January 24, 2025
Welcome back, friends, to the show that never ends! We’re so glad you could attend! OK, so we have been on a bit of a hiatus, but your Triad Happy Hour is back and better than… well, it’s back. Let’s not set any unrealistic expectations, shall we? Off we go!
The eyes of the entire world descended upon Washington, D.C. this week, as the big day finally arrived. Tears were shed, laughter rang through the streets and children danced with glee. Yes, fellow Americans, the giant pandas are finally back at the National Zoo!
Of course, there was another big event in the federal city this week, as Donald John Trump re-assumed the Office of President in a ceremony that was forced indoors by UNGODLY low temperatures. The weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Trump faithful, and the president shot out of the gate by signing about 6,000 executive orders before the band even played.
It wasn’t until days later that a federal judge took a look at one of those orders – the one which purported to end birthright citizenship – and said, “Hey! Not so fast there, Mr. Fast Guy President Person.” Expect the issue of immigration to dominate politics like never before in our nation’s history.
This week also marked the swearing-in of Pennsylvania’s row officers, two of whom were doing that dance for the second time around. Incumbent Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Auditor General Tim DeFoor were joined by newly minted Attorney General Dave Sunday. This is the first time the GOP has held all three slots simultaneously, and all of the sudden, Gov. Josh Shapiro is alone at the lunch table. Congrats and best of luck to all three of our row officers!
General Sunday had barely had a chance to settle into his new post when the word came down that those fun-loving Sacklers, owners of Purdue Pharmaceuticals, had finally agreed to a settlement for their oversized hand in the opioid crisis, netting the Keystone State a cool $212 million. Now Sunday gets to experience what happens when a windfall of cash hits the books in PA, namely, watching as elected officials spend the money 30 times over in four days.
The new Pennsylvania General Assembly is kicking the tires on their respective agendas for the next two years, and wake us if this sounds familiar: House Democratic leaders are calling on their GOP Senate colleagues to act on a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage. Again. For the 50th time. Rinse, repeat, bang your head off the sidewalk.
Ah, but surely there will be some new stuff under the big dome this session, not just a re-hash of old unfinished business, right? RIGHT?? Whoops, Senate GOP leaders are calling on House Democrats to pass a Voter ID bill. Rinse again, people.
One place where new business could be injected into Harrisburg is a debate over the legalization of recreational marijuana, an issue which first gained traction back in the halcyon days of then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman flying a weed flag off his balcony. After years of GOP resistance, what changed, you may ask? Well, cowboy, a looming budget shortfall will make people do things they normally wouldn’t do. See also: games, skill.
Speaking of now-U.S. Senator Fetterman, after a few weeks of being excoriated by progressives for having the UNMITIGATED GALL of meeting privately with a president who won Pennsylvania twice (his name is Trump, if you were wondering), Big John announced this week that he will continue to pursue a nationwide whole-home repair program, modeled after Pennsylvania’s own.
And after legislative leaders and the governor last year ushered in a new era of performance-based funding for Pitt, Penn State and Temple, the looming questions are 1) What metrics will the state use to measure performance and 2) will there be actual money available for those schools, or just a few Amazon gift cards? In any case, check out the story and the quotes from our good friend and valued client, Penn State’s Mike Stefan.
The long-awaited Scranton-to-New York City rail line has been cleared to move to the next phase, despite the fact that Scranton’s favorite sons, former President Biden and former Senator Casey, are no longer in office to shepherd the project along. All we know is SOMEBODY had better step up if the feds try to scrap this project now. DO NOT PLAY WITH OUR FEELINGS! We don’t mess around when it comes to trains.
If you sauntered into to 2025 thinking that the political world would be taking a break and you could spend a year of peace not being subjected to campaign ads, WELL THINK AGAIN, JACK SPRATT! Retention elections for our esteemed state supreme court justices are on the docket for the fall, and it is safe to say there is plenty of motivation on both sides of the aisle. Stay low.
We would be remiss if we did not take a moment and note the untimely passing of state Rep. Matt Gergely of the Mon Valley. It is with incredible sadness that we send our love and condolences to his family and friends at this terrible time. Matt’s ever-present smile and relentlessly positive attitude will be missed in Harrisburg, and back at home.
Over on the Triad socials, you may have missed our own Jennifer Riley being named to the Power of Diversity Women 100 list, and our Captain Roy Wells’ wrap up of our amazing 2024. Check them out!
In our We Can’t Make This Up segment, most Floridians know that when the temps dip below freezing (as they did this week), our iguana friends may appear to be dead, but they are, in fact, frozen and can spring to life rather quickly. One Florida man did not know this and stockpiled a few dozen frozen iguanas in his car to take to a barbeque, only to be horrified when they sprang to life and started biting the crap out of him. All in all, he wished he was in Tijuana, eating barbequed iguana…
That’s what passes for news around here as we begin to thaw, and the General Assembly anxiously awaits Governor Shapiro’s third budget address. Of course, we are gearing up to cover it from stem to stern, so relax and have some iguana. From all your friends at Triad, have a great weekend!