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** 1. Shapiro saw his shadow — two more years of progressive politics! ([link removed])
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By Guy Ciarrocchi

In Pennsylvania, the first week of February brings two rituals: Punxsutawney Phil “tells” us if spring or winter lies ahead, and the Governor presents his state budget plan.

Both “characters” told us to prepare for a long, cold winter. Worse, Governor Josh Shapiro’s proclamation isn’t just a fun custom — it’s a sad reality.

When Shapiro presented his state budget, we knew he also had two choices: either an “early spring” — focusing on commonsense, bipartisan policies to get meaningful “stuff” done — or a long, cold “winter” — another year of progressive bluster, a budget based on expensive, left-wing ideology, appeasing the loudest fringes, and partisan fighting with Republicans.

Well, Pennsylvania, prepare for a long, cold winter.

Why It Matters. Shapiro chose to see his shadow — another year, another missed opportunity. Like the fictional movie “Groundhog Day,” we will be forced to re-live 2023 and 2024: cold, bleak and far more painful than necessary. Unlike Phil, Shapiro actually does have power over his own words, the power to choose “spring” or “winter.” He let us down again.

Shapiro, who as a candidate and as our newly elected governor, told us that “every child of God deserved a shot ([link removed]) ” and that parents should be able to choose a school that works for their children, said nothing about that subject again. No flowery rhetoric, no pledged funding, no proposed legislation. Worse, he wants to cut funding for cyber charter schools — schools that are actually growing in enrollment. (Maybe, that’s why his teachers union buddies lobbied him to cut those students’ funds.)

Promises made, promises broken.

Continue Reading ([link removed])


** 2. Local scientist and women’s advocate is a guest as Trump signs order outlawing boys in girls sports ([link removed])
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By Beth Ann Rosica

Shannon Grady, a world class triathlete, sports scientist, and Delco native, advocated keeping boys and men out of girls and women’s sports long before it was the mainstream view. She appeared on a local TV program in 2021 ([link removed]) and explained that Biden’s executive order was in direct conflict with Title IX.

“Anytime a male takes the place of a female, you are eliminating opportunities for a female, but in essence, you are actually changing the dynamics of the entire team and the teams you play against.”
Grady, a physiologist and the author of The Lactate Revolution, said there is a trickle-down effect on allowing boys in girls sports. “Both the team with the boy and the team playing against that team are adversely impacted.”

Grady continued to call out the Biden order as unconstitutional and unfair to women and girls. Her efforts paid off this week when she was invited to the White House by President Donald Trump to attend the signing of the “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” executive order ([link removed]) .

Why It Matters. “With my action this afternoon,” the president said, “we are putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice that if you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding,” he said. “So this will effectively end the attack on female athletes at public K-12 schools and virtually all U.S. colleges and universities.”

Grady is thrilled with the order and potential consequences for schools that do not comply. She has witnessed first hand the detrimental effects of the prior president’s orders and looks forward to righting the ship.

Quotable. “It will be interesting to see what actions the Chester County school boards make regarding this executive action given their recent history of admitting abiding to federal guidelines especially when it comes to Title IX and risks of losing federal funding. For example, most school boards in Chester County continued mask mandates absent any emergency declaration in Pennsylvania because they claimed they were at risk of losing federal funding if they did not follow the federal guidelines on masking,” said Grady.

Continue Reading ([link removed])


** 3. Lightning Round
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* Shapiro unveils $51.4B budget proposal ([link removed])
* Kevin Kane: Pennsylvania Democrats must stop playing politics and unleash American energy ([link removed])
* Paul Davis: A retired sergeant’s unofficial history of the Philadelphia Police Department ([link removed])
* Beth Ann Rosica: Groundhog Day arrives early in Chester County ([link removed])
* Frank Speidel: The Nero Awards ([link removed])
* Jeff Hurvitz: DEI, rescinded ([link removed])
* Delaware County prison officials issued questionable bonuses, records show ([link removed])


** 4. What we're reading
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The Democratic National Committee elected a new leadership team in the wake of their 2024 losses of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Philadelphia’s own Malcolm Kenyatta, who likes nothing more than to run for some job other than the one to which the voters of the 181st district elected him, joined the team as one of the DNC’s vice presidents. The faces have changed but, as Byron York notes in the Washington Examiner, the insiders running the party have learned nothing ([link removed]) from their failure:

"As the DNC, choosing new leadership, surveyed its current position — out of power — leaders told themselves that the causes of the party’s failures are 1). racism and misogyny, and 2). poor communications. That is what losing parties do. Somebody else is to blame.”

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