By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief
“Customers are signing up for what's often been very short term offers … and you get a very competitive price, sometimes a very low price for three months of generation service. But at the end of those three months, you need to do something. Consumers, by and large, have not affirmatively taken action. They've missed the notice. They've forgotten about it. They misplaced the notice they got in the mail … these things happen.” — Darryl Lawrence, Pennsylvania’s consumer advocate, on a proposed a change to the state’s competitive electricity marketplace that some say could save customers millions of dollars.
A good Wednesday morning to you. It’s great to be back in the saddle after a few days off, followed by a trip to Penn State. The university is marking News Literacy Week by looking at Local Journalism in the News Avoidance Era. I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel with several colleagues from terrific news organizations. Each of us shared with students how we try to make our work as impactful as possible.
With the election just a few days away, Halloween events throughout the rest of the week — like Trick/Trunk or Treat and parades of costumed kids — could be a bit of a break from the barrage of news (Disclosure: There are a couple of election stories and a video for you in today’s Morning Guide).
We appreciate you starting your day off with us by reading, sharing and supporting our work. Thank you. — Tim
State-by-state figures from monthly utility bill data show, on average, American households paid roughly $110, or 6.4%, more for electricity in 2025, compared to 2024. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Peter Hall
When Pennsylvania’s largest electric utility proposed a change to the commonwealth’s competitive electricity marketplace, saying it could save customers millions of dollars, consumer advocates said they were on board.
Utility regulators, however, said last week they want to study the issue on a statewide basis – a move that the commonwealth’s independent utility watchdog said will delay protections for millions of FirstEnergy Pennsylvania ratepayers.
“What FirstEnergy was trying to do was something that my office and others have been trying to do for a very long time,” said Darryl Lawrence, the state’s consumer advocate.
A convenience store in Pottsville, Schuylkill County, advertises skill games on March 12, 2026, (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
FOLO PA PODCAST
By Emily Previti
Skill games have become ubiquitous across Pennsylvania during the past decade or so.
They look like slot machines. You might’ve seen them in bars, gas stations, corner stores and private organizations like fire halls and American Legion posts.
There were an estimated 70,000 of them in play, at last count, across the commonwealth.
And now, they’re illegal.
That’s because lawmakers couldn’t reach a deal to regulate them before Oct. 13, the deadline set by the state Supreme Court. In the same ruling, the justices found skill games are subject to the Gaming Act and the Crimes Code – so, anyone operating them has to be licensed by the state Gaming Control Board.
A voter fills out his ballot at the Board of Elections office in Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pa. October 20, 2026. (Photo by John Beale/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Whitney Downard
One week out from Election Day, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt advised voters to be patient, both with those working the polls and those counting ballots as part of a high stakes midterm election.
“I want to remind everyone that counting ballots takes time, and county election officials rightly prioritize accuracy over speed,” Schmidt said. “If a race is close, it may take time to know who the winner is, as provisional ballots and military ballots and overseas civilian absentee ballots are counted after Election Day.”
Polls open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 and close at 8 p.m. — though any voter still in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot. Volunteer poll workers will look up voters and direct them to sign next to their names in a poll book.
A voter deposits a mail-in ballot at the drop box outside the Chester County Government Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Peter Hall/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Carter Walker of Votebeat
A western Pennsylvania county accidentally sent voters 157 duplicate ballots for the 2026 midterm elections.
The Department of State said “human error” resulted in some Westmoreland County residents who requested mail ballots getting multiple of them. The department gave assurances that only one ballot per voter would be counted.
“The statewide voter registration system has safeguards in place that will not allow more than one vote to be counted for a single voter, even if a voter sent back both ballots,” Geoff Morrow, a spokesperson for the department, said in an email.
Independent reporting on Pennsylvania state government that impacts communities statewide — free to read and republish.
That means there are no subscription fees or paywalls, so people across the state can have easy access to our work whether they can afford to make a donation or not.
Here’s where you come in.
You can make a one-time gift of $25, $50 or $100 or you can "set it and forget it," by making a monthly contribution between $10 and $50.
Join your friends and neighbors — like Robert from Downingtown, Jeffrey from Wyncote, Catherine from New Cumberland, Patricia from Philadelphia, Joshua from Philadelphia, Terence from Granville Summit, Michael from Alburtis, Lori from York, Catherine from Spring Mills, Julia from Orrtanna and David from West Chester — as donors today.
TODAY IN THE CAPITAL-STAR
Trump’s DOJ sends 1,000 election monitors to 50 states, including Pa.: The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to every state ahead of Election Day, expanding a longstanding practice that’s spurred concern this year among Democrats and voting rights advocates because of President Donald Trump’s push to influence elections. They’re expected to be in four Pa. counties.
Brighter streetlights cut nighttime violence, but only for a while: Researchers found that outdoor nighttime violent crime fell by about 46% in targeted areas of Newark, New Jersey, during the first six months after aging streetlights were replaced with LED fixtures. But the effect faded over time.
900+ women criminally charged for their conduct during pregnancies: Most state laws that prohibit or regulate abortion seek to penalize those who provide abortions, not the women who undergo them. But, researchers from Pregnancy Justice found 13 specific allegations related to obtaining, seeking to obtain, or researching how to get an abortion.
ICYMI
Voter backlash against data centers consumes midterm election: Both Democratic and Republican candidates during the heated midterm election cycle — in Pennsylvania and other states — have had to navigate deep voter resentment of the massive advanced computer server farm developments that will power AI.
Gov. Shapiro signs bell-to-bell cellphone ban for Pa. schools: More than 1.7 million K-12 students in public and private schools in Pennsylvania will soon all learn under a new, statewide law: a bell-to-bell cellphone ban restricting device use during the school day.
Thanks for reading Morning Guide. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.