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...

NEW: David Greene was the voice of NPR's "Morning Edition." Is he also secretly the voice of Google's popular AI podcast tool, NotebookLM? Google says no. Greene thinks they're lying. My story today breaks the news of his lawsuit and compares the two voices. Listen for yourself: wapo.st/3ZHRvho

Today’s CBO report says US consumers pay 95% of tariffs. 🤡 @brendanvduke.bsky.social www.cbo.gov/system/files...

Many of the construction barriers surrounding the Governor‘s Residence are gone, revealing the wall built after April’s arson attack against Gov. Shapiro and his family.

I asked Republican LG candidate Jason Richey how he'd handle overseeing the Board of Pardons. He pivoted, and talked about his priority of promoting natural gas extraction in Pennsylvania. www.witf.org/2026/02/07/l...

ICYMI: Asked about Trump's "nationalize" election remarks, Garrity said: “I would work with the Trump administration, obviously, because we need to turn our state around."

Governor hopeful Stacy Garrity says she’d work with Trump administration on Pennsylvania’s elections www.witf.org/2026/02/06/g...

Interesting... (h/t PA Post / Spotlight PA) kentuckylantern.com/2026/02/03/b...?

Gambling on politics is really something ... polymarket.com/event/democr...

Gov. Josh Shapiro pitched a $53.3 billion state budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year that will in many ways serve as a policy platform for Democrats on the 2026 midterm election ballot. www.witf.org/2026/02/03/s...

NEW: ICE buys $87M warehouse in Berks County as it plots expansion of immigration detention centers across the U.S. https://www.spotlightpa.org/berks/2026/02/ice-warehouse-berks-county-purchase-federal-government/

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11) sues his hometown paper (my employer, LNP | LancasterOnline) for defamation, arguing an editorial that described his + other GOPers' arguments last fall that Dems wanted to fund health care for illegal immigrants were a "lie." www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa, filed a defamation lawsuit against local newspaper LNP Media Group, seeking $250k. This is an escalation of Smucker's hostility toward LNP, of which he has grown increasingly critical in recent years. portal.lancaster.pa.countysuite-azuregov.us/courts.civil...

Advocates caution that the combination of closed primaries and America’s two-party structure disenfranchises the Pennsylvania's fastest-growing voter group. www.witf.org/2026/02/01/p...

News: State Rep. Seth Grove (R., York), a vocal conservative who led Pennsylvania Republicans efforts to review the 2020 election while simultaneously factchecking Trump, has resigned. He was under fire for taking a second job as head of a trade group for concrete manufacturers.

What Pennsylvanians can do when ICE claims to redefine constitutional rights witf.org/2026/01/28/w... from Jordan Wilkie at WITF News

Investor group seeks to make Post-Gazette nonprofit www.axios.com/local/pittsb... - AXIOS Pittsburgh

Gov. Josh Shapiro held a meeting between PA's largest utility companies (PECO, PPL, FirstEnergy & Duquesne Light) on Wednesday to talk about steps they can take to lower costs for consumers, per a spokesman. No details yet on what those steps may be.

BREAKING: Immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, a memo obtained by AP says.

Sec. RFK Jr.'s visit comes as the Trump administration looks to tout what it accomplished in its first year and help frame a political message ahead of November’s midterm elections. www.witf.org/2026/01/21/u...

Stacy Garrity's attacks on political ambition are hypocritical, Democrats say wesa.fm/politics-gov... via @wesa.fm

An early Pa. budget preview for your Sunday: Election year budget fight looms as Pennsylvania lawmakers brace for another clash www.witf.org/2026/01/18/e...

"GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan last year bought stock in a major supplier for data centers that subsequently boomed in value — at the same time he was encouraging data centers to be built in his Pennsylvania district." via Politico. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

Breaking NYT: The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack, according to officials briefed on the matter. The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status. That is a war crime called "perfidy."

Stacy Garrity, the GOP-endorsed challenger to Gov. Shapiro, suggested Monday that Pa.’s rural communities would be good locations for new data centers built to power AI. www.witf.org/2026/01/12/a...

The PLCA summer journalism internship is still accepting applications! Jan. 31 is the deadline. I was an intern in 2022. Without the experience and mentorship I gained during those 12 weeks, I wouldn't have my current job. Apply here: www.pacapitolreporters.org

Democrats have ambitious goals in 2026. Some say Gov. Josh Shapiro's bid for reelection can help. www.witf.org/2026/01/08/e...

While announcing he won't run for governor, Doug Mastriano fell short of naming — let alone endorsing — the state GOP’s endorsed candidate, Pa. Treasurer Stacy Garrity. www.witf.org/2026/01/07/d...

Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton, is seeking support for a proposal to reinstitute the state's 24-hour notice for local public meeting agendas, after a Nov. Supreme Court ruling undid the requirement. palegis.us/house/co-spo...