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A daily newsletter by  |
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| Today: Mortgage relief, derailment effects, few details, court ruling, diagnosis lawsuit, license agreements, and horse race on I-95. |
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A Pennsylvania mortgage relief program to help homeowners catch up after the pandemic will reopen in March after being closed for more than a year to resolve a backlog of applications and a series of internal problems.
The program will have an estimated $46 million remaining for new applicants, said Scott Elliott, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, which runs the effort.
That’s enough to cover roughly 3,350 more homeowners, according to a Spotlight PA analysis based on the average amount of assistance awarded so far. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
“It’s really clear that she’s just using us as pawns to make Center City look [better]. That’s not what my job is for.”
—A Philadelphia Water Department engineer on Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s effort to bring workers back into the office full-time. |
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SPOTLIGHT PA STORE ON SALE: Our Exclusive PA Tote BagDesigned by a Pennsylvania artist just for Spotlight PA and printed by a local business.
Plus, get exclusive Spotlight PA apparel and accessories. SHOP NOW > |
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A sunny day in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh, via Spotlight PA's Tanisha Thomas. Send us photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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 ONE YEAR LATER: A year after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Pennsylvanians who live near the border say they are suffering from hair loss, tremors, migraines, and more. Many of those affected are women and children, and ICN reports they have often been stymied in their efforts to access resources like testing and medical guidance.
 LACKING INFO: Pennsylvania lawmakers left two budget hearings with no new information about Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed overhaul of the state’s higher education system, PennLive (paywall) reports. Despite leading the State System of Higher Education, Chancellor Dan Greenstein said he was unable to provide details about the proposal because he was only involved in high-level discussions about it.
 RANGE RULING: Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has ruled a northeast township was within its rights to limit where people can set up gun ranges, the AP reports. A Poconos man who installed a backyard gun range said the rules violated his Second Amendment rights, an argument dismissed by a high court justice who said the ordinance aligns with past efforts by municipalities to regulate firearms.
 LEHIGH LAWSUIT: A group of families is suing the Lehigh Valley Health Network, several doctors, Drexel University, and others over alleged child abuse misdiagnoses they say resulted in devastating consequences, the Morning Call reports. At the center of these claims is Dr. Debra Esernio-Jenssen, who allegedly accused parents of having Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Lehigh County’s controller said he identified a high number of diagnoses in the area and called for an investigation.  BUSTED BARS: The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has asked dozens of restaurants that violated pandemic-era rules to sign "conditional licensing agreements" to renew their liquor permits, Reason reports. A representative for one York County bar, who previously told LNP the establishment paid $6,200 in fines, said its insurance premium tripled after signing such an agreement. |
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| 🤔 TAKE THE QUIZ: Were you following the news this week? You can prove it with the latest edition of our Great PA News Quiz: Penn State pushback, election exodus, and Shapiro's 'sin tax.' |
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FINDING HOME: Two unhoused Allegheny County residents talked to PublicSource about navigating the area’s low-income housing options.
CONTROVERSIAL CHOICE: Former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson will speak at a sold-out event at Dayspring Christian Academy in April, LancasterOnline (paywall) reports.
‘GAGA’ IN PGH: Mai Khôi, dubbed the “Lady Gaga of Vietnam,” will perform Bad Activist — an autobiographical, multimedia show — in Pittsburgh on March 1, per City Paper.
HORSE RACE: In honor of the horse that was captured running down I-95 this week, The Inquirer created a playable game called Horse 95 to test how far you can make it.
ROBESON DAY: Two Philadelphia state lawmakers want to honor the late singer and activist Paul Robeson with his own day in April. |
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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. N U F U D A R T E L
Yesterday's answer: Ecstatic
Congrats to our daily winners: Bruce B., Eric F., Ted W., Barbara F., Stacy S., Bob C., Becky C., Susan R., Mike B., Judith D., Susan N., Fran C., Vicki U., Don H., Jon W., Beth H., Jane R., Karen W., Deb N., Vanessa J., Elaine C., John P., Leslie B., Daniel S., Gary C., Pat E., Kimberly D., Jacqueline H., Stanley J., Jessica K., Rick W., Richard A., Alan B., William Z., Eddy Z., Mary S., Malachy M., Dan A., Jody A., David S., Sharon G., Rena Z., Amelia M., Suzanne S., Jeffrey F., David M., Tom M., Wendy A, Tina H., Daniel M., Ada M., Janet S., John A., Jean D., James B., and Craig E.
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