Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania news and investigations

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An early learning child care center.

Private funding has created 100s of new child care spots in this Pa. county

by Sarah Boden for Spotlight PA

But the money will run out by the end of 2026 and funders want state lawmakers to provide a more permanent solution to the low wages and limited availability common to the child care industry.

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Child care workers could get a raise under Shapiro plan to address shortage
Why biz groups say tax credits aren’t enough to solve Pa.’s child care crisis
Latest Pa. budget leaves embattled child care industry without much-needed funding to boost staffing

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Illustration of people holding a gavel

You can decide how billions to fight the opioid epidemic should be spent with our new tool

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Use our interactive tool to decide what type of opioid settlement spending should be allowed in Pennsylvania — and compare your results to the choices of a secretive oversight board.

The exterior of the Pennsylvania Judicial Center.

Republicans have a chance to transform the Pa. Supreme Court this year

by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA and Carter Walker of Votebeat

The Capitol

Gov. Josh Shapiro joined local leaders in Washington County to plug the 300th orphaned or abandoned well under his administration.

Federal money to plug Pa.’s dangerous wells is unfrozen, but Trump admin uncertainty plagues contractors

by Kate Huangpu and Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA

Pennsylvania has supercharged the number of abandoned wells it plugs thanks to federal money, but the future of that work is unclear as lawsuits play out.

Supporters of legalizing cannabis for adult use rally outside the state Capitol in Harrisburg.

Medical cannabis companies are spending big to have a say in Pa.’s legal weed future

by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA

Investigations

From left: The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging; Luen Ng and her Northeast Philadelphia home; Pennsylvania Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich

Ailing Pa. woman died after months of pleas for help, a victim of a safety net in tatters

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Aging officials in Philadelphia took months to get Luen Ng help before she was killed. She’s one of 1,511 older adults who died in the state in 2023 with open abuse and neglect investigations.

From left: Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (Commonwealth Media Services); Gail Stallworth (courtesy of Cornelius Harp); then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro at a Board of Pardons meeting (via YouTube).

Rare 2nd chance at freedom for Pa. woman serving life sentence reversed in unprecedented revote

by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA

Impact

Gov. Josh Shapiro arrives in Philadelphia to discuss a partial Interstate 95 collapse.

Public will no longer be in the dark about Shapiro flights on taxpayer-funded State Police planes

by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

Unlike a PennDOT-operated plane, State Police aircraft don’t have to publish public logs of who they carry or the cost.

Linnet Brooks, a Rock Spring Water Company customer, keeps bottled water in her pantry due to frequent outages.

‘Imminent health threats’ to rural water customers lead judge to order temporary takeover

by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State College

Good News from Pennsylvania

The Office-related memorabilia available at Alfredo’s Cafe in Scranton, Pa.

20 years after 'The Office' premiered, cameos still paying off for Scranton businesses

by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PA

Two decades after the NBC sitcom’s premiere, fans are still making pilgrimages to the city where it was set.

License plate overhaul offers window into Pa.’s rich history of designs

by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PA

Over the years, Pennsylvania’s been a hub for eye-catching license plates honoring everything from river otters to D.A.R.E to Quaker friendliness.

PA Local Heroes: A summer camp where HIV stigma stops

by Colin Deppen of Spotlight PA

Camp Dreamcatcher in Chester County, launched at the height of ‘90s stigma around HIV, has served thousands of children living with or affected by the virus.

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State College Bureau

The HUB-Robeson Center on Penn State's University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania.

Penn State made deep cuts to engineering, graduate school amid budget woes

by Wyatt Massey of Spotlight PA State College

Since Penn State announced its multimillion-dollar budget deficit in 2022, the university has deeply cut the budgets to its graduate school and engineering college, a Spotlight PA analysis found.

A street in Tyrone, a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania.

Reviving rural Pa. should start with shoring up local governments, says state commission

by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State College

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