Lawmakers get record pay raises due to inflation

Plus, Dr. Oz is officially running to be one of Pennsylvania's U.S. senators. 

Plus, Dr. Oz is officially running to be one of Pennsylvania's U.S. senators. 

View this email in your browser SUPPORT SPOTLIGHT PA A daily newsletter by  Sponsored by National Aviary Your Postmaster: Sarah Anne Hughes December 1, 2021 Pay raises, more mask time, candidate Oz, new role, three voters, contempt charges, and a unique way to deliver books. It's Wednesday. Hello December. A message from our sponsor... Spend days leading up to Christmas at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh during Season’s Greetings Saturdays and Holiday Brunch in the Garden. Spend your evenings between Christmas and New Year’s Eve at Holidays in the Garden Presented by Hefren-Tillotson. Feel the magic of the season come alive with winter-themed story times kids will love, meet and greets with beautiful birds, and take-home crafts. Get your holiday shopping done in a curated gift shop! Book tickets now. Want to see your message here? Contact us about sponsoring PA Post. RECORD RAISES NOTABLE / QUOTABLE "We’ve been complaining for months. The lights are out and it makes it so dangerous." —Philadelphia resident Denise Wilson on a botched city contract that has produced many complaints about broken streetlights THIS TOTE IS 🔥 We're more than halfway to meeting our historic challenge of raising $70,000 by the end of the year in support of vital investigative journalism for Pennsylvania. If we can do it, we'll unlock $70,000 in matching gifts. Don't miss this chance to support Spotlight PA's vital investigative journalism and have your contribution DOUBLED. The future of Spotlight PA depends on your support, and we can't afford to lose this critical journalism. As a special bonus, make a monthly sustaining gift of $15/month or more and get the new 2021 Pennsylvania tote bag, designed by a Pittsburgh artist and printed by a small business in Harrisburg. Make a tax-deductible gift right now and help us keep it going. 💉 COVID-19 NEWS » MORE TIME: Pennsylvania's school mask mandate will last until at least Dec. 8, the state Supreme Court has ordered. » THE PLAN: Gov. Tom Wolf says he's not considering new mitigation measures despite concerns over a new variant. » ABSENT PROTECTIONS: Federal laws that offered COVID-related paid sick leave have expired, leaving some sick workers with few options.  To find a COVID-19 vaccine, use the federal government's online tool, call 1-800-232-0233, or text your zip code to 438829 (GETVAX). 📷 POST IT Thanks, Stephen E., for this shot of Raccoon Creek State Park. Look at all that green! Send us your gems, use the hashtag #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. DAILY RUNDOWN HE'S IN: Mehmet Oz — a celebrity doctor who pushed an antimalarial drug as an unproven treatment for the coronavirus, echoing former President Donald Trump — is officially running for Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat. He lives in New Jersey, per The Inquirer, but registered to vote at his in-laws' home in Montgomery County. NEW ROLE: The sole Republican on the Philadelphia board that oversees elections is stepping down to lead the good-government group Committee of Seventy, according to City & State. Al Schmidt was attacked by Trump for his role in carrying out the city's 2020 general election and faced death threats. GRIM TALLY: More than 100 people have died by homicide in Allegheny County this year, a spike mirroring national trends. “The source of this is not the same as something that motivates people to steal or to rob," an expert told the Post-Gazette. MISTAKE IMPACT: Officials in Berks County say just three voters who received Spanish instructions with the wrong election date returned a mail ballot after the deadline. The Reading Eagle reports another 189 ballots arrived too late because of U.S. Postal Service delays. CONTEMPT CHARGES: A U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection is pursuing contempt charges against former Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark, the AP reports. U.S. Rep. Scott Perry of Central Pennsylvania connected with Clark in an effort to advance Trump's false claims the election had been stolen from him.  IN OTHER NEWS PONY EXPRESS: Harriett’s Bookshop in Philadelphia survived the pandemic through community-building. What does that look like in practice? How about owner Jeannine A. Cook delivering books to kids by horse. WE'RE NO. 2: If you like meaningless "studies" meant to drive web traffic, try this one on for size: A "study" by Lombardo Homes ranked Pennsylvania No. 2 in its list of states that decorate the most for Christmas. Why not! RIVAL RIVERS: Congrats to Catawissa Creek, Connoquenessing Creek, French Creek, and the Monongahela River on their nominations for 2022 River Of The Year. Apparently creeks are rivers? I don't make the rules. PGH TO LA-LA LAND: The Post-Gazette spoke to Pitt grad Kelechi Urama, who is now a staff writer on the Starz comedy “Run the World.” I'm adding it to my watchlist. REVISED STATEMENT: Lancaster police now say a city menorah appears to have been damaged unintentionally. Surveillance footage, however, shows the people responsible "seemed to be aware that they had caused damage."  THE SCRAMBLER Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag.   I S C M M Y T A   Monday's answer: Thaumaturgy Congrats to our daily winners: Susan F., Myles M., Craig E., Kimberly S., Kim C., Lex M., Susan N.-Z., Beth T., George S., Dianne K., Elaine C., Bill S., Alan V., Doris T., Vicki U., and Ann E. Like PA Post? Share it with a friend. Love PA Post? Chip in to support local journalism. Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. SUPPORT SPOTLIGHT PA Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media. Copyright © Spotlight PA / The Philadelphia Inquirer, All rights reserved. Spotlight PA 225 Market St., Suite 502A Harrisburg, PA 17101 newsletters@spotlightpa.org You're receiving this email because you subscribed to PA Post, a daily newsletter by Spotlight PA. You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.