Since July, state and local agencies in Pennsylvania have employed more than 1,600 case investigators and contact tracers to identify people who have tested positive for the coronavirus or who may have been exposed to it.

The aim is to ask the people they trace a series of questions related to contraction and spread of the virus, as well as advise measures to curb it.

But as both PennLive and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently found, these investigators are facing a lack of participation as well as understaffing and testing delays. Gov. Tom Wolf's Commonwealth Civilian Coronavirus Corps, meanwhile, won't even launch until spring 2021.

THE CONTEXT: Problems with the program aren't new: As Spotlight PA reported this spring, Pennsylvania in past years slashed its ranks of public health nurses crucial to tracking the virus. And this June, the state reopened without robust tracing needed to keep residents safe.

Spotlight PA now wants to investigate where any issues lie and whether Pennsylvania is doing enough with its contact tracing efforts to make it effective. And we need your help.

Are you a case investigator or contact tracer? Has a contact tracer or case investigator contacted you? How can this system improve? Using the forms here, share your experiences with us.

“It’s unadulterated greed."

— Kathleen Wilson, a 77-year-old woman diagnosed with breast cancer, on efforts by local landlords and developers to take over her Wilkinsburg home in Western Pa.

DIVERSE SOURCES: On Tuesday, Spotlight PA launched a database of experts of color in Pennsylvania as a small but meaningful commitment to increase representation and inclusion in journalism in the state. Check it out at sources.spotlightpa.org, and nominate someone who should be included.

LANCASTER ROYALTY: Jonathan Groff, a Lancaster County native and Broadway star, has been nominated for a Grammy as part of the cast of "Little Shop of Horrors." Theater devotees will, of course, know Groff as the original King George in "Hamilton."

ON MY LIST: This year, all I want for the holidays is a healthy family — and (if you insist!) a custom Middleswarth Potato Chips painting like this one. I'd also accept a commission of a Grandma Utz kettle chips bag.

A MAD COMBO: Despite the coronavirus, Pennsylvania's craft breweries are still finding ways to have fun and offer unique drink options. Apparently, Tröegs' Mad Elf beer cheese — blended with chocolate doughnut — is a "game changer."

BIG SNOW: The year was 1950, and the snow total in southwestern Pennsylvania was 27 inches over a wicked three-day span that overlapped with Thanksgiving. If you're a snow-hater, breathe a sigh of relief: There's no such blizzard in this year's Turkey Day forecast.