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A daily newsletter by  |
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| Today: Surplus watch, plot twist, swing state stumping, Kelly's warning, whistleblower suit, and Lake Erie's secrets. |
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DOWN TO THE WIRE: We're in the final stretch of our Week of Giving 2024 member drive. Our unique journalism at Spotlight PA depends on reader support. That's why we're asking you to contribute now.
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Pennsylvania's budget surplus could be gone by next year without cuts or a sudden revenue windfall, a state watchdog warns.
Heightened spending, tax cuts, and revenue projections have the Independent Fiscal Office flagging the possible exhaustion of the General Fund surplus by the next fiscal year, a scenario that could force lawmakers to tap into the now-$7 billion rainy day fund.
Lawmakers used billions from the General Fund to balance this year's budget, according to the IFO, while proposed revenue-generating "sin taxes" favored by the governor failed to gain traction in the divided legislature.
Further spending is on the horizon. Democrats, who are still pursuing policy goals tied to education and transportation funding, call the IFO's projection overblown. Republicans, who waved the caution flag throughout this year's budget talks, warn of the short-term implications of surplus depletion.
Read Spotlight PA's full report: Without cuts or new revenue, Pennsylvania's budget surplus is on track to run dry. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
“With the war in the Middle East continuing, and with a chaotic election season approaching, I think the expectation is that you’re still going to have a lot of very passionate students on campus when they get back in the fall.”
—Ryan Ansloan of the Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression on the likelihood of Israeli-Palestinian conflict protests and encampments when college resumes in a matter of weeks |
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| At the watering hole, via Yoma U. in Newtown. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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BERKS BUREAU: Join Spotlight PA for a 45-minute Zoom session on our plans for a Berks County reporting bureau. Register for the session TODAY at noon here, and the session on Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. here.
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. |
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 CASHING IN: Absentee landlords and real estate speculators over decades set the stage for Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood to become the national symbol of the opioid epidemic that it is now. As the city works to clean up the area, The Inquirer (paywall) reports, some locals worry that success would leave " the same speculators who enabled the disorder and disrepair poised to cash in."  FIRST-DEGREE: Lycoming County District Attorney Tom Marino says his office will pursue first-degree murder charges against any dealer of drugs involved in fatal overdoses, the Sun-Gazette reports. The charge isn't uncommon in Pennsylvania, but experts doubt its deterrent effect and say it may lead to more overdose deaths by preventing calls for help.
 ON THE TRAIL: Wilkes-Barre-bound former President Donald Trump says he'll debate Kamala Harris twice in Pennsylvania next month, but the Harris campaign says only one head-to-head is confirmed. Harris leads Trump by four points in Pennsylvania and two other swing states, per New York Times / Siena College polling. President Joe Biden says he and Gov. Josh Shapiro are planning a Harris campaign tour here. EARLY WARNING: U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R., Pa.) says he shared his security concerns about the location of a July 13 Trump rally in Butler with the campaign beforehand but was rebuffed. Kelly told the New York Times (paywall) he was in attendance with three of his grandchildren when a would-be assassin shot Trump and several others during the event. Kelly is now chair of a congressional inquiry into the shooting.  'DE FACTO POLICY': A whistleblower lawsuit filed by two Allentown police alleges widespread criminal activity within the department’s Vice and Intelligence Unit, LehighValleyNews.com reports. The lawsuit alleges a long-running pattern of detectives having relationships with sex workers, stealing money during searches, and interfering with other investigations. City officials "look forward to full vindication." |
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POOL PLAN: Pittsburgh writer Eve Andrews makes the case in The Atlantic (paywall) for funding urban public pools as climate infrastructure.
CASA CRAYOLA: A developer wants to turn a historic Crayola crayon site in Northampton County into apartments, via Lehigh Valley Live.
PHILLY FLYERS: The Italian Air Force did a flyover in Philly on Monday ahead of an upcoming air show appearance in Maryland.
HOME TEAM: A team from Pennsylvania has made it into the Little League World Series, which starts tomorrow in South Williamsport.
LAKE EERIE: Alligator sightings and this catch of a wayward salmon have Erie Times-News (paywall) asking: What else is Lake Erie hiding? |
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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. D D U S H H N A C
Yesterday's answer: Euphonious
Congrats to our daily winners: Bob C., Mary Jo J., Timothy A., Richard A., Stacy S., Jon W., Kimberly D., Elaine C., Don H., Daniel S., Beth H., Perry H., Wendy A., John P., Marie B., Craig E., Susan N.-Z., Jeffrey F., Barbara F., Julie K., Annette I., William Z., Stanley J., and Tom M. |
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