Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania news and investigations

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A data center owned by Amazon Web Services under construction in Berwick, Pa.

What’s next for data centers in Pa.? State lawmakers are split on how to regulate them.

by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA

The state House recently passed bills to mandate energy use disclosure, require data centers to contribute to state programs, and more.

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Shapiro wants to incentivize data centers to be better neighbors. Will that work?
Data center tax break created to boost economy, add jobs in Pa. could cost state billions in revenue

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The Capitol

The dome of the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg.

Man arrested for making ‘politically violent’ threats to Pa. lawmakers online, State Police say

by Angela Couloumbis and Jaxon White of Spotlight PA

At least two of the lawmakers named as victims in the case said they only found out about the threats on Tuesday.

Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers remarks at the PTLA’s Justice Michael A. Musmanno Award Dinner.

A state task force is hunting for misleading AI chatbots as the Shapiro admin vows legal crackdown

by Jaxon White of Spotlight PA

Investigations

An illustration of two police officers standing in front of filing cabinets with hands coming out of the files.

Hundreds of rapes in the State College area weren’t reported in public police data over nearly a decade

by Min Xian of Spotlight PA State College and Mark Fazlollah for Spotlight PA

The missing data masked the true extent of the crime surrounding Penn State. The central Pa. department never publicly disclosed the error until contacted by Spotlight PA.

A photo illustration of Raymond Hohl encircled by images of the Penn State Cancer Institute, a medical device, and a nurse’s binder of thank you notes.

Alarming internal probes found chemo errors, delays, and ‘toxic’ leadership by Penn State’s cancer chief

by Wyatt Massey of Spotlight PA State College and Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PA

Good News from Pennsylvania

An outline of Pennsylvania with three question marks in the center

Quiz: Can you name Pa.’s largest and smallest town? How about the densest?

by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PA

The eight-question quiz lets you match some Pennsylvania superlatives to the place in the state where they’re located, from the highest peak to the tallest Santa.

A weekly dose of positive news

A fresh look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food Pennsylvania has to offer.

State College Bureau

An illustration of two people looking at surgical tools.

Workers in Penn State Health operating rooms raised alarms about safety, sterilization

by Wyatt Massey for Spotlight PA

Internal records describe harrowing situations as Hershey Medical Center struggled to keep a usable supply of sterile instruments for surgeries, a Spotlight PA investigation found.

Spotlight PA staff and donors at Centre Gives Fest on May 15, 2025, in Bellefonte, Pa.

This Centre Gives, donate to Spotlight PA State College and support vital local journalism

by Sarah Rafacz of Spotlight PA State College

Berks County Bureau

Flowers and a small American flag on a table at a vigil in Muhlenberg Township, where supporters were invited to write messages to Erasmo Zavala. He is being held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center.

ICE arrested a grandfather who helped police investigate his daughter’s murder

by Gabriela Martínez

Erasmo Zavala was arrested by ICE despite a pending visa application for serious crime victims, as a new Trump administration policy puts survivors of violence at risk of deportation.

600 Penn St. Reading with the Berks County courthouse in the background.

Asbestos, $165M price tag prompt Berks County to weigh postponing courthouse renovation

by Hanna Holthaus of Spotlight PA

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