Thursday, September 3, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1895, quarterback John Brallier took $10 and expenses to suit up for Latrobe against Jeannette, becoming football’s first openly paid pro. Latrobe won 12-0, and professional football was born in Westmoreland County.

Do you remember what evenings felt like when you were a kid? The whole family at the table by six, a phone call after dinner, maybe the sound of neighbors talking out on the porch. These are five after-dinner habits that once defined American life, and they’ve all but vanished or been replaced. Join Ayla on The Flyover Podcast as she counts down all five and takes you on a trip down memory lane. Tune in here!

Later today, watch for a message from our partner, Incogni, about how much of your personal information may be available online and how to remove it before scammers or identity thieves can use it.

Today’s sponsor is Aerless Vacuum Travel Bags, helping fall travelers pack bulky sweaters, jackets, and layers while saving up to 60% of valuable luggage space.

Shapiro, Garrity Agree to October Debate

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger Stacy Garrity have agreed to a prime-time debate on Oct. 7 in Harrisburg.

The Nexstar-hosted event airs at 8 p.m. from the abc27 studio, with veteran anchor Dennis Owens moderating. It will broadcast on stations that reach Philadelphia, central Pennsylvania, the northeast, and Erie, as well as on streaming platforms.

It’s set to be the state’s first gubernatorial debate since 2018, after Shapiro and Doug Mastriano never met onstage in 2022. Garrity, the twice-elected state treasurer, called in June for seven debates, one per media market.

Midstate voters get a second matchup: Democrat Janelle Stelson and Republican Rep. Scott Perry also agreed to a debate in the 10th Congressional District race.

Report Urges Merging Game, Fish Commissions

An independent report recommends that Pennsylvania consolidate the Game Commission with the Fish and Boat Commission, warning that both agencies are on unsustainable financial paths.

The Wildlife Management Institute evaluation, commissioned by the agencies themselves, notes Pennsylvania is the only state that splits wildlife management between two independent commissions.

“If nothing changes, both commissions spend more than they take in over the next ten years and draw their reserves down to critical levels,” the report states.

Combining the roughly 1,300-person workforce and trimming about 17% of positions could save an estimated $34 million a year. The Game Commission alone runs 74 field offices, more than double the average of comparable states.

The recommendations aren’t mandates. Any merger would require action by the General Assembly, and both commissions say no major changes are planned.

Academy of Natural Sciences Museum Closing

Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences will close its Benjamin Franklin Parkway museum on Sept. 30 after nearly two centuries.

The oldest natural history museum in the Americas, it opened to the public in 1828 and became part of Drexel University in 2011. Its last day of regular hours is Sunday, Sept. 27.

Drexel leaders cited attendance that never recovered after the pandemic and rising operating costs. “The decision was not made lightly, and we join all of you in recognizing that this is a loss for Philadelphia and the region,” Drexel President Antonio Merlo and Academy board chair Suzanne Biemiller wrote in a joint letter.

The Academy’s research arm and its 19 million specimens aren’t going anywhere, and officials are exploring new ways to display the collections.

Want one last look at Dinosaur Hall? Billy Penn rounded up the exhibits to see before the doors close.

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➤ Cumberland County: PennDOT will close eastbound Route 581 in Camp Hill for accelerated concrete patching over two consecutive weekends starting Sept. 11, from 9 p.m. Friday into Monday morning each time. Traffic will shift to the Route 11/15 collector road between that interchange and Interstate 83. (See Details)

➤ Statewide: A 2021 law exempting data center computer equipment from the state’s 6% sales tax could cost Pennsylvania $1.8 billion, and some lawmakers who backed it now say they regret it. The House passed a repeal in June, but the Senate hasn’t taken it up. (Read Story)

➤ Pittsburgh: The Monongahela Incline is carrying riders again after a brief shutdown for cable hitch maintenance and a state inspection. Shuttle buses covered the morning rush while the 156-year-old funicular sat idle. (More)

➤ Erie: Presque Isle State Park has released its lineup of guarded swimming beaches for Labor Day weekend, giving beachgoers one last sanctioned splash before summer winds down. (See List)

➤ Slate Belt: Investigators seized 51 envelopes of heroin and fentanyl, 39 fentanyl and methamphetamine pills, and drug paraphernalia during a raid at a Pen Argyl home, police said. (See Details)

➤ Altoona: A statewide bell-to-bell school cellphone ban passed the state House this summer but stalled in the Senate, leaving districts to enforce their own rules as students head back to class. (More)

➤ Stroudsburg: A nightly ban on public gatherings along five blocks of Main Street runs through Friday, after a weekend street takeover with cars doing donuts ended in two arrests. Mayor Ellen Currie says she may extend the order through the holiday weekend. (See Video)

➤ Penn State is set to open the Paterno Family Football Experience Room today, a permanent Beaver Stadium museum exhibit featuring Joe Paterno’s original desk, personal artifacts, and program history. (More)

➤ Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. returned to practice Tuesday but wouldn’t guarantee he’ll play the Sept. 13 opener against Atlanta without a contract extension. (More)

➤ Harriton High School suspended its varsity football season after a 53-0 opening loss, citing low participation and player safety. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | MLB | Soccer

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➤ Pittsburgh International Airport will put $10.7 million in federal grants toward facility upgrades as work tied to its terminal modernization program wraps up. (See Details)

➤ Gas prices are set to break Labor Day records, with Lancaster County averaging $4.23 per gallon. Fuel tracker GasBuddy points to the Iran War’s ongoing squeeze on global energy markets as the driver behind the holiday spike. (More)

➤ The Little League World Series drew nearly 70,000 people to Williamsport last month and generated an estimated $40 million for Pennsylvania’s economy, according to the state Department of Community and Economic Development. (See Report)

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➤ The Pennsylvania Turnpike has been added to Oklahoma’s PikePass network, meaning Sooner State transponders now work on the toll road, part of a national push toward toll systems that talk to each other. (More)

➤ Erie’s Bicentennial Tower glowed purple Tuesday night to mark Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, with the lighting sponsored by UPMC Western Behavioral Health and the Suicide Prevention Advisory Board of Erie. (More)

➤ Someone in Mifflin County is $1 million richer after a winning Win Win Win Scratch-Off was sold at the Uni-Mart on Center Street in Armagh Township. The store pockets a $5,000 bonus for selling it. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ Five after-dinner rituals every American once knew have gotten lost over a single generation. (See Rituals)

➤ The Lindsay Clancy murder trial has hit another wall, leaving jurors deadlocked and a mistrial looming. (Hear Details)

➤ Meanwhile, in the Charlie Kirk assassination case, Tyler Robinson has pleaded not guilty and now faces a possible death penalty at trial. (Listen Now)