The week in 5 tweets | Five for the Weekend

Happy Weekend, all.

From local and state news to national headlines, a lot happened this week.

In the spirit of trying something new, we’d thought we’d share tweets about some of the week’s biggest stories (with a Pa. angle, of course).

Disclaimer: The Capital-Star sharing these tweets with readers is not an endorsement of any candidate, lawmaker or policy contained within. 

Transportation Infrastructure & The American Jobs Plan: 

The tweet: 

Thank you! The American Jobs Plan is our chance to create opportunities here in Pittsburgh and across the country. https://t.co/N0nFTqsyYi

— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) May 6, 2021

The story: Pittsburgh Is The Perfect Place To Talk Infrastructure, Buttigieg Says, via 90.5 WESA

April Jobs Report:

The tweet:

Biden’s massive spending packages are discouraging Americans from getting back to work.

The biggest threat to our economic recovery is government dependence. https://t.co/Ud2W6P8h9C

— Congressman Fred Keller (@RepFredKeller) May 7, 2021

The story: Economy picked up just 266,000 jobs in April, well below expectations as economy struggles to rebound, via The Washington Post

Ballot Questions and the Upcoming Primary Election: 

The tweet: 

We’re fast approaching marking a full year into Tom Wolf’s data-free edicts, mandates, and lockdowns. However, there is some hope. On May 18, you can veto Tom Wolf and his unilateral emergency powers. https://t.co/QMA4WNRqAl

— Russ Diamond (@russdiamond) February 20, 2021

The stories: The Capital-Star’s 2021 Voters’ Guide: Everything you need to know about Pa.’s May 18 election,
What you need to know about the 2021 Pa. primary ballot questions, Pa. racial equality amendment has precedent — and online skeptics; via Capital-Star staff. 

As always, the top five stories from this week are below. 

Cassie Miller, Associate Editor

The Wolf administration said Tuesday that will lift its COVID-19 restrictions by Memorial Day, on May 31, except for its mask mandate, which will be lifted when 70 percent of Pennsylvanians aged 18 and older are fully vaccinated.

The state now requires people to wear masks indoors and outdoors if they’re away from home. But in accordance with orders from the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians are not required to wear a mask during certain activities, the administration said in a statement.

In addition to casting a vote in municipal and judicial races, Pennsylvania voters will have to vote “yes” or “no” on May 18 on four ballot questions.

The first is a statewide referendum asking voters if they favor making municipal fire departments eligible to apply for loans from an existing state loan program.

The other three ballot questions are proposed amendments to the state Constitution.

A Pennsylvania state senator and a Philadelphia judge who’s running for the state’s highest court are set to appear at a QAnon-branded conference in June, according to posts from a conspiracy-laden podcast.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, and Judge Paula Patrick, a Republican running for state Supreme Court, are listed as speakers at the event, titled “Patriots Arise, Awakening the Dead!”

A former University of Pittsburgh chancellor has been tapped as head of the Pennsylvania commission that draws legislative maps.

Mark Nordenberg, a 72-year-old resident of Allegheny County, will chair the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, the five-member group that will redraw all 253 Pennsylvania General Assembly districts this year.

“I have worked over the years with senators and representatives, sometimes on difficult issues, and am almost always able to come some kind of constructive conclusion,” Nordenberg told the Capital-Star “So, I don’t take the challenges lightly, but I think the opportunity to make a real contribution is present.”

Doctors could be punished for refusing to see children whose parents reject the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccinations standards under a bill passed by a Republican-controlled Pennsylvania House panel Wednesday morning.

In a party line 15-10 vote, the House Health Committee approved the proposal, titled the “Immunization Freedom Act”, sponsored by Rep. David Zimmerman, R-Lancaster.

The bill would require doctors to continue to provide care to children as long as their parents consent to one vaccine a year. Such a rate would quickly fall behind CDC guidance, which suggests babies are inoculated against seven diseases, some requiring multiple booster shots, in their first 15 months alone.

And that’s the week. Enjoy the weekend and we’ll see you back here next week.