Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
City & State
Frosty weather belied a toast-y atmosphere when the Pennsylvania Society returned to its annual fundraiser to New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel following the hotel’s multi-year renovation. Founded as a forum for commonwealth transplants, the Society dinner, now a gathering for Pennsylvania’s political boldface names, this year honored man-about-Philadelphia and former U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen – who has also held leadership roles with Comcast, the University of Pennsylvania’s Board of Trustees and in the administration of former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell.
Keep reading for more winners and losers!
PA’s phone-free classrooms -
That rarest of aves, an issue with bipartisan consensus, tops this week’s list around the very popular idea that schools should be Instagram- and TikTok-free zones. The state Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to advance a measure banning cellphones during the school day; if enacted, under-desk texting will be a thing of the past by the 2027-28 school year.
Bob Brooks -
Bob Brooks, the firefighter and union leader running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, capped off the year by scoring a big-time endorsement from Gov. Josh Shapiro. Shapiro said Brooks is “the fighter our friends and neighbors all across the Lehigh Valley deserve in Washington” – a glowing endorsement that could very well set Brooks apart from the rest of the pack seeking the Democratic nod.
Lori Hardiman -
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania has its newest national committeeperson. PA GOP leaders announced Lori Hardiman as the new RNC National Committeewoman on Dec. 15. Hardiman, vice president and general counsel for The First City Company in Pittsburgh, brings both a business and legal background to the party’s operations.
Legislative (in)efficiency -
They just got a raise, but Pennsylvania’s legislators logged their least productive session in over a decade, passing only 65 bills into law in 2025. Members of the country’s largest full-time legislative body attributed the sluggish pass rate to a divided government and increasing partisanship.
Gold scam -
The Pennsylvania State Police is investigating a Social Security scam after two elderly residents had more than $1 million in gold stolen from them in December. Police said an unknown actor posing as a Social Security administration employee told the couple their identity was stolen, they needed to liquidate their retirement assets and transfer them to gold. The victims in Lancaster County lost more than $1.3 million to the scam.
Bird flu -
Bird flu remains a threat in the commonwealth, and appears to be behind the deaths of hundreds of snow geese found at a Northampton County quarry in Lower Nazareth Township, according to a report from LehighValleyNews.com. Roughly 400 geese were affected, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is assisting with removal, testing and disposal efforts.
NEXT STORY: This week’s biggest Winners & Losers