The recent FBI raid of a Washington Post reporter's home sent shockwaves through the journalism industry. @rcfp.org spoke to 12+ journalists to find out how the raid has impacted their work and why it will deter public-interest reporting. Read the analysis: www.rcfp.org/natanson-fbi...

A group of protestors from March on Harrisburg, advocating for a gift ban, were detained by Capitol police after they blocked one of the major thruways of the building.

🚨Tell your friends! Today is the last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania's primary on May 19. (Refrain from spamming your independent friends. They can't vote -- see @katehuangpu.bsky.social story below.) www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/04...

New from me. A Berks County township has turned over drafts of a proposed agriculture law to a farmer after spending thousands of tax dollars in a legal fight to keep them secret — even after the township had abandoned its effort to enact the law. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/05...

EXCLUSIVE My big behind-the-scenes look into how Gov. Josh Shapiro has courted Amazon amid the mounting backlash to data centers Complete with internal emails, memos, an “exclusive” offer for help with faster permitting and a NDA no one would explain to me. My latest for @heatmap.news 😌

Where Garrity and Shapiro stand on broadband, federal cuts, and other key rural issues www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege... w/ @marleyparish.bsky.social

INBOX: @governor.pa.gov appointed energy and utility attorney Mark Szybist to serve as his office's special counsel for energy affordability. Per the announcement...

CORRECTION: Not just Republicans here. Rep. Carol Hill-Evans (D-York) also signed on.

A slate of Republican lawmakers signed onto a letter this month urging PA congressional members to avoid "One-size-fits-all federal mandates" on freight rail. They argued against train length and crew size standards; backed innovation and fed programs.

Shapiro’s campaign spox responds… saying Garrity is using her official office to politically attack Shapiro.

Pa. Treasurer Stacy Garrity (also the GOP gov candidate) said today her agency can’t pay for the $1 million security upgrades at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private home in Montgomery County. Story via Angela Couloumbis at Spotlight PA. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/04...

Head of Pa.'s civil rights agency to resign as Gov. Shapiro launches inquiry into agency's spending www.inquirer.com/news/pennsyl...

Gov. @joshshapiropa.bsky.social has been wearing white sneakers recently, instead of his black ones. In this essay, I will explain why this fashion change could be teasing a 2028 presidential bid…

Today in the Capitol, Gov. Josh Shapiro is signing 3 executive orders his office said will support individuals with disabilities and autism. Here’s what they do to Pa. agencies…

Interesting case out of Lancaster County, Pa. Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: crimewatch.net/us/pa/lancas...

Problem-solving at the laundromat. Prenatal nutrition advice at the pharmacy. Mental health screenings through an app. Inside the Shapiro administration’s ‘absolutely ambitious’ plan to prevent maternal deaths www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/04...

GOP candidate Stacy Garrity is hosting a news conference in Harrisburg to jab at incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro over, what she called, a cover up by his admin of sexual harassment allegations against close advisor Mike Vereb back in 2023.

News: Pennsylvania state Treasurer and GOP gubernatorial Stacy Garrity raised $1 million since the beginning of the year and moves forward with $1.5 million in cash on-hand.

I just spotted Kylie Kelce — host of the popular “Not Gonna Lie” podcast, wife of former Eagle’s center Jason Kelce, and PA native — exit @governor.pa.gov’s office in the state Capitol. Perhaps for a podcast interview? 👀

Behind the curtain, Pittsburgh’s theater business is undergoing a scene change www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-p...

Treasurer Stacy Garrity held a news conference outside PA’s vault this morning to donate unclaimed property ($28k in gift cards and $9.5k in technology) to some local orgs. Garrity is the presumptive GOP nominee for governor and took some questions from the press 🧵

NYC Bar Association's Animal Law Committee wrote a letter to leaders of Pennsylvania's General Assembly today urging them to pass H.B. 1097, which would ban live pigeon shoots in the commonwealth. www.nycbar.org/reports/supp...

Pa.'s first-ever investment in public defense allowed offices to hire attorneys, improve case management https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/04/pennsylvania-indigent-defense-public-defender-state-funding-justice-system/

As Shapiro opposes ICE detention centers, his GOP opponent for Pa. governor stays vague www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/03...

With the primary slate in Pennsylvania (almost) set, here is a set of interesting, competitive, or otherwise noteworthy state legislative primaries to watch: www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/03...

NEWS: It’s my first day at SpotlightPA today, reporting on the state Capitol and this year’s midterm elections. I’m excited to work with such a great team. Add me to your newsletters and send me your tips: [email protected].

Lancaster resident Tony Dastra to run for Pa. governor as Green Party candidate lancasteronline.com/news/politic... via @jadecampos.bsky.social at @lancasteronline.bsky.social

Accessibility study prompts $16.5M in Pa. Capitol projects; disability advocates await answers lancasteronline.com/news/politic... via Sarah Nicell of @lancasteronline.bsky.social

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity put $45 million in taxpayer money into Israel Bonds. The firm invited her to a thank you gala with other investors, but she attended for political purposes. She paid for the event with campaign funds; still, ethics experts have questions.

Some personal news: My last day covering the state Capitol for WITF will be March 20th. I’m leaving on good terms for another gig in journalism (stay tuned). Thanks to everyone at WITF who has been so welcoming and generous with their time as I’ve taken on audio reporting.

ICE asked nine south central Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies last fall if they wanted to cooperate on a 30 day immigration enforcement surge. Local officials said no, citing either limited capacity or need. www.witf.org/2026/03/09/i...

Just spotted GOP influencer Scott Presler filing petition signatures to run for Pennsylvania's Republican State Committee. If successful, he'd represent a district in Beaver County. Presler declined to chat when I asked him about the SAVE America Act.

Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, says she will reintroduce her proposal to eliminate special elections in Pennsylvania by requiring vacancies be filled in the "next regularly scheduled" primary/general. palegis.us/senate/co-sp...

Gov. Shapiro is ahead (48%) of GOP opponent Stacy Garrity (28%) in his reelection campaign for governor, F&M's latest poll found. F&M political scientist Berwood Yost says those numbers are very likely to change closer to November lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

Sen. James Malone was seemingly snubbed for an endorsement from Planned Parenthood PA PAC in his bid for reelection. Malone is a Democrat from Lancaster County whom the GOP is looking to oust this year after his surprise special election win last year

ICYMI: A quick follow-up on my reporting last week about Garrity receiving Trump's endorsement after one question.

From Florida to Philly, a political consultant kept working as fraud claims piled up against her - Excellent story by Anna Orso at the Inquirer www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

TikTok investor Jeff Yass avoided paying $1 billion in taxes while largely escaping public scrutiny. He then poured that money into campaigns to cut taxes and support election deniers. (Published 2022)

Republican Stacy Garrity should disclose question that led to Trump’s endorsement, Democrats say www.witf.org/2026/02/27/r...

ICYMI: The audio story is now embedded, where you can listen to much of the recording.

Talking to GOP insiders this month, Pa. Treasurer Stacy Garrity revealed how she secured a coveted endorsement from President Donald Trump in this year’s governor’s race. In her telling, Garrity landed Trump’s support by answering a single question. www.witf.org/2026/02/26/o...

If we can see the project of press freedom in this broader framework— as a critical means of assuring that we all enjoy all of our basic liberties— we can help secure not only journalism but society as a whole.

As Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy put it: Sen. John Fetterman "maintains the warm embrace of a healthy number of Republicans." 73% of Pa. Republicans approve of Fetterman's work, while 62% of Dems disapprove. - Per new QU poll

Josh Shapiro boasts a 56% approval rating as governor among Pennsylvanians. But only 40% of voters say he'd be a good president — as he faces rumors of a bid — compared to 43% who say he wouldn't. Per new Quinnipiac Poll poll.qu.edu/poll-release...

WITF’s parent company appointed new members to its board today, including Donna Malpezzi (a longtime attorney for state Senate Republicans) and Thomas Waters (chief investment officer of the Treasury, led by GOP governor candidate Stacy Garrity)

New: Pennsylvania's nonprofit rape crisis centers, which provide support groups, counseling, legal aid, and crisis intervention hotlines, have been flat funded in 6 of the commonwealth's last 10 budgets. Now they say they are at their fiscal limit. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/02...

GOP gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity will attend President Trump’s SOTU speech tomorrow in her formal capacity as Pa. state Treasurer – meaning taxpayers will foot the bill for her travel expenses. Garrity's spox said ... 🧵

"(Shapiro is) now trying to hedge his bet as data centers absorb a nationwide backlash from voters increasingly concerned about their impact on electricity bills." ... via @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

WITF sought ChatGPT logs from more than two dozen agencies last year under Pennsylvania's public records law. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office and the state's open records agency rejected those attempts. (🧵) www.witf.org/2026/02/18/p...