PA primary, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gleason score
Plus: One of my favorite shows will return to Broadway this fall
Hello, dear readers,
With the Pennsylvania primary just a day away, finding clear, accessible information about most candidates feels harder than it should be.
Outside a few key races, coverage is sparse.
There are few—if any—forums, no comprehensive guides and not much effort from political parties to help voters get informed.
In both Allegheny and Erie counties, the Democratic committees endorsed challengers in their respective city mayoral races, but offered little explanation—leaving the decisions feeling more like popularity picks than policy-based choices.
When I worked as a full-time journalist at a newspaper, the primary and general election meant weeks of focused effort: interviewing every candidate, pressing for policy details and making sure voters had the information they needed.
It was time-consuming but essential work.
Now, with the decline of local newspapers, those kinds of deep dives are rare.
There are fewer reporters, fewer resources and far fewer outlets doing the kind of coverage that helps people understand what—and who—they’re voting for.
At the same time, many remaining outlets prioritize quick-hit stories over context, skipping over the details that actually matter.
It’s a strange reality: we’re surrounded by information every second, but when it comes to electing people to represent you and your community, it’s often the substance that’s missing.
As someone who is deeply connected to news and politics and still feels lost without information, it’s easy to see how so many people feel disconnected from the process.
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President Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ form of prostate cancer
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office announced Sunday.
The diagnosis followed Biden reporting urinary symptoms, which led doctors to discover a small nodule on his prostate. The cancer is classified as Stage 4 and characterized by a Gleason score of 9, indicating one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
Understanding the Gleason score
The Gleason score is used to grade prostate cancer based on how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope.
Pathologists examine two main tissue areas and assign each a grade from 1 (least aggressive) to 5 (most aggressive).
The two grades are added to get a Gleason score, which ranges from 6 to 10.
Gleason 6: Low-grade, slow-growing cancer.
Gleason 7: Intermediate-grade, may grow or spread moderately.
Gleason 8–10: High-grade, aggressive cancer more likely to spread.
Stages of cancer explained
Cancer is generally staged from zero to four, indicating how far it has spread. (Stage 5 is rarely used.)
Stage 0 means the cancer is localized and hasn’t invaded nearby tissue, while Stage 4 indicates it has spread to distant parts of the body.
Stage 1 through Stage 3 reflect increasing tumor size and regional spread.
Doctors use this system to assess the severity of the disease and determine the most effective treatment plan.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer originates in the prostate gland, a small organ in men that produces seminal fluid.
It's the most common cancer among American men after skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
In 2025, the American Cancer Society estimates approximately 313,780 new prostate cancer cases and about 35,770 deaths in the United States, according to the company’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2025 report.
Dick’s grows with Foot Locker acquisition
Your options for athletic shoes and other related gear could be decreasing.
Findlay Township-based Dick’s Sporting Goods said it is buying Foot Locker for $2.4 billion.
The deal gives Dick’s control over Foot Locker’s network of 2,400 stores across 20 countries.
Foot Locker will operate as a standalone unit under Dick’s, the company said.
The move comes amid growing concern over tariffs and supply chain pressures, with companies like Nike and Adidas adjusting sales strategies and shifting focus. It also follows Skechers’ recent $9 billion buyout by 3G Capital.
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Census estimate shows Pittsburgh city population up
Pittsburgh’s population grew by about 1 percent from 2023 to 2024, increasing from 304,766 to 307,668, according to new estimates from the Census Bureau.
The gain of 2,902 residents marks the city’s largest annual increase in years.
It’s also the second straight year of population gains for Pittsburgh, which has long faced declines tied to aging demographics and the steel industry’s collapse in the 1980s.
Pittsburgh is one of the oldest regions in the country, and has been since 1960. The region also has had more deaths than births since the mid-90s.
In Erie, from 2020 to July 1, 2024, the city of Erie lost 2,077 residents, according to the census estimate.
It remains unclear how accurate the 2020 census was, as reports suggest white populations were overcounted while Black and Latino populations were undercounted.
The Census Bureau acknowledged errors, the PEW Research Center says.
Other things to know…
Here’s a look at other stories I’ve read recently:
Tracking Trump
Republicans advance Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ in unusual late-night vote (The Hill)
Trump faces a trillion-dollar tariff disappointment (The Economist)
Trump’s clash with the courts raises prospect of showdown over separation of powers (AP)
Economy
Americans’ optimism about the economy is at a near-record low (CNN)
QVC CEO: Our consumers are ‘heavily distracted by current events’ (Retail Dive)
Rite Aid to sell 1,000 pharmacy assets to CVS, Walgreens and others (Reuters)
Pennsylvania
MAGA activists target state Supreme Court (WHYY)
The tastiest coffee roasted right here in Pennsylvania (The Keystone)
Coffee shops in Pittsburgh and Erie made the list
Giant Eagle reportedly acquiring some of Rite Aid's assets (KDKA Radio)
Entertainment
Daughters of longtime ‘Days of Our Lives’ star Drake Hogestyn open up about why he kept his condition to himself (Soaps)
‘Ragtime’ will return to Broadway this fall (BroadwayWorld)
Smokey Robinson’s victory lap upended by allegations of sexual assault (NYT)
And, finally…
