Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

The Inquirer gets what, for some of us, is the final day of this working week off to a bang.

We're just going to let the story speak for itself:

"For foreign nationals seeking a less-than-legal way to establish identity in Philadelphia, no obstacle was too great to stop PennDot employee Henry Gibbs from issuing a driver's license, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. No proof of residency? No problem. Forged or stolen identity documents? Not an issue. Never took the required driver's test? No sweat. As long as you came with the right amount of cash. An indictment unsealed this week pulled back the curtain on an alleged arrangement between Gibbs, a Philadelphia-based driver's license examiner, and a shadowy middleman who paid him nearly $14,000 between April 2014 and May 2015 to unleash more than 30 untested and undocumented drivers on the roadways."



The Inky's Jeremy Roebuck reports that, for between $1,500 to $3,000 each, Gibbs' co-defendant, Bakary Camara, 30, a Philadelphian by way of Mali, allegedly helped his clients through the process to nab "unearned" commercial or non-commercial licenses.

More from The Inquirer:

"The picture painted by prosecutors in their 28-page charging document is of a clear quid pro quo.

"Camara often met his clients in the parking lot of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation driver's license center at 2320 Island Ave., in Eastwick, where Gibbs was assigned to work.

"Camara allegedly accepted the cash before passing it along to Gibbs with documents ranging from falsified insurance records to forged telephone bills and tax letters with stolen Social Security numbers to prove his clients' identities.

"Although he knew the documents to be fakes, Gibbs entered them all into state databases and often filled out driving test forms for Camara's clients himself, according to the indictment. In some cases, prosecutors said, he simply copied the results from other drivers' tests."

Gibbs, 54, of Yeadon, who was let go by PennDOT, is free on bond after an initial court appearance, the newspaper reported. Camara remains in custody pending a federal detention hearing.

According to The Inquirer, the two men face federal bribery and conspiracy charges, which carry potential sentences of up to 15 years in prison. Gibbs faces "additional charges of lying to investigators about the purported payoffs, and Camara is charged with aggravated identity theft," the newspaper reported.

The rest of the day's news starts now.

Gov. Tom Wolf has called for all Pa. kids to undergo mandatory blood-lead testing, The Tribune-Review reports.

Philadelphia has become the latest city to sue the feds over 'sanctuary conditions for a public safety grant,' The Post-Gazette reports (via The Associated Press.).

A severance tax on natural gas drillers is only fair, The PG's Brian O'Neill argues.

Philly chefs are banding together to help Houston, PhillyMag reports.

We're keeping today's #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day in-house this morning:

Local officials in Bensalem are suing Big Pharma to try to recoup the money they've spent fighting opioid abuse, NewsWorks/WHYY-FM reports.

A state court will decide whether to hear a partisan gerrymandering suit, Keystone Crossroads reports.

Some vacant space at The Morning Call's office in Allentown could be rented out, the newspaper reports.

A Pittsburgh focus group of Trump voters convened by Emory University shows the president's support is slipping, multiple outlets report (via PoliticsPA).

Local and state soda taxes are creating some complicated rules, Stateline.org reports.

Special Counsel Bob Mueller has teamed up with New York's AG in his probe of Paul Manafort, Politico reports.

Roll Call homes in on the race for the Eighth Congressional District in Bucks County, where both Republicans and Democrats see an opportunity for victory in 2018.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).

Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich holds an evening reception at Arcaro and Genell's in scenic Old Forge, Pa., tonight at 5 p.m. Admission runs a mere $20 a head.

WolfWatch

Once again, Gov. Tom Wolf makes it easy for us - no public schedule.

You Say It's Your Birthday Dept.

Best wishes go out this morning to our PennLive colleague Crystal Rosensteel, who celebrates today. Congrats and enjoy the day.

Heavy Rotation.

Here's some new music from South American artist Lao Ra, who calls her work "Pineapple Pop." You be the judge:

Thursday's Gratuitous Baseball Link.

Baltimore continued its winning ways on Wednesday, slipping by Seattle 8-7 in a late-game surge. The Os are 8-2 in their last 10 games, and are 2.5 games behind second-place New York.

And now you're up to date. See you all back here in a bit.