First Read PA – Nov. 3, 2023

WEATHER: Philadelphia: sunny, high of 57; Harrisburg: sunny, high of 57; Pittsburgh: sunny, high of 57.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* As public officials continue to keep a close eye on acts of antisemitism in Pennsylvania amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war overseas, lawmakers in the state House passed legislation this week that would increase the amount of grant funding available for houses of worship and other nonprofits to make security improvements to their facilities. 

* From our partners at Route Fifty, with an update from City & State: States can breathe a little easier after the federal government announced Wednesday that they are easing a capital requirement that led to concerns that smaller providers would be excluded from the nation’s $42 billion program to expand broadband.

* In this week’s Winners & Losers, a Democratic candidate is endorsed by the Republican they seek to replace, Arcadia University faces federal backlash and more. 

NEW THIS MORNING:

* After months of gridlock, the state House this week approved a bill with bipartisan backing that would provide hundreds of millions of dollars to four universities so they can discount Pennsylvania students’ tuition. But the outcome still isn’t assured, Spotlight PA reports. 

* The state will work with a major natural gas producer to collect in-depth data on air emissions and water quality at well sites, enhance public disclosure of drilling chemicals and expand buffer zones, the governor announced yesterday, touting the collaboration as the first of its kind, The Associated Press reports.

* President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed Democratic Philly mayoral nominee Cherelle Parker yesterday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. 

* Text messages to voters outraged progressive Democrats in Delaware County, who had just won a fight to have their party oppose the retention of three local judges listed in nonpartisan slots on Tuesday’s ballot after being elected originally as Republicans. Republicans were behind the messages, it turns out, the Inquirer reports. 

* The Society for College Medicine – a group reportedly challenging books in the Downingtown Area School District – is merely a website that appears to be made up by a man who is not a physician but is running for the Downingtown school board, the Inquirer reports. 

* The commonwealth has updated the criteria for how it defines “environmental justice areas,” communities that are more vulnerable to climate and health risks and that get special attention from the state, Spotlight PA reports. 

* Millions of dollars are owed to Philadelphians whose properties went to sheriff's sale, contends an attorney who has had to sue for those funds to be returned to their owners, the Inquirer reports.

* What the progressive movement in Allegheny County is up against in next week’s general election is not just a set of Republican nominees. It’s an effort to field a movement to counter what progressives have assembled – and it doesn’t lack for resources, WESA reports.

* A western Pennsylvania legislator whose district drew national attention for alligator sightings this past summer has a bill to try and curtail those problems, PennLive reports.

* In recent decades, Reading has transformed from a primarily white, working-class city to one where more than half the population is Latino, primarily Dominican and Puerto Rican. In 2019, the city elected Eddie Morán as its first Latino mayor, who is now seeking a second term as he goes up against Republican José Nuñez, WITF reports. 

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer has an op-ed from Robert C. Heim, board chair of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, who writes that voters want the most qualified individuals to be Supreme Court justices – not those who raise the most money during their campaigns.

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* Desmond Mills Jr., one of five former Memphis police officers charged in connection with the brutal beating and death of Tyre Nichols, pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to two felony charges of obstruction of justice and excessive force, The New York Times reports. 

* A jury yesterday convicted FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering, the culmination of a monthlong trial that saw the former crypto mogul take the stand in his own defense after his inner circle of friends provided damning testimony against him, The Washington Post reports.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To campaign finance attorney Adam Bonin… to Andrew Sharp, director of state government relations at Penn Medicine … on Saturday, to Philadelphia City Councilmember Cindy Bass … to former Commonwealth Court Judge Anne Covey … to Education Law Center Executive Director Deborah Gordon Klehr … to Mel Heifetz, real-estate developer and LGBTQ+ leader … and to former state Supreme Court Justice Sandra Schultz Newman … and on Sunday, to Lori Schreiber, clerk of courts in Montgomery County … Want to wish someone a happy birthday in our newsletter? Email their name, job title and upcoming birthday to editor@cityandstatepa.com.

TODAY’S SKED:

No events at this time

KICKER: 

“The truth of the matter is, this should have been done back in June … But we're glad to see that our colleagues are able to put up the votes to get this done, to get this much-needed remedy for our state-related universities.” – state Rep. Jordan Harris, via Spotlight PA