Planned Parenthood Keystone, which encompasses seven health centers in central and eastern Pennsylvania, will no longer provide birth control and a range of other services to Medicaid patients, the organization announced. lanc.news/3NClu7U

A group of about 25 unhoused people have only a few more days to clear out an encampment site in Lancaster, at the same time the number of shelter beds available in the city has dropped. lanc.news/4bFeyA5

Tuesday was the deadline for candidates to file their paperwork to appear on the May primary ballot. Here's who made it on in Lancaster County lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

ICYMI: Last week, Bruce Imel and his daughter, Kaitlyn, touched down in the U.S. after being stuck in a Dubai hotel for five days following the attack on Iran. Bruce and Kaitlyn said they could hear the booms of missiles being intercepted throughout the night lancasteronline.com/news/local/c...

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...

In most Lancaster County school districts, student protests against recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions have resulted in administrators taking disciplinary action against students. lanc.news/4l76ISX

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker post on the Iran attack:

Rep. Lloyd Smucker says he's pushing for Lancaster County to be the place for a bird flu trial vaccine as infection spreads daily. Lanco is a hotspot for bird flu infections, the largest in the nation

Important housing news: Tenfold is closing its 54-bed winter shelter this weekend lancasteronline.com/news/local/l...

Big news last night in Lanco politics after Huyard dropped out of the 36th Senate race. In other events from last night: Democrats unanimously endorsed their candidates for the primary. There were no contested races for the endorsements lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

BREAKING: Republicans clear the primary field for state Rep. Tom Jones, as his only serious opponent, former Manheim Twp commissioner Mary Jo Huyard, agreed to drop out -- after meeting with Jones and state Sen. Scott Martin. lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

Democrats restored their 102-seat majority in the Pennsylvania House by winning special elections in Allegheny and Lehigh counties Tuesday. From @petehallpa.bsky.social

A woman wrote into LNP to ask about the SAVE America Act and how it would affect her when she goes to the polls. In her case, probably not much. For others ... it could add a lot of red tape to the simple act of registering to vote: lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

New from @jadecampos.bsky.social

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 ... 🧵

[email protected] will hold listening sessions where we'll be meeting with members of the community to learn more about what you want from your local newspaper. please come!! it's free!! eventbrite.com/e/lnp-commun...

Another piece of GOP election news: Danielle Lindemuth wasn't at the party's endorsement convention this week despite applying for its support. Why? She says she was gathering signatures to be on the primary ballot, instead lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

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...

Rep. Smucker: "Where we have run into trouble is when the state and local governments have not worked with them to apprehend these violent criminals." www.ldnews.com/story/news/l...

Twas a long night - but the results are in (mostly). Tom Jones secured the GOP’s endorsement for the 36th Senate District. Jones, like many party leaders tonight, said unity was needed to take back the 36th lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

!! Jones endorsed for the 36th, while Mary Jo Huyard says she plans to stay in the race. Party members were also unable to reach an endorsement for the 100th House District after 8 rounds of votes

Tonight, Lanco Republicans will hand out endorsements for state House and Senate races. One GOP candidate is asking for an open primary for the 36th Senate District race, saying she will still run even if she is not endorsed lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

Only 488 new Lancaster County Amish voters registered for the 2024 election, less than one-third the total of new registrations for the 2020 election, when more than 1,700 joined the voter rolls, according to research published in the latest edition of the Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities.

It'll be one of the most closely watched legislative races in Lancaster County this year: lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

Exclusive: NPR’s David Greene says he was “completely freaked out” when he heard an AI voice that sounded just like his own. Now, he’s suing Google over it.

Janet Diaz was once a top vote getter among Lancaster Democrats. Now, she says she's leaving the party and moving out of the city. Her next political pursuit, she says, will happen as a Republican lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken. Hundreds of kids are still detained. We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

Lancaster County libraries will no longer be able to process passport applications after next week. lanc.news/4tj027R

Last week, Gov. Shapiro called on lawmakers to pass a statewide cellphone ban in schools. Legislation passed almost unanimously in the Senate this year and now needs to make its way through the House w/ @ashleystal.bsky.social lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

Sadly, this story was taken off LNP's Facebook page bc producers could not block some beyond-the-pale comments. Apparently, this has been an issue with Facebook recently.

ICYMI: Here's what local lawmakers think about Gov. Shapiro's budget address yesterday. Republicans aren't happy about Shapiro's plan to use state reserves again

The Watchdog has looked at COLA these past two weeks. This weekend, Lancaster County's lawmakers weighed in on the issue. Read their responses here: lancasteronline.com/news/local/s...

Breaking News: In a reversal, the Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. Follow live updates.

Rep. Smucker is joining a growing number of Republicans calling for an investigation into the fatal ICE shooting of Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis nurse. Pretti is the second person who has died from an ICE-related shooting this month in the city lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

Is your New Year's resolution to be more politically active? Well, Lancaster County folks should keep an eye out for these races this year lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

You should read this! www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

“I want to make sure our kids can study,” Morales Antezana said, “so they can decide who they want to be in the future, and come back [to the U.S.] as professionals with a different story than us.” www.inquirer.com/news/johny-m...

Some shelters in Lancaster County are preparing to stay open for 24/7 next week as forecasts call for upward of 19 inches of snow, starting tomorrow (!!!) lancasteronline.com/news/local/l...

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said that the city and federal government in 2006 signed a cooperative agreement that may require advance notice for changes to the site. The city is reviewing its options, she said. More details: www.inquirer.com/politics/nat...

Whole milk is back in schools. What does that mean for dairy farmers in Lancaster County, the #1 milk producer in the state? lancasteronline.com/news/local/l...

A new nonprofit is trying to tackle the affordable housing shortage in Lancaster County lancasteronline.com/news/local/1...

ICYMI: Rep. Smucker is a part of an effort to allow nonprofit libraries to continue processing passports, a significant revenue source for libraries. The DOS told libraries a few months ago they were no longer able to do so lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

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

lol

State Rep. Tom Jones is leading in GOP straw poll votes for the party's endorsement in the 36th District race. The straw polls are nonbinding but are an early measure of a candidate's support among party officials. The party's endorsement convention is Feb. 17 lancasteronline.com/news/politic...

"I can’t think of a city in Pittsburgh’s weight class that is facing the prospect of not having any daily newspaper at all." www.publicsource.org/newspaper-pi...

Lancaster officially has a new mayor. Jaime Arroyo took the oath of office last night, becoming the city's first Latino mayor. “My promise to our residents is that we will deliver. You deserve to feel welcome in the City of Lancaster," Arroyo said last night lancasteronline.com/news/local/j...

Later today, Jaime Arroyo will be sworn in as Lancaster's next mayor. Mayor Danene Sorace is leaving behind eight turbulent years marked by public protests and the pandemic but also major investments in affordable housing and community development lancasteronline.com/news/local/c...

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker is a part of a lawsuit against the $2.5 billion hydroelectric dam project

Happy New Year. One of the biggest moments in Lanco last year was the surprise win by Democratic State Sen. James Malone. What was his first year in office like? lancasteronline.com/news/politic...