Winners & Losers

This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

Who’s up and who’s down this week?

City & State

June is here and you know what that means – budget month! As schools begin to close and the weather heats up, things are just getting started in Harrisburg. Lawmakers in Washington, D.C. were able to advance a debt limit bill. Now, the state budget deadline looms ever larger at the Capitol as legislators are set to return next week.

Will we see bipartisanship break out or will party politics reign supreme? Until we have those answers, enjoy this week’s winners and losers!

WINNERS:

Norman Bristol Colón -

A new name has been appointed to a new role within the Shapiro administration. Norman Bristol Colón will serve as the Commonwealth Chief Diversity Officer to lead state agencies’ diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across programs. Colón, who currently serves as chief diversity officer for the Department of Community and Economic Development, is also chair and founder of the Pennsylvania Latino Convention.

Guy Reschenthaler -

U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler is one of the House Republicans being credited with keeping the GOP conference together enough for the House to pass an agreement to suspend the country’s debt limit. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the GOP whip team has relied heavily on Reschenthaler, who is the chief deputy whip, calling Reschenthaler a “fantastic leader and messenger for our party.”

Teacher of the Year Finalists -

The end of the school year comes with annual honors. Several commonwealth educators from across the state were named to the list of the Department of Education’s finalists for the Teacher of the Year award. The K-12 public school teachers will have a chance to be recognized at the state level and be Pennsylvania’s entry for National Teacher of the Year.

LOSERS:

Pauline Bauer -

Bob’s Trading Post in Kane may have to alter its hours. Restaurant owner Pauline Bauer was sentenced to more than two years in prison for her involvement in the Jan. 6 2021 insurrection. Bauer, who was sentenced on Tuesday, was part of the mob that forced police officers to retreat from the East Plaza and directed death threats at then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Josh Shapiro -

Gov. Josh Shapiro is once again breaking from his predecessors on transparency measures, as the state’s Democratic chief executive is declining to release his daily calendar to the public, according to a report from Spotlight PA. The state Office of Open Records recently found that Shapiro does not need to publish his daily schedule, though transparency advocates have noted that past governors – like Shapiro’s predecessor Tom Wolf – released more information about their daily schedules.

Poachers -

Oh, deer. Six Franklin County residents – including three juveniles – are facing poaching charges after allegedly shooting more than 100 deer last fall and winter, leaving most of the animals behind to rot, according to KDKA. Those allegedly involved in the ring now find themselves in the crosshairs of the legal system: They are facing more than 480 criminal counts combined.