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Quiz: Can you fix PA's jumbled history?

Plus, descending into March Madness.

Welcome to PA Local, a free weekly newsletter about the great people, amazing places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania.
Your Postmaster: Tanisha Thomas

March 22, 2024
 
Inside this edition: Pennsylvania brackets, baby buffalo, country spotlight, ghost mail, and a bear-y close encounter. Let the madness begin!
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A Pennsylvania-centric trivia question.
True or False? A hotel in Sunbury was the first building in the world to be illuminated by Thomas Edison’s three-wire system.

(Keep scrolling for the answer, but don't miss all the good stuff in between. Like what you read? Forward this email to a friend.)
 
Our five favorite Pennsylvania stories of the week.

» One (or two) brackets worth watching: March Madness is here. Check out these brackets featuring the battle of Philadelphia mascots and the coolest things made in Pennsylvania. 

» Two babies worth seeing: In adorable animal news: two baby buffalo, Riis and Roddey, were born this week at Allegheny County's South Park. Here's a little history on the county's buffalo herd.

» One story worth reading: Beyoncé revealed the cover of Cowboy Carter this week. Last month, Spotlight PA highlighted Black country artists in Pennsylvania who feel seen by the album rollout. 

» One person worth knowing: This Wellsboro mail carrier made his delivery vehicle Ghostbuster-themed. Don’t worry, ghosts are not included. Christopher Neal just wants to spread a little cheer.

» One moment worth seeing: “Lock your car doors, the bears don’t care around here” is what a Pennsylvania woman is warning after she got footage of a bear getting out of hers in the Poconos.

🗞️ KNOW YOUR NEWS? Prove it with this week's news quiz: March Madness, Biden’s US Steel warning, and a 'sanctuary' city.
The top stories published by Spotlight PA this week.
» Shapiro eyes new funding model for state universities

» How much attorney general candidates have raised

» Your guide to the race for state attorney general

» Shapiro's $80M pitch to attack PA's housing crisis

» PA's budget future is cloudy despite surplus
 
A collage of historical, black-and-white images from Pennsylvania: Johnstown flood, Dick Clark on "American Bandstand," Three Mile Island, and Wilt Chamberlain after scoring 100 points in a single game.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons.
PA PUZZLE

This month marks 343 years since Pennsylvania's founding. Let's see how well you know the rest. This quiz asks you to order three centuries of commonwealth history. Read the questions carefully, and good luck!

Take the quiz: Can you fix PA's jumbled history?

Get Spotlight PA's exclusive 'All Sun, No Shade' beach towel.
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Our limited-edition "All Sun, No Shade" beach towel is selling fast. Look good this summer and support Spotlight PA's vital journalism by getting it now at shop.spotlightpa.org.
A quote from a Pennsylvanian that we found interesting this week.

“Comedy—it’s wack to say, but it is kind of a religion. I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but it was, like, ‘This is it for me. This is what I believe in.’”

—Philly native and Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson on her journey to pursuing comedy and her inspirations

Our favorite reader-submitted photo of the week.
Nearly 9,000 fans attend the Professional Women's Hockey League matchup between Toronto and Montreal on March 17 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, including your postmaster. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania.
a crowd at a hockey game
The answer to this week's Pennsylvania-centric trivia question.

It's true!

How did Edison end up in Sunbury? During a quest to build a central system that could generate, transmit, and distribute electric power, Edison successfully illuminated 800 lamps on a street in Manhattan in 1882, according to PPL Corporation.

He realized his desire to light up an entire town would take hundreds of central stations in NYC, so he went in search of somewhere smaller.

Sunbury was recommended, and a hotel later dubbed Hotel Edison.

Thanks for reading. We'll see you back here next week.

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