WINNERS & LOSERS

Who’s been up – and down – this month

Much like rapper Drake weighing which team to root for next, Philly basketball fans have mixed feelings right about now. Soon after news broke that longtime Villanova head coach Jay Wright was planning on retiring, Sixers fans got to witness Joel Embiid get his revenge with a game-winning shot against the Raptors in Toronto. And now, Embiid is battling a torn ligament in his thumb. The highs and lows of the sporting world are much like those we see in the world of politics.

KENYATTA JOHNSON

The latest corruption case in Philadelphia ended in a mistrial. That means a sigh of relief for City Council member Kenyatta Johnson and his wife Dawn Chavous, who were facing serious bribery charges. Johnson could’ve been the second City Council member to lose their seat due to corruption in the last year. Federal prosecutors say they’ll retry the couple ASAP.

WINNERS

OUR PICK

LOSERS

OUR PICK

DAN MOUL

State Rep. Dan Moul led an effort in the General Assembly to allow the creation of new boroughs by petitioning the Court of Common Pleas, only to be vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf, who said the bill will “lead to further fragmentation of local governments.” But Moul may have a chance to try again next year when the term-limited Wolf leaves office. Yikes.

THE BEST OF THE REST

AARON KAUFER

Republican state Rep. Aaron Kaufer earned a big legislative win last month when his bill designed to attract more doctors to the state was signed into law. The bill will relax requirements on international medical students, allowing them to apply for medical licenses with the same amount of training as American medical school graduates. International graduates were previously required to receive an extra year of training in order to obtain a license.

SUMMER LEE

Calling all 2020 Democratic presidential candidates: Summer Lee is running for Congress. It seems like Lee, the progressive looking to replace U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle in the U.S. House, is getting endorsements from national figures every week. This time around, it’s U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Warren joins the likes of Bernie Sanders and Ayanna Pressley in endorsing Lee to represent the Pittsburgh region.

THE REST OF THE WORST SAID RIVERA

Said Rivera was arrested by Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office recently for his role as the alleged ringleader of a Schuylkill County drug trafficking ring that reportedly helped move fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the region. Shapiro charged Rivera and four others with corrupt organizations, possession with intent to deliver meth and fentanyl and criminal conspiracy. If the charges stick, Rivera could end up out of the ring and into a cell.

MOHAMED FARAH

Freedom of speech is one thing, but threatening to assassinate both a sitting and former president is no bueno. Mohamed Farah, a Cumberland County man, was indicted by a grand jury after he allegedly threatened to kill President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, if the latter runs for reelection. The 32-year-old native of Somalia can face up to five years in prison for each offense.

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Vol. 2 Issue 7 May 2, 2022

HEALTH CARE POWER 100

The long, strange trip to legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania THE KEYSTONED STATE

CITYANDSTATEPA.COM

High Stakes

Who’s running for PA’s House & Senate

@CITYANDSTATEPA

May 2, 2022

Cover Illustration: Alex Law

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