This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

The Benedictine Sisters of Erie are being honored by the National Association of Secretaries of State for pushing back against election misinformation peddled by a conservative activist, who claimed that 50-plus voters were registered at the address despite no one living there – a claim that was verifiably false. The sisters will formally receive the NASS’s 2025 Margaret Chase Smith American Democracy Award for political courage in 2026.

What if schools could print out as many violins as their music students needed – instead of renting (and, often, rationing) costly wooden instruments?  Inspired by a YouTube video, California Area Superintendent Laura Jacob has used a 3-D printer to churn out hundreds of surprisingly nice-sounding plastic violins at $50 a pop – and is distributing them without charge to interested students, furthering free expression through free impressions.

Thirteen commonwealth fire departments will receive $10,000 apiece to buy safety-enhancing equipment through the Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program, which is funding 150 local departments nationally. A collaboration between State Farm and the National Volunteer Fire Council, the program supports volunteer fire departments, which often lack the resources to upgrade protective gear and essential tools.

Those who rely on Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian and Keystone Service trains to get to work may soon be SOL thanks to Harrisburg’s inability to get a budget done. With Pennsylvania officials failing to reach an agreement on a mass transit funding package to date, Amtrak said that it may not be able to maintain the lines without money from its partnership with SEPTA. The result? Even more Pennsylvania commuters could soon feel the effects of the budget impasse.

A Luzerne County man has been sentenced to five years' probation after being charged with stalking Congressman Rob Bresnahan and his wife, Chelsea Strub, per the Times Leader. John Arnone, a 61-year-old from Hanover Township, pleaded no contest to the charges after he was accused of sending threatening messages to the couple. Arnone admitted to making a “big mistake” at his sentencing hearing and has since undergone mental health treatment.

Would you believe that the average value of a new Pennsylvania home is $659,000? You read that right: While $298,000 is the mean value for existing homes, newly constructed dwellings cost a whopping 121% more – making Pennsylvania one of just two states where buying new costs more than twice as much (the other is Connecticut). Factors include land and labor shortages, along with government regulations, according to the Pennsylvania Builders Association.