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| Today is #GivingNewsDay, when readers across the U.S. come together to support fearless, fact-based journalism. If you're like us, and you can't imagine Pennsylvania without Spotlight PA, please become a member right now. |
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| RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINES |
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Pennsylvania counties using Dominion Voting Systems in this November's election reported no major issues, but that hasn't stopped President Donald Trump, his legal team, and some GOP state lawmakers from crying foul.
A new report by Spotlight PA and Votebeat found no documented evidence of any sort of issues related to deleting or switching votes, and the federal government itself concluded, "There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."
Experts and officials acknowledge the systems aren’t always glitch-free, but say issues are caught thanks to Dominion’s paper trail.
THE CONTEXT: Still, state Republicans including Reps. Seth Grove (R., York) and Dawn Keefer (R., York) have been echoing Trump's distrust in the legitimacy and accuracy of Dominion's systems.
No one, however, has offered any concrete evidence.
The unfounded claims come despite the fact that Trump won in 12 of the 14 Pennsylvania counties that use the company’s devices, and that the GOP performed exceeding well across many state-level races.
A spokesperson for Dominion rejected the criticisms as "baseless conspiracy theories." |
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| NOTABLE / QUOTABLE “You don’t have to worry about people coughing or sneezing on you. You’re out there by yourself. It’s just good to be out. It’s something I’ve always done. It’s something you have to do.”
— Scott Myers, a 66-year-old painting contractor in York County, on the opening of hunting season in Pennsylvania |
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| POST IT: What better way to start your Tuesday than a photo of this Derry Township squirrel? Thanks Bob N., for another submission! Send us your hidden gems, use the hashtag #PAGems, or tag us on Instagram at @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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 DAVID AND GOLIATH: One Cumberland County man scored a partial victory against Sunoco regarding the Mariner East pipeline system, after the Public Utility Commission found the company performed inadequate public, PennLive reports. The case follows a Spotlight PA investigation that revealed many who live along the pipeline have been kept in the dark about its safety and what to do in an emergency.
 NOT TODAY: Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday vetoed a bill that would have made it harder to sue schools, healthcare providers, and other businesses over coronavirus-related claims, the Associated Press reports. Wolf said the legislature was overly broad and could have invited "carelessness and a disregard for public safety."
 TESTING WOES: Pennsylvania ranks second-to-last in the nation — only ahead of Puerto Rico — in terms of tests completed per 100,000 residents, a new PennLive report finds. While the state has increased its testing capacity and is no longer seeing results take seven to 10 days, challenges still remain — especially in and around the holiday season.
 NOT REQUIRED: Pennsylvania health and school officials will not mandate coronavirus vaccines for K-12 schoolchildren once they are available, according to the York Daily Record. In fact, there are no plans to force anyone to get the vaccine if they don't want it.
 PANDEMIC WINTER: Given the deadly outbreaks throughout Pa. nursing homes, homeless shelters in the Lehigh Valley are working to keep facilities clean and safe as cases surge and the weather turns cold, the Morning Call reports. Gov. Tom Wolf announced additional state funding Nov. 30 to aid in the fight against homelessness this winter. |
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» IT'S #GIVINGNEWSDAY, AND WE NEED YOUR HELP: Help us keep Harrisburg honest in 2021 by becoming a member now. And as an added bonus, contribute $15/month or $180/year and get this exclusive tote bag, hand-drawn and printed in PA! We only have 38 left, so don't wait!
Congrats to Duane K. and Ezra F. for claiming totes yesterday. |
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MAILBAG: Have you been approached by a contact tracer? Are you a case investigator or contact tracer in Pennsylvania? We want to hear from you as part of our continuing reporting on the response to the coronavirus.
BEAR TRACKER: How did Pennsylvania's four-day bear hunting season go? Pennsylvanians took down 2,000 bears — and this year, they were able to track and monitor the bears throughout the hunt.
WEIRD WINTER WEATHER: The Philadelphia region experienced some impressive thunderstorms on the eve of winter, with reports of tornadoes touching down in Delaware and Montgomery Counties.
THE BOOKS YOU NEED: Struggling with gifts this year? Well you might find some help with this extensive rundown of the top books to buy this holiday season. There are some nods to the times as well as some indulgences.
LET'S TRASH SOME WORDS: Unsurprisingly, Merriam-Webster's word of the year was "pandemic." We have some choice words of our own for this year. But what overused words would you like to trash in 2021? Send us your nominations and we'll share them here in our next edition. |
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Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out the winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag. Love the scrambler? Make a donation to help us end 2020 strong. U L N S I S A T B T A
Yesterday's answers: Metamorphosis
Congrats to our daily winners: Craig W., David I., Dianne K., Susan D., Lynne P., George S., Kathleen M., John C., Irene R., Lynne E., Gail H., Jarrod B., Carol D., Jeffery S., Patricia R., Ron P., Joel S., and Thomas B. |
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