News & Brews April 14, 2026
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Shapiro on the defense in effort to seize neighbor’s property
The Inquirer reports that Gov. Shapiro is trying to get a federal court to dismiss the lawsuit against him over his attempts to seize his neighbor’s property, which borders his Montgomery County home. Jeremy and Simone Mock sued the governor over “illegally occupying part of their yard to build an eight-foot security fence.” The Shapiros countersued in county court, “asking a judge to declare the disputed 2,900-square-foot strip of lawn as part of their property.” Now, the Shapiros argue that the Mock’s case does not belong in federal court. Perhaps, but Shapiro does not belong on his neighbor’s property, so there’s that.
Garrity hits Shapiro on sexual harassment scandal
PennLive reports that at a campaign event yesterday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity “hit Shapiro on one of the softest spots of his first term: The September 2023 resignation and quiet settlement of sexual harassment claims against longtime aide Mike Vereb.” Shapiro’s office has balked at transparency amid the scandal, and Right to Know request responses suggest his office deleted the accuser’s email account “under suspicious and possibly selective circumstances.” Garrity, meanwhile, pledged that “All sexual harassment complaints in offices under her jurisdiction will be investigated independently, rather than internally by staffers working directly for the governor’s office. All agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction would be required to preserve all evidence, including emails. [And] No taxpayer-funded settlements of sexual harassment claims.”
‘Pa. keeps tripping over its own red tape’
The Commonwealth Foundation’s Elizabeth Stelle writes in PennLive that “Pennsylvania has an energy problem—and it has nothing to do with what’s in the ground.” Instead, it’s “bad state policies [that] have discouraged investment in reliable, affordable energy in Pennsylvania while subsidizing alternatives that can’t keep the lights on during blizzards or heat waves.” And while some blame data centers, Stelle writes that our “energy problems predate the AI boom.”
GOP might back Fetterman—if he switches parties
The Center Square reports that “Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Greg Rothman … [said] he’s spoken with several people interested in running for U.S. Senate in two years’ time, though supporting incumbent Democrat John Fetterman isn’t off the table either – as long as he switches parties.” For his part, Fetterman has repeatedly said he is not switching. But Rothman explained, “Look, there are 20% of the issues that he’s with us on, they’re pretty big issues right now, immigration and the war in Iran and our ally of Israel, but there’s 80% of the issues that I don’t think our party will agree with him on. But hey…I believe in the sort of the Ronald Reagan idea that if you’re 20% with me, you’re 100% my friend, and [on] the things that matter most right now, John Fetterman is with us.”
Independents continue voter registration gains
PoliticsPA reports, “Since last September, more than 67,000 residents have added their names to the Pennsylvania voter rolls. And nearly 70 percent of them did not choose a party affiliation.” The story further breaks down voter registration data in each the four highly contested congressional districts this November.