News & Brews April 21, 2025
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Arson suspect tried 3x to get arrested before succeeding
The alleged arsonist who set fire to the governor’s mansion last week found it rather easy to breach security and gain access to the residence but much harder to actually get arrested for the crime. PennLive reports that the suspect, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, tried to surrender to police three times over at least a dozen hours before he finally was taken into custody. “A PennLive review shows part of the answer lies, on the law enforcement side, on breakdowns in communication between who knew what Balmer was confessing to, and when.”
Former PSP commissioner to oversee security review of gov’s mansion
The person chosen to conduct a security review of the governor’s residence is a former Pennsylvania State Police commissioner who also served as security chief for the NFL. The Inquirer reports that Jeffrey Miller, now head of Jeffrey Miller Consulting in San Diego, has been selected for the review. Miller is the person who in 2006 “oversaw the investigation after a gunman killed five girls at an Amish schoolhouse in the village of Nickel Mines in Lancaster County before taking his own life. Miller was praised for his sensitive handling of the case.” Miller said in an email that he would “reserve any public comment until I have had the opportunity to complete my review.”
Pittsburgh mayor’s race ‘still anybody’s game’
The Post-Gazette reports that a month before the May 20 primary election, the contest for the Democrat mayoral nomination between incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey and challenger Corey O’Connor is “still wide open,” per political observers. O’Connor has outpaced Gainey in fundraising, making some believe he has an “early edge,” but others say Gainey still has “a formula where he wins.” The Post-Gazette notes, “The winner of the Democratic primary likely will be the next city mayor, based on the Democrats’ significant edge in voter registration.” However, “There is also a competitive Republican primary in which retired police officer Tony Moreno is facing small business owner Thomas West.”
SCOTUS education cases don’t go far enough
The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear two education cases: one related to curriculum opt-out and one related to a religious cyber charter school. But Neal McCluskey, Associate Director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, writes in Reason.com, “Unfortunately, no matter how the cases are decided, neither will get us to where we ultimately need to be for a free and equal society: money following children to whatever education they and their families choose.” In the first case, a Maryland school district won’t let parents opt their kids out of readings that contradict the parents’ religious beliefs. In the second case, a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma was approved to operate in the state, but because charters are public schools, the state’s supreme court overturned the approval because the school is religious.
Pa.’s GOP incumbent U.S. reps. ‘gearing up’ for 2026
The progressive Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that with Q1 campaign finance reports now posted, “Republican incumbents appear to be gearing up for expensive races, as their majority in the U.S. House may hinge upon protecting multiple seats in the Keystone State.” Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s haul was the biggest among U.S. House members in the state, at $1.22 million. Coming in next was freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan, raising just shy of $835,000. Democrats are targeting these two incumbents, along with Rep. Scott Perry (who raised $565,000) and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (who brought in nearly $675,000).