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Catching fire: Bob Brooks makes his case for beating Ryan Mackenzie in PA-7

Hilary Danaílova — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 18:14:09 -0400

This is part of a series of interviews with candidates in key congressional races.

If Bob Brooks needs reminding about his priorities in Congress – should he be elected to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th District in the Lehigh Valley – he need look no further than his own family.

“People are waiting until 40 years old to buy a house and start a family; that’s not acceptable. My son and daughter-in-law are struggling to cover childcare … it’s a real problem,” Brooks, a Democrat and the president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, told City & State in an interview.

“I’m scared for what it looks like for my mother – they’re talking about cutting Social Security in 2032 … She can’t afford those cuts. And then I look at my granddaughters – not only am I afraid for what this country looks like for them as young people, but as women.”

His Lehigh Valley neighbors, he added, are confronting the same challenges. A retired 20-year Bethlehem firefighter, Brooks has positioned himself as a down-to-Earth champion of the working class (he is also endorsed by the Working Families Party).

“I’m fighting to make life better for people, and I have personal experience that gives me the drive,” he said.

Brooks lacks experience in elected office, but his effectiveness as an advocate and fluency in labor policy convinced U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio and Gov. Josh Shapiro to back his first-time run. Their instinct was validated by Brooks’ sizable victory in the May primary in a hotly contested race that included former two-time Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure, a seasoned local politician.

As he heads toward the finish line of his début race, Brooks is sounding the same themes he emphasized during primary season: He wants to oust first-term U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie – whom the Cook Political Report calls “one of the most vulnerable House Republicans in the country” – and take back the Lehigh Valley seat formerly held by Democrat Susan Wild.

And once elected, he wants to tackle the cost of living and fight against the outsized influence of big money in U.S. politics.

“The amount of money that is involved to get on TV … I was a novice coming into this, hadn’t run for anything. So name recognition became huge,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing that I’ve learned: the amount of money that’s involved and how we need to change that.”

According to October campaign finance filings, Brooks and Mackenzie have both spent more than $3 million each this cycle in pursuit of the 7th Congressional District seat. In the most recent quarter, Brooks’ operating expenditures amounted to $2,322,407, bringing his total expenditures this cycle to more than $3.6 million, while Mackenzie’s quarterly operating expenses were $1,539,505, with his campaign’s expenditures totaling $3.04 million at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Brooks’ other priorities include being “part of working through the process” of enacting “some form of Medicare for All,” especially with so many Pennsylvanians having lost Medicaid coverage as a result of last year’s federal One Big Beautiful Bill.

He also plans to fight for a higher minimum wage – Pennsylvania’s is still $7.25 an hour, which he calls “not a livable wage” – and to champion the federal PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act, which would expand workers’ rights to unionize and collectively bargain.

Such issues are dear to Brooks’ heart: As a longtime labor leader, he is proud of fighting for a 2024 state measure that expanded worker’s compensation benefits to include first responders affected by post-traumatic stress injury. At the federal level, Brooks joined a national coalition to push for the 2025 Social Security Fairness Act, which restored full retirement benefits to firefighters and other categories of public servants who had previously been excluded.

A recent Franklin & Marshall College poll showed a close race between Mackenzie and Brooks. According to the September survey, 45% of voters in the 7th Congressional District said they would vote for Brooks, while 40% said they would vote for Mackenzie. Notably, 16% of PA-7 voters said they were undecided on the race.

The Nazareth resident and lifelong Democrat is convinced his message is more persuasive than his opponent's, whose campaign has recently run ads spotlighting Brooks’ messy legal and family issues.

“This is from a man who can’t stand on his own votes. So what do they do? They try to character-assassinate their opponent,” Brooks said. “We’re watching my opponent right now scrub his website of things that he supported, like forever wars, which is driving the cost up of fuel … The votes that (congressional Republicans) made and the things that they stood behind are just not resonating with people.”

“For me, things have stayed the same,” Brooks reflected. “The best part about this whole thing, I’ll be honest, is just the fact that I get to meet so many new people, and I get to be me. I get to be Bob Brooks. I don’t have to pretend to be somebody that I’m not.”

Justin Sweitzer contributed additional reporting to this story.

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U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick’s red tape-cutting efforts take center stage in Philadelphia

Harrison Cann and Hilary Danaílova — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 22:20:14 -0400

Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, “is in the middle of a really unprecedented economic transformation.” On Thursday at Temple University, he convened a daylong gathering to accelerate that transformation: The Pennsylvania Red Tape Dialogues, which brought together politicians and industry stakeholders to brainstorm ways to improve Pennsylvania’s business climate.

Building on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s efforts to streamline permitting and licensing, McCormick said his goal was to find ways to limit the onerous regulations that have long stymied the commonwealth’s entrepreneurship. “Our goal is to turn the frustration that many of you feel into a practical agenda,” McCormick told an audience prior to the industry workshops.

“We have about 1.2 million small businesses in Pennsylvania, and they account for about half of our economy,” he said. “The small businesses are the economic engine for our growth – and they are disproportionately affected by the regulatory burden, by the cost of compliance … We need to deal with those frustrations in a commonsense way.”

McCormick’s office touted the event as a first-of-its-kind, nonpartisan gathering of executives, business owners, policy experts and federal and state regulators from across the commonwealth. Those invited submitted 300 initial ideas to reduce the regulations the state imposes on businesses; after hashing them out in person, 10 industry groups presented their recommendations.

“Our commonwealth has more than 166,000 regulatory restrictions. That’s 22% more, on average, than other states – and all of this comes at a cost,” McCormick told the assembly. “The greatest costs are not just in price; they’re unseen. They’re the cost of investments that are never made, the businesses that are never started, the jobs that are never created.”

Ben Kirsch, the commonwealth’s chief transformation and opportunity officer, updated the crowd on the Shapiro administration’s efforts to facilitate entrepreneurship. After his office introduced the Permit Reform System, Kirsch said, the average permit processing time dropped from six to two days.

“We’ve helped close over $43 billion of new private investment in our administration the last three years, and created over 29,000 new jobs in the commonwealth. That’s more than the last 15 years combined. So Pennsylvania is on the rise,” he said.

McCormick was also joined by former two-term Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, the former CEO of Cold Stone Creamery. In office from 2015 to 2023, he imposed a moratorium on new state regulations and eliminated or reformed more than 3,100 rules during his tenure.

Ducey told the gathering that his experience growing Cold Stone from a franchise to a 50-state, 1,440-store operation offered a unique perspective on the role of states’ business climates.

“In a state like Arizona, we could open up our first several stores for less than $150,000… Why does it cost $450,000 to open the same store in the state of California?” he recalled wondering. As he championed reform, Ducey also cautioned that some regulation is necessary to protect public health and safety.

The Red Tape Dialogues, McCormick said, aim to target those regulations that generate paperwork without measurably affecting the public welfare. “The idea is to really cross-pollinate,” he said of the brainstorming sessions. “And within 60 days, I will publish a report outlining your proposals and the plan for how we’re going to pursue them to the benefit of all Pennsylvanians.”

Final recommendations

The day’s discussions culminated in representatives from each major industry presenting the policy recommendations agreed upon in their respective working groups.

“We need 100% oversight and accountability, and we embrace that,” said final panel emcee John Fry, the president of Temple University, of the discussions. “But we also need to see processes that are streamlined and expedited from a regulatory standpoint … That’s why today’s event is so crucial for Pennsylvania’s future business growth.”

The industry recommendations – aimed at reducing regulatory delays and improving business growth – ranged from immediate moves, such as fixing a tool or regulatory process, to wide-ranging changes, including agency rule changes and legislative reforms.

The industries represented included agriculture, farming and dairy; defense and advanced manufacturing; life sciences and biotechnology; food processing and distribution; housing and construction; higher education; retail and hospitality; transportation and logistics; independent healthcare and elder care; and early childhood education and childcare.

A common thread across several industry recommendations was the need to address worker shortages, particularly in farming and food.

Walt Moore, a fourth-generation dairy farmer from Chester County, said visa program reform – and a dairy investment tax rebate – would go a long way toward increasing dairy and milk production.

Moore mentioned yogurt giant Chobani’s announcement that it will invest $1.2 billion in the commonwealth, calling it a “game changer for us.”

“Chobani expects to need about 3 billion more pounds of milk annually, or roughly 30% of the Pennsylvania production in five years' time,” Moore added. “While the Chobani plant is a win for Pennsylvania, for it to be a true win, we need to fill the plant with Pennsylvania milk.”

On a similar note, Astin Melhorn, president of the Paragon Poultry Management Group, said his operation was able to successfully bring in about 50 employees through the EB-3 visa program – but that they need 160 workers.

“The problem we chose to address was the shortage of workforce in agriculture and in agriculture-related businesses. Americans simply will not do these jobs,” Melhorn said. He recommended shortening the EB-3 visa approval window to 90 days to expedite the process for the agricultural industry. “The impact that would have – agriculture and agriculture-related businesses would have access to the authorized workforce needs, and also protect the American public from an inevitable food price increase and food shortage.”

Ducey, on hand for the policy discussion, said immigration reform does “overlap” with much of the discussion.

“We should have an immigration process that works … I can speak as an Arizonan: With the Southern border being secure, now is the time to address this as well.”

Other industry representatives suggested regulatory reforms ranging from modernizing the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code to address the housing shortage to keeping insurance premiums down for those in trucking, logistics and even childcare.

McCormick added that he believes a politician's role is not to create jobs, but to create an environment for economic growth, a value shared by each industry in attendance.

“We’re all on the same side of the table here. We all want prosperity for Pennsylvania, we all want good, safe regulations, we all want growth,” McCormick said in his closing remarks. “There’s a lot we agree on, and this agenda is one area where I think we can find a lot of agreement.”

McCormick’s office is expected to release a report on the attendees’ policy recommendations within the next 60 days.

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This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

City & State — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 17:14:31 -0400

The world’s richest man is once again wading into Pennsylvania politics. After forming America PAC to support Republican candidates in 2024, Elon Musk is continuing to back Pennsylvania Republicans in 2026. In recent weeks, Musk’s PAC has spent more than $460,000 in each of the state’s competitive congressional districts to bolster incumbent U.S. Reps. Rob Bresnahan, Ryan Mackenzie and Scott Perry. However, Musk’s $1 million giveaways to swing-state voters, which drew attention in 2024, don’t appear to be part of his political calculus this cycle.

Keep reading for more winners and losers!

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PA-10 debate night: Scott Perry and Janelle Stelson spar over the economy, the Iran war and elections

Justin Sweitzer — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 22:52:16 -0400

Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry and Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson went toe-to-toe on the debate stage Wednesday night at a debate hosted by WHTM ABC27 News in Harrisburg, where the two faced off in a fiery meeting that saw the two candidates spar over the economy, foreign policy, healthcare and how they would represent the 10th Congressional District.

This year’s election is a rematch of the 2024 contest, when Perry defeated Stelson by just over 5,100 votes. With the Nov. 3 general election just weeks away, City & State breaks down some of the biggest moments from the 10th Congressional District debate.

Focusing on the war in Iran and rising costs

The United States’ ongoing war with Iran has remained a central issue in the race, with Stelson routinely criticizing Perry over his support for the war. Stelson has said the conflict has led to spiking gas prices across the country, and added on Wednesday that ending the war in Iran would be one of her top priorities if elected to Congress.

“I think the war in Iran should end almost immediately. It’s one of the first things I’d like to take care of if I’m lucky enough to get to Washington,” she said on the debate stage. “It’s not just the gas prices we’re all paying. Look at the family farmers here – the cost of diesel (has) skyrocketed. It’s at record highs. Our farmers have to harvest when they have to harvest; they can’t wait until the cost goes down.”

Stelson noted that Perry has voted six times to allow the conflict to continue. “It’s hurting all of us every day,” she said.

Perry said he was the most qualified person on the stage on matters of foreign affairs, pointing to his experience as a brigadier general in the Army National Guard. He added that the rising cost of diesel has “nothing to do with Iran” and said the war between Russia and Ukraine has driven up diesel prices.

“Iran has declared war on the United States. As a matter of fact, they did it about 50 years ago, and they’ve killed or maimed tens of thousands of Americans. When they credibly threaten you with nuclear war, something had to be done – and it has been done,” Perry said when asked about the ongoing conflict. “Now it needs to be ended swiftly, and it needs to be ended so that it is permanent.”

Perry said he supports a moratorium on the federal gas tax to offset high gas prices and encouraged Gov. Josh Shapiro to suspend the state gas tax as well. “Pennsylvania pays the second-highest gas tax in the nation, and while this is happening, we could actually lower the rates for consumers by getting rid of those taxes,” he said.

The candidates also discussed healthcare costs and the policies they support to drive them down.

Stelson condemned Perry over his votes in Congress, saying his support for President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill imperils Medicaid funding and could ultimately harm hospitals. “One of us voted for a bill that is threatening struggling hospitals. Only one of us voted to take healthcare away from people who live here and need it. That’s Scott Perry. He did that in the Big Beautiful Bill,” Stelson said.

The Democratic nominee also criticized Perry for voting against legislation that allows the government to negotiate prescription drug prices for selected medications. “This is one of the only congressmen across the entire country who voted for the government not to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies because he’s also taking money from them,” Stelson said. “I would like to negotiate for more drugs, and I’d like to open it up for more ages.”

Perry blamed the Affordable Care Act for driving up healthcare costs and called for an overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system. “We need to reform the system so that you’re not taxed for healthcare, so that there’s transparency, so that there’s portability, so that we can see what the prices are, so that we can shop around, that we’re focused on wellness as opposed to sick care, which is what we have now,” Perry said. “Obamacare – the Affordable Care Act – isn’t affordable, and it’s been an abject failure. She wants to continue it,” he added, referring to Stelson.

Taking sides on AI and data centers

With data centers proposed in multiple locations in the 10th Congressional District, both Perry and Stelson shared their views on data center development and how policymakers should address risks associated with frontier AI models.

With residents across the state pushing back against data center development in their respective communities, Stelson said data center developers should bring their own power and commit to protecting local water supplies. She also said local governments and communities should be able to reject projects that don’t fit their communities.

“The most important thing here is to make sure that state and local authorities have the ability to say no without being punished,” she said.

Perry criticized Shapiro for state-level policies, including tax breaks, that encouraged data center development in the commonwealth. “What I wouldn’t do is offer the richest multinational companies on the planet tax breaks and tax credits from Pennsylvania taxpayers to jam their data centers into Pennsylvania, but that’s what the governor did, which I can’t control,” he said.

Perry also touted his vote for the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bill that seeks to protect ratepayers from data centers' energy demands. The bill asks state utility regulators to consider implementing a standard that would require large-load customers, including data centers, to cover 100% of the cost of power generation and transmission upgrades.

The candidates also discussed threats posed by sophisticated AI models and whether to slow AI development.

While Perry did not endorse slowing AI development, he said AI developers must be held accountable when a model acts in ways that harm the public. “I have a lot of concerns, notably that AI now is attacking other AI,” he said. “One of the big problems with that is there’s no accountability. The folks that put this stuff together point to the model and say, ‘Well, the model did it. I can’t do anything about it.’ That dog’s not going to hunt. Somebody, some person, is going to have to be accountable for the mishaps of AI.”

Perry said a slowdown in AI development, something championed by leaders at large AI companies, would give China a major advantage. “China is not slowing down. Whoever wins this race will dominate the planet,” he said.

Stelson said the United States needs to “slow down the process a bit” to avoid any adverse consequences from AI development.

“We definitely want to be leaders in the world, but we need to make sure that AI works for us and not that we work for AI. A lot of people are worried about losing their jobs, their livelihoods. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen,” she said. “We just need to make sure that we have regulations so that AI, which sounds like it’s going to be one of the biggest things that’s ever happened on this earth, we need to make sure that humans are in charge of it.”

Sparring over votes and Jan. 6

Unlike last week’s gubernatorial debate between Shapiro and Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the PA-10 debate got heated as Stelson and Perry lobbed verbal barbs at each other throughout the hour-long debate.

On Medicaid work requirements in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, Perry criticized Stelson for supporting some components of the bill, like the work requirements, but not others. “My opponent likes to say, ‘Well, I like this part and I like that part.’ Like I said, either she’s lying or she’s incompetent. That’s not how Congress works. You either accept the whole bill or you don’t accept the whole bill.”Stelson took issue with Perry accusing her of lying or being incompetent. “I’m just talking about your voting record, sir. If you don’t like it, you should get a different job,” she said.

“I’m definitely fine with my voting record. If you will characterize it appropriately, it won’t be a problem,” Perry said.

“We’ll ask the folks at home how they feel,” Stelson replied.

Later in the debate, Stelson accused Perry of being an “architect” of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol, pointing to Perry’s efforts to contest the 2020 presidential election results.

“You are an architect of the deadly insurrection on Jan. 6. You asked for a presidential pardon because you were so deeply involved,” Stelson said Wednesday night.

“That’s a flat-out lie,” Perry shot back.

The U.S. House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack said in its final report that Perry was one of several congressional Republicans “attempting to assist President Trump to overturn the election results.” However, Perry, who objected to Pennsylvania’s election results in 2021, said Wednesday night that he was “collateral damage” of a weaponized federal government.

“I wasn’t a target of the investigation, but she continues to have that narrative that I had anything to do with Jan. 6 when I was inside the Capitol doing my job that the voters elected me to do when the people came into the Capitol,” he said. “I didn’t invite anybody to it. I didn’t go to the rally. Had absolutely nothing to do with it, but the lie lives on.”

“Congressman, you stood on the floor of our U.S. Capitol and told every person watching right now that their votes should not count,” Stelson said. “No, that’s not what I said,” Perry responded, without elaborating. “That’s another lie.”

During the debate’s closing statements, Perry said he has delivered results for his constituents.

“I have delivered results … I’ve done exactly what you’ve asked me to do. I’ve delivered (on) reducing taxes on tips, taxes on overtime, a tax cut for our seniors. I voted for the largest tax cut in American history,” he said. “I didn’t make a lot of friends in Washington, D.C., either when I forced them to vote to end insider stock trading, but it had to be done, and somebody had to lead on it.”

Stelson said the differences between her and Perry couldn’t be clearer.

“On Nov. 3, I hope you will take a deep look at what you've heard tonight and what you see on our commercials,” she said. “You can vote for somebody who for 14 years has been doing exactly what you have now, or you can vote for somebody who’s telling the truth, who will work every day to make your life better.”

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Endorsement Tracker: The 2026 PA governor’s race

Justin Sweitzer — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 16:39:00 -0400

The stakes in Pennsylvania’s race for governor are high. As Gov. Josh Shapiro and state Treasurer Stacy Garrity travel the state to campaign and make their respective cases to voters, both parties have been clear about their goals for this year’s race: Democrats will need to hold onto the office in order to obtain a Democratic trifecta in the state Capitol, while Republicans, including President Donald Trump, want to flip the governor’s office into GOP control.

Endorsements can give voters an idea of where a candidate stands on the issues, while providing a glimpse into the types of institutional and grassroots support a candidate has. We’ve put together a list of the most current endorsements in Pennsylvania’s 2026 race for governor, compiled from a mix of press releases, social media posts and candidate websites.

Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania governor

Labor: Allegheny/Fayette Central Labor Council, American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania, AFSCME District Council 47, Boilermakers Local 13, City of Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, Chester County Fraternal Order of Police PA FOP Lodge 11, Fraternal Order of Transit Police PA FOP Lodge 109, Iron Workers Local Union #3, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, IBEW Local 459, Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades; Pennsylvania Criminal Investigators PA FOP Lodge 92, Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, Pennsylvania State Educators Association, Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, SEIU State Council; Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85, Bricklayers Local 1, Central PA Building & Construction Trades, Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, International Association of Fire Fighters, IBEW 98, IBEW 5, IUOE Local 542, IUOE Local 66, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Pittsburgh Building and Construction Trades, Pittsburgh Fire Fighters Local 1, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 27, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 520, Sprinklerfitters Local 692, Steamfitters Local 420, Steamfitters Local 449, Teamsters Joint Council 53

Organizations: American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists Political Action Committee, CASA in Action, Committee to Protect Health Care, Democratic Governors Association, End Citizens United, Feminist Majority Equality PAC, Giffords, Human Rights Campaign, Jewish Democratic Council of America, Moms Demand Action, Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood PA PAC, Steel City Stonewall Democrats

Public figures: President Barack Obama

Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania treasurer

Organizations: Pennsylvania Republican Party, Maggie’s List, Associated Builders and Contractors Keystone Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors Eastern PA Chapter, Life PAC Of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, National Federation of Independent Business

Public figures: President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, John Joyce, Rep. Scott Perry, Mike Kelly, Ryan Mackenzie, Glenn Thompson and Lloyd Smucker, Auditor General Tim DeFoor, Attorney General Dave Sunday, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, Senate Majority Whip Wayne Langerholc, House Minority Whip Tim O’Neal, Senate Majority Appropriations Committee Chair Scott Martin, House Minority Appropriations Committee Chair Jim Struzzi, Senate Majority Caucus Chair Kristin Phillips-Hill, House Minority Caucus Chair Martina White, Senate Majority Policy Committee Chairman Dave Argall, House Republican Policy Committee Chair David H. Rowe, Senate Majority Caucus Administrator Lisa Baker, House Minority Caucus Administrator Sheryl Delozier, Senate Majority Caucus Secretary Camera Bartolotta, House Minority Caucus Secretary Clint Owlett, former Gov. Tom Corbett, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, former U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, Armstrong County Sheriff Frank Pitzer, Beaver County Sheriff Tony Guy, Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe, Cambria County Sheriff Don Robertson, Carbon County Sheriff Dan Ziegler, Clearfield County Sheriff Chet Hawkins, Crawford County Sheriff Dave Powers, Fayette County Sheriff Jim Custer, Jefferson County Sheriff Sam Bartley, Lebanon County Sheriff Jeff Marley, Lycoming County Sheriff Eric Spiegel, Mifflin County Sheriff Doug Cramer, Montour County Sheriff Will McKenna, Pike County Sheriff Brian Vennie, Potter County Sheriff Kevin Siska, Snyder County Sheriff John Zechman, Sullivan County Sheriff Nick Wingate, Susquehanna County Sheriff John Oliver, Warren County Sheriff Scott Neiswonger, Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert, Wyoming County Sheriff Bob Roberts, York County Sheriff Rich Keuerleber

This story will be updated as more endorsements are announced.

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Port of Philadelphia announces major expansion with the help of state, federal and private funds

Harrison Cann — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 16:14:03 -0400

Joined by lawmakers and labor leaders, the Port of Philadelphia and Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled plans Tuesday for a major expansion that would drastically increase the port’s capacity and facilities.

Shapiro announced $371 million in state capital funds for PhilaPort’s expansion, a sum that, he said, matches $466 million in private investment and matching funds. The move will transform the 152-acre Mustin Yard parcel for auto and container cargo and add another docking berth, among other projects.

“Container capacity across the entire port is expected to increase by 122%,” Shapiro added. “Auto capacity will increase by 18%, which is over 100,000 more cars coming through here.”

The state’s capital funds will be paired with more than $200 million in private-sector investment, including $100 million from both Holt Logistics and GLOVIS America, and $266 million in federal funds, bringing the total to roughly $837 million.

The expansion funding will support dredging, land acquisition and infrastructure improvements, as well as new cranes and equipment. The plans also include construction of a new 2,000-foot berth at Southport Marine Terminal – PhilaPort's first new port space in more than 50 years.

“At the end of the day, this is about (more than) infrastructure – it’s about creating jobs, attracting new business, and ensuring Philadelphia remains a vital port of our nation’s supply chain for generations to come,” said Rich Lazer, PhilaPort’s CEO and executive director, on Tuesday. “We have the assets, we have the workforce, we have the land, and we’re ready to take this port to a whole new level.”

Photo credit: Commonwealth Media Services

Construction will begin as soon as permitting and contracting terms are set, Lazer said, adding that ground should be broken in early 2027.

Officials touted PhilaPort as the most productive container port in the country, supporting more than 8,000 jobs and contributing nearly $1.2 billion in economic activity throughout the commonwealth.

“The combination of public and private investment being directed to South Philly is a promising sign for economic development across our region,” U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, who represents parts of South Philadelphia in the 5th congressional district, said Tuesday. “It demonstrates, as we heard, a strong vote of confidence in our industrial future here and a strong vote for our workforce.”

Port officials said the expansion – which would add roughly 6,000 jobs to the existing 8,000 in and around PhilaPort – will help attract new business, increase cargo volume and strengthen Philadelphia’s role as a major hub for global trade.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker opined that the city – known for its higher education and research institutions – is adding to its “eds and meds” title.

“This historical year, we should be remembering who we are and our place in space as the ‘Workshop of the World,’” Parker remarked, referencing one of the city’s nicknames during the early 20th century. She added that the expansion will bring in an additional $45 million in state and local taxes. “When people ask you to define what Philadelphia is economically, you remind them that we are eds, meds, life sciences, and biotech,” she said, “but don’t forget that we are also maritime, shipbuilding and defense.”

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What to know as Pennsylvania’s skill games deadline takes effect

Justin Sweitzer — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:39:15 -0400

Skill game machines have been a hot topic in Harrisburg over the last several legislative sessions. After lower court decisions left the machines in a legal gray area, the games proliferated in bars, restaurants, social clubs and convenience stores, becoming a major revenue source for businesses and nonprofits alike. However, the machines also ginned up plenty of controversy, with opponents concerned that they increased access to gambling and even attracted crime.

Despite calls from both sides of the aisle to regulate and tax the games, the issue ultimately stalled in the General Assembly. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined the machines to be illegal slot machines in a June 2026 ruling and delayed enforcement for 120 days, giving lawmakers an opportunity to develop a regulatory framework for the machines.

But despite support from Democrats and Republicans, lawmakers did not consider skill games legislation during that 120-day period, meaning businesses that fail to voluntarily remove the machines by Oct. 13 will be subject to criminal penalties and could have their machines seized by law enforcement.

With enforcement set to begin, here’s what to know about Pennsylvania’s skill game compliance deadline on Oct. 13.

Enforcement begins Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The court’s 120-day safe harbor period for businesses and other locations hosting skill games ends Tuesday, Oct. 13, and Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies say they will begin enforcement the following day.

After the deadline, only businesses licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board may operate slot machines, and businesses operating skill games without a license will be in violation of state law. According to the Pennsylvania State Police, “all establishments possessing, operating and/or maintaining such machines are subject to criminal prosecution and immediate seizure of the machines” as of Oct. 14.

Businesses could face machine seizures, criminal charges and liquor license penalties

According to the State Police, businesses that continue to possess, distribute, operate or maintain skill game machines after the deadline could face a range of consequences.

The State Police said potential enforcement actions include seizing machines, seizing skill game proceeds, filing criminal charges and administrative citations against liquor licenses, which could result in fines and the loss of liquor licenses for bars and restaurants that fail to comply.

Last month, Attorney General Dave Sunday encouraged businesses to voluntarily remove their machines ahead of the compliance deadline.

“We do not want to see searches and seizures at storefronts or bar, social club and restaurant establishments – we would much rather business owners and social clubs comply with the law and take steps to get these illegal devices out of their places of business,” he said in a statement.

Lawmakers could still act

This year’s legislative session is still going, and lawmakers in the General Assembly are set to return to Harrisburg for session on Monday, Oct. 19.

During an Oct. 7 gubernatorial debate against Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Gov. Josh Shapiro urged lawmakers to return to Harrisburg and advance skill games legislation. “Lawmakers need to come back to Harrisburg. They need to stop campaigning and start focusing on their work – and they need to get this bill to my desk,” he said. To date, that hasn’t happened.

On Oct. 9, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied a last-ditch request to extend the deadline. Theoretically, lawmakers could still pass legislation to regulate and tax skill gaming machines when they return on Oct. 19. But by then, enforcement will have begun, and many businesses that have come to rely on the games will likely have already decided what to do with their machines.

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This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

City & State — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 17:04:52 -0400

From the playground to the campus, Philadelphia is losing its young people. According to Census Bureau data, Philadelphia lost nearly 10% of its under-18 residents between 2010 and 2025, with losses accelerating for children under 5 (12%), even as the city’s overall population grew 3%. It’s part of a statewide gerontrifying trend – and may have something to do with the School District of Philadelphia welcoming 4,236 fewer students than projected this September. Meanwhile, Temple University has lost nearly a quarter of last year’s record-large incoming class, the biggest single-year decline in over a decade.

Keep reading for more winners and losers!

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7 takeaways from debate between Gov. Josh Shapiro and Treasurer Stacy Garrity

Justin Sweitzer — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 22:18:59 -0400

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Treasurer Stacy Garrity met Wednesday night in the first and only debate of the 2026 election cycle, where they made their respective cases to voters ahead of Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial election on Nov. 3.

The debate, hosted by Nexstar Media Group at the WHTM ABC27 News studio in Harrisburg, saw the two candidates offer contrasting views on the economy, data centers and the impacts of federal policy decisions in Washington, D.C., while outlining competing visions for how they would grapple with the state’s biggest challenges.

City & State breaks down the biggest takeaways from the lone gubernatorial debate between Shapiro and Garrity.

Talking AI and data centers

Both candidates were asked about their shifting positions on AI and data centers, including a question for Shapiro on why his executive order on data centers stopped short of instituting a moratorium on data center development.

Shapiro – who once said Pennsylvania is “all in on AI” – said he listened to Pennsylvanians’ concerns about data centers and drafted “the strictest guardrails in the nation” in response.

Shapiro said that under his executive order, data center projects must pay for and supply their own power and commit to protecting the environment. “Most importantly, you have to earn the support of the local community first. They have to pass an ordinance or a resolution. It’s got to include local labor, and it must include a local benefits agreement. Only then, if a local community supports it, will the commonwealth even consider the permits,” Shapiro said.

The governor said Pennsylvania doesn't need a moratorium on data center development. “A moratorium is a timeline to get to a policy. I put in place the strictest policy, the strictest guardrails in the nation to ensure that our communities are protected,” he said. “Again, just putting it very simply, if a local community does not want that data center to be built in their community, it will not be built.”

Garrity said she had held listening sessions with state residents concerned about data centers and that a moratorium on development would allow local officials to update zoning ordinances to protect their communities from unwanted development.

“I actually held five listening sessions across the commonwealth. I talked to township supervisors, commissioners, local solicitors, community leaders, and I heard the same thing: They're not against data centers, but they want time to get their zoning updated,” she said.

Bringing down costs

With Pennsylvania voters listing affordability and the economy as their primary concerns in this year’s election cycle, Shapiro and Garrity each outlined how they would make life more affordable for state residents.

Garrity said she would support policies that promote natural gas and energy development in Pennsylvania. “We need to unleash the energy that we have right under our feet. We are the Saudi Arabia of natural gas, so we should be producing affordable energy, and that would create 200,000 good-paying jobs and generate $5-6 billion in revenue,” she said. Garrity also proposed eliminating the state’s gross receipts tax on electricity and said she would prevent “tax stacking” on electricity bills.

Shapiro, who touted his own efforts to cut taxes as governor, blamed the ongoing war in Iran as a primary driver for increased costs. “The reason why gas and diesel is at a record high is because of President Trump’s war in Iran – a war that I oppose and a war that my opponent supports,” he said. The governor said he is open to a suspension of the state’s gas tax but that such a policy decision must be advanced by lawmakers in the General Assembly.

Starkly different interpretations of the One Big Beautiful Bill

Shapiro and Garrity had divergent views on President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” on Wednesday night. The domestic policy bill made several expiring provisions in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, and delivered on a key campaign promise of Trump’s by creating tax deductions for tips and overtime pay. It also made significant changes to Medicaid spending and the Affordable Care Act, which critics have feared would jeopardize insurance coverage for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanian residents. Shapiro said Wednesday that the law will result in more than 500,000 Pennsylvanians losing access to their healthcare and lead to a loss of food assistance benefits for 143,000 state residents. He said the Medicaid provisions will also hurt rural hospitals.

“That was a bill that I strongly opposed. I urged each member of our congressional delegation to vote against it. My opponent campaigned for it. She called on lawmakers in Washington to pass it – said it would be fantastic,” the governor added.

Garrity touted the bill for extending the 2017 tax cuts and for the deductions for tips, overtime income and seniors. “Let’s talk about the bill that the governor is referencing: It is no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, expanded Child Tax Credit. So the governor opposes all of that,” she said.

Shapiro defends handling of sexual harassment allegations against former staffer

At one point during Wednesday’s debate, Garrity criticized Shapiro’s handling of sexual harassment allegations made against his longtime aide and former secretary of legislative affairs Mike Vereb. The treasurer condemned the administration’s move to settle the claim by using $295,000 in taxpayer dollars, as well as the confidential nature of the settlement.

The governor defended his handling of the controversy, noting that his office immediately investigated the claim and that Vereb promptly resigned.

“At the conclusion of that independent investigation, the individual in question immediately resigned. Following that, my team and I came together to review the policies in place should a complaint ever be made again – which none have – to determine what, if anything, we would change in our policies and procedures,” Shapiro said. “One of the things we recommended is that, should it involve a high-ranking official, the governor would be brought into that process earlier.”

Shapiro added that he has sided with victims of sexual harassment and abuse throughout his career, dating back to his time as attorney general when he oversaw a sweeping investigation into sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.

“With all due respect to the treasurer, I have spent my career standing up for victims as attorney general, as governor,” he said. “I have prosecuted pedophiles; I prosecuted predators.”

Sparring over skill games

Shapiro and Garrity were both asked how they would deal with skill games – the unregulated gaming machines found in bars, restaurants, social clubs and convenience stores that have become a financial lifeline for small businesses, veterans organizations and volunteer fire departments. The gaming machines are set to become illegal after Oct. 13, thanks to a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that classified them as illegal slot machines.

Garrity criticized Shapiro’s proposal to tax gross terminal revenues from skill game machines at 52% – a rate that Shapiro’s administration estimates could generate $2 billion in annual revenue for the state. “The governor wants to tax American Legions, VFWs, fire halls, and small businesses by 52%,” she said. Garrity said she supports a $500-per-month fee per terminal, which she suggested could generate roughly $300 million in annual revenue.

Shapiro said taxing the machines at a 52% rate would bring them in line with the state’s existing tax on regulated gaming machines. “I’ve been consistent on this issue for the last four years. I’ve urged lawmakers to pass my legislation, which would allow roughly 45,000 of these machines to be regulated,” he said. “Right now, they are illegal. Tax them at a rate of 52%, which is the traditional tax rate we have on other gaming in Pennsylvania.” Shapiro added that he would direct skill game revenue into the state’s General Fund and use a portion of it to fund mass transit.

“Lawmakers need to come back to Harrisburg. They need to stop campaigning and start focusing on their work – and they need to get this bill to my desk,” the governor said.

Opting in to the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit

Trump’s sweeping tax bill also created a new federal education scholarship program, the Education Freedom Tax Credit, which provides a $1,700 individual tax credit for contributions to eligible scholarship organizations.

Eligible families may use scholarship funds for public or private education costs, including private school tuition, tutoring services, books and more. More than 30 states have opted in to the program to date – and the state must opt in to the program by the end of 2026.

Shapiro wouldn’t commit to opting in to the program Wednesday night, but said he remains open to it. “We’re continuing to digest the federal regulations, but I’ve also expressed my openness to this. A number of governors have shut the door on it. Look, I believe in giving parents an opportunity to put their kids in the best position for them to succeed.”Garrity said she would opt in to the program if she were in Shapiro’s shoes. “Day 1,” she said. “These are hundreds of millions of dollars of educational opportunity for our kids.” Garrity added that other blue-state governors have opted into the program, including Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “This governor is just trying to score cheap political points against the administration because that’s what he does,” she added. Shapiro disagreed. “We received dozens and dozens of pages of specific federal regulations that we now need to marry up with our rules here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” he said, adding that the state must ensure that the federal program doesn’t interfere with the state’s existing school choice tax credit programs. “I think prudence here makes the most sense. We’re looking at it carefully, and in the next few weeks, we’ll make our announcement.”

Closing statements

Garrity concluded the debate by casting Shapiro as a political insider who hasn’t positioned the state for success, and encouraged voters to choose change at the ballot box.

“Pennsylvanians deserve better. If you’re happy with high taxes, a weak economy, and backdoor deals in Harrisburg, he’s your guy,” Garrity said. “But if you believe, like me, that it doesn’t have to be this way, (and that) Pennsylvania’s best days are ahead, then please vote for me on Nov. 3.”

Shapiro touted his first-term record, including his securing major economic deals and funding student teacher stipends, and asked voters to send him back to Harrisburg for another four years.

“I’m proud of what we’ve gotten done together. I’m mindful that we have a lot more work to do, and tonight I respectfully ask you for your vote for another term as your governor,” he said.

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Quinnipiac Poll: Shapiro-Garrity race ‘looks like a rout’

Harrison Cann — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:35:26 -0400

With less than a month until Election Day, polls continue to forecast a potential blue wave in the Keystone State, including in the race for governor.

In the first survey of likely voters in Pennsylvania this election cycle, Quinnipiac University found that nearly 60% of respondents support incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro, while just 34% support Republican challenger and state Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

According to the latest Quinnipiac Poll, 95% of Democrats and 62% of Independents support Shapiro, while 79% of Republicans and just 23% of Independents support Garrity.

The race between Shapiro and Garrity, which has recently focused on data center politics, has been seen as Shapiro’s to lose, given his relatively steady approval ratings and the political headwinds facing GOP politicians in 2026.

Previous Quinnipiac polling showed Shapiro with 51% support from independents, but the latest numbers suggest he may be running away with the race after all.

“One of the country’s most popular governors gets a rousing endorsement from Pennsylvania’s likely voters in a race that looks like a rout,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement.

Shapiro’s job approval sits at 63%, while federal lawmakers lag far behind him, at least in the eyes of likely Pennsylvania voters. The poll found that only 41% of respondents approve of Sen. John Fetterman, while 37% approve of Sen. Dave McCormick and President Donald Trump. The results also showed that both Fetterman, with a 50% disapproval rating, and Trump, with a 60% disapproval rating, are currently underwater with voters.

U.S. House and data centers

Overall, recent polling has given Democrats reason to be cautiously optimistic. More than half of likely voters, 54%, want the Democratic Party to control the U.S. House, including 56% of independents.

“With independents in strong agreement, Democrats get the nod on which party should wield the gavel in the U.S. House,” Malloy said.

Likely voters also weighed in on national political issues, including artificial intelligence data centers. The poll found that 64% of likely voters think AI data centers in the commonwealth do more harm than good, but the political gaps between respondents stand out.

Among the likely voters, 80% of Democrats and 72% of independents think AI data centers will do more harm than good, while Republicans remained split. The poll found that 40% of Republicans think AI data centers will do more harm than good, while 44% think they will do more good than harm.

The poll, conducted between Oct. 1 and 5, surveyed 1,159 Pennsylvania likely voters.

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New report details the impact immigrants have on Philadelphia’s population and economy

Hilary Danaílova — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 18:02:52 -0400

How important has immigration been to Southeastern Pennsylvania’s economic dynamism, prosperity and workforce? An updated report released this week by The Welcoming Center – a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that provides job resources for immigrants – answers this question by quantifying new Americans’ impact – through the $724 million in property taxes that immigrant homeowners paid in 2024, for example, and their $60 billion in home equity.

Other key numbers in the “Building Collective Prosperity” report hint at a sobering possible future: Without immigration, Philadelphia’s population would have decreased by nearly 90,000 since 2020. Since “we have effectively stopped legal immigration to this country,” the region’s population – and, by extension, its workforce and overall economic dynamism – may be in peril, said Welcoming Center President and CEO Anuj Gupta.

“Our collective prosperity … is inextricably tied to immigration, and that’s for better or worse,” Gupta told City & State on Tuesday. “When you eyeball all the trajectories, economic and population, that the region has gone through over the last 15 years, the only reason we are still a large regional economy and that we are competitive with other regions is because of our emergence as an immigrant destination – which we were not 25 years ago.”

Gupta noted that immigration in the five-county Greater Philadelphia region peaked “much later” than in comparable cities like New York, and newcomers’ impact has contributed substantially to the area’s recent vitality. “Building Collective Prosperity” is based on research by University of Pennsylvania Wharton School Professor Zeke Hernandez, identifying five main areas of immigrant contributions: taxes, innovation, talent, consumption and investment.

Outside the city proper, according to the report, the region’s immigrant households out-earn native-born households, with higher workforce participation and higher median income. Throughout the region, immigrant households have nearly closed what for years was a homeownership gap with the native-born – and those households now boast an estimated $21 billion in collective spending power.

Much of that wealth comes from lucrative jobs in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sector, a cornerstone of Philadelphia’s economy. According to the report, immigrants make up 16% of the commonwealth’s STEM workforce, nearly double their share of the population; in Chester County, nearly one-third of STEM workers are immigrants, although they constitute only 12% of the county’s workforce.

With federal actions having effectively halted the flow of immigrants, Gupta warned that Southeastern Pennsylvania could face a shortage of STEM and other workers – especially since the commonwealth as a whole is rapidly aging, with declining birthrates and a projected population decline. He pointed out that while some places are able to bolster their numbers through reverse migration, that is not a realistic strategy for a state “where it’s cold a quarter of the year.”

“Right now, the (PA Chamber) and our whole economic development ecosystem is focused on promoting growth in life sciences, promoting growth in advanced manufacturing,” Gupta said. “You can’t do those without STEM professionals – and we don’t have enough STEM professionals that we are educating in this country to fill all those positions.”

“You will either have to choose another region to base your business in, or just go out of business altogether … To the extent data is available, you’re going to start to see some very concerning trends going in the wrong direction,” he said.

He added that only Congress can substantially alter the current trajectory around immigration. Since 2025, immigration levels have plunged, and thousands of residents – many of them holding legal status – have been detained or deported by federal agents.

“There’s going to be a long reverberation to this, and it will reach crisis levels in a lot of communities,” said Gupta. “I believe that that crisis may be enough to finally get the U.S. Congress to act and create an immigration system that meets the needs of the United States in this century.”

Gupta praised the City of Philadelphia for its welcoming stance toward newcomers, noting that it has an official designation as a Welcoming City – meaning it meets certain metrics around inclusivity.

He also said that state legislators from both parties have been “much more clear-eyed on this issue” than their federal counterparts, providing critical support to The Welcoming Center as it expands immigrant job training into Scranton, Kennett Square and, potentially, Pittsburgh.

One of those is state Sen. Joe Picozzi, a Philadelphia Republican who told City & State that the organization is “amazing, and a huge ROI (return on investment) for Pennsylvania.” The report suggests the same could be said of its immigrant constituency.

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‘Put it up for a vote’: As enforcement looms, supporters urge lawmakers to save skill games

Justin Sweitzer — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:33:18 -0400

In a week’s time, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling on the legality of skill game machines will officially take effect, meaning businesses and clubs that continue to operate the machines could face repercussions. Ahead of the deadline, hundreds of skill game supporters gathered at the state Capitol to make one final plea to lawmakers: Regulate the machines and save a vital revenue source for local communities.

Supporters at Tuesday’s rally included small business owners, veterans and members of volunteer fire companies, as well as state lawmakers. While many came from different backgrounds and different parts of the state, they all stressed that revenue from skill games has become a financial lifeline for their respective organizations.

Vicki Heiser of the Deer Lake & West Brunswick Fire Company said money from skill game machines has helped fire companies afford equipment and keep the doors open. “Spaghetti suppers don’t cut it anymore,” she said. “There’s so much great equipment out there, but we just can’t afford it, and we’ll never be able to afford it if you take away our skill games.”

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in June that skill games are illegal gambling machines subject to the state’s Gaming Act and Crimes Code, but gave lawmakers until Oct. 13 to determine whether to regulate the machines. After that, with no regulatory framework currently in place, businesses and locations that operate skill games will be subject to criminal prosecution and face having their machines seized by law enforcement, according to law enforcement officials.

Members of veterans organizations also spoke of how skill games have helped nonprofits bring in additional funds. “These machines are what is the lifeblood of so many nonprofit organizations today,” said Rusty Miller, a member of Mechanicsburg VFW Post 6704.

Stephen Holmes, commander of the Ephraim Slaughter American Legion Post 733 in Harrisburg, calls on lawmakers to help veterans organizations, volunteer firefighters and small businesses by passing legislation to regulate skill games ahead of next week’s compliance deadline. https://t.co/KeBfbOyFJ1
— Justin Sweitzer (@justin_sweitzer) October 6, 2026

Opponents have suggested that skill games attract crime, and that the large amount of cash businesses keep on hand to pay out winnings has led to robberies and violence.

Still, the unregulated machines have become commonplace in bars, restaurants, social clubs, convenience stores, gas stations and other locations, and have found bipartisan support both in Harrisburg and across the state.

Republicans and Democrats alike have introduced proposals to tax and regulate the games. Gov. Josh Shapiro also called on lawmakers to regulate the games in his most recent executive budget proposal, suggesting that they could generate anywhere from $300 million to $2 billion in annual revenue.

The machines proliferated in part due to legal ambiguity and court rulings that determined winnings were based on an element of skill, not chance. However, the state Supreme Court unequivocally ruled in June that skill games are illegal slot machines. The court stayed its ruling for 120 days, protecting businesses and organizations from criminal penalties and giving lawmakers a window to pass legislation to tax and regulate the games.

To date, lawmakers have failed to advance a regulatory framework for skill games, leaving supporters frustrated. “Our legislators need to get off their asses and vote for this. We need it settled,” Miller said at Tuesday’s rally.

Republican state Rep. Doyle Heffley urged legislative leaders to hold a vote on skill games legislation prior to next week’s deadline. He said he will be introducing an amendment on the House floor that will delay enforcement for another six months.

“The fix for this is so easy. One vote. Put it up for a vote. We’ve seen Democrats here. We’ve seen Republicans here. This is bipartisan. Just let it come up for a vote on the House floor,” Heffley said at the rally. “Let’s preserve these dollars for our communities. Let’s preserve these dollars for our small businesses. Let’s not take away this lifeline as we head into this winter and the holiday season.”

Both chambers of the General Assembly will be in session on Wednesday, Oct. 7 – the last scheduled session day ahead of the court’s deadline. Lawmakers in both chambers will return to Harrisburg on Oct. 19.

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Opinion: Now is the time for the General Assembly to act on skill games

Ryan P. Sayers — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:05:07 -0400

As the Clearfield County District Attorney, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution and enforce the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. That responsibility is not conditional. District attorneys across Pennsylvania are obligated to enforce the law fairly and consistently and to protect the communities we serve. However, district attorneys do not write the law. That responsibility belongs to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. That distinction matters as we approach Oct. 13 and these so-called skill games become illegal following the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision earlier this summer.

To be clear, law enforcement officials across the commonwealth are not asking the General Assembly to provide further clarity about what the law means. Instead, we are asking the General Assembly to tell Pennsylvanians whether it intends to act. If the legislature believes these machines should be permitted, it should establish the statutory framework governing them. If it believes they should be prohibited, then it clearly needs to communicate that it intends to permit the Supreme Court’s decision to go into effect.

Furthermore, law enforcement officers need to know if these devices will remain illegal. Is it worth the time and resources to enforce the law, if a few weeks later the legislature will make them legal again? Same thing for our fraternal organizations, VFWs, legions, fire companies, and business owners that need to know what they can and cannot do legally to support themselves.

There are also legitimate public-safety concerns that the General Assembly should consider as it determines whether and how to regulate these gambling devices, including concerns about theft, drugs, and other criminal activity associated with certain locations, specifically “mini-casinos” that serve no other legitimate purpose.

The message to the General Assembly is simple: If you intend to change the law governing these gambling devices, then the time to act is now.

If the General Assembly does not act and these machines become illegal under Pennsylvania law on Oct. 13, district attorneys will enforce the law as it exists. That does not mean every district attorney will approach every case identically. Prosecutors have an obligation to exercise appropriate prosecutorial discretion and determine where limited resources can have the greatest impact. Our focus should be on unlawful gambling operations and other violations that pose a threat to our communities. The best outcome is voluntary compliance.

Attorney General Dave Sunday and the Pennsylvania State Police have similarly called on business owners and organizations to comply with Pennsylvania law and remove machines voluntarily if the law prohibits them outside licensed gaming facilities, rather than waiting for law enforcement to take action.

District attorneys stand ready to enforce whatever law the General Assembly puts on the books. However, we also have an obligation to tell our legislators when action is needed, and now is the time.

I will continue to uphold my oath and do my part. Now I am asking the General Assembly to do its part: decide whether it intends to act on skill games, and if so, enact a law that reflects that decision – or communicate its intent to do nothing.

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A guide to Pennsylvania’s 2026 race for governor

Justin Sweitzer — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 16:16:14 -0400

In November, Pennsylvania voters will decide whether Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro gets another four years in office – or a replacement in the form of state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the Republican Party’s nominee.

To date, the 2026 gubernatorial race has largely centered around Shapiro’s record in office, coupled with a heavy dose of data center politics as voters across the nation express growing frustration with data center development.

Public polling on the race shows Shapiro with a sizable lead: A Franklin & Marshall College poll released in late August showed Shapiro with a 25-point advantage, while another August poll from The New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena University had Shapiro holding a 16-point edge over the Republican nominee. Prediction markets also favor Shapiro, with Kalshi traders giving Shapiro a 97% chance of winning reelection as of mid-September.

Ultimately, voters will make the final decision, and both candidates have been crisscrossing the state to make their case to voters. With little more than a month to go until Election Day on Nov. 3, City & State has put together a comprehensive guide to this year’s race for governor and what it means for the commonwealth.

Meet the candidates

A native of Montgomery County, Shapiro has had a lengthy career in public service. He was elected governor in 2022, defeating GOP state Sen. Doug Mastriano by a 14-point margin.

Prior to his time in the governor’s office, Shapiro served as the state’s attorney general, a position he held from 2017 until he took office as governor in 2023. During his time as AG, Shapiro routinely challenged policies enacted by President Donald Trump’s administration and oversaw a landmark grand jury investigation that revealed widespread instances of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.

Shapiro has held an advantage over Garrity in public polling and in fundraising in the 2026 election cycle. Photo credit: Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Shapiro also spent five years as a Montgomery County commissioner, and served four terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.During his tenure as governor, Shapiro has built a national profile, including making 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ shortlist of running mates and emerging as a potential presidential contender in 2028.

A Bradford County native, Garrity was first elected treasurer in November 2020, when she upset incumbent Democrat Joe Torsella. She was reelected to the office in 2024 and made history when she secured 3,542,336 votes – the most votes any Pennsylvania candidate has ever received in a statewide election.

She is a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel and has been deployed overseas three times: in 1991’s Operation Desert Storm, in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and in 2008 for Operation Enduring Freedom. Garrity has received the Bronze Star twice for exceptional service and also received a Legion of Merit before retiring.

During her time in Iraq, Garrity was one of several officers in charge of the Camp Bucca internment camp in Southern Iraq, at a time when images of U.S.-run detention centers raised questions about internment camp conditions in the country. However, Garrity earned the nickname “the Angel of the Desert” for her work and perfect record at the camp.

Record rundown

The duties of the governor and state treasurer vary considerably, but both candidates running in this year’s gubernatorial race have accomplishments to tout on the campaign trail.

Shapiro has signed a wide range of bills into law throughout his first term, including legislation to establish an insurance coverage framework for telemedicine services, a bill repealing the state’s Sunday hunting ban, and a new law that bars the use of cell phones and mobile devices while driving. The governor has also signed executive orders rolling back degree requirements for state jobs, imposing stricter standards on data center development and streamlining the processes for obtaining state licenses and permits.

Some of Shapiro’s biggest wins have come as part of annual state budgets, where he’s secured increased funding for public schools, an expansion of a state-level property tax relief program, a new tax credit for working-class Pennsylvanians and a cost-of-living adjustment for state pensioners.

The governor has also been a major advocate for economic development projects in Pennsylvania, including several billion-dollar investment deals from Amazon, Eli Lilly and Chobani.

Prior to her election as state treasurer, Garrity served in the military and had a stint in the private sector. Photo credit: Commonwealth Media Services

Garrity, meanwhile, has focused heavily on returning unclaimed property to Pennsylvanians, and has returned more than $1 billion in unclaimed property during her time as treasurer.

Garrity has also ushered in reforms to the state’s PA 529 College and Career Savings Program, which helps families save for future college and career education expenses. Garrity has reduced and waived fees for PA 529 plans on multiple occasions, and the state has received a “Gold” rating from Morningstar for its 529 plans over the last three years.

The incumbent treasurer has also touted her rate cuts for the PA ABLE Savings Program, which is a savings plan that allows individuals with disabilities to keep their means-tested benefits.

Garrity also told City & State in 2025 that she would like to replicate the Treasury’s transparency portal statewide if elected governor.

On the issues

After securing the Democratic nomination in the May primary, Shapiro said that while the state has made real progress under his administration, he is “hungry for more.” He stressed the importance of downballot races for seats in the state House and state Senate, noting that a Democratic majority in the state Senate – which is currently controlled by Republicans – could open the door for Democrats to achieve long-sought policy goals in Harrisburg.

“While we’ve made real progress, I am hungry for more. I know people are hurting right now because of Trump’s policies in D.C. and Republican intransigence in Harrisburg,” Shapiro said. “Give me a Democratic majority in the Senate and we will fully fund mass transit, build more affordable housing, and codify abortion rights into state law.”

The governor also vowed to protect unions and their workers, as well as abortion access and LGBTQ rights.

And, if Shapiro gets a Democratic trifecta in Harrisburg, it’s likely that he will continue pursuing policy goals that have eluded him during his first term, including legalizing recreational marijuana and signing legislation that would give child sexual abuse survivors a two-year legal window to sue their abusers.

Garrity, meanwhile, has made data centers one of her top issues, vowing to support a pause on data center development while hosting a series of listening sessions on data centers in Pennsylvania communities. She has routinely criticized Shapiro for his past support of data center projects in the commonwealth, while Shapiro has knocked Garrity over her previous comments saying the state should “deregulate” to promote more data center development.

Garrity also released a six-point “Turnaround PA” plan focused on policies that she says could make life more affordable for Pennsylvanians. The plan centers on delivering property tax relief, lowering electric and utility bills, reducing the cost of insurance and prescription drugs, making homeownership more accessible, and improving healthcare access in rural areas of the state.

On the property tax relief front, Garrity has called for a constitutional amendment that would exempt eligible seniors from school property taxes and use new revenue from energy development projects to provide property tax relief.

Her plan also calls for eliminating the state’s Gross Receipts Tax on electricity and natural gas, and proposes eliminating unnecessary taxes, fees and regulatory costs that increase utility bills.

Banking on Harrisburg

One could make the argument that the biggest difference between Shapiro and Garrity in this election cycle isn’t related to their backgrounds, policy positions or respective visions for the commonwealth, but their finances.

Since the beginning of 2025, Shapiro has run circles around Garrity when it comes to fundraising, pulling in more than $55 million in total contributions through September 2026. Garrity has raised $5.3 million during that same period, putting her at a major financial disadvantage in the home stretch of the midterm election cycle.

Shapiro had more than $19.8 million in the bank as of mid-September, while Garrity reported having just $1.3 million in cash on hand.

Shapiro’s donor list is a who’s who of business, organized labor, politics and sports. He’s received contributions from trial lawyers, the state’s largest labor unions, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middletown and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, to name a few.

Garrity’s high-profile donors include former RNC committeeman Bob Asher, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser and Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper.

High stakes

Pennsylvania’s candidates for governor have framed this year’s context in stark, existential terms.

In a statement highlighting the potential consequences of the race, Garrity’s campaign said a Democratic trifecta in Harrisburg would result in increased taxes, single-payer healthcare, restrictions on gun ownership, increased access to abortion and the destruction of high school girls' sports.

“Elections have consequences and this year that statement could not be more true,” Garrity’s campaign said in a September press release.

Shapiro, meanwhile, said earlier this year that voters can’t afford to give Trump “a rubber stamp in the governor’s office.”

“My opponent is running on her complete and total allegiance to Donald Trump – because she’s more focused on serving him than fighting for you. She proudly wears her MAGA hat, while I wear the Pennsylvania jersey,” Shapiro said, adding that November’s election “is a clear choice between their chaos, cruelty and corruption and our compassion.”

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This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

City & State — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:24:04 -0400

Of all the ways a shyster might scam Pennsylvanians, among the most creative has to be one Idaho man’s inspiration: Sell fraudulent spotted-lanternfly permits. But Attorney General Dave Sunday has made it clear that scam won’t fly: He’s suing Kevin Wardell for enticing Pennsylvanians with official-looking solicitations from the supposed “Spotted Lanternfly Commission,” an Idaho front for fake permits and equally fake trainings on Pennsylvania’s invasive insects. The state does, in fact, sell lanternfly permits as part of its planthopper-prevention strategy – but the invasive species in this case is Wardell himself.

Keep reading for more winners and losers!

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Ages of uncertainty

Hilary Danaílova — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:16:37 -0400

As the commonwealth’s population ages at a rate outpacing that of neighboring states, two Central Pennsylvania institutions – one catering to children, the other largely to older adults – illustrate the complexities of meeting residents’ needs amid rapid demographic change.

In Clinton County, where the elderly population is booming and the birthrate declining, classroom sizes are shrinking: Enrollment in the Keystone Central School District has dropped by more than 500 students – from 3,714 to 3,204 – in just five years. “But if you look at our school budget … it’s costing us a lot more money today to educate the same child than it did five years ago,” said longtime School Board President Elisabeth Lynch, citing ballooning costs for special education. “We're not saving any money with enrollment going down.”

In fact, rural districts like Keystone Central are struggling to balance school budgets alongside declining revenue from local property taxes, which fund public schools. That’s because a growing share of taxpayers are seniors, who are also struggling with rising costs – and increasingly seeking, and getting, property-tax exemptions.

Not far away in Lewisburg, family-medicine physician Dr. Jason Mitchell sounds a more optimistic note. At his Union County primary care office, Geisinger Health’s chief medical officer walks a reporter through his multiservice clinic, a forward-looking model for serving an aging, rural clientele.

There’s an on-site lab where patients can have blood drawn; a pharmacist to fill their prescriptions and offer advice; and even a behavioral health specialist. For the growing number of elderly Pennsylvanians with declining mobility and poor transportation options, being able to accomplish multiple medical tasks in a single visit is a game-changer.

“It’s meeting people where they are,” said Mitchell. “By 2031, we’ll have about 50,000 more people over 65 – and 50,000 fewer people under 65. We are aging in place without population growth, which really changes what kind of care models you need.”

Geisinger Health has adopted a forward-looking model to care for an aging clientele. Photo credit: Geisinger Health

While populations across the nation and most of the world are skewing older, Pennsylvania is currently among America’s fastest-aging states. By 2030, 1 in 3 Pennsylvanians will be over 60; the fastest-growing demographic is people over 65, up 13% just since 2020, with the over-80 subset increasing particularly fast.

Meanwhile, the proportion of children and younger, working-age adults has been steadily declining due to a combination of low birth rates, outmigration and, more recently, the near-total federal shutdown of immigration. The result: Pennsylvania’s overall population – which after years of slow growth recently stalled around 13 million – is projected to slowly decline.

The state’s long-term population growth rate “has often been among the lowest in the country,” said Justin Theal, a senior officer with Pew’s Fiscal 50 project researching key state fiscal trends. “That combination means that the state is becoming increasingly dependent on other factors to drive population growth, like migration between states as well as from abroad, to support its overall population growth.”

The fallout of demographic change is already apparent in contracting school districts, downsizing universities, swelling state Medicaid expenditures and hospital closures. And as the geriatric trend accelerates – something experts say is virtually guaranteed – its impact will be felt in ways large and small throughout the commonwealth, imperiling cornerstone industries like higher education and necessitating large-scale changes in strategy around everything from the state budget and school funding to healthcare delivery and workforce recruitment.

“The core challenge for Pennsylvania is just fewer people in their prime working years supporting a growing segment of the population that tends to need more expensive public services over time … and makes it harder to rely on property taxes for schools,” said Theal, the Pew analyst.

“But Pennsylvania is really ahead of the game when it comes to trying to understand what demographics trends mean for the state,” he added. He called the state’s Independent Fiscal Office “one of just a few state agencies that takes a hard look connecting the demographic trends to fiscal impacts going forward.”

The commonwealth is also one of just 14 states to have a comprehensive, multi-sector strategic plan around aging. In 2024, Gov. Josh Shapiro spearheaded “Aging Our Way,” a 10-year program aimed at bolstering seniors’ access to resources like housing, transportation and aging-in-place services – all of which can be particularly complicated in a sprawling, largely rural state with chronic labor shortages. The plan incorporates input from hundreds of listening sessions in all 67 counties, as well as collaborations with state agencies and community organizations.

Math lessons

Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich, a veteran of Pennsylvania’s aging sector who has overseen the plan’s rollout, emphasized that a growing senior cohort offers opportunities as well as challenges.

“They’re the people that are keeping our institutions going; they’re the people that are keeping our community strong,” he said of the legions of retirees volunteering at libraries and Little Leagues, watching grandchildren while parents work, and playing in community bands. “Yes, there’s challenges and there’s some strain on our systems, but we should be working hard together to find solutions for them.”

At the other end of the age spectrum, the fallout of Pennsylvania’s demographic shift is already evident. Few sectors have seen as dramatic an impact from Pennsylvania’s dwindling youth population as education – and the challenges are apparent at every level, from lower kindergarten enrollments to shuttering colleges.

For a state that prides itself on a robust higher-education sector – one that generates tens of billions of dollars in annual economic impact – the trend is ominous.

Ten post-secondary schools across the state have closed outright over the past decade, including Philadelphia’s University of the Arts and Pittsburgh Technical College, and many more have merged: Villanova University, for instance, recently acquired the financially struggling Rosemont College and took over the campus of now-defunct Cabrini University as well.

Pennsylvania State University is closing seven of its 19 branch campuses (those slated for closure only enroll some 3,000 students). Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education – whose enrollment plunged from around 120,000 to roughly 80,000 in recent years – recently consolidated six of its 14 schools into two universities.

The trend is evident in lower grades as well. The School District of Philadelphia, the state’s largest public-school system, is now strategically downsizing, with 17 of its schools slated to close.

“As an industry, we really overbuilt our capacity,” said PASSHE Chancellor Chris Fiorentino – a statement that could apply equally to schools at all levels. Still, even a decade ago, “there was a lot of denial in higher ed,” he added. “It’s always easier to just hope … that they could turn it around: ‘Well, if we can get our enrollments up 5%, that's going to take care of our budget shortfalls, and everything's going to be fine.’”

Over more than 40 years in the PASSHE system – mostly at West Chester University, where he was president until 2024 – Fiorentino, an economist by training, had come to see the shift coming in dwindling cohorts of high school graduates. Despite the challenges, he told City & State, public university systems – with their economies of scale, lower tuitions and state funding – have a survival advantage over smaller, pricier private colleges.

“We had the entire industry fighting over this shrinking pool of students,” he reflected. “Our hope was that we could preserve opportunity for as many students in these rural areas as we could. And we felt that consolidation would buy us time.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has sought to reframe views on how senior centers serve communities. Photo credit: Commonwealth Media Services

But downsizing, even alongside state-subsidized tuition freezes, won’t be enough to stabilize the system in the long run. For that, Fiorentino knows that PASSHE will have to grow its pool of potential students. The system has engaged a consultant to identify the million-plus Pennsylvanians – working-age college dropouts, for example – who might be receptive to pursuing degrees.

“If we're going to fill that gap, this is where we're going to have to fill it from, because there is no other place to get students,” he said. The strategy could also have long-term payoffs for the state’s rural communities, he noted, by educating a workforce pipeline for the state’s new corporate tenants, including Chobani and Burlington.

In rural public school districts, the mood is far less sanguine. Keystone Central’s interim superintendent, Alan Lonoconus, painted a gloomy picture of a slow-motion financial disaster: Exhibit A is a property-tax base that is shrinking in inverse proportion to a growing population of frugal seniors; Exhibit B is the skyrocketing costs of items like employee healthcare and federally mandated special-education services.

Conversations are evolving. We’re at the table together in a new way, with a new energy.

– Jason Kavulich, Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging

“We have millions of dollars of facilities that we cannot upgrade or (even) maintain,” said Lynch, the school board president, adding that the district has deferred book purchases and put new advanced-placement classes on hold. “But the primary funding for a commonwealth state is local real estate taxes … It's unsustainable on so many levels, so I believe in our lifetime there is going to be some sort of change. We don't want to have to keep raising taxes on our neighbors.”

Districts like Keystone Central are victims of the growing rural-urban divide, according to Paige Kelly, an assistant professor of rural sociology and demography at Penn State. “Rural areas have a lower tax base, a lot less capacity … but then are expected to provide the same range of services as much larger urban counties,” she pointed out. Kelly cited not only schools, but also items like road maintenance and support for local entrepreneurship.

Lynch knows that a radical overhaul of school funding sources is improbable. But deteriorating public schools, she said, challenge the state’s ability to attract the working-age families it desperately needs. It frustrates her to read about young digital nomads flocking to more fashionable parts of rural America, like Vermont and Maine, while overlooking what Central Pennsylvania has to offer.

“The voters, I believe, are interested in this issue,” she affirmed. “And they will come out to vote when someone comes to the table and says, ‘Look, get me elected: This is one of my priorities.’”

Tending to healthcare

At hospitals across the commonwealth, healthcare professionals share a similar worry – that as declining populations force hospitals to close, their communities will be less attractive to exactly the working-age professionals regions need to stay vibrant.

A staggering 25 Pennsylvania hospitals have closed over the past decade, according to The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania – and an additional 12 to 14 are at risk of closing in the next four years due to financial and staffing challenges. In a state where big cities are a day’s drive apart, some of those closures have left rural communities without nearby emergency care, including labor and delivery units – many of which have also closed at rural hospitals in recent years.

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania recently identified what it calls a “maternity desert” larger than the state of Connecticut – eight contiguous Northern Pennsylvania counties without dedicated childbirth services. At the most recent hospital to shutter its labor and delivery unit, Warren General, births had dropped from 400 in 2000 to just 175 in 2025, the last year babies were delivered.

Warren General offers an unvarnished portrait of the demographic factors at play in hospital closures. The county has lost a full quarter of its residents over the past half-century, and it is hardly atypical; far more residents are over 65 (26%) than under 18 (19%). With a national shortage of OB-GYNs, the hospital’s CEO, Dan Grolemund, found it impossible to recruit a replacement for the lone remaining physician specialized in childbirth, who was nearly 80 (and, unlike urban colleagues, was on-call around the clock).

“It is very difficult to recruit in some of these rural communities. They have lower volumes, but still have similar overhead in trying to run a 24/7 healthcare facility,” noted Kate Slatt Coleman, vice president for policy and care delivery at The Hospital and Healthsystem Association. Throw in seasonal ebbs and flows, she added, and all these factors “make it really hard from a revenue management standpoint.”

Pennsylvania hospitals and healthcare facilities also face structural challenges. “Our Medicaid reimbursement in the state is 11 percentage points lower, and our commercial insurance payments are 29% lower, than our peer states or compared to the national median,” said Jennifer Jordan, the association’s vice president for care continuum and behavioral health strategy. Those disparities loom particularly large in light of Pennsylvania’s increasing reliance on Medicaid for rural and elder care.

While young parents may face a dearth of primary-care and obstetrical options, the needs of aging Pennsylvanians are ubiquitous and pressing. Aging Secretary Kavulich praised the collaboration between his agency and the state Department of Transportation, which has brainstormed solutions to coordinate transportation alongside the state’s 51 Area Agencies on Aging.

But it’s not just about more transportation: At Geisinger, Mitchell’s integrated clinics deliver myriad resources within a single visit. The health system’s neurologists, recognizing that neurology patients struggle with mobility, offer initial visits via telehealth. In 2027, Geisinger will launch a remote monitoring program to keep on top of vulnerable patients’ conditions.

And the health system’s Ask-A-Doc tool, which allows providers to pose questions to specialists, can save patients the trip to see a second doctor – while freeing up volume for overbooked specialists. As an example, Mitchell offered a case of treatment-resistant heart failure: “A cardiologist reads my question and generally responds the same day, and then I can titrate medications,” he explained.

All of these initiatives, Mitchell added, are aimed at decreasing barriers to care – with the downstream effect of keeping elderly patients out of the costly emergency department, improving both health outcomes and bottom lines.

“Healthcare across the United States is unaffordable … And the way you make it affordable is better health,” Mitchell explained. “If you can take your frail elderly, and you can intervene before their first fall, you've changed the trajectory … Nutrition, physical therapy, aides in the home: What is it that's going to prevent that first fall? Let's get ahead of it.”

Prevention and access are also cornerstones of the Shapiro administration’s strategy. Kavulich’s team, for instance, recently partnered with the University of Pennsylvania’s Healthy Home Laboratory to upgrade lighting in seniors’ homes – a move that can reduce falls. “When older adults fall, it costs our healthcare system in many ways – the emergency room, helping them get through rehab,” the secretary noted.

His department also spearheaded a new division devoted to Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related disorders, which are on the rise as the population ages. Relatedly, in May 2025, the state Department of Aging released the PA CareKit: Essential Support for Caregivers in Pennsylvania, promoting its resources at libraries, senior centers and lawmakers’ offices.

A workforce that works

Not all seniors are frail, of course. Many remain active and engaged – meaning they could potentially help solve the commonwealth’s workforce shortage.

Patricia Blumenauer, the state’s deputy secretary for workforce development, has been spearheading initiatives to connect retirees with flexible, senior-friendly jobs. PA CareerLink, Pennsylvania’s employment clearinghouse, directs older adults to resources to help with the costs of transportation, training and even uniforms – all of which are potential barriers to employment.

At the other end of the age spectrum, “we've really started to shift our focus on building the talent pipeline starting at a younger age … (starting) in middle school,” said Blumenauer. “We've been working with the Department of Education, partnering with trade schools, community colleges, career and tech ed centers to look at what are the specific needs of communities and the employers within those communities.”

A group of women work out at Active Aging, Inc. on the same day officials from the state Department of Aging visited Crawford County. Photo credit: Commonwealth Media Services

Apprenticeships are a pillar of this initiative, with nearly 300 new training programs – engaging 45,000 Pennsylvanians – débuted by the Shapiro administration since 2023. Equally important are private initiatives, especially from the healthcare organizations whose longstanding, acute workforce shortages were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

One is The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education in Scranton, whose community-based medical training is cultivating a homegrown rural healthcare workforce in the state’s traditionally underserved Northeast. Another is Geisinger’s Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program, which waives medical-school tuition for students training for shortage-prone primary care or psychiatric specialties.

Geisinger also recently opened up a school of nursing in the state’s Northeast, and partners with schools across the state on clinical training opportunities.

Sociologist Emilio Parrado, who directs the University of Pennsylvania’s Population Studies Center, pointed out that parallel trends – like reverse migration from working-age Americans priced out of the Sun Belt – might also help ease the commonwealth’s workforce strain.

“Young people might actually have an easier time finding jobs when you have more jobs than people,” Parrado offered, alluding to the vacancies left by retiring baby boomers and Gen Xers. The continued expansion of remote work could also attract newcomers attracted to Pennsylvania’s relatively affordable housing, low cost of living and abundant natural and cultural resources.

“I think (younger) people are going to be following amenities, not jobs,” he said.

Making it all add up

The aging trend is also increasingly evident nationally – which could eventually force the kinds of structural innovation that aging regions will need in order to adapt.

“As of 2020, Pennsylvania was in the top 10 states with the largest shares of older adults – but it's actually projected to fall out of the top 10 in 2030 and beyond,” noted Wan Smith of Pew. So it’s unlikely to be unique in facing the growing tension between soaring demand for expensive Medicaid-provided services, like long-term care, and budgetary costs.

However, especially in light of last year’s federal spending bill – the One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid spending over a decade – observers are concerned about how the commonwealth will meet its growing obligations as the population ages.

Currently, Pennsylvania is one of just four states to dedicate more than a fifth of its budget to Medicaid, at 24%, the second-largest share by percentage of all 50 states (only New York’s was higher).

“It’s not inherently good or bad,” said Theal, “but it does mean that any additional cost growth within that program – any additional dollar that Medicaid would consume – means that dollar may not be that available for education, transportation, public safety, other priorities.”

Wan Smith pointed out that long-range thinking around demographic change is at odds with the annual rhythm of a state budget cycle, where “things move very quickly, and there are obviously a lot of competing needs and immediate needs that take priority,” she said. “It would really be a change … to incorporate more of that long-term planning.”

For his part, Kavulich remains optimistic. “These conversations are evolving,” he said. “We’re at the table together in a new way, with a new energy to find different ways to system-problem solve.

“And not every problem needs to be solved with dollars,” he added. “Sometimes it needs to be. But other times, we need to roll up our sleeves and think differently.”

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‘We are putting America first’: U.S. Rep. Scott Perry campaigns with Mark Teixeira in PA’s 10th Congressional District

Justin Sweitzer — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:02:12 -0400

With the Major League Baseball postseason in full swing, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry campaigned in Harrisburg on Wednesday with Mark Teixeira, a five-time Gold Glove-winning first baseman and current Texas congressional candidate who encouraged voters to reelect the former Freedom Caucus chair in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District.

Perry, speaking to voters at a campaign event and MLB playoff watch party in Harrisburg, said it’s critical that Republicans retain control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections.

“We are putting America first – things are looking up,” Perry said, touting a drop in the nation’s inflation rate since former President Joe Biden held office. He said that while voters have expressed concerns with the economy and the cost of living, the nation’s economy will continue to improve with the GOP in control of Congress.

“Are prices still too high? Absolutely, but we are working on it,” Perry said. “The question you have to have for yourself is: Do we want to throw away everything we’ve invested and bring these other people in that created the 9% inflation? Because that’s what we’re talking about right now.”

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry talks about the economy, the cost of living and foreign conflicts, including the war in Iran. pic.twitter.com/kAapkybUGZ
— Justin Sweitzer (@justin_sweitzer) September 30, 2026

Perry said Republicans have achieved major victories during President Donald Trump’s second term, including Trump’s signature tax bill that established tax deductions for tip income, overtime compensation and senior citizens.

Teixeira, who won a 12-way Republican primary in Texas’ 21st Congressional District in March, drew a stark contrast between the visions Democrats and Republicans have for the country. “The Republican Party right now is facing a group on the other side that totally wants to remake America,” Teixeira said, in a nod to the self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist candidates that have found success in congressional races across the country.

Teixeira, who is endorsed by Trump, said while Republicans may have their own differences of opinion within the party, they agree on the “big things,” including “a secure border, safe streets, not putting our children and grandchildren into debt that they will never come out of.”

“This seat is so important. Pennsylvania is so important to this country,” Teixeira added. “This is a special place … It will only stay special if we have men like Scott Perry in office.”

In addition to Teixeira, Perry was also joined by U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, a fellow member of the House Freedom Caucus who represents Georgia’s 9th Congressional District. He said Perry was critical to obtaining congressional reforms during a 2023 fight to determine the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, including helping conservatives gain seats on key congressional committees and increasing the amount of time members have to review certain large, omnibus bills.

“Scott Perry was the chairman of the Freedom Caucus during that fight, and the wins that we got fundamentally changed the way Congress operated,” Clyde said. “We need Scott back in Congress. We need to keep our majority. This is one of those battleground seats that is so critically important to the fact that we keep the Republicans in charge.”

Perry is facing Democrat Janelle Stelson in a rematch of the 2024 race in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. In 2024, Perry defeated Stelson by 5,133 votes.

Public polling on the race suggests Perry and Stelson are in another close race for the 10th Congressional District seat this year. The poll, conducted in September by Franklin & Marshall College, had Stelson leading Perry by a margin of 47% to 44%, with 9% of respondents undecided.

According to the Franklin & Marshall poll, 22% of 10th Congressional District voters said the economy and finances were the most important problem facing the state. Government and politicians came in second at 12%, and 8% of voters listed energy issues and gas prices as their top issue.

Speaking to reporters after the event, Perry said reining in federal spending and cracking down on illegal immigration are two ways he would seek to drive down costs in the U.S. if elected to another term.

“The biggest thing we can do to chip away at (the) cost of living – especially interest rates – is quit spending money we don’t have at the federal level,” he said. “What does that look like? The first thing it looks like is to not have people here that shouldn’t be here. You want to talk about education costs, infrastructure costs, hospitalization and medical costs, law enforcement, education – all these costs. The more of these people that are here illegally, that don’t belong here, raises all of our costs. That’s the first place we can start.”

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State health officials pause disease-control strategy proposal

Hilary Danaílova — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:32:25 -0400

As Pennsylvania battles its worst measles crisis in a generation, the state Department of Health has paused plans for a major overhaul of its disease-control strategy, it announced on Friday. The plan would have expanded the state’s abilities to respond to infectious outbreaks, but encountered fierce opposition from both Harrisburg Republicans – and, notably, from constituents concerned about the potential for a return to pandemic-era health mandates.

The proposal would have updated the state’s public health strategy around disease control for the first time in a quarter-century; the most recent major update was in 2001. While typical regulatory proposals receive only a handful of public comments, this plan had logged more than 10,000 submissions by the time officials paused their plans on Sept. 25, many of them opposing the proposal.

“The Department of Health received a historically high volume of feedback during the public comment period and it is clear additional stakeholder input is needed,” Neil Ruhland, a spokesperson for the Department of Health, said Tuesday in a statement, adding that the proposal was withdrawn in order to incorporate constituent reactions.

Ruhland said the department plans to file a revised draft of the plan “once Pennsylvanians’ feedback has been adequately incorporated into the draft regulations.” While it declined to mention the current measles outbreak – currently the country’s largest, and the most significant in Pennsylvania since the 1990s – the spiraling situation, with more than 900 cases and four deaths reported since April, lends urgency to any public health strategy.

State health officials submitted a 502-page proposal in early June to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission, the agency tasked with approving it. The plan would have expanded the state’s authority over monitoring, defining and responding to both communicable and non-communicable diseases.

In a June analysis to the Review Commission, state health officials said the update is “needed to expand the list of reportable diseases, infections and conditions, to address changing standards and recommendations from experts, such as the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the (American Academy of Pediatrics), and to ensure the overall public health and safety by reducing the risk and spread of diseases, infections and conditions.”

But the proposal was met with strident opposition from Republicans in the General Assembly. In Harrisburg on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman told the Pennsylvania Press Club that the plan was “probably the most invasive effort that I’ve ever seen of the government coming into individuals’ lives and usurping local control.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a onetime respiratory therapist, used similar language as she praised the collective efforts to halt what she characterized as government overreach. “Democracy has spoken. Once again, the people of Pennsylvania stood tall and used their voices to declare independence from the executive branch,” she said in a statement, echoing concerns she voiced during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Gov. Shapiro … has once again demonstrated he is willing to prioritize a political agenda over protecting the personal freedoms and liberties of Pennsylvanians.”

In an interview on Monday with the Philadelphia talk-radio host Dom Giordano, Ward called the attempt to expand public health powers “a slap in the face to the 10,000 Pennsylvanians that wrote in” and laid out her reasons for opposing the plan in greater detail. “This was clearly an end run around the constitutional amendment … that limited the governor’s unilateral authority,” she told Giordano. “He’s allowing it because it empowers the governor’s office.”

She suggested that the proposal could potentially put control over public health in the hands of an appointed health secretary with no expertise in health matters. And she urged constituents to maintain their vigilance, warning that Gov. Shapiro – who is up for reelection in November – would continue to advance his regulatory plans in a second term.

“He’s going to let the Department of Health put you in a mask. He’s going to let them come to your door and say you have to get a vaccine,” Ward told Giordano. “They’re going to get into your health records … and go to the schools and talk to your children and your grandchildren without parental knowledge or permission. That is scary stuff that does not sound like America.”

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Dave Sunday urges businesses to remove skill game machines ahead of October deadline

Justin Sweitzer — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 16:39:06 -0400

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is encouraging business owners to remove skill game machines from their establishments ahead of a looming October compliance deadline. After that, businesses and locations that house skill games will be subject to criminal prosecution and face having their machines seized by law enforcement, he said on Tuesday.

Sunday’s warning comes after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in June that the gaming machines – which are a common sight in bars, fraternal clubs, convenience stores and other locations – are, in fact, illegal gambling machines subject to the state’s Gaming Act and Crimes Code.

When issuing its June opinion, the court instituted a 120-day safe harbor period that protected businesses from penalties and gave state lawmakers a chance to pass a regulatory framework to legalize the games. However, lawmakers have not advanced legislation to regulate the gaming machines to date.

“Collaborating with our law enforcement partners, my office will act in accordance with the law which prohibits these machines outside of licensed gaming facilities,” he added.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police, only licensed casinos and qualifying licensed truck stops may possess and operate the gaming machines, which the court deemed to be “slot machines” in its June ruling. In a statement circulated earlier in September, the State Police said that law enforcement “may take enforcement action against businesses which continue to possess, operate and/or maintain such machines” as of Oct. 14.

Sunday’s office noted that turning off or unplugging skill game machines is not enough to comply with state law.

Over the last several legislative sessions, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed a desire to regulate and tax the machines, as has Gov. Josh Shapiro, who called on lawmakers to pass skill games legislation in his most recent budget proposal.

In the state Senate, Republican state Sen. Gene Yaw and Democratic state Sen. Anthony H. Williams introduced Senate Bill 1079, which would create a $500 monthly fee per skill game terminal and limit the total number of gaming terminals in the state to 50,000. They estimated that the proposal would generate $300 million in annual revenue for the state. Democratic state Rep. Danilo Burgos and GOP state Rep. Jonathan Fritz sponsored similar legislation in the state House of Representatives.

In his 2026-27 budget proposal, Shapiro called on the General Assembly to establish a 52% tax on gross terminal revenues from skill games. His administration estimated that a 52% tax would generate more than $2 billion annually, with estimates suggesting there are as many as 70,000 skill game machines across the state.

However, despite advocacy from business owners and the skill game industry – who say the machines are a “lifeline” for small businesses and fraternal organizations throughout the commonwealth – lawmakers have not reached a consensus on how or whether to regulate skill games.

Republican state Rep. Russ Diamond said Tuesday during a House Gaming Oversight Committee meeting that he is “frustrated and dismayed” at the status of efforts to advance a regulatory framework for skill games.

“We are under a Supreme Court deadline and we should be getting something done,” Diamond said. “We have a number of bills before this committee that deal with skill games. I hope that in the coming days we schedule another meeting to talk about that topic, before tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of people who have made those games an integral part of their livelihood – whether they were legal or not – are left out in the cold.”

Democratic state Rep. Patrick Harkins, the majority chair of the House Gaming Oversight Committee, said House lawmakers are “trying our best to try and formulate something that might work,” while placing pressure on Senate Republican leaders to secure enough votes in their chamber to pass skill games legislation.

“I turn it back to the Senate Republican leadership, who has told us for four years that they have no intention and they have no ability to get the votes for anything at this point in time. It’s difficult to negotiate by ourselves,” Harkins said.

Speaking to the Pennsylvania Press Club on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman acknowledged the difficulty of advancing gaming legislation in Harrisburg, adding that Senate Republicans introduced a proposal to regulate skill games that was “rejected by various stakeholders in no uncertain terms.”

“Anything being done in gaming requires really all five parties – the four caucuses and the governor – to come together and figure out what a consensus product can be,” Pittman said.

“This is something that we need to tackle as, not a partisan issue, but come together and understand that there are small businesses, there are clubs and taverns that have gotten to rely on these games for the last several years, and figuring out a regulatory path on them makes sense,” he added. “Whether we can get there is a very open question.”

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A Q&A with Janelle Stelson

Justin Sweitzer — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:44:00 -0400

Janelle Stelson is hoping that the second time will be the charm this November when she takes on U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. A longtime news anchor for the central Pennsylvania TV station WGAL, Stelson nearly unseated Perry in 2024, but fell short by just 5,133 votes, with the incumbent winning reelection with 50.6% of the vote.

With the winds of a favorable midterm election cycle at her back, Stelson has been laser-focused on affordability as she makes her case to PA-10 voters. In an interview with City & State, Stelson talked about the need for new representation in Washington, promising to make affordability her top priority, while also shining light on how she would approach foreign policy and aim to root out corruption if voters send her to Congress this fall.

The following conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

If you win in November, what would your Day One priorities be?

Well, I think my Day One priorities are Central Pennsylvania's Day One priorities. What I continue to hear from (voters) – whether it's a small business owner, or the police I visited with, or any other group, certainly the working unions – is affordability. In 2024, we called it affordability. Now I call it an economic crisis, because instead of complaining about high prices, people are being forced to make choices: Can they pay for their groceries and their utilities, or sending their son to the dentist? These things all matter to people – groceries, utilities, a roof over your head, gas prices. The war in Iran that Scott Perry has voted five times for is really hurtful and disturbing to many of our family farms. We have record prices for diesel. They have to harvest their crops now, they have to use that diesel. So struggling farms are hurt even further, and add to that the cost of fertilizer, etc. – these are real problems around here.

Affordability, right away, taking away the chaotic tariff taxes, which Scott Perry has repeatedly supported. Healthcare costs – it's not accessible; it's not affordable. We really need to take care of that. The other big thing I hear from folks is corruption. They're talking about term limits, age limits across the federal government – whether it's the Supreme Court or Congress or anybody else – and certainly not trading stocks with insider information that they and their families are privy to that the rest of us never get. They have profited greatly. I'm talking about both parties here. So those would be the top three: economic crisis, healthcare, and stanching the corruption.

On healthcare, how do you plan to address affordability and access issues?

Well, I think we need to return to the Affordable Care Act subsidies while we get everything else figured out; millions of people across the country are getting rid of their healthcare because the premiums have gone up too high. I want to remind everybody that I am up against a seven-term incumbent, the former head of the Freedom Caucus, who voted against the government's ability to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. He lost – we got 10 drugs, including insulin, and we got it for Medicare-aged and older. But I would like to see us negotiate for far more drugs, and I'd love to see the age limits drop. So I think those are probably the two biggest things.

You've laid out a whole platform centered around trust in government, things like term limits, some other pieces to address low trust levels, correct?

Yes, and I think that's who I've been for a very long time. When your job is to listen to people in Central Pennsylvania, you get a pretty good feeling about what they want. I'm up against a congressman who has not held an in-person town meeting since 2019. He says we love the war in Iran, and I'm like, “Sir, you’ve got to come back to the district. That is not the case.” These record-breaking diesel fuel prices and fertilizer and gas for the rest of us – not to mention the death of our military men and women and injuries they have gotten in the war, and certainly the deaths of so many people in the Middle East. This is not OK. We don't love it, and Congressman Perry is once again very, very wrong.

You've been outspoken about the war in Iran – how you would approach foreign policy as a Member of Congress?

Well, it's something I care deeply about and have for a long time. My grandparents were in the foreign service. My grandfather was an ambassador, and so I feel like I have public service in my DNA. Politics is something we always talk about around the table, and I think when you see somebody like Congressman Perry voting for $20 billion – well, people say between $20 and $40 billion – to bail out Argentina; when you see him offering $700 billion to buy Greenland – which is not for sale, congressman; when you see him again and again voting for the war in Iran … we could have been using that money for healthcare, to bolster Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid – all the things that we really need. Scott Perry votes against it and votes to send the money overseas instead of taking care of us here in Central Pennsylvania. I know that Scott Perry is just preparing to vote on a new bill – something that will become law to give Israel like the largest munitions it has ever gotten.

What is your position on that conflict?

Well, Israel is a democratic nation and certainly our strongest ally in the region, and I am always looking out for Israel's future – and the people of Palestine absolutely have a right to exist. I understand that Hamas needed to be decimated after the Oct. 7 attacks and everything else they have done – sponsored by Iran. I share the concerns of what we're all seeing over there right now, and I will keep pressing for a two-state solution. We have to do better.

One of my first jobs was writing speeches at the embassy of Egypt, and I have understood the Middle East since I was in my 20s from paying so much attention. It's somewhere where we need to do a lot of work. I look forward to sitting down in Congress with a lot of people who know a lot about the area and starting to deal with the issues. Diplomacy is very, very important. But what I'm really hearing from voters right now is how concerned they are about their costs. So people here aren't talking so much about the Middle East, but it's something I care very much about.

Republican groups have tried to link you to socialism and the democratic socialist wing of the party. How would you respond to those characterizations?

Well, that's Scott Perry lying. I don't know any of those people. I have never met Bernie Sanders. I have never met AOC or any of the others that he is constantly tying me to. I don't know them. I know them from pictures. I certainly could say hello, but these are not people I know, and this is not something we deal with in this district. People have continued to be concerned about the cost of everything and about healthcare. This is not something they're talking to me about, so it's not an issue here and I don't think those people would be elected here. We have a plus-five Republican district with people who are very level-headed and care very much about their lives and their neighbors' lives – and those are the lives I care about.

How would you be a different type of Member of Congress than Scott Perry?

I think this is a simple one. It's all about listening and communicating. I've been listening for more than 30 years as a TV news journalist, and that's something I continue to do. The job title is representative – we have a lot of people in this district who don't think exactly what I think they think – and you carry their voices to the halls of Congress. When they ask you to do something, you figure out a way to try to make that happen. You carry their voices to Congress and try to get it done, and then you come back and communicate with them why or why not you could get it done. Does it need to be tweaked? Do we go back and try again, or is it something that just cannot happen for us? I think the listening and the communicating, and again, Scott Perry not having a town meeting in person for more than seven years – I mean, honestly, what cowardice is that that you're afraid to talk to the people who elected you and to pay to have you represent them? That's cowardice. I will never be that. I will always talk to people about what they need, what they want, and how we can accomplish it.

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Senate Democrats weigh adult-use cannabis options during Philadelphia hearing

Harrison Cann — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 11:18:12 -0400

Pot policy was the burning question in Philadelphia last week.

The state Senate Democratic Policy Committee hosted a hearing in Philadelphia on Friday to look at ways to modernize the cannabis marketplace in the commonwealth – and how adult-use regulations should balance criminal justice, equity and public safety.

The discussion took place alongside the ninth annual Cannabis Opportunities Conference and Black Cannabis Week events in the city.

“Having these hearings will inform us about what the best policies are, how we should operate, and what kinds of policies we should adopt,” state Sen. Sharif Street said to open the hearing. “More and more, it’s not a question of whether we should legalize adult-use cannabis, but how should we do it, and under what time frame it gets done.”

Led by state Sens. Nick Miller, Sharif Street and Tim Kearney, the discussion ranged from the current landscape of cannabis policy in surrounding states and regulatory and safety issues to the social-equity side of the issue and how communities disproportionately impacted by drug enforcement can benefit from the transition to a legal marketplace.

“We know where the war on drugs was mostly fought, where it was waged – and those communities that bore the brunt of that should receive more funding,” Oren Gur, director of research and DATA lab with the Office of the Philadelphia District Attorney, said. “It’s a one-to-one way to address what was taken out of that community in terms of human resources, human capital, by putting resources back into those communities.”

Former Warren County District Attorney Robert Greene testified that the use of cannabis is widespread – and largely not an issue even in rural areas.

“For me, my starting point was freedom – and still is freedom. Adults should have the freedom to choose to consume a plant that has been beneficial to the human race medically, spiritually and for pleasure and happiness for thousands of years,” Greene said Friday. “But with freedom comes responsibility and accountability. So how do we protect safety while making sure law enforcement is fair? What conduct are we actually trying to prevent?”

Leafy legislation

The Bipartisan Adult Use Marijuana Legalization Bill, introduced by Street and Republican state Sen. Dan Laughlin, has been pitched as the legalization measure that would balance safety with social and economic equity. The broader plan would create an adult-use regulatory framework for Pennsylvania while ensuring criminal expungement and other justice reforms also take place.

Panelists throughout the hearing stressed that the cannabis market – legal or not – isn’t going away, and that legalization is not an attempt to liberalize cannabis use, but to pair regulatory clarity with criminal justice and public-safety measures.

“While we are more than a decade and a few billion dollars behind other states, we have the benefit of learning from their experience, and that will be our focus today,” said Gur.

Gur said every neighboring state “offers a lesson” to Pennsylvania lawmakers seeking to make the most of the market as it transitions from solely medical use to both medical and adult recreational use.

According to state filings, Pennsylvania has roughly 439,000 medical marijuana users, nearly 200 dispensaries and 2,000 approved practitioners. And within the last year, the state has notched about $1 billion in medical marijuana sales – all figures that point toward a relatively easy transition to adult use.

“New Jersey and Maryland phased licensing carefully and converted existing medical operators, avoiding the worst oversupply problems,” Gur testified. “New York is a cautionary tale; they had a slow licensing rollout with weak enforcement, and it allowed a lot of illegal shops to develop … Ohio and Delaware show that a mature medical program like ours can support a fast, controlled transition (to adult use).”

He added that, in addition to creating a pathway for medical providers to enter the adult-use market, the commonwealth should be intentional about how it structures its licensing tiers and requirements, and where state revenues will be allocated.

Throughout each panel, the focus kept returning to the concept of equity – and ensuring marginalized communities aren’t once again left out of a burgeoning industry. That discussion, outside of the need for expungement of previous cannabis-related convictions, centered around access to capital.

Street said the priority should be to “make those capital markets available for the social-equity licensees, because most social equity licensees are smaller.”

“They’re not going to have that reservoir of capital, so I think leveraging (capital funds) there will be helpful,” Street told City & State, adding that the social-equity lens can apply to the broader supply chain too. “It’s not just who’s growing and touching the plant. With transportation (and) all those businesses (involved)… it doesn’t mean you can’t have diversity in your subcontractors.”

Street is one of several lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who have sought to push the pot conversation forward in Pennsylvania.

Democrats in the state House and Senate, along with Gov. Josh Shapiro, have expressed support for creating a regulated, adult-use cannabis market in the state, but Senate Republicans – who control the upper chamber – have largely stood their ground on the issue.

Street, who spoke with City & State in May regarding his latest legislative push, has said any “reticence” on the subject “is largely within Republican, more conservative circles.”

But on Friday, Street said he believes Pennsylvanians are closer on the issue than many think.

“We are not as far apart as people believe,” Street said Friday. “Those are issues that unite us, not divide us.”

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The City & State Trailblazers in Healthcare 2026

Hilary Danaílova — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:45:00 -0400

From medical breakthroughs that shine a global spotlight on Philadelphia’s powerhouse research hubs to community-based care expanding to serve Pennsylvania’s rural swaths, the commonwealth can be proud of its notably innovative healthcare sector. The figures honored on this year’s Trailblazers in Healthcare list not only find new ways to care for Pennsylvanians – they also tend the health of one of the state’s marquee industries, keeping the commonwealth on the medical cutting edge.

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Pennsylvania polls show Democrats leading as midterm election nears

Justin Sweitzer — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:18:40 -0400

With the Nov. 3 general election nearing, a new batch of polls brought good news for Pennsylvania Democrats, with Gov. Josh Shapiro maintaining a lead over his Republican opponent, Treasurer Stacy Garrity, while Democratic challengers hold narrow leads in competitive congressional districts.

One poll, conducted by The New York Times, Siena University and The Philadelphia Inquirer, surveyed voters on Pennsylvania’s 2026 race for governor, attitudes toward President Donald Trump, and this year’s congressional races. The other poll, from Franklin & Marshall College, surveyed voters in Pennsylvania’s battleground 7th and 10th Congressional Districts – both currently held by Republicans.

City & State broke down the key takeaways from both polls for a closer look at what the latest numbers mean for major races across the commonwealth.

Shapiro leads Garrity by 20 in latest New York Times poll

The latest poll on Pennsylvania’s governor race shows Shapiro continuing to hold a commanding lead over Garrity.

The poll surveyed 615 voters from Sept. 15 to 22. Of those polled, 58% said they would vote for Shapiro if the race were held today, compared to 38% who would vote for Garrity; 4% were undecided. The New York Times put Shapiro’s overall lead at 21 points based on unrounded vote shares.

A majority of voters said they approve of the job Shapiro is doing as governor, with 60% of voters saying they strongly or somewhat approve of how he is handling the job; 33% said they strongly or somewhat disapprove of his job performance. Additionally, 63% of voters said they have a favorable opinion of the incumbent governor, while 32% said they had an unfavorable opinion.

When asked the same question about Garrity, 29% said they had a favorable view of the state treasurer, 27% said they had an unfavorable view and 33% said they hadn’t heard of her.

Other available polling in the race has also shown Shapiro with a lead over Garrity. A poll released in early August by National Public Affairs Polling, a GOP polling firm, showed Shapiro with support from 50% of likely voters and Garrity at 43%. Of those surveyed, 7% said they were undecided. A Franklin & Marshall College poll released in late August showed Shapiro with a 25-point lead over Garrity in the race for governor, 50% to 25%.

This month’s New York Times poll also asked voters about their views on Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman in the wake of Wall Street Journal reporting that portrayed him as having little interest in his day-to-day duties as a U.S. senator. The senator also recently appeared at the Republican Party’s midterm convention, introducing his colleague, Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick.

Of those surveyed, 42% had a favorable view of Fetterman, while 47% had an unfavorable view of the state’s senior U.S. senator.

When asked the same question about Trump, 38% said they had a favorable view of the president and 61% said they had an unfavorable view of him.

Democrats hold narrow leads in PA-7 and PA-10, though many remain undecided

In Pennsylvania, Democrats have their sights set on four congressional seats currently held by Republicans, and according to a new poll from Franklin & Marshall College, Democrats hold narrow leads in two of them.

In the state’s 7th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, Democratic candidate and firefighters union leader Bob Brooks holds a five-point lead over the incumbent congressman, with 16% of voters undecided.

According to the survey, 45% of voters said they would vote for Brooks if the election were held today, compared to 40% who would vote for Mackenzie.

Similarly, in the state’s 10th Congressional District, former TV anchor and Democratic nominee Janelle Stelson leads Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry by 47% to 44%, with 9% of respondents undecided.

Speaking to abc27 following the poll’s release, Stelson’s campaign said Perry is trailing because Central Pennsylvania voters “want a change” in Washington, D.C., while Perry downplayed the significance of the poll’s findings.

“The poll that matters is the one that’s going to happen on Nov. 3,” he said.

Voters in both districts said the economy and finances were the most important problem facing Pennsylvania today. In the 7th Congressional District, 29% identified the economy and finances as the state’s biggest problem, as did 22% in the 10th Congressional District.

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Philadelphia City Council calls on state lawmakers to address automated license plate readers

Harrison Cann — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 17:30:01 -0400

Philadelphia City Council’s second meeting of the fall session – one week after being interrupted by a bomb squad investigation – went off without a hitch on Thursday.

Aside from the ongoing trash talk about how the city handles its waste, Council approved a resolution calling on state legislators to ban the use of automatic license plate reader cameras, such as Flock cameras, across the commonwealth and to ban or develop strong guardrails for the use of ALPRs.

Councilmember Rue Landau, who introduced the resolution, has said the emerging technologies are a “huge risk to our civil liberties if (left) unchecked.”

The license plate debate was raised by several public commenters, most of whom expressed concerns about privacy and equity issues that have arisen regarding Flock cameras – and who’s accessing them – nationwide.

There are multiple proposals in Harrisburg seeking to combat the issue directly, ranging from the creation of regulatory oversight and safeguards on ALPR to a moratorium or full prohibition on the license-plate reading technology.

“This technology is widely unregulated, unknown and unencumbered,” Landau said Thursday following the resolution’s unanimous approval. “It’s here, and Harrisburg needs to step up to the plate to control it.”

Tale of two trash plans

City leaders are also grappling with competing waste management plans as the city nears its deadline to renew waste disposal contracts.

Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who’s been at the forefront of the anti-trash incineration faction, has been calling on Philadelphia to rethink its waste management practices for the past year.

Gauthier’s “Stop Trashing Our Air Act,” introduced in September 2025, has sought to prevent the city from sending waste to Chester – a majority-Black city in nearby Delaware County – for incineration, a move that Gauthier and community members argue is an act of environmental racism.

Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration has opposed the measure, saying it would limit Philadelphia’s ability to carry out its normal competitive bidding process and select the best-value contractor.

Instead, the Parker administration has worked with Councilmember Mark Squilla, who introduced legislation last week that he said would “modernize” Philadelphia’s solid waste disposal process and more. The legislation, which has been coined the “Zero Waste and Circular Economy Act,” authorizes the administration to “develop a comprehensive, goal-oriented and data-driven plan to reduce and divert municipal solid waste for traditional disposal methods, including landfilling and incineration.”

Squilla’s bill, introduced last week, is seen as a stopgap solution that would put Philadelphia on the path toward implementing a more environmentally-friendly disposal system.

But at a rally last week, Gauthier pushed back on the idea that it would take time for Philadelphia to rework its waste management systems: “Any notion that this is something that we can’t move on right now is a lie,” she said.

“I agree with my colleague Councilmember Squilla’s aim of moving the city towards zero waste. I agree with Carlton Williams’ desire to do that, but a plan to make a 20-year plan to do that in no way takes away the need to stop burning our trash right now,” Gauthier told reporters. “We can make the decision to zero out the Reworld contract today and still make a plan to get to zero waste.”

Gauthier was joined by Councilmembers Kendra Brooks, Isaiah Thomas and Landau, all of whom would likely reject a plan to renew Philadelphia’s waste disposal contract with the Reworld incinerator in Chester.

In July, the Parker administration indicated plans to enter into a new four-year contract for waste processing and disposal with Reworld, as well as two landfill operators, Republic Services and Waste Management.

However, Council must approve multiyear contracts, and Gauthier, who represents parts of West and Southwest Philadelphia, is trying to get a majority of councilmembers to stand in the way of a contract renewal.

The Parker administration has yet to introduce its waste management renewal measure, meaning the discussion is bound to drag on throughout the fall.

When asked about the situation Thursday, Council President Kenyatta Johnson said his office is “still reviewing” options but didn’t give a timetable for potential passage.

“It should be coming forth at some particular point in time in the future,” Johnson told reporters obfuscatorily.

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This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

City & State — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 17:17:24 -0400

Whoever said truth is stranger than fiction might have had Hannah Gann in mind. Clad in a keffiyeh, the School District of Philadelphia teacher – a self-identified Black Palestinian – was for years a strident voice at pro-Palestinian protests, earning her the sobriquet “Philadelphia’s Leading Antisemite.” So it was with a heaping dose of schadenfreude that the world learned this week that Gann is not only white, but Jewish – and a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a far-from-oppressed background. Anyone known as “The Palestinian Rachel Dolezal” – as Gann now is, having acknowledged her deception – is without doubt a loser par excellence.

Keep reading for more winners and losers!

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