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Harrisburg, Pa. - Over 150 athletes are set to enter the Harrisburg Coliseum Sunday to contest the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final. This prestigious equitation national championship features two rounds over a course set to 3’6” in height, and is judged based on the style, position, and effectiveness of the rider.

Following round two, the judges must ask at least the top four entries to return for additional testing to determine the overall champion. Since its inception in 2004, the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final has become one of the most prestigious titles in the equitation discipline and serves as a key steppingstone for junior athletes from across the U.S.

About the Pennsylvania Horse Show For 79 years, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show has welcomed top horses and riders from across the country and around the world for high-caliber hunter, jumper, and equitation competitions. Held at the historic Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa., it is the longest-running indoor horse show of its kind in the United States. US Equestrian has recognized the championship event with the prestigious Heritage Competition classification. To learn more about the show, please visit PAnational.org.

The Turnham Green/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships and the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final will be livestreamed on the USEF Network. The 2025 event coverage is brought to you by Hollow Brook Wealth Management. Not a member? Sign up for a FREE fan membership.

For exclusive behind-the-scenes content, daily galleries, and more, click here.

Stay Connected Follow US Equestrian on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Use #USEquestrian.

The USEF International High Performance Programs and the USEF High Performance Pathway Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, the philanthropic partner to USEF. High Performance Program support is also provided by the USOPC and USEF sponsors and members.

Pennsylvania’s top two tech leaders, its state chief information officer and chief technology officer (CTO), have stepped down.

CIO Amaya Capellán and CTO R. Brian Andrews have left state government. Capellán was named CIO in July 2023, after more than six years at Comcast during which she rose to vice president of product management for its technology, product and experience unit. Andrews, a longtime state executive, joined the Office of Administration in January 2014 as chief of its voice and unified communications division according to LinkedIn, and was named CTO in November 2024.

Bryanna Pardoe, who has been leading the new Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience, will assume the role of acting CTO, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Meanwhile, James Sipe, state chief information security officer, will take over as acting executive deputy secretary for information technology, according to the Inquirer.

In a post on LinkedIn, Capellán said serving as state CIO was “an incredible privilege.”

“I came to drive change, and together we strengthened our network, enhanced our security, and made real strides in delivering better technology experiences for employees and residents across Pennsylvania,” she said. “This week, leadership and I agreed that this was the right time for a transition. There is still important work ahead, and I have every confidence that the new leaders of OIT will continue advancing the mission.”

Two main ideas are foundational for the state’s IT strategy, she told Government Technology recently.

“As the Office of Information Technology, we have to deliver for our workforce and make sure they are equipped. Also, our residents and businesses are the recipients of agency services, and we have to think about them as customers as well,” she said.

The Commission’s Public Meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. will be held at the Commission’s Harrisburg Office, Public Hearing Room, Bowman Tower, Fourth Floor, 320 Market Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Parties who plan to attend in person, please contact the Commission at ra-cs-exec_dir@pa.gov, 717-783-8806, or the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS)* at 711. Parties who wish to connect telephonically may do so by calling 1-267-332-8737 and entering Access Code: 863 534 794# beginning at 10:15 a.m. Questions regarding the meeting or agenda should be sent to the contact information provided by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15. As is customary to the Commission’s normal protocol, questions or comments will not be entertained during the meeting. To view a copy of the Public Meeting agenda, please click here. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter.

*For hearing, speech impaired or other individuals

Commission Appeal Request Form Updated

Commission regulations have been updated to allow the use of electronic signatures on the Appeal Request Form. Ink signatures are optional. For a revised copy of the Form, click here.

The State Civil Service Commission (Commission) is a three-member independent administrative state agency. Members of the Commission are nominated by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Pennsylvania State Senate to six-year terms. Of the members, one is designated as Chairperson by the Governor, and one is a statutorily required veteran member.

The purpose of Act 71 of 2018 (Civil Service Reform) is to “create and sustain a modern merit system of employment within the Commonwealth workforce that promotes the hiring, retention and promotion of highly qualified individuals, ensuring that government services are efficiently and effectively delivered to the public.” (Title 71, Chapter 21, §2102. Purpose).

Know Your Civil Service Appeal Rights

As a job seeker or civil service employee for state and applicable covered local government/housing authority job opportunities, you have the right to appeal adverse action(s) to the Commission. Appeals must be filed not more than twenty (20) calendar days after you receive notice or become aware of the challenged action(s). If a hearing is granted, the parties must present relevant evidence to include documents and witness testimony. After the evidence is presented and the record is closed, the Commission will review the full record and issue a decision, which is called an adjudication. Copies of the adjudication are provided to the parties and posted on the Commission's website. Please note the Commission does not independently conduct separate investigations into allegations raised in an appeal.

For more detailed information about your rights and the civil service appeals process, please click here.

is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. .

There are more forces at work than ever attempting to silence free and fearless reporting, and there are fewer resources than ever to undertake the independent, unbiased investigative journalism that keeps our government honest and ensures it ultimately answers to “we the people.”

That work is the mission of Spotlight PA, a nonprofit newsroom founded in 2019 to ensure professional reporters are watching out for our tax dollars, holding our elected leaders in Harrisburg and statewide to account, and driving significant change for the better.

But this moment is not about any single news organization or journalist. It’s not even about journalism or the news industry itself. It’s about a free society, which necessarily depends on the free flow of information grounded in truth and reality.

If we lose that, we lose everything — and we will be forced to reckon with our own inaction.

But there is still time to join together and chart a better course, and we need your support now.

Since its founding, Spotlight PA has directly saved taxpayers more than $20 million through its investigations. Its reporting has led to 36 local, state and federal policy changes, prompted 14 pieces of legislation, and resulted in eight legal victories — some setting statewide precedents that enhance government transparency across the commonwealth.

These aren’t just numbers on a page. Behind each statistic are countless people whose lives have been changed for the better as a direct result of our reporting.

All is not lost yet. There are still professional journalists and independent organizations like Spotlight PA willing to take on this tough task, fighting on the front lines for truth without fear or favor. They don’t do it for fame or glory, but out of a sense of duty and service.

Yet this work hangs by a thread.

The path forward requires a fundamental shift in how we think about supporting journalism. Just as we fund museums, the arts and other public institutions integral to our communities, we must recognize that independent journalism serves the public interest and requires support.

What we do today will determine whether future generations inherit a society where truth and transparency flourish, or one where information is controlled by the powerful few and misinformation dominates. The choice is ours, but time is running short.

Right now, your tax-deductible gift in support of Spotlight PA’s independent, unbiased reporting will go twice as far. Until Oct. 4, every dollar you contribute will be doubled thanks to a matching gift from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. You can give online at spotlightpa.org/donate or send a check to Spotlight PA, PO Box 11728, Harrisburg, PA 17108.

By supporting Spotlight PA, you’re not endorsing a political agenda — you’re investing in the accountability mechanisms that safeguard our independence, communities and personal liberties. You’re helping preserve the values that make our commonwealth special.

In uncertain times, these principles matter more than ever, and so does your support.

This is a contributed opinion column. Christopher Baxter is the CEO and president of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom covering Pennsylvania. Email him at cbaxter@spotlightpa.org. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author(s), and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication. For more details on commentaries, read our guide to guest opinions at themorningcall.com/opinions.