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Special call, DMV voters, scheduling conflict, surveillance network, official documents, water warnings, and lessons from a ghost toilet. Help us continue this vital work by supporting Spotlight PA & your gift will be DOUBLED.
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The AP has called Tuesday's special election in Allegheny County for Democrat Lindsay Powell, who beat Republican Erin Connolly Autenreith and cemented Democrats' one-seat majority in the state House.
Powell, a former mayoral and congressional staffer from Pittsburgh, will be the first Black woman to represent the 21st House District, replacing Democrat Sara Innamorato who stepped down in July to seek another office.
Read Spotlight PA's full report: Democrats again secure one-vote Pa. House majority after special election win.
THE CONTEXT: Democrats flipped the state House in 2022 for the first time in 12 years, but a trio of legislative vacancies — and a connected debate about which party actually controlled the chamber — soon followed.
Tuesday's was the fourth Allegheny County special election won by Democrats this year, continuing the party's hold on the lower chamber and, in turn, the caucus' power to pursue policy priorities.
The summertime campaign to replace Innamorato drew relatively little media attention, but Democrats held sizable leads in the number of mail ballots requested and the amount of money raised by their nominee. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"Temple University will survive it. I’m not sure I will emotionally survive it.”
—Temple University Trustee Mitch Morgan on Acting President JoAnne Epps, who died after collapsing on stage at a university event Tuesday
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We urgently need your help to make sure Spotlight PA's vital investigative and public-service reporting can continue.
The first 500 gifts of any amount made during our Fall Member Drive will be DOUBLED by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism. This is a huge opportunity to leverage your gift and unlock HUGE matching support for Spotlight PA.
A big thanks to the 160 people who have given so far, including Tamara N., who said, "I like reading the independent reporting."
Join Tamara & contribute now »
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» STORY FEST: Spotlight PA is participating in Philly Story Fest, a first-of-its-kind festival that brings together storytellers from across the city on one stage. Join us Thursday, Oct. 5 from 7-10 p.m. at the Bok building in South Philadelphia (1901 South 9th St.). Tickets are $25 and available here.
» PATH TO EQUITY: Join Spotlight PA for its first in-person summit on Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg. Spotlight PA is co-presenting this event with Color & Culture, a Pennsylvania marketing firm. Tickets are on sale at this link until sold out.
» ELECTION 101: Join Spotlight PA’s government reporters Kate Huangpu and Stephen Caruso on Thursday, Oct. 12 from 6-7 p.m. ET on Zoom for a free panel on Pa.’s 2023 judicial candidates. Register for the event here and submit your questions to events@spotlightpa.org.
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 VOTER PROMPTS: Pennsylvania has made it easier to register to vote when renewing or obtaining your driver's license. According to the AP: Prompts on the computer screens in driver’s license centers will automatically take the user to a template to register to vote, meaning they'll have to opt out now instead of opting in. Republican lawmakers quickly took issue with the change being made by executive action.
 PRIMARY DAY: State lawmakers still can't agree on a new, earlier date for Pennsylvania's presidential primary with next year's contest fast approaching and counties already issuing logistical warnings about the length of the runway, The Inquirer (paywall) reports. As of Monday, the outlet said lawmakers were tied between March 19 and April 2. The uncertainty isn't helpful for voters either, one official noted.- RELATED: Pa. House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster) isn't backing Trump in 2024 GOP primary, via @Owens_abc27
 POLICE REGISTRY: The Lehigh County DA’s Office wants private citizens to give police access to their home surveillance cameras to aid and speed up criminal investigations, Lehigh Valley Live reports. Such "registries" are being launched by law enforcement entities across North America, prompting warnings from a privacy and civil rights watchdog in British Columbia that called it a "dystopian" overreach.   WATER SOURCE: Oil and gas driller PennEnergy is asking the state for permission to pull 1.5 million gallons of water daily from Big Sewickley Creek in Beaver County for use in a nearby fracking well. Inside Climate News reports advocates worry that doing so would cripple the creek’s delicate ecosystem, harm the land, and could amount to a local extinction-level event for one critically imperiled species. |
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DUTCH DEARTH: Pennsylvania's court system has no Pennsylvania Dutch interpreters and it's looking for a few speakers of the language to change that. WITF reports: An interpreter with a solid grasp of the language and the cultural aspects of the community becomes crucial in court settings.
EMAIL TRAIL: Progressive outlet The Keystone obtained emails showing coordination on the private school voucher issue and related legislation between the conservative, Jeffrey Yass-linked Commonwealth Foundation and the office of Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity.
MINK CHASE: Vet tech Erin Bourinski offers this description (and these photos) of loose minks after a suspected act of fur farm sabotage in Northumberland County: "Everywhere you look, there's minks- running through the fields, standing in the roads, trying to find shelter..."
PAYING THE PRICE: The Inquirer's video team went to 45th Street in West Philly, "where a developer has been slowly taking over the block and residents are paying the price." Watch the six-minute video dispatch here.
GHOST TOILET: One of Pittsburgh's new public toilets — naturally named Pittsburgh Potties — is officially live. But WESA reports the pilot program should learn from the lessons of a ghost toilet on the city's south side. |
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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. C O O Y O P H P T
Yesterday's answer: Wheelhouse
Congrats to our daily winners: Tracy S., Beth T., Dan A., Don H., Barbara F., Richard A., Susan R., Jody A., Jon W., Kimberly D., Bruce B., Wendy A., Stacy S., Susan N.-Z., Jane R., Susan D., Judith D., Hallie W., Daniel M., Kim C., Bill E., Carol S., Vicki U., James N., Craig E., Michael T., William Z., John F., Tom M., Tish M., and James B. |
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