By Tim Lambert | Editor
“It makes basically no sense. It’s like a very quick band-aid for a month or two, but it’ll just go back up. But it’s going to affect the American farmer in the long run; it’s going to hurt.” — Bill Devore, who runs a cattle farm in Washington County and is president of the Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s Association, on President Trump’s effort to lower beef prices.
A good Saturday morning to you. While fall is not quite in the air, there are some big hints it’s on the way. College football is back in full swing today and the NFL opens, weirdly, on Wednesday. Let’s not forget that pumpkin-flavored everything is showing up on store shelves. Now, let’s get those temps in the 60s.
If you are out and about, the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is holding a Viking Weekend in Mount Hope, the Juniata County Fair kicks off today and Octoberfest events are set for Berkwick and Pittson.
Thanks for starting your day with us. As always, we deeply appreciate you reading, sharing and supporting our work. -- Tim
Power lines cross a field in Snyder County, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Peter Hall/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Natalie Bencivenga
The Week in Focus is a recap of our top stories.
Are cyberthreats towards utility companies growing in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania cattle industry pushes back on Trump’s beef imports.
State lawmakers are trying to figure out what to do about e-scooters.
An Amazon warehouse near Newport, Delaware. The Federal Trade Commission and 22 states have sued Amazon over an alleged scheme to inflate advertising prices. (Photo by Jacob Owens/Spotlight Delaware)
By Alex Brown of Stateline
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from Pennsylvania and 21 other states sued Amazon Monday, claiming the online retail company used artificial bids to inflate costs for advertisers, bringing in tens of billions of dollars.
The complaint alleges that Amazon used an “invented auction participant” to drive up prices for advertising placements and sponsored product spots on its online store. The lawsuit quotes a former company employee who said the system allowed the company to charge prices “beyond what [can] be achieved through advertiser competition.”
It says that Amazon has carried out the scheme for more than seven years, increasing prices for more than a million brands and sellers.
Independent reporting on Pennsylvania state government that impacts communities statewide — free to read and republish.
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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.
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