Top News 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 PAThe database was included in the state budget deal lawmakers passed in JulyRelated StoriesThere’s bipartisan support to address Pa.’s housing crisis. Will the legislature’s efforts make a difference?Trump's refusal to sign major housing bill creates GOP campaign dilemma
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
HousingGabriela Martínez / Spotlight PAAs elevator repairs drag on, older residents of subsidized Berks County apartment building endure outages, injuryby Gabriela Martínez 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
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.
The CapitolSophia 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.
Justice SystemCommonwealth Media ServicesInvestigators probe a dramatic midair crash as a landing plane hits hovering police helicopterby Associated PressThere is no immediate explanation for Wednesday's fatal collision that killed the pilot of the small aircraft and injured two state troopers.
PA LocalAsha 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.
ElectionsCommonwealth Media ServicesData centers are ‘redefining’ midterm races across Pennsylvaniaby Jaxon White of Spotlight PACandidates in at least 20 competitive legislative races are staking out data center positions, and Gov. Josh Shapiro has pivoted to a tougher stance.
EnvironmentGene Puskar / APSafety failures led to last year’s fatal explosion at US Steel plant in Pa.by Jon Hurdle of Inside Climate NewsA deadly accident at the Clairton Coke Works in 2025 could have been prevented, federal investigators concluded.
Week of Aug. 17, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicesGreat PA News Quiz: New data center rules, Little League World Series, and alleged frat crime ringby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAIn this quiz: PA’s response to the Trump vaccine order, a drag queen considers a lawsuit, and the Little League World Series begins.
ElectionsMatt Rourke / APDemocrats narrow their list of 2028 presidential convention sites to Boston, Denver and Philadelphiaby Mike Catalini of the Associated PressParty officials eliminated two other contenders after weighing logistics and fundraising ahead of a wide-open race to succeed Trump.
ElectionsMatt Smith / For Spotlight PAPa. election 2026: Where governor candidates Garrity and Shapiro stand on electionsby Carter Walker of VotebeatShapiro has a long track record, while Garrity has mostly avoided talking about elections since denying the 2020 results.