June 3, 2024Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAOn any given day, this Pa. community might not have running water. Residents are at a loss.by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeRock Spring Water Company has operated for years despite leaks, outages, and violations of state policy. Customers are frustrated but fear big rate hikes if the system is sold.
May 22, 2024Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAPa. state government refuses to pay local stormwater fees. This bill would force it to.by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeSome local municipalities use stormwater fees to fund necessary infrastructure, but the state refuses to pay its fair share. A bill advanced in Harrisburg would change that.
May 15, 2024Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PADairy farmers in Pa. could see financial boost from Shapiro’s proposed insurance subsidyby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeGov. Josh Shapiro's proposed budget includes $5.6 million to get more Pennsylvania dairy farmers on a federal insurance plan, potentially unlocking millions more in benefits.
May 7, 2024Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PAElk County residents look for ways to bring birth services back after Penn Highlands shutters maternity unitby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeThe health system is redirecting patients from its St. Marys hospital to its DuBois location. Elk is now one of six counties in north-central Pa. without labor and delivery services.
April 24, 2024Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAHigher internet costs could be on the way for low-income Pa. residents as federal subsidies run outby Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PAPennsylvania awards $200M to expand high-speed internet access, and a lot more is on the way. But the looming end of a federal program that helps low-income families afford broadband underscores the challenge of ensuring universal access.
April 16, 2024Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAGov. Josh Shapiro’s 2024 budget pitch draws on lessons from curdled Fairlife bidby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeShapiro’s budget proposal invests in agricultural development and aims to address shortcomings that lost Pennsylvania a deal with a major milk brand looking to build a facility.
April 5, 2024Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PASome Pa. municipalities are turning to fees to cover rising stormwater costs, but pushback and a lawsuit threaten that revenueby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeStormwater fees have helped dozens of local governments pay for necessary infrastructure improvements. But the fees also raise questions about whether the bill is being distributed fairly.
March 27, 2024Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PAPenn Highlands Elk maternal care cuts highlight Pa.’s widening rural services gapby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeThe end of Penn Highlands’ birth services marks another huge maternal care loss for Pennsylvania’s shrinking rural counties.
March 8, 2024Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAWhat to know about Shapiro’s proposed $10.3M agriculture innovation programby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeThe idea of the proposed agriculture innovation funding is to create a grant program that enhances efficiency and saves labor for farmers.
March 5, 2024Abby Drey / Centre Daily TimesPa. pays property owners for land lost to eminent domain, but farmers want more for their lossby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegePennsylvania pays property owners when their land is taken for public use projects, but farmers want expanded assessments to determine agricultural land values.
Feb. 19, 2024Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAWhat Shapiro’s budget pitch could do for Pennsylvania’s rural communitiesby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeThe governor’s budget proposal would give rural areas a boost to invest in housing, address gaps in health care, and market the outdoor landscape.
Feb. 7, 2024Commonwealth Media ServicesRural Pa. township disbanded police department after chief got a new jobby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeSupervisors in Sweden Township voted to hand full-time coverage over to Pennsylvania State Police, a decision they say will free up tens of thousands of dollars in the township’s budget.
Jan. 23, 2024Abby Drey / Centre Daily TimesProposed update to state gaming rules could offer relief to Pa.’s fire companies, nonprofitsby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegePennsylvania lawmakers have proposed letting nonprofits accept credit and debit card payments for small games of chance, which is currently illegal.
Jan. 22, 2024Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAPa.’s broadband authority reverses position on key state law before new federal funding arrivesby Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PAThe Broadband Development Authority initially said it would waive a key section of the 2004 law that restricts publicly owned broadband networks. The agency reversed course after public comments.
Jan. 18, 2024Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAPa.’s outdoor recreation office identifies early priorities, but some specifics remain unclearby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegePennsylvania’s Office of Outdoor Recreation plans to form a business alliance and start an outdoor equity fund, but much of its strategy relies on local volunteers and outside help.
Jan. 15, 2024Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAPa. county officials say lawmakers’ increase to the 911 phone fee isn’t enough to alleviate taxpayer burdenby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeThe increase to $1.95, which takes effect in March, helps Pennsylvania pay for 911 call center staffing and infrastructure upgrades.
Jan. 10, 2024Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PAPa.’s poorest school districts were slated for a funding boost. State aid went to school construction instead.by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeInstead of giving new funding to a program that prioritizes the state’s poorest school districts, Pennsylvania lawmakers put $100M toward school construction projects.
Dec. 26, 2023Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PAHow public grant dollars and volunteers helped revitalize this Pennsylvania Wilds townby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeElected officials and community members in Kane have secured thousands of dollars to build an identity as a gateway to the Allegheny National Forest.
Dec. 15, 2023Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAA budget boost to payments for state-owned land will benefit rural Pa. countiesby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegePennsylvania makes payments in lieu of taxes for state forests, parks, and game lands. As part of the finished budget, counties will benefit from the first rate increase in years.
Dec. 13, 2023Photo By Mark NalePa. introduces new rules for hunters to limit the spread of ‘zombie deer disease.’ Here’s what to know.by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegePennsylvania has seen an increase in chronic wasting disease since 2012. While the state has implemented tracking and mitigation efforts, testing is still optional for hunters.
Nov. 27, 2023Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAPennsylvania is investing millions to ensure people of all backgrounds, abilities have access to public landsby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegePennsylvania agencies overseeing outdoor recreation have made headway in expanding access to public lands, but not everyone feels safe or welcome at parks and forests.
Nov. 20, 2023Marley Parish / Spotlight PAHow a proposed solar project prompted this rural Pa. township to face its mining pastby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeA solar developer wants to put an array on 1,500 acres in Rush Township, but elected leaders don’t want the project to deter future reclamation.
Nov. 16, 2023Daniel Fishel / For Spotlight PACompanies behind Mariner East II pipeline paid $42 million in pollution fines to Pennsylvaniaby Lilly Riddle for the News Lab at Penn State and Spotlight PA State College$10 million of that total comes from a plea deal the state attorney general’s office brokered with Energy Transfer, but little has gone toward residents directly affected.
Nov. 13, 2023Commonwealth Media ServicesPa. leads the nation for Lyme disease cases. Development in forests boosts the riskby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeForest fragmentation increases the chances of someone coming into contact with a tick carrying Lyme disease bacteria.
Nov. 3, 2023Screenshot via Pennsylvania Department of Environmental ProtectionPa. has updated how it defines an ‘environmental justice area.’ Here’s why that matters for at-risk communities.by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeThe Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection policy now recognizes 1,965 environmental justice areas in Pennsylvania. More than 200 are in rural counties.
Oct. 26, 2023Min Xian / Spotlight PARural towns hope to entice remote workers to move to the Pa. Wilds with a ‘free’ summer. Here’s how it’s going.by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeThousands of public dollars have gone toward the Wilds Are Working program. While only one participant has decided to move to the area, organizers say the program has other markers for success.
Oct. 19, 2023Sarah Anne Hughes / Spotlight PAThis rural township wants to make it easier for other places in Pa. to fight injection wellsby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeA company withdrew a well application in Potter County after public outcry, but local officials argue the state’s review process should change.
Oct. 12, 2023Abby Drey / Centre Daily TimesRural Pa. town gets help from Harrisburg after years of hardshipby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeState Sen. Cris Dush and state Rep. Paul Takac are on different sides of the aisle, but they’ve found common ground in Snow Shoe.
Oct. 6, 2023Georgianna Sutherland / For Spotlight PAWhat this year’s budget means for Pa.’s shrinking rural communitiesby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegeRural Pennsylvania is expected to benefit from an expanded property tax rebate for older people and millions for agriculture.
Sept. 29, 2023Commonwealth Media ServicesPa. budget chips away at $1.4B backlog for parks, forestsby Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State CollegePennsylvania’s latest budget gives $112 million to parks and forests, but the infrastructure backlog is $1.4 billion.