Top News HealthEd Mahon / Spotlight PAGrieving mothers boycott Pennsylvania’s opioid settlement money listening sessionby Ed Mahon of Spotlight PAPa.’s opioid trust blocks public comment at its regular meetings and board members routinely meet in secret.Related StoriesSecretive board overseeing Pa.’s billion-dollar opioid response invites public to speak for 1st timeWhy a powerful Pa. board is shielded from the state’s public records lawOpioid Settlement Money In PA: Where Is It Going?
HousingSusan Angstadt / For Spotlight PA1000s of affordable housing subsidies will end in the next 5 years. A new database will help Pa. get in front of the issue.by Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PA
Josh ShapiroU.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementShapiro hires ex-Trump admin official to help counter president’s ‘attacks’by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA
EnvironmentCommonwealth Media ServicesWhat Shapiro’s new data center order does — and doesn’t — force developers to doby Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA
Justice SystemEd Mahon / Spotlight PAA Pa. mom's fight reveals the messy reality of treating overdoses like homicidesby Ed Mahon of Spotlight PASome Pennsylvania lawmakers want to give prosecutors more time to bring charges against people who supply drugs in fatal overdoses.
Josh ShapiroCommonwealth Media ServicesJosh Shapiro built national fame on getting things done, but his full record is complexby Stephen Caruso and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA
Aug. 21, 2026Sophia Lucente / NewsWorks LabSkill games' roots in Pa. trace to allegedly arranged Beaver County raidby Sean D. Hamill of NewsWorks LabThe raid had been pre-planned to test the game’s legality in Pennsylvania, according to court documents and multiple sources.
Aug. 19, 2026Feixu Chen / Pittsburgh Media Partnership NewsroomData center developers are pushing Pa. government officials to sign secrecy agreements. At least some are saying yes.by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA
Aug. 21, 2026Asha Prihar / Spotlight PAWhy Pennsylvanians care so dang much about regional names, bordersby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PARegional identities shape how Pennsylvanians relate to each other, what they call areas of the state, and where they decide to put down roots, PA Local found in interviews with residents.
Aug. 18, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesPenn State cocaine trafficking ring involved 2 fraternities, authorities sayby Josh Kelety of the Associated PressThe cocaine was packaged mainly at the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternity houses off-campus and distributed primarily to Penn State students, the AG says.
Aug. 18, 2026Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAPenn State trustees lift ‘gag policy’ on emeriti members amid First Amendment lawsuitby A.J. Rao of Spotlight PA State College
Aug. 21, 2026Gabriela Martínez / Spotlight PAAs elevator repairs drag on, older residents of subsidized Berks County apartment building endure outages, injuryby Gabriela Martínez of Spotlight PADespite pressure from township, state and county officials, one elevator remains out of service more than a year after the state sealed it.
Aug. 4, 2026Susan Angstadt / For Spotlight PA¿Qué protecciones tienen los inquilinos de Pensilvania más allá de las leyes locales?by Gabriela Martínez de Spotlight PA
ElectionsRyan Murphy / APRepublicans face a midterm verdict as Iran war drags on months longer than Trump promisedby Mike Catalini and Steven Sloan of the Associated PressThe Iran war has reshaped the rapidly approaching midterm elections, undermining Trump's campaign pledge to steer clear of foreign conflicts.
Week of Aug. 24, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesGreat PA News Quiz: Tech lawsuits, feds eye forest rule change, and scammers pose as radio stationby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAIn this quiz: The latest on measles, the author of a notable amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution dies, and experts talk ticks.
Federal GovernmentJ. Scott Applewhite / APJosh Shapiro and RFK Jr. trade barbs over deadly measles outbreakby Torrie Herrington of NOTUSShapiro, a Democrat, said he “made very clear that [Kennedy’s] actions and the rhetoric that’s coming from this administration are having a negative impact on communities across America, particularly right here in Pennsylvania.”
ElectionsMatt Smith / For Spotlight PAJudge removes one hurdle for Trump mail voting order as states file new challenge before midtermsby Nicholas Riccardi and Lindsay Whitehurst of the Associated PressU.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston agreed to lift an order prohibiting the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out Trump’s order for November’s elections.
Justice systemTassanee Vejpongsa / APFather says college student was killed by police in Pa. after he went to wrong houseby Holly Ramer and Kate Brumback of the Associated PressPolice in Upper Pottsgrove Township, northwest of Philadelphia, responded around 12:30 a.m. Sunday to a 911 call about a possible break-in attempt.
EnvironmentCommonwealth Media ServicesPennsylvania lags far behind on solar. Here’s how it could catch up.by Jon Hurdle of Inside Climate NewsPennsylvania’s legislature could do a lot more to speed up renewable-energy adoption, a new report says.
Federal GovernmentJ. Scott Applewhite / APHow corporate PAC money gets to Democrats who swore it offby Avani Kalra of NOTUSIn swing-district contests around the country, candidates who took pledges not to take corporate PAC money are still benefiting from it.
HealthCommonwealth Media ServicesPennsylvania reports first 2 measles deaths in the US this year, both people unvaccinatedby Jonathan Poet and Mike Stobbe of the Associated PressState health officials announced the deaths Tuesday. They did not reveal any details about the people who died, other than that they lived in Lancaster County.
HealthCourtesy of Danielle TuftsPennsylvania tick season can hide a second dangerous infectionby Cassandra Harris of Pittsburgh Media Partnership NewsroomIn Pennsylvania, a tick bite may bring more than one disease — and doctors may never know it.
ElectionsMatt Smith / For Spotlight PANothing changes yet with the Supreme Court's order on elections. But it could open door to 'chaos'by Nicholas Riccardi of the Associated PressThe decision effectively restarts the legal fight over the order in an incredibly compressed timeline.
EnvironmentCourtesy Pennsylvania House ArchivesRemembering the ‘visionary’ author of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Rights Amendmentby Marie Cusick for Inside Climate NewsFranklin Kury, who died last week, helped make Pennsylvania one of the first governments in the world to guarantee a healthy environment as a basic right.
Federal GovernmentCarolyn Kaster / APConstituent says a Rob Bresnahan video broke House rules. The lawmaker blames a ‘clerical error.’by Avani Kalra of NOTUSThe Pennsylvania Republican denies a taxpayer-funded congressional message that landed in Google’s political campaign ad database was ever an election advertisement.