News & Brews May 14, 2026
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A lifeline for Philly kids despite Shapiro
As 17 Philadelphia public schools have been slated for closure, yesterday, the Yass Prize announced “Opportunity Knocks,” a scholarship program that will provide $8,000 per year to 500 students impacted by the closures. The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board writes that the program comes even as Gov. Shapiro “has worked against school choice” and has “blocked legislation to create new tuition vouchers.” In the midst of this opposition, however, “the generosity of private donors helps students escape failure factories.”
Pa. delays pollbook pilot program
Votebeat reports, “The Pennsylvania Department of State is postponing a pilot program to connect electronic pollbooks — the devices election workers use to check voters in at the polls — to the internet. Counties were slated to test the function in the May 19 primary, but the department said last week that unresolved technical questions and low interest from counties led them to delay the pilot until at least next year.” While many Pa. counties already use electronic pollbooks, the state “currently doesn’t allow them to be connected to the internet.” The pilot program “would have enabled a few preapproved counties to assess the pros and cons of doing so.”
Data center opposition on display at town hall
At a virtual town hall meeting last evening, “the vast extent of the Pennsylvania data center boom and the intense opposition to it were apparent,” the Center Square reports. The meeting was organized “by a pair of informal citizens’ coalitions [and] may have been the most comprehensive sharing of views and outrage from many locations across the state since the headlong rush to build more data centers began.” Among those receiving criticism was Gov. Josh Shapiro, whose office ignored multiple invitations to attend the event.
Philly ‘clinging’ to 6th largest city status
The Inquirer reports that Philly remains the nation’s sixth-largest city—for now. But it may soon be eclipsed by San Antonio. the Inky blames Philly’s impending status loss on San Antonio “expanding its boundaries.” But let’s be real: Folks are leaving Pennsylvania for lower-tax states. And while, sure, city lines may play a part, has Texas changed its boundaries? Has Pa.? Nope. Yet, Texas’ population continues to boom while ours does not.
Senate primary race is ‘battle in larger war’
WESA dives into the Republican primary race in the 46th state Senate district in Washington, Greene, and Beaver counties. The race is between incumbent Sen. Camera Bartolotta and challenger Al Buchtan. Bartolotta was first elected in 2014, winning the race as an “underdog.” (Matt Brouillette talks about this election in his new book!) Naturally, Trump looms large in the race. But beyond that, “The contest is also a battle in a much larger war between big gaming interests.”