Oct. 10, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesHow should you spend this fall weekend in Pa.? This quiz can help you decide.by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PATake Spotlight PA’s short quiz to help you decide how to spend your fall weekends in Pennsylvania. There are a dozen possible outcomes, sourced from our staff.
Oct. 3, 2025Photo submittedPA Local Heroes: The community leader helping people adjust to life after prisonby Ann Rejrat for Spotlight PACumberland County advocate Michael Eskridge helps formerly incarcerated Pennsylvanians regain their footing.
Sept. 19, 2025Courtesy of Juniata River Valley Visitors BureauA hyper-regional Pa. holiday touts geese. Observers joke it could become the next Groundhog Day.by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAFor over a century, central Pennsylvanians have gathered near the start of fall to celebrate Goose Day, a quirky holiday with ties to Europe.
Aug. 29, 2025Jeremy Thompson / FlickrIs Pa.’s oldest roller coaster retired? Riders hope not.by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PALeap-the-Dips in Blair County is one of a kind, say fans of the 123-year-old wooden ride. But the attraction is grounded for now, and enthusiasts worry it won’t return.
Aug. 22, 2025Courtesy of Pittsburgh Hispanic Development CorporationPA Local Heroes: The publisher connecting, championing Latinos in her communityby Ann Rejrat for Spotlight PAFive years ago, Maria Manautou-Matos launched the bilingual Pittsburgh Latino Magazine to connect and inform her community, which she felt was underserved.
Aug. 15, 2025Photo providedMeet a Mayor: The small, eccentric Pa. city where even UFOs like to drop byby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PACarbondale Mayor Michele Bannon says her hometown is full of kind, generous people with “coal miner mentalities,” and praises its love of UFOs.
Aug. 8, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesHidden talents of Pa. lawmakers: The legislators lurking in episodes of ‘Succession’ and ‘Cheers'by Colin Deppen of Spotlight PAPennsylvania lawmakers have hobbies too, and sometimes surprising hidden talents.
July 25, 2025Courtesy of the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad Preservation SocietyRailroads helped build Pa. These train lovers and museums are maintaining the historical tracks.by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PATrains played a huge role in Pennsylvania’s development, and local museums and volunteer groups statewide help to preserve that history.
July 18, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesPA Local Heroes: Meet the survivor who became a ‘constant advocate’ for child victimsby Ann Rejrat for Spotlight PACathleen Palm founded the Center for Children’s Justice, a Berks County nonprofit that advocates for policies to protect Pennsylvania youth from abuse.
June 27, 2025Jaime Filson / WiK’s PixAs roller derby goes global, these skaters rep Pa. and their heritageby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAThe 2025 Roller Derby World Cup, held this year in Austria, will feature 48 teams from multiple countries. At least six Pennsylvania athletes are participating.
June 20, 2025ProvidedPA Local Heroes: Meet the community organizer helping boost Black homeownership ratesby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAErie’s Black Wall Street offers a workshop to prospective homebuyers in Erie County to help them navigate the purchase. “Homeownership helps create community,” says the nonprofit’s director.
June 16, 2025Mingson Lau / APAppalachian Trail hikers face half-gallon ice cream challenge at halfway pointby Associated PressThe ice cream challenge is thought to have begun more than four decades ago at the Pine Grove Furnace General Store.
June 13, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesVisit Pa.’s best festivals, parks, and ice cream shops with this curated summer guide and bingo sheetby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAFind Pennsylvania’s hidden gems with Spotlight PA’s Summer Bucket List, which includes shops, attractions, and parks from across the commonwealth. Readers who score a bingo are eligible for a free prize.
June 6, 2025Asha Prihar / Spotlight PAI thought I might be pronouncing ‘bologna’ wrong. Turns out I’m just from Lebanon, Pa.by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PACreators and appreciators of Lebanon’s signature all-beef deli meat say it’s pronounced differently than “the pink stuff” is.
May 31, 2025Nate Smallwood / Spotlight PAHelp us craft a summer bucket list of hidden gems, and then help us tackle itby Colin Deppen of Spotlight PAWe're asking readers like you to help us make a summer bucket list full of places (new and old) worth trekking to.
May 30, 2025Photo submittedPA Local Heroes: Meet the artist behind a shush-free, stress-free family theater experienceby Colin Deppen of Spotlight PAPhilly Children’s Theatre has drawn headlines for sensory-friendly and interactive performances, a pay-what-you-can approach, and free child care services.
May 16, 2025Asha Prihar / Spotlight PAFree museums abound in Pa. Find the one for you with this guide.by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAThese Pennsylvania museums boast exhibits centered on shoes, arthropods, Renaissance art, and more — all for free. Start planning your next day trip.
May 9, 2025Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAHidden talents of Pennsylvania lawmakers: a New Yorker writer, an MMA fighter, and alligator rescuesby Colin Deppen of Spotlight PAPennsylvania lawmakers have hobbies too, and sometimes surprising hidden talents.
May 2, 2025Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PAMeet a Mayor: The ‘star’ at the edge of Allegheny National Forestby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAKane Mayor Brandy Schimp says rural areas can get a bad reputation as boring or “barren land,” but it’s “really quite opposite.”
April 25, 2025Provided by Mandy MastrosPA Local Heroes: Meet the social worker and pastor helping people through ‘all of the human stuff’by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAMandy Mastros, pastor at the Moravian Center of Lancaster, wears many hats in her hometown’s community, from adult day center chaplain to advocacy board advisor.
April 18, 2025Asha Prihar / Spotlight PAQuiz: It happened in Pennsylvania … or did it? (The answers may surprise you.)by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAIt’s no secret that Pennsylvania history is full of notable inventions, contributions to pop culture, and events with national and international significance. But how well do you know them?
April 11, 2025Josh Schneeberger / provided by Peter UrschelerMeet a Mayor: There’s more than beers and Blobs in this Pa. boroughby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAPhoenixville’s population has grown by a third since the turn of the millennium. Its mayor says the 20,000-person borough has become “like an extended family” to him.
March 28, 2025Photo provided by Garden of Health, Inc.PA Local Heroes: A Montco mom’s mission to provide friendly foods to allby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAGarden 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.”
March 21, 2025Provided by Alfredo’s Cafe20 years after 'The Office' premiered, cameos still paying off for Scranton businessesby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PATwo decades after the NBC sitcom’s premiere, fans are still making pilgrimages to the city where it was set.
March 14, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesLicense plate overhaul offers window into Pa.’s rich history of designsby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAOver 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.
March 7, 2025Photo submittedPA Local Heroes: A summer camp where HIV stigma stopsby Colin Deppen of Spotlight PACamp Dreamcatcher in Chester County, launched at the height of ‘90s stigma around HIV, has served thousands of children living with or affected by the virus.
Feb. 21, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesFormer hair rocker and current lawmaker pitches new Pa. state song—written by himby Colin Deppen of Spotlight PACritics say Pennsylvania’s state song is dull and uninspiring. Lawmakers have another chance to change it this session.
Jan. 31, 2025Eddie~S / FlickrGroundhog Day annually draws crowds to the world ‘Weather Capital.’ Which other Pa. regions claim ‘capital’ status?by Asha Prihar of Spotlight PAPunxsutawney is one of many “world capitals” located in Pennsylvania, including the purported global hubs for cheesesteaks, murals, mushrooms, snack foods, and more.
Jan. 24, 2025Provided photoPA Local Heroes: The Philadelphia nonprofit sharing ‘books and beauty’ with local kidsby Asha Prihar of Spotlight PALed by book collector and paper conservationist Sibylla Shekerdjiska-Benatova, A Book a Day has distributed over 13,000 children’s books in the past decade.
Jan. 13, 2025Asha PriharBlacksmiths forge unorthodox biz inside struggling Pa. mall’s vacated Victoria’s Secretby Asha PriharAs shopping malls nationwide see traditional retailers depart, businesses like the Drunken Smithy in Lebanon are making creative use of the vacancies.
Booklight PA: Author Sara Novic on finding herself through hearing loss in ‘Mother Tongue’AttendJun 25