By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief
“There are legitimate circumstances in which this technology can assist law enforcement. But that is fundamentally different from continuously photographing and recording the movements of every motorist who happens to drive past a camera. Police should investigate people when there is a legitimate reason to suspect wrongdoing. Government should not surveil everyone in hopes of finding wrongdoing.” — Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin) on his proposal to limit the scope of permitted uses of data gathered by automated license plate readers.
A good Monday morning to you. A big congratulations to Pariba LL from Curaçao on winning the Little League Baseball World Series championship. They defeated Paseo Verde LL from Nevada 11-2 in South Williamsport.
On this day in 1682, William Penn was just beginning his journey to visit some of the 45,000 square miles included in the land charter grant by England’s King Charles II — a place that eventually become the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He would arrive about two months later on October 27.
In 1798, the first bank robbery in America occurred in Philadelphia at the Bank of Pennsylvania in Carpenter’s Hall. Nearly $163,000 was stolen. The wrong man was imprisoned for three months. The actual thief made a deal, returned the money and by all accounts, never faced any punishment.
Thanks for starting your day with us. As always, we deeply appreciate you reading, sharing and supporting our work. -- Tim
An automated license plate reader is seen mounted on a pole on June 13, 2024, in San Francisco, California (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
By Whitney Downard
As public sentiment sours on automatic license plate readers — particularly cameras operated by Flock Safety — state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are introducing legislation to curtail their use across the commonwealth.
A trio of bills introduced recently range from an outright ban on fixed cameras to stiffened penalties for unauthorized data access.
The cameras, known as ALPRs for short, capture images of passing vehicles and upload them to a database police can search. Officers may then use the data to locate vehicles that may be linked to crimes, missing people or other police matters.
But as the number of law enforcement officers accused of abusing the system has grown, so too have concerns about mass surveillance and privacy violations.
A view from a neighborhood in Charleroi, Washington County, on March 8, 2026. (Photo by Susan Scott Peterson/WESA)
By Susan Scott Peterson of WESA
During a mid-August meeting of his English class at Charleroi’s Hope Community Church, volunteer instructor Tim Maddocks moved through his lesson plan.
The class of eight Haitian immigrants reviewed vowel sounds. Practiced the names of articles of clothing: boots, sweater, hoodie. Learned, for the first time, how to transform a verb from the present to the present continuous tense using i-n-g.
Then Maddocks introduced another new topic, passing around a handout he’d prepared, in English and French, on the end of Temporary Protected Status. TPS, as it’s often called, is the immigration designation that allowed some 330,000 Haitians to live and work in the U.S. — at least until the Trump administration terminated it earlier this month.
For any students in the class who may have relied on the program, Maddocks explained, “You had TPS. Now you don’t. It’s called ‘status.’ You are out of status.”
Bob Fabina talks with fellow poll workers at Fabina Hall in Johnstown, Cambria County, May 19, 2026. Fabina owns the former church hall that dates back to the early 1900s. (Photo by John Beale for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Shauneen Miranda of States Newsroom
With less than 70 days until midterm elections, Democrats remain favored to regain the majority in the U.S. House.
President Donald Trump’s anemic approval ratings amid the war in Iran, concerns over the economy and a coalitional shift within the party mark some of the largest headwinds facing Republicans heading into November, according to election analysts and political scientists interviewed by States Newsroom.
Robert Speel, an associate professor of political science at Penn State Behrend in Erie, pointed to Trump’s dismal approval ratings and the impact of the war in Iran on gas prices as among the major disadvantages facing the GOP heading into Election Day on Nov. 3.
“Trump’s popularity is down below 40% in pretty much every poll now, and even in the low 30s or high 20s in some polls, and the Iran war is not even popular with Republicans, which has led to higher gas prices and his tariffs have led to inflation,” Speel said.
Independent reporting on Pennsylvania state government that impacts communities statewide — free to read and republish.
Amid fluctuating gas prices, economic uncertainty and rising costs for things like groceries and electricity, we know how important it is to make every dollar count.
So, we understand if you are facing a tight budget and aren’t able to make a gift to the Capital-Star at this time. But if you are able to invest today, you will be helping to keep your fellow Pennsylvanians educated and informed about issues impacting our great commonwealth — from data centers to the election to healthcare.
Please consider making a one-time gift of $10, $25, $50 or $100. You can also "set it and forget it," by making a monthly contribution between $10 and $50.
Join your friends and neighbors as donors today.
Cannons at Valley Forge National Historic Park, King of Prussia, Montgomery County. (Getty Images)
COMMENTARY
By Jennifer Janofsky of The Conversation and Wade Catts of The Conversation
“I think I found a bone.”
A volunteer whispered that to us on the last day of a public archaeology project at the Red Bank Battlefield Park in southern New Jersey in June 2022. Over the course of four days, dozens of volunteers worked under the supervision of trained archaeologists and other professionals to dig, sift and identify artifacts at the site of the Battle of Red Bank on Oct. 22, 1777.
The bone was a stunning discovery. We are an archaeologist and the director of the Red Bank Battlefield Park. We knew this public project would likely reveal dozens of artifacts, but we never anticipated finding human remains.
And we certainly did not expect to find a mass burial – one of just a handful of Revolutionary War mass burials that have been discovered.
TODAY IN THE CAPITAL-STAR
Rural hospital closures would mean long drives for pregnant women: Nationwide, the median drive time between hospitals providing inpatient maternity care to Medicaid enrollees and the closest in-state alternative is 43 minutes for rural hospitals compared with 13 minutes for urban hospitals, the analysis found. It’s 49 minutes in Pennsylvania.
Democrats aim to emulate Republicans in building state power: Attention on state policymaking has heightened as Democrats see the potential to flip hundreds of state legislative seats in Pennsylvania and across the country this November and chip away at the GOP’s hold on American politics.
ICYMI
Rising energy, fuel costs cut into bottom line for Pa. businesses: Diesel prices in the state have climbed up to $5.93, nearly 32 cents above national prices, according to AAA. That “cuts into our margin,” said Bill Ward, Jr., the president and CEO of Ward Transport and Logistics. “And makes offering outstanding benefits and wage increases to all employees challenging.”
Pa. joins lawsuit over Trump restrictions on family planning funding: Gov. Josh Shapiro joined nearly two dozen states in a legal challenge to conditions on federal family planning funding he said is intended to advance the Trump administration’s political agenda.
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.