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The annual Spotlight PA Week of Giving 2024 is NOW, and we need your support so our vital journalism can continue. As a special bonus, all gifts will be DOUBLED by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Will you help keep this work going?
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A daily newsletter by  |
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| Today: Veepstakes victor, rural funding, hospital hopes, teacher takeoff, suspect death, and a transit contest. Happy Wednesday. |
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Rural officials are responding enthusiastically to this year's state budget, which earmarks money for agriculture, health care, and workforce development.
State analyses forecast Pennsylvania's rural population will significantly shrink in the coming decades, so officials in those communities are eager for help with retaining people and creating jobs.
The budget addresses those concerns, though some rural leaders were disappointed that it doesn't fund the popular Whole-Home Repairs Program or include money to update hiking trails.
Read Spotlight PA's full report: What Pennsylvania’s $47.6B budget does for the state’s rural communities |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"They're still there but they're not nearly as dense as they were a couple of years ago ... they're moving west."
—Tree worker Steve Fellure on anecdotal evidence that spotted lanternflies are leaving Pittsburgh for Ohio and West Virginia. |
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Our annual Week of Giving event is underway, and we need to raise $30,000 to keep Spotlight PA's nonprofit budget on track through the third quarter. Put simply: Our essential investigative journalism cannot continue without you.
As a special bonus, every dollar you give will be MATCHED by a generous donor — that means your contribution will be DOUBLED.
You can also give via PayPal or Venmo, or send a check to: Spotlight PA, PO Box 11728, Harrisburg, PA 17108.
Thank you to the 66 people who have given so far, including Becca S., who said, "You get behind the scenes, following the money, which is where the real story is often to be found."
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| Two fledgling green herons hang out near water lilies in Wildwood Park in Harrisburg, via Eliseo R. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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VOUCHER DEBATE: Join us Thursday, Aug. 8 from 6-7 p.m. on Zoom for a live panel on the fight over school vouchers and their future in Pennsylvania. Register here and submit questions to events@spotlightpa.org.
BERKS BUREAU: Join Spotlight PA for a 45-minute Zoom session on our plans for a Berks County reporting bureau. Register for the session on Aug. 13 at noon here, and the session on Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. here.
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  SHAPIRO'S ROLE: The vetting brought new attention to Shapiro's role in the investigation of a Philadelphia woman whose 2011 death was ruled a homicide and then a suicide. As The Inquirer (paywall) reports, Shapiro was asked to review the case as attorney general and concluded the suicide ruling was correct over her family's objections. To learn more about the case, read a three-part series from PennLive here.  WELCOME NEWS: Community Health Systems' plan to sell three of its Northeast Pennsylvania hospitals is being greeted with "cautious optimism" by health care workers and industry observers, WVIA reports. The for-profit company had regularly cut services and neglected maintenance of buildings since acquiring the facilities in 2009, one registered nurse and union rep for hospital workers said. HEAT WATCH: Scorching temperatures affect both outdoor and indoor workers, and some Lancaster County businesses are adjusting their operations to protect employees, LNP | LancasterOnline (paywall) reports. Federal regulations designate high heat as a workplace hazard and require employers to keep workers safe, but enforcement can be lax.  ENVIRONMENTAL ROUND-UP: Environmental advocates and oil and gas groups are both pleased with parts of the $47.6 billion state budget, StateImpact reports. The spending plan increases the budget of the Department of Environmental Protection, and earmarks money for cleaning streams and plugging abandoned oil and gas wells. |
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BRAIN DRAIN: A new study of attrition numbers among Pennsylvania teachers shows many have left the profession in the past decade.
ERIE GATOR? Reports of an alligator sighting in Lake Erie have officials on the lookout for the reptile for the safety of both humans and the animal.
CAR VS. PLANE: To test the best means of traveling from Philly to Pittsburgh, Billy Penn held a fun race from PHL to a Primanti Bros.
'SUSTAINABILITY SALONS': A Pittsburgh organizer who hosts monthly educational events invited Allegheny Front to sit in on the French-inspired salon talks where attendees discuss environmental issues.
BLACK BEER: Pittsburgh's Barrel & Flow Fest has kicked off its weeklong celebration of African American brewers and culture. |
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Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag. Answers submitted by 5:30 p.m. on issue date will be counted. Please include your first name and last initial. M E C U T E E S C N
Yesterday's answer: Jocularly
Congrats to our daily winners: Stacy S., Jody A., Beth H., Ada M., Beth P., Bob C., Jon W., Karen W., Don H., Susan R., Barbara F., Barb K., Brooke S., Daniel M., Cynthia B., George C., Elaine C., MaryLou P., Kimberly D., Louie C., Marc G., Zoe B., Jeff F., Stanley J., Perry H, Marue B., Daniel S., Sherri A., Jeffrey F., Joel S., Starr B., Judy M., David W., Jane R., Susan N., Annette I., Ellen G., Keith F., Tom M., Ronnee G., Amela M., John C, and Tim A.
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