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Pa. gov candidate to testify in front of Jan. 6 committee

Gubernatorial hopeful Doug Mastriano, whose biggest donors are the Martin’s Potato Rolls family, is expected to virtually testify today in front of Congress.

• Mastriano was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, but Republicans have pushed back on reports he was Trump’s “point person” in Pennsylvania’s effort to present an “alternate” slate of fake 2020 electors.

Little clarification is expected in testimony, Politico reports, because Mastriano’s lawyers say they have concerns over “deceptive editing” of any video recorded.

Remembering the Stars, Philly’s Negro League baseball team

Before the MLB desegregated, there will the Philadelphia Stars: the city’s all-Black baseball team that won the 1934 Negro National League championship.

• Founded in the 1930s as a side gig by U.S. Postal Service worker Ed Bolden, the Stars were an incubator for talent, and stayed active until the Negro Leagues dissolved in the 1950s.

The team’s legacy is honored with a mural where their West Philly stadium stood, and a special suite at the ballpark, writes contributor Rashaad Jorden.

RECAP: What else happened?

$ = paywalled

• As expected, Philadelphia Sheriff’s officers and other law enforcement dismantled the encampment outside UC Townhomes in West Philly, as affordable housing activists vowed to continue the fight. [WHYY/Billy Penn/NBC10]
• Philly is under a Heat Health Emergency through this evening, and there’s an updated list of Free Library cooling centers, open until 7 or 8 p.m. [Billy Penn]
• School Superintendent Watlington spoke with 700 incoming teachers yesterday, saying the district wants to “make sure that you work in a culture that you feel good about.” Teacher retention has been a major issue in recent years. [Inquirer$/WHYY]
• Temple Health, Redeemer, and PCOM are partnering to buy Chestnut Hill Hospital from Tower Health, saying they’ll keep it open and continue serving the community. [PhillyVoice/6ABC]
• A 9-decade-old Fairmount Park tree fell on Sunday, causing injuries at a reunion for the West Philadelphia High School class of 1972. A few hours later and 100 feet away, another tree fell down… right near where the class of 1982 reunion. [6ABC]
• Next week is the last for the Jordan Griska sculpture made from a legit Cold War-era military plane. “Art Safari” by John Rhoden will take its place outside PAFA in Center City. [WHYY]
• After BP’s Beatrice Forman wrote an open letter asking Vogue to correct mistakes in its Philly guide — and earned a shoutout from the Inky — the fashion mag did, but without acknowledging any corrections. [Billy Penn/Inquirer$]

MAYOR WATCH

Nothing on the public schedule today for Mayor Jim F. Kenney. In an Inquirer opinion essay, former mayor and Pa. governor Ed Rendell offered one key piece of advice for Kenney’s successor: Don’t shirk from doing what’s right because you’re worried about being reelected. Rendell pointed to his decision to allow a controversial needle exchange; decades later, Prevention Point Philadelphia is still in operation.

ON THE CALENDAR