|
A daily newsletter by  |
|
|
|
| Today: DuBois update, election deadlines, marijuana legislation, more campaign visits, case appeal, and housing costs. |
|
A federal judge has repeatedly granted delays in the case of a former public official accused of corruption as the Pennsylvania city he once ran and allegedly fleeced grapples with the fallout and a nearly $1 million budget deficit.
Last November, federal authorities charged Herm Suplizio, DuBois’ ex-city manager, and his former secretary, Roberta Shaffer, with felony conspiracy and federal program theft.
Since then, the case — which was launched by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General — has largely gone silent.
At the same time, a new slate of city officials has been forced to tackle the scandal’s fallout and unwelcome surprises, including a dozen secret bank accounts.
Read the full report: Local official’s corruption case repeatedly delayed as the city he left behind grapples with $1M deficit, secret bank accounts |
|
| NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
“State legislatures will determine the rights and freedoms we have and the direction our country takes. The stakes couldn’t be higher.”
—Daniel Squadron, co-founder of The States Project, on legislative races including those for two swing districts that could determine which party controls the Pennsylvania House. |
|
Berks County residents are extremely frustrated with the diminished capacity of the local newspaper and they are concerned about a lack of access to trustworthy information in their community, according to a groundbreaking study by Spotlight PA.
In response to the findings, Spotlight PA is planning to launch a new regional reporting bureau in Berks County to be supported primarily by people living and working in the region. Read the full story, and then support the effort »
|
|
ROCKY WATERS: Join us Thursday, July 18 from 6-7 p.m. ET on Zoom for a live panel on Pennsylvania’s private water industry, how it is regulated, and how communities are affected when service is subpar. Register for the event here and submit your questions to events@spotlightpa.org. |
|
| A red-tailed hawk flying over Middle Creek, via Elliott C. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
|
 LAWSUIT DEADLINES: The Pennsylvania House passed a bill this week that would set deadlines for post-election legal battles and prevent delays in finalizing the state’s electoral votes, Spotlight PA and Votebeat report. A federal law passed in 2022 set Dec. 11 as the deadline for states to certify slates of presidential electors. Pennsylvania lacks its own set of deadlines, putting it at risk of potentially conflicting with federal law.  POLICY EQUALITY: As marijuana legalization remains a work in progress in Pennsylvania, the state Legislative Black Caucus wants to see equity in cannabis legislation, ABC27 reports. The caucus proposed policies including reimbursements for assets forfeited during cannabis-related arrests and the establishment of a cannabis development fund.   RENT TOO HIGH: An average Pennsylvanian needs to make at least $26.26 an hour to comfortably afford the rent for a two-bedroom apartment, the Bucks County Courier Times reports. The news outlet cited a National Low Income Housing Coalition report, which found that “insufficient wages, rising rents, and an inadequate housing safety net” are contributing to the difficulties faced by low-income renters. |
|
HEADSTONE CASE: A Montgomery County headstone salesperson is facing federal charges for allegedly scamming nearly 500 customers by not delivering their orders, NBC10 Philadelphia reports. |
|
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.
A W L I Y G N J K A
Yesterday's answer: Paralegals
Congrats to our daily winners: Stacy S., Jane R., Elaine C., Bob C., Eric F., Don H., Timothy A., Susan N., Marc G., Barbara F., Richard A., Cynthia B., Lynne E., George C., Perry H., Jeff F., Wendy A., Annette I., William Z., Tom M., David M., Jeffrey F., Stanley J., Douglas R., and Kimberly D. |
|
|
| |
|
