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| Today: Municipal money, succession plan, Fetterman vs. Shapiro, Trump security, presidential debate, and a PA artistic triumph. |
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After Spotlight PA reported on the potential misuse of more than $532,000 in public funds by a suspended employee in Gregg Township, Centre County, officials there aren't saying much.
Spotlight PA's Min Xian reports:
Supervisor Ben Haupt declined to answer on the record when asked if the township had any policies about financial responsibilities in place during the employee’s tenure. He would say only that officials started working on such policies after they suspended the employee.
Officials previously said a government credit card may have been involved.
While local governments can independently decide whether to use credit cards, having policies that spell out how they can or cannot be used is crucial for fiscal accountability.
Read the full report: Did Pa. township missing $532K in taxpayer dollars have financial safeguards? Officials won't say. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"The commissioners never deliberated or voted to file suit at an open public meeting, which is a prerequisite to any official action in the name of the county government ... As a result, this case should be dismissed."
—The oil industry arguing Bucks County's rare climate-change lawsuit against energy giants violates Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act |
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| 📱CHECK OUT OUR OUR NEW MOBILE APP |
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We’re excited to debut the Spotlight PA mobile app, now available to download for free in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
The app streamlines the reader experience by sharing our latest stories in an accessible, easy-to-read format. You’ll also get the latest on events, product offerings, and more within the app.
Please check it out and let us know what you think!
Download for Apple/iOS
Download for Google/Android |
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| Mexican sunflowers grown in a community garden in West Philly, via Carol J. Have a Pennsylvania photo of your own to share? Send it to us 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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 LINE OF SUCCESSION: What happens when a Pennsylvania governor steps down early? Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is staying put after the fervor of last month's veepstakes. But had he been chosen, won, and moved on to higher office, Spotlight PA explains the commonwealth's constitutionally prescribed line of succession rules and how they've worked in the past.  FETTERMAN FEUD: A rift between Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and Shapiro — highlighted by last month's veepstakes — reveals "an increasingly volatile relationship between Pennsylvania’s two most ambitious elected officials" and one that "could roil state and Democratic politics for years," NBC News reports. A strategist told the outlet: “It would be really nice if this wasn’t a problem.”
 SECURITY PLAN: The Secret Service has approved a new security plan for outdoor Donald Trump rallies after the former president was nearly assassinated in Butler, the Washington Post (paywall) reports. Trump has said he plans to return to the scene of that shooting in October. If he does, bulletproof glass would surround him on stage under the agency's new plan. UNDER SCRUTINY: A multistate for-profit addiction and mental health treatment company is under scrutiny in Pennsylvania amid mounting lawsuits and layoffs. LNP (paywall) reports a court-appointed receiver says he's found signs of possible health care fraud by Retreat Behavioral Health, "overinflated valuation of assets, and millions in unexplained payments to a hands-off partner." |
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| 🤔 THINK YOU KNOW YOUR NEWS? Prove it with this week's news quiz: Storm damage, ballot access, local taxes, and world series. |
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NO PARKING: Officials in Warren County, New Jersey, last week approved a resolution formally opposing plans to make the Delaware Water Gap a national park, Pennsylvania's first. They say too many questions remain.
SPICE OF LIFE: In light of this New Yorker love letter to Old Bay seasoning, that Maryland mainstay, a throwback to when its owners at McCormick sued a Pennsylvania company over their "New Bae" spinoff.
SPECIES LIST: A rare butterfly only found at the Fort Indiantown Gap military base in Lebanon County should be placed on the federal endangered species list, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.
BLAME HENRY: Pittsburgh Magazine recalls a day of record-setting heat in Pittsburgh in 1918 and how it was all local weatherman Henry Pennywitt’s fault.
EMMY NOD: Hear from the Pennsylvania-based co-creator of the Emmy-nominated Scavengers Reign animated series on his roller coaster of a year and how Pennsylvania influenced the strange worlds of the show. |
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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. I A N T L U A S R A
Friday's answer: Naturalist
Congrats to our weekly winner: Lissa C.
Congrats to our daily winners: Bob C., Elaine C., Eric F., Stacy S., Tracy S., Jon W., Timothy A., Richard A., Don H., Wendy A., Amelia M., Annette I., Susan N.-Z., William Z., Ted W., Dennis M., Jane R., Craig E., Ada M., John H., Barbara F., David M., Tom M., and Stanley J. |
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