August 25, 2023
We start this week by sending our gratitude to the Pittsburgh city police and all manner of other first responders, who on Wednesday weathered thousands of rounds of gunfire while miraculously ensuring that neither they nor any other innocent Pittsburghers lost their lives. Many thanks for all you do out there, you magnificent Yinzers.
Former President Donald Trump was booked into the Fulton County Jail, only to immediately post his own mug shot and begin raising money from it. He subtitled the photo “never surrender” (moments after, you know, surrendering) which immediately got the 1980’s classic Corey Hart song “Never Surrender” stuck in our head, and we have been screwed ever since. Ooooooh, time is all we’re asking for…
While the former president was getting cuffed and stuffed, the rest of the 2024 GOP field was all over cable news, each proclaiming why he or she had decisively won the previous night’s debate. We admit that we did not watch it, largely because there are gonna be at least 75 more of these debates, and we just haven’t steeled our resolve enough to plunge in. It’s still summer, let us enjoy the last days of it, can’t you?
Just in time for flu season, the CDC announced that a new COVID vaccine will be available when the rest of the flu shots are due. This new vaccine is designed to treat the latest variant of COVID, the 2024 all-new hybrid all-wheel-drive COVID.
The announcement comes on the heels of a $5 billion COVID investment by the Biden team designed to keep us prepared, so that we don’t ever have to stand six feet apart with masks on anymore. Unless, you know, that’s your thing.
Mayors of the six largest cities and towns in Pennsylvania sent a letter asking President Biden to do something on immigration to make it easier to get here, stay here and work here. Notably, one of those mayors is Paige Cognetti of Scranton, a town which we have been told the president is somehow connected with, although we have yet to confirm that info.
A panel of Pennsylvania Senate Democrats looked under the hood of the burgeoning skill games industry in the state. It is hard to imagine, but there are estimates that this industry is generating about $1.5 billion in revenue yearly from its machines, which are DEFINITELY NOT SLOT MACHINES! The state’s take of the revenue is $0.00, if you were wondering.
President Biden, U.S. Sen. Casey and Gov. Josh Shapiro all saw their approval ratings take a jump in a recent poll, we learned this week. This is a bit deceiving, however, as President Biden’s approval rating could not possibly have gone any lower, so the law of physics kinda dictated that one.
Shapiro was also tapped to give the keynote address this winter to the New Hampshire Democrats, an announcement that got more tongues wagging than you would see at doggie day care on a hot day. C’mon, people, maybe he just always wanted to visit the Granite State, and they were nice enough to… nah, never mind. He’s running.
One of Shapiro’s top campaign promises, reforming the permitting process, is getting a shot in the arm from a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Did you know there are more than 2,300 different types of permits issued by the Commonwealth? Yeah, so reforming that process ain’t gonna be a stroll through the park.
But there is good news on the licensing and permitting front, as Pennsylvania is now officially part of a nursing compact with other states that will allow those professionals to cross state lines without having to get licensed in all of them. This was a huge victory for the industry, and to more than a few of our valued Triad clients. Kudos to all who were involved.
Another shameless client plug goes out to the Pennsylvania Camp Association, which got some recognition for generating $250 million in economic activity in the northeast part of the state. Congratulations on another successful summer up there in the Poconos and beyond!
Our third shameless client plug goes out to Behavioral Wellness at Girard, whose amazing staff was recently featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer for the amazing work it is doing on addiction treatment. Come check it out on the Triad socials.
Congratulations go out to Jennifer Berrier, friend of Triad and former secretary of the Department of Labor & Industry, for landing the top job at the Public Utility Commission. Good luck, Jen!
And finally, a little tooting of our own horn is in order, as several members of Team Triad are now champions of the Harrisburg Young Professionals volleyball league. Our own Olivia Rindfuss, Noah Logan and Savannah Beeler teamed up to defeat the Globo Gym Purple Cobras, led by White Goodman… oh, wait. Wrong sport. #DodgeDuckDipDiveDodge
In our We Can’t Make This Up segment, we take you to Florida, where residents are being warned not to wrestle with armadillos unless absolutely necessary, as those creatures have spawned a new outbreak of leprosy. Yes, there is a shitload to unpack there, right? Well, the story came from The Economist, not some shady web site your drunk uncle regularly cites on Facebook to prove Barack Obama is a shape shifter. We are still trying to figure out what scenario, exactly, would make it necessary to ever wrestle an armadillo. Get back to us if you have any ideas.
That’s what passes for news around here, as the state Senate plans to make a surprise late summer visit to all of us next week. We will bring you all the up-to-the-minute action on that front, and all the other armadillo news you can use. From all of us at Team Triad, have a great weekend!