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| Today: Gun control, political stops, school closures, 'unprofessional' behavior, declining homicides, judge recusal, and dark sky shots. |
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An ordinance set for final consideration this month could make Reading the third Pennsylvania city to ban ghost guns, the Capital-Star reports.
A Commonwealth Court decision issued this February allowed Philadelphia's ban on ghost guns — firearms assembled from parts that lack identifying information — to stand.
That's despite Pennsylvania's rigid preemption law that in the past has been used to block local ordinances that targeted assault weapons, safe storage, and more.
The ruling has had a limited ripple effect. York followed Philadelphia in May and became the second city to restrict ghost guns, with its council voting unanimously to make them illegal unless a person has a federal firearms license.
Other challenges to the state's preemption power are pending before the state Supreme Court. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"The proposed referendum is not only illegal but also a dangerous and insidious attempt to target local entities connected to the State of Israel."
—Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh President Jeff Finkelstein on a proposed ballot question that would prohibit Pittsburgh from doing business with entities that have ties to Israel |
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| As seen by Robert N. in Derry Township on Saturday night. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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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. |
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  PPS PLAN: Pennsylvania's second-largest school district is weighing closures and mergers. Pittsburgh Public Schools will hold input sessions this month and next. Pushback is expected. One board member called a proposed performing arts takeover of a middle school, "school gentrification at its finest," per PublicSource and WESA.
 'GREAT HARM': A dispute between Bedford County's sheriff and its Board of Commissioners played out in public this week, with the former accusing the latter of being "unprofessional," the Altoona Mirror reports. At issue, Sheriff Wayne Emerick Jr. says, is low pay and poor health care benefits that prevent his department from being fully staffed. VIOLENCE STATS: Shootings continue their downward trend in Philadelphia, once an exemplar of the nationwide surge in pandemic-era homicides. The Trace reports shootings in the city are down almost 40% through Aug. 11 compared to the same time last year and that "the drop includes fewer shootings of teens and children — defying a national trend."  RECUSAL PUSH: In an unusual move, Cumberland County's district attorney is calling on a sitting judge to recuse himself from all criminal cases there over bias concerns, PennLive (paywall) reports. The outlet says a dispute over a murder case and a law clerk's actions are central to the challenge, but details are being kept confidential. |
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HARASSED: A Black-run farm in Chester County has been targeted by racist and antisemitic graffiti, drawing a response from the governor. CEO Christa Barfield, a James Beard Award winner, is shaken.
GOING DARK: Gawk at these Pennsylvania dark sky shots from Reddit, then read Spotlight PA's report on the light pollution threat.
GROUP SHARE: Harrisburg mom Stephanie Williams has lung cancer and she's telling the world about it on TikTok.
PLAY NEXT: Williamsport's Little League World Series has a starring role in a new movie starring Luke Wilson (due out this month).
ADD TO QUEUE: The Pitt, starring ER alum Noah Wyle, is a "realistic" Pittsburgh-based hospital drama coming to Max, likely in 2025. |
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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. Please include your first name and last initial. N T R T E E A I S T
Yesterday's answer: Enthralled
Congrats to our daily winners: Eric F., Lissa C., Jane R., Mike B., Jon W., Karen W., Johnny C., Don H., Howard G., Susan N.-Z., Barbara F., Stacy S., Richard A., Daniel S., Timothy A., Elaine C., Kimberly D., Eric S., Jeffrey F., Perry H., David W., Wendy A., Dennis M., Joel S., Annette I., Tom M., Julie K., Lynne E., Bob C., and Jill C. |
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