Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania news and investigations

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PA Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich

Records reveal Shapiro admin stopped tracking why older adults die during abuse, neglect investigations

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

The state started tracking deaths as older adults were dying in alarmingly higher numbers. Then a top aging official halted the process.

Related Stories

More elder abuse transparency, accountability is coming as Shapiro admin denies ‘crisis’
Deaths during elder abuse investigations rose in Pa.’s largest city as state regulators took no punitive action
Ailing Pa. woman died after months of pleas for help, a victim of a safety net in tatters

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Photo illustration of the PA Capitol building, checks and bills, and their related iconography.

Powerful interests poured $18M into top Pa. lawmakers’ campaign coffers

by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

Lobbyists say such donations can lead to access, but the state's weak transparency laws make it nearly impossible to trace influence.

Illustration of people holding a gavel

You can decide how billions to fight the opioid epidemic should be spent with our new tool

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

The Capitol

An intersection on Philadelphia's Roosevelt Boulevard with speed cameras.

Adoption of red light cameras slow in Pa. even though they save lives

by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA

Pennsylvania only allows its biggest cities and a handful of other municipalities to use red light cameras. They still face challenges getting off the ground.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Debra Bogen faced questions about her department's oversight of medical marijuana doctors, during a February 2025 state Senate budget hearing.

Medical marijuana oversight bill advances after Spotlight PA investigations reveal doctor concerns

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Investigations

From left: The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging; Luen Ng and her Northeast Philadelphia home; Pennsylvania Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich

Ailing Pa. woman died after months of pleas for help, a victim of a safety net in tatters

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

Aging officials in Philadelphia took months to get Luen Ng help before she was killed. She’s one of 1,511 older adults who died in the state in 2023 with open abuse and neglect investigations.

From left: Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (Commonwealth Media Services); Gail Stallworth (courtesy of Cornelius Harp); then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro at a Board of Pardons meeting (via YouTube).

Rare 2nd chance at freedom for Pa. woman serving life sentence reversed in unprecedented revote

by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA

Impact

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Debra Bogen faced questions about her department's oversight of medical marijuana doctors, during a February 2025 state Senate budget hearing.

Medical marijuana oversight bill advances after Spotlight PA investigations reveal doctor concerns

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

A bipartisan bill to increase oversight of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program cleared the state House after Spotlight PA investigations revealed concerns about doctor practices and patient care.

Gov. Josh Shapiro arrives in Philadelphia to discuss a partial Interstate 95 collapse.

Public will no longer be in the dark about Shapiro flights on taxpayer-funded State Police planes

by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

Good News from Pennsylvania

Garden of Health founder Carol Bauer and two other people at a farm.

PA Local Heroes: A Montco mom’s mission to provide friendly foods to all

by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PA

Garden of Health started in 2015 as a pantry that specialized in allergy-friendly foods, and it’s since grown into a nonprofit that distributes millions of pounds of “food for all.”

20 years after 'The Office' premiered, cameos still paying off for Scranton businesses

by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PA

Two decades after the NBC sitcom’s premiere, fans are still making pilgrimages to the city where it was set.

License plate overhaul offers window into Pa.’s rich history of designs

by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PA

Over the years, Pennsylvania’s been a hub for eye-catching license plates honoring everything from river otters to D.A.R.E to Quaker friendliness.

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State College Bureau

Houses on a street in Tyrone, Pennsylvania

End of federal relief money will push some Pa. municipalities off a financial cliff, Shapiro admin fears

by Min Xian of Spotlight PA State College

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal includes $10 million for a Pennsylvania fund that assists financially distressed local governments.

A sign for the Rock Spring Water Company, which serves about 500 properties in rural Ferguson Township.

Customers of struggling rural water system may see new investments as temporary takeover begins

by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State College

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