News & Brews April 17, 2026
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The billionaires backing Shapiro
Spotlight PA has a graphic-driven story looking at fundraising in the governor’s race between Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger Stacy Garrity. Even though it’s about the third story Spotlight has done on the same topic (slow news day?), this one is a bit interesting as it highlights what we’ve been saying for years: Gov. Shapiro’s top donors are out-of-state millionaires and billionaires—you know, even as the Left pretends to hate the wealthy. Specifically, Some of Shapiro’s biggest donations came from billionaire Michael Bloomberg, IBEW Local 98 (whose former leader now sits in jail after being convicted of bribery and other crimes), a PAC tied to billionaire George Soros, and billionaire Reid Hoffman of the Epstein Files (and LinkedIn).
Homeschooling on the rise in Pa.
CBS21 reports that homeschool rates are surging in Pennsylvania “with some of the biggest increases showing up in central Pennsylvania counties as more families continue alternative education choices that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic.” According to data from the state Department of Education, since 2019-20, homeschool enrollment has grown by 72%. Among the many benefits of homeschooling are individualized learning, hands-on experiences, flexible environments, and, of course, not sending your children into the hands of union-run schools that don’t teach them to read but do teach them nonsense like antisemitism, victimhood, and 47.285 genders.
Stelson outraised all Pa. congressional candidates in Q1
In the first three months of 2026, Democrat Janelle Stelson, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, not only outraised Perry but also outraised every other congressional candidate running in Pennsylvania this year. The Center Square reports that Stelson raised $2.17 million while Perry raised $1.13 million. “It’s the third consecutive quarter that Stelson has not only outraised Perry, but all of the candidates running for Congress in the Keystone State in 2026. Since formally launching her candidacy in July, Stelson has raised $4.37 million, while Perry has raised $2.56 million during that same time period.” The race is considered highly competitive, and Democrats have been seeking to unseat Perry for years.
Democrats get desperate to stop school choice
Anti-school choice Democrats are on the losing side of the issue. They know it. America knows it. Everyone knows it. But they’re getting rather ridiculous in their desperation. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono are introducing legislation to repeal the new federal tax credit scholarship program. Here’s just one thing super dumb about their attempt. They call it the “Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act.” Poor senators. Logic isn’t their strong point here, since of course the funds for the scholarships aren’t even in public schools now but would come from private donations, so there’s nothing to “keep” in public schools as the program doesn’t touch public school funding. The thing is, truth doesn’t support their position, so they’re simply making stuff up.
Pa. Senate hearing today on data centers
This morning at 10:00 a.m., there will be a senate hearing on data centers in the commonwealth. The hearing will take place in Wellsboro (Tioga County). Among those scheduled to testify are individuals from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, PJM Interconnection, Penn State Extension, and more. Click here to watch the live stream at 10:00 a.m.