The 2022 election for governor in Pennsylvania could dramatically change the course of the state. Here’s what you need to know to make an informed vote.
Spotlight PA
You’re invited! Pennsylvania’s top election official answers your voting, Nov. 8 questions live
Join Spotlight PA Sept. 29 for a in-depth interview with Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman that will cover Pennsylvania’s 2022 election, voting, how to get involved, and more.
How Harrisburg Works: The rules for Pa. lawmaker per diems, speaker v. leader, and other Q&As
Spotlight PA’s Stephen Caruso wants to help you understand how the sausage really gets made, how your tax dollars are spent, and how Harrisburg works (or doesn’t).
New maps will help decide where up to $1 billion in federal money goes for Pa. broadband expansion
State and local officials are racing to make their own maps of broadband gaps in Pennsylvania, a process that will help dictate which areas in the state get priority access to funding.
Pa. lawmakers spent at least $3 million on private lawyers, experts during redistricting battle, invoices show
The new districts have the potential to change the balance of power in both Harrisburg and Washington, so it’s not surprising that legal action played a major role during the process.
Thousands of Pa. nursing home workers may strike despite $600M for care in state budget
Workers for two for-profit companies fear the bulk of the money won’t be used to alleviate longer working hours, expanded job responsibilities, and even food rationing for residents.
Pa.’s unreliable lobbyist disclosure website is getting a user-friendly upgrade
More than 15 line items received a more than 100% boost in this year’s budget, including an upgrade to a website for lobbyists that has reportedly resulted in inaccurate disciplinary action.
The business of volunteer fire companies has become harder to sustain. Can collaboration help?
Five volunteer fire companies in Centre County are participating in a state study to determine how better collaboration among them might alleviate some cost and staffing challenges.
New report on racial bias in Pa. State Police traffic stops delayed by data problems, officials say
State Police resumed collecting traffic stop data in 2021 after a Spotlight PA investigation found the department stopped tracking the information a decade ago.
Your license plate frame is enough for police in Pa. to pull you over, court rules
The judges found the state’s vehicle code prohibits any part of the plate from being covered, including the visitpa.com website of the state’s tourism office.
Commonwealth Court orders Pa.’s health department to release information on medical marijuana program
For more than a year, the Department of Health has fought to block Spotlight PA’s request for information. Judges rejected the agency’s arguments calling one claim “undeveloped.”
Pa. lawmakers are set to get huge raises next year. They can return them, but almost nobody does.
Inflation is pushing the Pa. legislature’s annual cost-of-living adjustments even higher, with base salaries expected to exceed $100,000 in 2023.
Pa. lawmakers weigh bill that would allow independents to vote on primary candidates
Pennsylvania has closed primary elections, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote for candidates from those parties and choose who will advance to the general.
Critics call water quality bill moving through Pa. legislature a back door to privatization
The bill requires some public water systems to create an asset management plan, a mandate that municipal leaders and environmental groups called a solution in search of a problem.
Pa. Supreme Court upholds no-excuse mail voting ahead of midterms
A lower appellate court earlier this year sided with Republican lawmakers, saying that permitting no-excuse mail voting required amending the state constitution.