|
A daily newsletter by  |
|
|
|
| In today's edition: Records battle, Kane's transformation, sheriff's sale, loaded guns, electrified roads, and an empty animal shelter. Welcome to Wednesday. |
|
We're down to the wire.
We have just 4 days left in our year-end campaign and we need to raise $13,000 to hit our goal and ensure our vital work can continue strong in 2024. As a special bonus, if you give now a generous donor will DOUBLE it.
Thank you to the 1,517 people who have given so far during our year-end drive, including Michael B., who said, "Your reporting is darn good and focused on local / Pennsylvania issues."
Join Michael & make a tax-deductible gift now »
You can also give via PayPal or Venmo, or send a check to: Spotlight PA, PO Box 11728, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1728. |
|
What began in 2022 as a one-paragraph public records request has morphed into a full-blown court fight over who owns digital copies of Pennsylvania's historical records.
That question has pitted a genealogist against the Pennsylvania agency in charge of a vast array of historical documents and artifacts, as well as Ancestry.com, an online genealogy company used by millions of people to search for family and other records.
Read Spotlight PA's full report: Inside the Pa. court case pitting a genealogist against Ancestry.com.
THE CONTEXT: In 2008, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission contracted with Ancestry to digitize a sweeping list of historical documents and make them available on the company’s website.
Those digitized records are free to Pennsylvania residents who create a user profile with Ancestry, but not to people outside the state.
That led a New York City-based professional genealogist to ask the agency for copies of the records. PHMC said no, claiming that granting the request would violate its contract with Ancestry.
Ancestry, for its part, is claiming in court that it owns the digital copies of those records. |
|
The News Never Looked So Good
Get exclusive Spotlight PA apparel and accessories now on sale, including the return of our famous tote bag! Shop now »
All proceeds benefit Spotlight PA's nonprofit, nonpartisan journalism. |
|
|
NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
"During this holiday season, we join our constituents urging the Biden Administration to redouble its efforts to secure Mr. Fogel's release from Russian custody so that Mr. Fogel may return home."
—Members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation in a letter asking U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to push for the release of Butler County native Marc Fogel. |
|
A snap from the Holiday Magic! Winter Flower Show at Phipps Conservatory, via Cathy Z. Have a Pennsylvania photo to share? Send us photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
|
 'STAR IN THE FOREST': After years of empty storefronts and deteriorating buildings, Kane has been transformed into a destination for tourists and new residents, Spotlight PA's State College bureau reports. Through local and state-level connections, elected officials and community members in Kane have created a place where people want to stay and move to.
 NO SALE: The Philadelphia sheriff’s office hasn't held a tax sale for more than two years and the person in charge of the office won't say why, The Inquirer (paywall) reports. As a result, the city isn't collecting taxes on hundreds of properties and buildings are deteriorating.
 PRIVILEGE REVOKED: Under a proposal from state Rep. Dan Frankel (D., Allegheny), people who bring a loaded gun to an airport security checkpoint would have their concealed carry permits revoked, TribLIVE reports. At the Pittsburgh International Airport alone, officials confiscated 43 guns this year.  'SERIOUS SCRUTINY': President Joe Biden said Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel deserves "serious scrutiny in terms of its potential impact on national security and supply chain reliability," Politico reports. Former President Donald Trump, the outlet noted, has remained uncharacteristically quiet on the sale.
 IT'S ELECTRIC: The Pennsylvania Turnpike will install electric vehicle charging pads at its Harrisburg headquarters in 2024, the Pittsburgh Union Progress reports. The agency's long-term goal is to offer electrified stretches of road so EV owners can charge while driving. |
|
'THEY BAR': PA Local profiles Harold's Haunt, a queer, Wiccan-owned watering hole that bills itself as a "they bar," a nod to its inclusive mission.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: For the first time in 47 years, the Adams County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was empty — save for one stray cat — going into the Christmas holiday.
SPECIAL REQUEST: A Pittsburgh-area CEO used $15 million to build Pennsylvania's largest house instead of paying taxes. Now he's asking to serve house arrest instead of going to prison, albeit at a smaller residence.
AND SEW ON: Meet the menders at Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia, who repair clothing and outerwear that belongs to unhoused people.
FIRST TIME: Artist Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza is behind Philadelphia's first official kinara, a candelabra used in the celebration of Kwanzaa. |
|
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. T U N O E I L M L I S N D S I
Yesterday's answer: Triplicate
Congrats to our daily winners: Robert B., Don H., Richard A., Kimberly D., Jon W., Stacy S., Susan N.-Z., Stanley J., Elaine C., Dennis M., Jane R., Alan B., Craig E., Tom M., William Z., Marty M., Rick W., David W., Barbara F., Cosette J., and Dan A.
|
|
|
| |
|
