News & Brews May 5, 2025
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Security review of gov’s mansion will stay secret
According to the outside consultant who conducted a security review of the governor’s mansion following last month’s arson attack, his findings will not be publicly released. The AP reports, “Retired state police Col. Jeffrey Miller said in a statement that the ‘sensitive nature’ of the findings he has given to Shapiro and state police ‘precludes their release to the public for obvious reasons.’” The secrecy isn’t sitting well with everyone. “Paula Knudsen Burke, the Pennsylvania lawyer with the nonprofit Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said portions of the report could be released even if the full report isn’t.” (She, indeed, has a point.) “It seems we’re spending taxpayer dollars to review taxpayer paid employees working in a taxpayer owned building,” Burke said. “It seems taxpayers should have some visibility into what their money is used for.”
Cleveland-Cliffs to idle two Pa. plants
After spending months trying to buy U.S. Steel, Cleveland-Cliffs has announced plans to idle two Pa. steel plants—one in Steelton and one in Conshohocken— and lay off hundreds of workers. Per the company, “These temporary, indefinite idles are a necessary response to insufficient demand and pricing for the products the affected facilities produce, including rail, specialty plate, and high-carbon sheet; all of which fall outside of Cliffs’ core business focus.” (The company noted tariffs are not a factor.) As to how long the layoffs will last? That’s anyone’s guess. Steelton Mayor Ciera Dent said, “While this decision is being described as temporary, its effects on our families, economy, and legacy are immediate and significant.” PennLive reminds us that last summer, “former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Gov. Josh Shapiro to tour the steel mill and meet with union workers. Buttigieg was there to highlight major infrastructure investments across Pennsylvania.”
Great journalism? Or hit piece?
By now, you’ve probably heard about the New York Magazine story on Sen. John Fetterman, which claims his staffers “no longer recognize the man the once knew.” As National Review summarizes, “The piece paints a portrait of a broken man, a shadow of his former self, plagued by depression and demented episodes.” Should everyone be worried for Fetterman’s health? Or is there another angle? You’ll recall that when Republicans questioned his health following his campaign-trail stroke, Democrats excoriated them. But suddenly Democrats are concerned for him, and the Left isn’t accusing them of “attacking.” More than one person has noted, however, that this new concern emerged only after Fetterman began bucking the progressive line on Israel, Trump, immigration, etc. Great journalism? Or hit piece? You decide.
Grove will not seek re-election
Free-market champion Rep. Seth Grove announced on Friday that he will not seek re-election next year to represent the 196th House District in York County. Since his 2008 election, Grove has been a fearless leader in fighting for smart budgets, government transparency, school choice, and more. With Rep. Grove’s departure, the Pa. House is losing a true champion! We wish him all the best in his next chapter.
The best argument for DOGE? Pa.’s DMV
Our condolences to new Pennsylvania resident Justin Kates, who recently had to experience “a monument to inefficiency: conflicting information, paper-based processes, and a palpable lack of customer-centric design.” In other words, he had to go to the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles. He writes that his experience “highlights a deeper dysfunction where frontline public servants operate within a rigid system, seemingly powerless to apply common sense.” And this has Kates “grudgingly acknowledging” that DOGE’s premise that government systems are a mess is correct.
‘Where did all the Democrats go?’
We’ve known about the reddening of southwestern Pa. for quite some time. Reporting on this, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes, “Democrats are disappearing from elected office in the six counties surrounding Allegheny County. Just 13 Democrats combined serve as county commissioners or row officers in Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties, compared to 57 Republicans. Only about a decade ago, nearly three times as many Democrats — 38 — served as commissioners or row officers in those counties, representing more than half of the 70 officeholders.” But the best part of the story comes from Washington County Democrat Commissioner Larry Maggi, who admits he used to be a Republican but switched parties years ago just to get elected, and he seems to endorse others who do the same. (Ummmm.)