Friday Happy Hour: Burning Love Edition

Fearing that the Ukraine government did not have adequate resources to really investigate the Bidens, President Trump this week asked that China do so as well.  A country that still has not admitted that anything of note ever happened in Tiananmen Square might not be the best place to get additional investigatory help. 

Governor Wolf this week announced that Pennsylvania will join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), setting into motion
the first real debate in Pennsylvania over climate change. Before that debate can commence, however, the House GOP would like to have a word with a few lawyers about whether Wolf can act unilaterally. Nevertheless, elected officials from coal-producing regions are, shall we say, less than thrilled with Wolf’s actions.  

A public service announcement from your friends at Triad Strategies.  This November when you saunter into your voting booth (because you WILL be voting this November), be sure to pay special attention to the ballot question about Marsy’s Law.  For all you need to know about this crime victim rights amendment, check out this handy primer from our friends at the venerable Reading Eagle.     

Due to what state officials are calling “unprecedented demand,” Pennsylvania is staring at a significant shortage of the Shingles vaccine, which is not good news.  From what we understand, Shingles are painful as hell, perhaps even more painful than having actual roofing shingles nailed to your skin. So get the vaccine today if you can find one.  

Governor Wolf is turning up the volume on his quest to change the way the state regulates charter schools.  This week, he announced he is shuttering a cyber charter in Philadelphia, which we are sure caught the attention of a certain high-profile lawmaker from Allegheny County. We will let you guess which one. 

Several weeks ago, Governor Wolf went to southeast Pennsylvania to inform pipeline protesters that he will not be shutting down construction on the Mariner East pipeline.  Not content with that rather direct answer, those protesters will now come to Harrisburg to, presumably, get the same answer.  

Attorney General Josh Shapiro took a break from suing the tar out of the Trump Administration this week to announce he is on board the adult-use cannabis legalization train. The momentum grows with each passing puff-puff-pass. 

The state’s two pension systems (yes, we have two of those for some reason) are split on whether or not they should invest in funds that have private prison company interests.  With tens of billions of dollars invested, it can be a little tough to keep track of who is invested in what around here, but one thing is for certain: there will be NO investing in funds controlled by Hunter Biden. 

In Pennsylvania, we treat our teachers very nicely, we learned this week. When it comes to salary, benefits and overall respect for their daily plight, Pennsylvania’s teachers rank near the top of those nationwide lists.  And given what they have to endure day in and day out, whatever they make is probably not enough.   

Now that fall is here, winter is right around the corner.  That means, of course, Pennsylvania cars will soon be covered in snow and ice.  And should you decide not to remove said snow and ice from your vehicle before departing, you are 1. a certified chuckle-head and 2. a scofflaw, if the General Assembly has its way.  A bill to penalize drivers who don’t clean their cars is winding its way through the legislature after failing to get to the finish line last Session.   

This is your reminder that in the richest country in the world, we still have maternal and infant mortality rates that are an absolute tragedy.  Health officials in western PA are again ringing the alarm bell this week.  Are we crazy or does it seem like some legislative action might be warranted? Anyone?  Bueller?  

The invasive Northern Snakehead fish has been spotted in the Monongahela River.  Despite the incredibly badass name (and the fact that it is reportedly pretty damned tasty), this thing is bad news, as it eats pretty much everything in sight. It is the Spotted Lanternfly of the deep, so to speak.    

A proposal to establish a so-called “Bottle Bill” law in Pennsylvania has been introduced, which caused us to immediately relive our childhood, where we used our Red Flyer to lug Pepsi bottles back to the corner store to get enough change to buy candy. Yes, we stole that dream directly from a Norman Rockwell painting.   

This week’s Shameless Client Plug goes out to our good friends at IUPAT District Council 21 in Philadelphia for shining a little sunshine on an otherwise tragic event. Those union members will provide free home repairs for any homeowner whose house was damaged in that horrific shootout last month.  Nice job!   

Shameless Client Plug #2 goes out to our friends in the building trades, who will see their top legislative priority become law tomorrow.  E-Verify use in the construction industry will help prevent unscrupulous contractors from evading state taxes and paying poverty wages. 

In our We Can’t Make This Up segment this week, we take you to Nebraska, where a 19-year-old woman decided to burn love letters from her ex-boyfriend and ended up setting her house on fire when she left them on the floor and napped.  We were stunned that the 19-year-old had anything to burn in the first place, except for old Snapchats and texts, which don’t really burn all that well.

That’s what passes for news around here as we scamper off to enjoy the fall weather. Come back next week when we will once again choose your news for you, and you’ll like it.  Until then, from Team Triad, have a great weekend!