By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief
“What it also does is puts reasonable restrictions on private e-scooters, so people are no longer riding them on sidewalks, so that children are no longer riding them.” — Rep. Emily Kinkead (D-Allegheny), on legislation passed by the state House to place restrictions, including an age limit, on the use of electric scooters.
A good Wednesday morning to you.
As a history nerd who spent seven years living and working in Gettysburg, I’m weirdly excited about the new Gettysburg Address Quarter. The National Park Service at the Gettysburg National Military Park is scheduled to hold a ceremony today to mark its release. The coin is part of the commemoration of the country’s 250th anniversary.
Thanks for starting your day off with us and reading, sharing and supporting our work. It’s deeply appreciated. — Tim
A person rides an electric scooter on a city street. (Photo by Getty Images)
By Peter Hall
Love them or hate them, electric scooters are one step closer to being a legal and regulated means of transportation in Pennsylvania.
The state House on Tuesday approved legislation that would place restrictions, including an age limit, on the use of the two-wheeled micro-mobility devices. It would also allow Pittsburgh, Scranton and more than 50 other cities to establish e-scooter sharing programs. It passed by a 176-27 vote and heads to the Senate for consideration.
E-scooters are currently illegal in the commonwealth. That hasn’t slowed their widespread adoption as children’s toys and as a way for commuters to get to work and back.
A Philadelphia mail-in ballot for the 2024 Presidential election. (Photo by Lauren Aguirre/Votebeat)
By Carter Walker of Votebeat
After President Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to use the U.S. Postal Service to regulate mail voting this spring, polls showed that voters — particularly Democrats — had less confidence in election mail and might move away from mail voting.
With less than three weeks until Election Day, the data on whether that’s actually happening in Pennsylvania is mixed.
There are signs that at least some Democrats have been discouraged from casting ballots by mail. But how much of the decline in mail voting can be attributed to Trump’s actions, and what effect it may ultimately have on the election, is unclear.
Voter rights include asking for language or literacy assistance as well as casting a ballot privately without harassment. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)
By Whitney Downard
With just two weeks until Election Day, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt focused on the rights of voters in a weekly media briefing — whether they choose to vote by mail, provisional ballot or in-person.
Voters can request language and literacy assistance at their polling place from anyone who isn’t their employer, union representative or the judge of elections at that location. They also have a right to privacy without being subject to intimidation, harassment or discriminatory conduct.
“It’s important that every voter be informed about how to exercise their right to vote and make their voices heard,” said Schmidt. “A voter who experiences any of these should report it to the county board of elections or the district attorney’s office.”
The Indiana Station of the Pennsylvania State Police in Indiana County, on Jan. 21, 2026. (Photo by John Beale for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Peter Hall
A Tioga County man is charged with sending death threats to the office of a state representative.
Timothy D. Geisler of Mansfield was being held Tuesday in Tioga County Prison on a misdemeanor charge of making terroristic threats with the intent to intimidate.
His arrest stems from a series of rambling, politically charged emails state police say he sent since June to the district office of Rep. Jamie Walsh, a Luzerne County Republican, according to court documents.
They culminated with an Oct. 1 message in which Geisler allegedly made specific threats against Walsh and his family, a criminal complaint charging Geisler says.
Attendees at a June 23, 2026 rally in Harrisburg opposed data center growth and the use of artificial intelligence in the commonwealth. (Photo by Emily Scolnick/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Ben Seal of Inside Climate News
It’s been more than three decades since Democrats held a trifecta in Pennsylvania, but the prospect of a blue wave in next month’s elections has Gov. Josh Shapiro and party leadership optimistic that their time could come in Harrisburg.
After flipping the state House of Representatives in 2022, Democrats now have a chance to take advantage of flagging support for President Donald Trump and Shapiro’s positive favorability to gain control of the state Senate for the first time since 1993. If the gridlock breaks, legislators and environmental advocates see an opportunity to advance long-stalled proposals on renewable energy, data centers and greenhouse gas reductions.
“I think of it as a tectonic shift in Pennsylvania environmental politics,” PennEnvironment executive director David Masur said about a potential trifecta. “It’s a generational shift, and it really changes the playing field with the opportunity to move toward a green majority in the legislature.”
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TODAY IN THE CAPITAL-STAR
New home completions are stuck at 2020 levels: Single-family home completions remain stuck at early COVID-19 pandemic levels as of September as costs, labor supply shortages and high interest rates take a toll on home builders, especially in the Northeast and South.
Cheaper manufactured homes could be having a moment: For decades, manufactured home builders have been working to shed the old image of boxy trailer homes reserved for the outskirts of cities and suburbia. Now, a small change in federal regulations could open the door for architecture welcomed in more neighborhoods.
Nine states shed jobs in the past year: Hit hard by the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce, the District of Columbia suffered the largest percentage job loss, down 3.5% or 25,800 jobs. Montana, which lost jobs for the first time since 2020, shed 5,300 jobs. Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia all experienced declines of less than 1%.
Feds argue they’re not required to enforce Animal Welfare Act: Less than two weeks after the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the agency was stepping up enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act, the USDA’s lawyers are arguing in court that it’s not required to enforce that law.
ICYMI
Pa. House advances bills limiting student cellphone use: Public and private schools across the commonwealth could soon be required to draft universal bell-to-bell cellphone bans for students. The state House passed a measure, with a handful of exceptions for learning and medical needs.
Pa.’s Whole Home Repairs was a national model. What happened?: The state-administered initiative offered up to $50,000 for certain major home repairs, such as installing a new roof, fixing foundations, or replacing out-of-date knob-and-tube wiring. But, the program hasn’t been funded for several years.
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