local taxes, and world series.
IN OTHER NEWS
BEGINNING OF THE END? The National Labor Relations Board wants a federal court to step in and end an almost two-year strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper, the striking workers report.

DRUG COSTS: Prices for 10 of Medicare's most popular and expensive drugs will be cut, the White House says. Pennsylvania has one of the highest shares of Medicare beneficiaries in the country.

'DIRT MOUNTAIN': A very unpopular "dirt mountain" created by a PennDOT contractor in Steelton, Dauphin County has racked up a series of environmental violations, PennLive (paywall) reports.

SHEETZ SUIT: The union for Major League Baseball players is suing the Pittsburgh Pirates and Sheetz over a marketing campaign the union says lacks a proper licensing agreement, WTAE reports.

AWE SHUCKS: Let expert oyster shucker Gary McCready, of Philadelphia's Oyster House and G. Shucks raw bar catering service, show you how it's done, via the Philadelphia Inquirer's video team. 
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.
 
T A S A R U I L T N
 
Yesterday's answer: Interstate

Congrats to our daily winners: Eric F., Annette I., Pam K., Bob C., Jon W., Susan N.-Z., Lissa C., Elaine C., Bob C., Bob G., Karen W., Richard A., Stacy S., Don H., Timothy A., Barbara F., Wendy A., Jill C., Ada M., Jeff F., Jeffrey F., Amelia M., Tom M., Judith D., David W., Cassandra N., William Z., Craig E., and Daniel M.
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