Hello Thursday Morning.

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Johnstown | Cloudy, 57
Muncy | Scattered Showers, 51
Downingtown | Cloudy, 57

PA Sports
76ers (34-19) | Boston, L 106-99 | FRI vs. New York
Flyers (21-22-9) | THU vs. Edmonton
Penguins (25-16-9) | Colorado, W 2-1 (OT) | FRI vs. Anaheim

What We’re Hearing
“Being the speaker of the House means nothing. The only thing that’s important to me is getting this legislation for the retroactive two-year window. So when I look back on my career, if I don’t get this done, it has been a failure to me.”

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Dan Miller.

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Top Story

1. Sen. John Fetterman Hospitalized; No Evidence of New Stroke

“U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat who suffered a stroke during his campaign last year, was hospitalized Wednesday night after feeling lightheaded while attending a Senate Democratic retreat, his office said.

Initial tests at George Washington University Hospital did not show evidence of a new stroke, Fetterman’s communications director, Joe Calvello, said in a statement issued Wednesday night. Doctors were running more tests and the senator remained at the hospital for observation, according to the statement.” (AP)

Related

Fetterman Hospitalized Overnight in Washington. “Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was hospitalized overnight “for observation” after feeling lightheaded, but did not show any signs of suffering another stroke, his office announced late Wednesday night.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Harrisburg

2. Five Takeaways From “Super Tuesday”

“Super Tuesday” has come and gone in Allegheny County. Democrats have won all three special state House elections and are celebrating majority control of the chamber for the first time since 2010. Here are five takeaways from the historic day. (PoliticsPA)

Related

Dems Take Back State House, But Leadership Drama Set To Begin Anew. “State House Democrats emerged as victors in Tuesday’s special election, seizing majority control for the first time in 12 years, but the drama in the chamber is far from over.” (PennLive)

Rozzi Says He’ll ‘Reassess’ His Speakership After Passing Bills For Child Sexual-Assault Victims. “Pennsylvania’s embattled House speaker signaled Wednesday for the first time that he would consider stepping down after weeks of uncertainty about his plans once Democrats take the majority.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Rozzi Wants Justice For Child Sex Abuse Survivors More Than PA Speakership. “Pennsylvania House Speaker Mark Rozzi is calling the chamber back into session on Feb. 21 with a plan in mind and a hope for a break in the stalemate that has prevented any legislation moving in Harrisburg.” (PennLive)

Reader Poll: Who Will Be Speaker of the House on February 28? Take part in our reader poll. Closes Thursday at midnight. (PoliticsPA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. What Comes Next For PA School Funding System?

“In what will likely be a lengthy and arduous task to uphold constitutional obligations by providing a “thorough and efficient” education system, the Legislature and Gov. Josh Shapiro must reform how the state funds K-12 public schools.

In a 786-page order issued on Tuesday, Commonwealth Court President Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer sided with the plaintiffs in a landmark trial that challenged the current school funding model, ruling that the General Assembly has not fulfilled its legal mandate and has deprived students in school districts with low property values and incomes of the same resources and opportunities as children in wealthier ones.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Related

Win In Court Doesn’t Assure More PA School Funding. “Pennsylvania is the latest state where the public school funding system was found to be unconstitutional, but the experience in other states suggests there’s no guarantee of swift, significant or longstanding change for the poorer school districts that sued in hopes of getting billions of dollars more for their budgets.” (AP)

Cutler Holds Power to Appeal Ruling On State’s School Funding System. “A Lancaster County legislator can appeal a groundbreaking ruling that declared the state’s school funding framework unconstitutional – a move that would at least temporarily put any changes on hold – but he isn’t saying what he will do.” (LNP)

What Does PA’s Landmark Education Ruling Mean For York County Schools? (York Dispatch)

Rockey Becomes First GOP Hat In County Exec Ring. “While seven Democratic candidates have indicated their interest in replacing Rich Fitzgerald as Allegheny County Executive, the Republican party has not seen anyone step to the plate to announce their candidacy. Until now.” (PoliticsPA)

Rockey Pitches ‘Middle Ground’ Platform. “Allegheny County Republicans have struggled in elections as of late, and one county executive candidate is hoping to turn the tide with a pitch that is inclusive to a broad swath of voters.”  (Tribune-Review)

• Rockey Is First Republican To Enter Race For Allegheny County Executive. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Former PNC Exec Launches GOP County Exec Bid, Hopes Centrist Appeal Garners Interest. (WESA)
• Here Are The Candidates Running to Run Allegheny County. (City & State)

Kenney Plans to Call For Continuing to Cut Philly’s Business Tax in Final Budget Proposal. “Mayor Jim Kenney on Wednesday called for continued business tax cuts, laid out what he hopes to do when he leaves office in 2024, and offered some advice to his eventual successor.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

PA Ranks 34th For State Tax Rate. “Pennsylvania’s sales tax rate beats most of its neighbors, even if it doesn’t stand out nationally, according to a new study.” (The Center Square)

New PA Supreme Court Opinion Opens The Door For a Patchwork of County Policies on Wrongly Dated Ballots. “The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has once again waded into the protracted legal battle over whether mail ballots missing a date or with the wrong date should be thrown out.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Local, State Officials Lobby For Terminating Distress Status For Hazleton. “Administrators, a councilman and the city’s Act 47 recovery coordinator told a panel of state officials at a public hearing Wednesday that the city is prepared to exit a program for financially distressed municipalities.” (Standard-Speaker)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

• Harrisburg Is Broken. The PA House Has a Chance to Fix It. (Carol Kuniholm, Philadelphia Inquirer)
• PA State House Needs to Get to Work. (Tribune-Review)
• The State of the Union vs. The State of Reality. (John Baer, PennLive)
• Educational Success in PA Requires More Choice, Not More Money. (Guy Ciarrocchi, Broad + Liberty)
• This is How Gov. Shapiro Must Lead on Environmental Funding. (Greg Vitali, Bucks County Courier Times)
• PA’s School Funding is Unconstitutional. Here Are Five Ways to Fix It. (Paul Muschick, Morning Call)
• GOP Should Redirect Its Wrath About School District Budgets to Cybercharters. (Izzy Smith-Wade-El, Mike Sturla, LNP)

1 Thing

5. “Be Free Marty”

“Customers at GIANT Food Stores are familiar with “Marty” the robot. The tall robotic assistant has been in stores since 2019 helping identify hazards such as spills and has gone viral for their googly eyes and “facial” expressions.

However, Marty’s job is mainly an indoor job, and rarely does he venture off on his own. Until now. (abc27)

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