May 12, 2026Matt Rourke / APPa. Supreme Court justice leaves Democratic Party, blames antisemitismby Torrie Herrington of NOTUSPennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht announced Monday that he is leaving the Democratic Party, citing “hateful anti-Jewish invective and actions.”
April 8, 2026Julius Constantine Motal / APPa. men charged with bringing bombs to NYC protest were recorded discussing terror plot, indictment saysby Associated PressTheir conversations were preserved on dashcam audio and video recordings recovered from the vehicle they drove from Pennsylvania to Manhattan ahead of the March 7 attack.
April 7, 2026Screenshot via ABC27Parents charged after toddler slips into wolf area and gets hurt at Hersheypark zooby Associated PressEvidence showed that the parents both walked away from the child to a seating area with benches and appeared to be paying attention to their cellphones.
April 6, 2026Screenshot via ABC27Toddler injured by wolf after crawling under Pennsylvania zoo's exterior metal fenceby Associated PressThe child was never inside the wolf habitat at the ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park, which is part of Hersheypark, and the officials characterized the injuries as minor without elaborating.
April 6, 2026Screenshot via WPVI-TV/6ABC/APTwo Berks County firefighters killed in head-on crash during missing woman searchby Associated PressGov. Josh Shapiro ordered flags to fly at half-staff to honor Walnuttown Fire Chief Jeff Buck and Assistant Fire Chief Robert Shick Jr.
April 1, 2026Kent M. Wilhelm / Spotlight PAPa.'s first-ever investment in public defense allowed offices to hire attorneys, improve case managementby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PABut the $7.5 million annual investment wasn't enough to fix long-standing issues with the struggling system.
March 26, 2026Kent M. Wilhelm / Spotlight PAPa. Supreme Court strikes down mandatory life sentences for 2nd-degree convictionsby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAThe outcome could fundamentally change the lives of more than 1,000 people currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.
March 10, 2026Julius Constantine Motal / APFBI finds explosive materials in Pa. storage unit tied to NYC protest bombsby Associated PressThe FBI found explosive materials in a Langhorne storage unit after two men were charged with bringing homemade bombs to a protest outside the home of New York City’s mayor.
March 9, 2026Commonwealth Media ServicePa. state trooper was shot and killed during traffic stop, authorities sayby Associated PressCpl. Tim O’Connor was killed as he approached the car when the driver fired from inside the vehicle, the state’s acting police commissioner, Lt. Col. George Bivens said Sunday.
March 9, 2026Angelina Katsanis / APPa. men who brought explosives to NYC protest say they were inspired by Islamic State: Complaintby Associated PressEmir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi are awaiting arraignment on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction.
Feb. 5, 2026Margo Reed/ for Spotlight PAEverything you need to know about ICE’s plan to open a detention center in Berks Countyby Gabriela Martínez of Spotlight PACan the Pa. government block ICE’s plans? How many people will be detained there? Here’s what we know.
Feb. 5, 2026Screenshot via state Senate GOPShapiro pick for Board of Pardons wins Pa. Senate approval despite opposition from public defenders, clemency advocatesby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAOpponents to the nomination argued John O’Brien II often claimed defendants were not mentally ill or that minors could not be rehabilitated in the juvenile system.
Jan. 26, 2026Adam Gray / APFilming law enforcement is a tool for accountability. It’s also under attack.by Jade Lozada and Emily Kennard of NOTUSThe killing of Alex Pretti showed the dangers of filming law enforcement in America. It also showed how vital it is for accountability.
Jan. 16, 2026Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAShapiro pick for Board of Pardons vacancy opposed by clemency advocatesby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAJohn S. O’Brien II served as an expert witness in the Jerry Sandusky and John du Pont cases.
Jan. 7, 2026Kent M. Wilhelm / Spotlight PAJudges are identifying suspected AI hallucinations in Pa. court cases — including one at the highest levelsby Sarah Boden for Spotlight PAA Commonwealth Court judge raised questions about the use of AI when confronted with an error-filled brief.
Dec. 29, 2025Screenshot of Board of Pardons meetingBoard of Pardons seat left empty after concerns over member’s ‘inappropriate’ questioningby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAOutgoing member John Williams faced criticism from advocates after asking sexual questions and consistently voting no against pardons and commutations.
Nov. 7, 2025Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PA and PINJSystem for determining if someone is mentally fit for trial in Pa. is in crisis, new report findsby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAThe study found the mentally ill are swept up by low-level criminal offenses and kept in state hospitals too long, confirming a past Spotlight PA report.
Nov. 4, 2025A screenshot from the freesubu.org websiteCourts order ICE not to deport man who spent 43 years in prison before murder case overturnedby Associated PressAn immigration judge stayed Subramanyam Vedam’s deportation until the Bureau of Immigration Appeals decides whether to review his case.
Oct. 29, 2025A screenshot from the freesubu.org websiteA man who spent 43 years in Pa. prison before his conviction was overturned now faces deportationby Associated PressSubramanyam Vedam came to the U.S. legally from India when he was 9 months old. Now, he may be deported after winning a battle for freedom.
Oct. 26, 2025Courtesy of Lincoln UniversityShooting at Lincoln University's homecoming fest in Pennsylvania kills 1 and wounds 6by Associated PressAuthorities say the shooting took place where tents and tables were set up for tailgating and socializing after a football game earlier in the day.
Oct. 2, 2025Screenshot via Compass.dhs.pa.govBeing suspected of child abuse can land you in this Pa. database—even without a convictionby Sarah Boden for Spotlight PAPennsylvania maintains a registry of people convicted and suspected of child abuse and neglect to protect kids. But people get added to the database without a chance to defend themselves.
Sept. 25, 2025Matt Rourke / APThree Pennsylvania detectives killed in ambush remembered as heroes at funeralby Associated PressThe service honored Northern York County Regional Police detectives Cody Michael Becker, Mark Edward Baker, and Isaiah Emenheiser.
Sept. 19, 2025Matt Slocum / APStalking suspect ambushed Pennsylvania police officers, killing 3, prosecutor saysby Associated PressPolice shot the suspect to death in a hail of gunfire that capped a 15-hour ordeal.
Sept. 18, 2025Matt Slocum / APAuthorities identify the suspect in the fatal shooting of 3 Pennsylvania police officersby Associated PressThe officers were killed while following up on a domestic-related investigation that began on Tuesday. Police killed the gunman.
Sept. 17, 2025Commonwealth Media Services3 police officers killed and 2 injured in rural Pennsylvania shootingby Associated PressPolice have not provided any details about who was involved in the shooting.
Sept. 12, 2025Jared Wickerham / For Spotlight PAPa. election 2025: What is judicial retention, and why does it matter for Supreme Court balance?by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA and Carter Walker of VotebeatThree Pennsylvania Supreme Court judges are running in a yes-or-no retention election for another 10-year term.
Sept. 10, 2025Kent M. Wilhelm / Spotlight PAAbortion rights at center of Democratic-backed group’s advertising for key Pa. Supreme Court retention electionsby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PAPennsylvanians for Judicial Fairness gets its funding from labor, trial lawyers, out-of-state billionaires, and “dark money” groups.
Aug. 29, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesRansomware attack targeting Pa. attorney general leads to case delays, takes down some critical internal systemsby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAThe attack has impaired many functions of the agency, as some staff and prosecutors remain unable to access archived emails, files, and more.
Aug. 25, 2025Amanda Fries / Spotlight PARecords reveal officer fired by Pa. borough was subject of $500K false arrest settlementby Amanda Fries of Spotlight PAWyomissing officials fired the officer without revealing his name to the public, possibly violating a Pennsylvania transparency law.
Aug. 21, 2025Matt Slocum / APVillanova says a report of a campus shooter was a 'cruel hoax'by Associated PressPolice responded Thursday to a report of an active shooter on the campus of Villanova University, days before the start of classes.