Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania news and investigations

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Top News Elections

A “vote here” sign outside a polling place.

Pennsylvania holds tons of special elections. That costs taxpayers millions.

by Carter Walker of Votebeat

The state has held 47 special elections since 2017, more than any other state.

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Pennsylvania plans to test internet-connected pollbooks during the upcoming primary

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The Capitol

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro proposes his 2026-27 budget to the General Assembly.

Data center tax break created to boost economy, add jobs in Pa. could cost state billions in revenue

by Kate Huangpu and Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

Opponents argue the tax break is a costly giveaway to an industry dominated by some of the country’s largest and most profitable corporations.

A patient room at a health care facility

Why a $193M injection for rural health care in Pa. isn’t easing closure worries

by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State College

Investigations

An illustration of two police officers standing in front of filing cabinets with hands coming out of the files.

Hundreds of rapes in the State College area weren’t reported in public police data over nearly a decade

by Min Xian of Spotlight PA State College and Mark Fazlollah for Spotlight PA

The missing data masked the true extent of the crime surrounding Penn State. The central Pa. department never publicly disclosed the error until contacted by Spotlight PA.

A photo illustration of Raymond Hohl encircled by images of the Penn State Cancer Institute, a medical device, and a nurse’s binder of thank you notes.

Alarming internal probes found chemo errors, delays, and ‘toxic’ leadership by Penn State’s cancer chief

by Wyatt Massey of Spotlight PA State College and Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PA

Good News from Pennsylvania

Gweny Love poses in front of a display.

PA Local Heroes: The organizer who rallies her neighbors to clean up the streets

by Ann Rejrat for Spotlight PA

Gweny Love organizes multiple cleanups a year to keep her West Philadelphia neighborhood free of litter, junk, and debris, and to connect residents.

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State College Bureau

A patient room at a health care facility

Why a $193M injection for rural health care in Pa. isn’t easing closure worries

by Marley Parish of Spotlight PA State College

The five-year Rural Health Transformation Program is meant to expand and strengthen access to care, but state officials and experts warn the money isn’t enough to fix every problem.

State College Municipal Building

Police misreporting 100s of rapes ‘didn’t make any difference’ to how cases were handled, oversight board says

by Min Xian of Spotlight PA State College

Berks County Bureau

Roughly 100 people gathered at Upper Bern Township’s municipal building on Feb. 21 to protest a planned ICE detention center.

Crowd rallies at first protest against planned ICE center in Upper Bern

by Ann Rejrat for Spotlight PA

A protest organized by two college students drew roughly 100 people to Upper Bern Township’s municipal building on Saturday. The group expressed opposition to a planned ICE detention center.

Reading Fire Department Lt. Rebecca Zentmyer, center, with two colleagues.

Emergency services has largest gender gap in Reading city government

by Hanna Holthaus of Spotlight PA

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