🥇 GOATs in town

💪 Let's do this, Thursday!

🌤️ Partly sunny with a high near 76.

📺 Situational awareness: Watch Pennsylvania's first U.S. Senate debate between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick tonight at 8pm on PHL17 and other streaming platforms.

Today's newsletter is 896 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Pennsylvania's race for attorney general is heating up.

Why it matters: The AG has a massive budget to prosecute crime and corruption, and has weighed in on nationally important issues. Plus, the office has served as a launchpad for some of the state's future governors.

The big picture: Democrat Eugene DePasquale and Republican Dave Sunday easily won their primaries after several candidates vied to replace current AG Michelle Henry, a Democrat appointed by Gov. Josh Shapiro to fill his role after he won the 2022 gubernatorial race.

• Henry decided not to run for a full term.

State of play: Donors have poured millions of dollars into the race, as battleground Pennsylvania draws attention in the presidential election, Penn State political science professor Daniel Mallinson told the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

Context: DePasquale, a former state House lawmaker and state auditor general, ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Rep. Scott Perry's seat before entering the AG race.

• Sunday, a U.S. Navy veteran, has been York County's district attorney since 2018.

Zoom in: DePasquale says he carried a "heavy workload" while serving for eight years as the state's top watchdog, where he went after "bullies" and "bad actors" and produced a report that reduced the state's rape kit backlog.

• He's vowed to remain an "independent fighter" who stands up for residents' voting rights and women's reproductive rights.

Meanwhile, Sunday casts himself as a moderate Republican, an expert in criminal law, and someone tough on crime but also compassionate for those struggling with addiction and mental health.

• He has said that he doesn't believe the state's constitution guarantees the right to abortion access and the decision belongs to the Legislature.
• Sunday has since told PennLive that the "best way to … protect women's rights is to enforce the law as it's written."

By the numbers: DePasquale has raised more than $3.2 million from 4,000 donors.

• Sunday has raised $1.3 million — and received a huge advertising blitz from a PAC backed by GOP mega-donor Jeff Yass, Pennsylvania's richest man.

Read more

Food-delivery company dlivrd tops the Philadelphia Business Journal's new list of the fastest-growing companies in the region.

Why it matters: The Philly metro is brimming with booming businesses after years of pandemic recovery and high inflation.

🧮 By the numbers: The companies on the Business Journal's annual list, rebranded as Philly's Fast 50 this year, had an average growth rate of more than 51% over two years.

• And seven companies grew by more than 100% during that stretch.

Case in point: Horsham-based dlivrd, which specializes in restaurant catering delivery, had a 203% growth over two years.

• Its revenue rocketed from $3 million in 2021-22 to more than $24 million in 2022-23, per the outlet.

📈 Zoom in: Aclaris, headquartered in Wayne, had a 172.5% two-year growth rate.

• No. 3: AscellaHealth, a health care company based in Berwyn, had a 172.4% two-year growth rate.

Plus: The highest-ranking Philly-based business on the list was Agile Brains Consulting, a technology management consulting firm

• The business consulting company logged a two-year growth rate of more than 55%.

Read the full list

Philly's got plenty of events planned for the first weekend of October.

🍻 The city's traveling beer garden Parks on Tap is setting up shop on the Strawberry Mansion Bridge to close out the season. Today and Friday, 4-10pm; Saturday-Sunday, noon-10pm.

🤸🏿‍♀️ Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and members of the U.S. gymnastics team bring their Gold Over America Tour to the Wells Fargo Center on Friday. See jaw-dropping tumbles, twists and tricks starting at 7:30pm. Tickets: $50-$145

🐐 Hang out with more than a dozen goats at GOAToberFest at Laurel Hill West Cemetery on Sunday from 3-5pm. Free snacks and drinks, goodie bags and programing led by drag queen Dominique Lee. Tickets: $75; ages 14+

See more events

From decreasing emissions to protecting air quality, Responsible Care companies are working to safeguard and support the environment every day.

By transparently reporting our progress, we hold ourselves accountable to our customers, our communities and our employees.

Learn more.

🚢 The SS United States that's been docked in South Philly for years is now one step closer to finding a new home off the coast of Florida. Okaloosa County officials approved a tentative deal to buy and sink the hulking ship to create the world's largest artificial reef. (Pensacola News Journal)

🍕Skip the line at Angelo's Pizzeria and order delivery. After resisting for years, the South Philly pizzeria has joined UberEats. You can order from Saturday on, and hours will vary. (Inquirer)

📉 Overdose deaths of Philly residents declined 7% in 2023 from the previous year to reach 1,122. The city is expected to release the total number of overdose deaths in 2023 (which will include non-residents) later this year. (WHYY)

🦀 The Chart House is calling it quits on Nov. 30 after nearly four decades. The upscale seafood restaurant with views of the Delaware River is one of the longest continuously operating on Penn's Landing. (Philadelphia Business Journal 🔒)

Philadelphia's Dorothy Roberts earned a prestigious "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation this week.

Why it matters: The honor comes with a no-strings-attached $800,000 payment over five years, which the 68-year-old University of Pennsylvania legal scholar and public policy researcher can use to pursue her work.

The big picture: Roberts joins a class of 21 other MacArthur Foundation Fellows, who were nominated and backed anonymously by their peers.

Zoom in: Roberts has worked to expose racial inequalities embedded within health and social service systems, per the foundation.

• She's also authored several books.

What she's saying: "My work makes more visible the injustices seemingly benevolent social systems inflict on marginalized communities," she said, per the foundation.

Through programs like the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative, the chemical industry is furthering STEM education in underrepresented groups to create a diverse future for our industry and a bright future for all.

• Over 50 students in the tri-state area have received $40,000 scholarships.

Learn more.

🍕 Mike is ordering delivery from Angelo's Pizzeria and looking forward to seeing what all the hype is about.

😌 Isaac is OOO.

Today's newsletter was edited by Alexa Mencia.