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| Inside this edition: Nearly $100K in cash shows up at DuBois City Hall, Shapiro declines to make his daily calendar public, and Casey and Fetterman oppose low-altitude flights over PA Wilds. |
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 | Daniel Fishel / For Spotlight PA |
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Real quick: DuBois City Manager Herm Suplizio was arrested on corruption charges in March. In early May, almost $100,000 in cash arrived at city hall. The mysterious money was apparently stored at a local nonprofit, where Suplizio had been the executive director, Spotlight PA’s Min Xian and Angela Couloumbis report.
A little more: On an otherwise routine Tuesday in early May, DuBois’ solicitor showed up at City Hall with $93,920 in cash tucked inside a cardboard box and packaged in a gift bag.
The solicitor, Toni Cherry, pulled DuBois’ Interim City Manager Chris Nasuti and Police Chief Blaine Clark out of a meeting. According to Nasuti, she handed the gift bag to the two men and told them that the cash — in bills of $20s, $50s, and $100s — belonged to the city. She advised them to deposit the money and did not explain why or how it came into her possession.
“Of course, it was a surprise,” Nasuti told Spotlight PA. He said he and Clark immediately put the cash into a new bank account isolated from other city funds, and alerted the state attorney general’s office.
The mysterious origin and handling of the bag full of cash is now at the center of yet another storm in a community already reeling from a distressing corruption scandal.
Earlier this year, one of DuBois’ most politically connected government officials, former City Manager Herm Suplizio, was arrested.
Suplizio is accused by the state attorney general’s office of stealing more than $600,000 in taxpayer money over nearly a decade, charges that raise troubling questions about how such a large-scale theft could play out in a city of about 7,400 without anyone noticing.
Attorneys for Suplizio have declined requests for comment from Spotlight PA, and he has yet to enter a plea in the case or appear in court.
The sudden appearance of almost $100,000 in cash has only intensified the feeling of unease in DuBois — a small city about two hours northeast of Pittsburgh — and sows doubts about the efficacy of accountability mechanisms in place for local governments in Pennsylvania.
The full story: Read more here. |
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“Constituents can see trends in terms of the kinds of organizations the governor is meeting with. Who has access? Who has the governor’s ear? How often is the governor meeting with his staff in order to discuss issues one, two, and three?”
—Allan Blutstein, the America Rising senior vice president who unsuccessfully requested Gov. Josh Shapiro’s daily calendar |
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» 18 Pa. candidates who spread election misinformation are poised to oversee local voting in 2024
» Shapiro won’t share daily calendar, a departure from previous Pa. governor’s transparency
» Secret meetings by board overseeing Pa.’s $1 billion in opioid settlements draw criticism
» WATCH: A panel on how Pa. wants to spend its $1B opioid settlement
» ELDER LAW: Join us tonight at 6 p.m. ET via Zoom for a free Q&A on Pennsylvania’s elder protection laws and how they could be improved. Register for the event here and submit your questions to events@spotlightpa.org.
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Memorial Day in Boalsburg, Centre County via Charlie D.
Want to be featured here? Send your best local pics to talkofthetown@spotlightpa.org. |
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Want us to list your event? Send it to us.
» June 2-4: The third annual Rhoneymeade Fest returns to Centre County.
» June 2-4: The Nittany Antique Machinery Association hosts its spring show and consignment sale at Penn’s Cave in Centre Hall.
» June 2-11: See Millbrook Playhouse’s production of A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline.
» June 3: The Bellefonte Children’s Fair features games, music, food, and more.
» June 3: Participate in Tempest Studio’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will be created all in one day.
» June 3: Learn about the geology of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon on a guided hike along the lower Turkey Path. |
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An anagram is a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another. For example, “spotlight” also forms “stoplight.”
Decode the anagram and send your answer to talkofthetown@spotlightpa.org. We’ll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA State College swag.
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There were no new winners this week. Send this newsletter to your friends so they get a shot at receiving Spotlight PA State College swag! Those who answered correctly: Tish M., Martina M., Don H., Elizabeth B., Donna D., and Leann T.
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