Pipeline protesters, a Nazi tweet and the backlash

• Ed Mahon
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  Ed Mahon comes to Spotlight PA from PA Post, where he covered state politics and policy, produced radio stories that were broadcast on public media stations throughout the state and on NPR’s national newscasts, and co-wrote a weekday newsletter. Prior to joining PA Post, Ed worked for six years as an investigative and political reporter for the York Daily Record, part of the USA Today Network. His reporting on failures in Pennsylvania’s system for protecting domestic abuse victims was a finalist in the national 2018 Livingston Awards for Young Journalists in the local reporting category. He was also part of a team whose coverage of the criminal justice system, including the aggressive use of civil asset forfeiture by York County prosecutors, received the 2018 G. Richard Dew Award for Journalistic Service from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Before joining the York Daily Record, Ed covered K-12 education at the Centre Daily Times in State College and worked as a stringer for suburban sections of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

 Eric Friedman / Submitted

A sinkhole that opened up in January was surrounded by orange plastic fencing outside a suburban home at Lisa Drive in West Whiteland Township, Chester County.

From The Context, PA Post’s weekday email newsletter:

Chester County Democrat faced bipartisan criticism

Eric Friedman / Submitted

A sinkhole that opened up in January was surrounded by orange plastic fencing outside a suburban home at Lisa Drive in West Whiteland Township, Chester County.

• WITF’s Katie Meyer explains the backlash that a southeastern Pa. Democratic lawmaker faced after the state representative tweeted about the Mariner East 2 pipeline and Nazis.

• In response to a tweet that pipeline protesters were preventing workers from doing their jobs, Danielle Friel Otten tweeted that “The Nazis were just doing their jobs too.” There has been a lot of criticism, including from fellow Democrats. Friel Otten apologizedon Thursday.

• StateImpact Pennsylvania has more context on the Mariner East 2 pipeline and the debate over its construction, including a recent story about how Sunoco Pipeline bought two homes in a Chester County development that has had sinkholes. The company paid $400,000 for each of the properties, Jon Hurdle reports.

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Kimberly Paynter / WHYY

Marilyn Rodriguez was formerly a teacher at Fairhill Elementary School.

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• Allegheny County is still not meeting federal air quality standards, StateImpact Pennsylvania’s Amy Sisk reports. She provides an update on conditions around the U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. On Thursday, U.S. Steel said it would invest $1 billion in upgrades to two plants that would, among other things, help with air quality.

• Last year, 87 horses died at the state’s three thoroughbred racing venues, PennLive’s David Wenner reports. Nationally, there has been a lot of attention on a California racetrack where 21 horses died in 10 weeks.