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Special Report Campaign Finance

The leader of the Pennsylvania Senate, Joe Scarnati, was among three senators who went on a European trip shortly after the Legislature passed a sweeping overhaul expanding wine sales. — Courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Mystery trip to Europe with ‘donors’ by Pa. state senators followed expansion of wine law

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Brad Bumsted and Sam Janesch of The Caucus

The senators gave differing explanations for the purpose of the trip and declined to disclose who joined them or exactly where they went.

Campaign Finance

The PA State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, June 18, 2019. — Kalim A. Bhatti/Philadelphia Inquirer

Hours after investigation reveals millions in hidden campaign spending, Pa. lawmakers push for less oversight

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Sam Janesch of The Caucus

Campaign Finance

Reporters for The Caucus and Spotlight PA spent a year requesting and analyzing thousands of credit card statements and receipts for Pa. legislative campaigns to uncover examples of lavish and outlandish spending. — SARA SIMON / Spotlight PA

How we uncovered nearly $3.5M in dark spending by Pa. lawmakers

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Brad Bumsted of The Caucus

Campaign Finance

The most powerful lawmaker in the Pa. Senate, Joe Scarnati, dined at the St. Peter Stiftskulinarium restaurant in Austria in September 2016 and charged $246 to his campaign account. State law requires campaign money to be used for “influencing the outcome of an election,” but what qualifies is largely open to interpretation. — Andre Schönherr / St. Peter Stiftskulinarium

Lavish dinners, sports tickets, and nearly $3.5 million in other expenses by Pa. lawmakers you’ve never seen

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Mike Wereschagin, Brad Bumsted, Paula Knudsen, Sam Janesch and Alyssa Biederman of The Caucus

More top stories

Health

The Harrisburg Area Community College — which serves more than 17,000 students on campuses in Harrisburg York, Lancaster, Lebanon and Gettysburg — has eliminated all on-campus mental health counseling, a move experts said was risky at a time of growing demand. — Courtesy of PennLive

Pa.’s largest community college eliminates campus mental health counseling for 17K students

by Aneri Pattani

Business

The federal “opportunity zone” tax incentive was intended to spur redevelopment in struggling cities like New Castle, where several buildings along the city center, including the post office, are vacant. But investors instead appear to prefer already growing areas like Philadelphia. — Sara Simon/Spotlight PA

Lucrative Trump tax break isn’t delivering for the struggling places across Pa. that need it most

by Charlotte Keith

Health

A slice of life along Kensington Ave where the city is struggling with the opioid crisis. This picture shows people living with addiction along the 2700 block of the avenue as seen on Thursday, June 27, 2019. The Kensington section of Philadelphia is considered ground zero for the city’s opioid crisis. — Anthony Pezzotti/Philadelphia Inquirer

We’re investigating the business of addiction treatment in Pa. Share your stories.

by Aneri Pattani

Criminal Justice

A Pa. State Police vehicle — Courtesy of The Inquirer

Racial profiling in traffic stops? We won’t know, because Pa. State Police no longer track racial data.

by Angela Couloumbis and Daniel Simmons-Ritchie

The Capitol

Pa. State Legislature — Courtesy of PennLive

Pa. state legislators among the highest paid in U.S., but they’re doing less and less actual lawmaking

by Liz Navratil, Spotlight PA & Jonathan Lai, Philadelphia Inquirer

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