By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief
“We had no idea who he was. There were records of him running for office in the past as a Republican, and you can look up his voter registration — anybody can do that — and it said he was a Republican up until [February] of this year.” — Chris Robinson, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Green Party, on objections to a candidate who is petitioning to appear on the ballot in a key Pa. congressional race under their label.
A good morning to you and welcome to Thursday. Today marks the final day of the state’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition — Penn State’s Ag Progress Days in Rock Springs, Centre County.
Now, let’s get you to our top stories.
Thanks for starting your day with us. As always, we deeply appreciate you reading, sharing and supporting our work. -- Tim
Andrew Tupone in front of the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. (Photo courtesy of the Tupone campaign)
By Ian Karbal
In one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country, a strange fight is brewing between the Pennsylvania Green Party and a candidate who is petitioning to appear on the ballot under their label.
Andrew Tupone submitted his nomination papers with thousands of signatures to the Department of State last month, seeking a spot on the ballot in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District. He then released a statement appealing to the Green Party’s progressive voter base.
“[Incumbent] Congressman [Ryan] Mackenzie has been in lock step with Trump and he must be stopped,” it read. “After the Democratic National Party put their thumbs on the scale in the primary for Bob Brooks as the nominee, I believe local grassroots voters deserve another choice and that’s why so many are backing my candidacy.”
But the state Green Party is warning voters that the bid may be a ploy to trick voters in a race the Cook Political Report rates as a “toss up.”
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker outside the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg on June 24, 2026. (Photo by Peter Hall/Capital-Star)
By Peter Hall
Pennsylvania is well positioned to be a leader in the development of the next major breakthrough in computing, state lawmakers heard Tuesday in an informational hearing on quantum technology.
“Quantum computing has the potential to transform industries that we care about: life sciences, advanced manufacturing, energy, ag, logistics, and national security,” Jen Gilberg, deputy secretary of technology for entrepreneurship at the state Department of Community and Economic Development, told members of the House Committee on Communications and Technology.
The commonwealth’s seven top-level research universities have formed the Keystone AI + Quantum Factory to collaborate and share resources to speed innovation in the field, she said. They’re working to build a statewide “ecosystem” that brings together research infrastructure, workforce development and commercial applications.
The Montour Steam Electric Station owned by Talen Energy is near 800 acres of farmland the company requested to rezone for data center development (Photo by Peter Hall/Capital-Star)
By Aman Azhar of Inside Climate News
Natural gas surged to the top in the first round of power projects accepted into PJM Interconnection’s reformed interconnection process, making up nearly half of the more than 200 gigawatts of capacity qualified for study. Battery storage and solar trail natural gas, according to the latest figures by the grid operator.
The picture stands in stark contrast to three years ago when PJM, the nation’s largest grid operator, stopped accepting new projects to clear its backlog. At that time, more than 90 percent of the projects waiting in the queue were solar, wind and battery storage. But most of those clean energy projects were never built, falling apart because they were stuck in the queue for so long and paving the way for gas to surge ahead a few years later.
The current 715 projects, totaling 201.5 gigawatts of power, are the first group of proposed generation projects to move through PJM’s new “first-ready, first-served” system, which now requires developers to put down money and prove that they control a construction site before a project can be studied.
Independent reporting on Pennsylvania's state government that impacts communities statewide — free to read and republish.
With the 2026 midterms on the horizon, your financial support makes it possible for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star to keep you informed by connecting the dots on issues like data centers, rural health care, and voting rights.
Please consider supporting independent journalism in Pennsylvania by 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 — like Tim in New Cumberland (that’s your friendly neighborhood editor), Janice from Carmichaels and Rosalind from Reading as donors today.
A hallway in the Pennsylvania Capitol building in Harrisburg on October 14, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
Folo PA podcast
By Emily Previti
In the vast majority of states, businesses have to file reports every year or two. That includes Pennsylvania, as of 20-25, when the law in the commonwealth changed from just once per decade.
But it turns out that some of the same legislators who enacted the new rule have not been following it. More than two dozen of them disclosed income or a financial interest in companies that had overdue filings or weren’t registered with the state at all.
Ethan Young, a Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents Association Intern, broke the story and sat down to talk about his reporting.
TODAY IN THE CAPITAL-STAR
Schools spend billions on AI, but struggle to figure out what’s worth it: Some states and districts have begun offering guidance for vetting AI purchases, but educators and experts say districts are still carrying much of the burden on their own.
Trump vaccine order takes aim at states that limit exemptions: A largely overlooked part of the executive order President Donald Trump issued this week scaling back the schedule for childhood vaccines threatens legal action against the four states that don’t allow personal or religious exemptions to school vaccine requirements.
Federal agency blocks Medicaid coverage of kids’ gender-affirming care: A new federal rule will end Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming hormone therapies and procedures for kids under age 18. It prohibits state Medicaid plans from covering gender-affirming procedures for minors and using federal Medicaid dollars for such care.
ICYMI
The Pa. budget has additional funding for a handful of school districts: For the third year in a row, the annual state budget included provisions that sent additional dollars to a handful of school districts, outside of the typical funding formulas that govern state support for the 500 public school districts.
Pa. sues TikTok for ‘misrepresenting’ suitability for teenagers: Nearly 100 million Americans use TikTok, a popular app for sharing short-form videos, every day, but Pennsylvania joined a growing number of states questioning the platform’s protections for young users.
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.