Folo PA

Pennsylvania’s rules for giving "gifts" to public officials are among the most lax in the nation.  And leaders from both parties have prevented gift bans from passing in the state legislature more than three dozen times during the past 25 years .  Advocates and some lawmakers call it corruption.  From our friends at WITF, Jordan Wilkie took a look at the current proposal that recently moved out of...

You might have seen signs advertising kratom at a corner store or out for sale on a gas station counter.  In its natural form, kratom is derived from a tree with the same name native to southeast Asia. There also are synthetic versions out there. But anyone buying it doesn’t really know what they’re getting because we don’t have labeling standards for it.  Kratom acts as a stimulant in small amoun...

Every week, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star recaps our top stories with Natalie Bencivenga's The Week in Focus.  It’s a way to get caught up on some news you might’ve missed in just a few minutes as you head into your weekend. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasizes context, accountability and community impact.  The podcast is hosted and produced by the Capital-Star's...

Parents of transgender youth are sounding the alarm after a flurry of presidential Executive Orders to limit gender-affirming care for minors. From our friends at WDIY in Bethlehem, James Zipprodt reports the looming changes are taking a toll on families statewide. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasizes context, accountability and community impact.  The podcast is h...

Clearfield County Commissioners are extending a contract for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to run the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Decatur Township.  It’s ICE’s largest detention facility in the Northeast and has been the center of several accusations of human rights violations.   From our friends at WPSU, Sydney Roach reports dozens of people opposed to the extension traveled from...

Amtrak operates more than a dozen trains each day between New York and Harrisburg, but only one between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. That will change in mid-November, when a second daily train will start running between the Steel City and New York, with stops in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Peter Hall is following the service expansion , which comes after three years of planning and an investment of...

The federal government has ended a designation known as Temporary Protected Status for 330 thousand Haitians living in the United States.  That includes several hundred Haitian immigrants in the Mon Valley town of Charleroi, Washington County, in Western Pennsylvania.    WESA's Susan Scott Peterson spent time there as the community makes emergency plans amid the prospect of federal immigration enf...

State lawmakers are coming back from summer recess with two state Supreme Court orders hanging over them. One is to  create a framework for people serving life without parole for second-degree murder ; the other, to pass regulations for skill games .  Both issues are among top priorities of stakeholders in the criminal justice space. Some are concerned the court-ordered priorities could overwhelm...

Every week, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star recaps our top stories with Natalie Bencivenga's The Week in Focus.  It’s a way to get caught up on some news you might’ve missed in just a few minutes as you head into your weekend. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasizes context, accountability and community impact.  The podcast is hosted and produced by the Capital-Star's...

For Pennsylvanians, rising prices are outpacing wage growth. But when working class households struggle to put food on their table, so does the charitable food system that acts as a safety net. Ian Karbal looked into the situation. He found the macroeconomic factors affecting those organizations and their clients are exacerbated by cuts to the federal program known as SNAP, or food stamps. Folo PA...

PFA chemicals are in the water supply – including our drinking water.  One way these widely-used chemicals are getting there is through sewage sludge that is used as fertilizer.  The Allegheny Front's Julie Grant looked into the push by Pennsylvania and other states to limit water contamination from these so-called forever chemicals. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emph...

Every week, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star recaps our top stories with Natalie Bencivenga's The Week in Focus.  It’s a way to get caught up on some news you might’ve missed in just a few minutes as you head into your weekend. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasizes context, accountability and community impact.  The podcast is hosted and produced by the Capital-Star's...

Pennsylvania lawmakers are under court order to come up with legislation that addresses cases where people are imprisoned on life sentences without any chance of parole for second-degree murder.  Already, there are hiccups. One being that the legislature blew its deadline to do that. Meanwhile, more than 1,100 people are serving life sentences for the crime in state correctional institutions.  Ian...

With privacy and safety concerns mounting around automatic license plate reader systems, state lawmakers are considering guardrails on their use.  Peter Hall looked into how a major purveyor of the equipment, Flock Safety, has responded by tightening its own controls. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasizes context, accountability and community impact.  The podcast i...

Every week, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star recaps our top stories with Natalie Bencivenga's The Week in Focus.  It’s a way to get caught up on some news you might’ve missed in just a few minutes as you head into your weekend. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasizes context, accountability and community impact.  The podcast is hosted and produced by the Capital-Star's...

There’s been strong public opposition to data centers in many communities where they’ve been proposed – including in Pennsylvania.  About 80 data center projects are in the works statewide at various stages: from the preliminary/exploratory stage when land hasn’t been acquired yet, up to construction being underway.  Peter Hall recently published a story based on his reporting in three future, pro...

With three months to go until the midterms, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt is joining other officials to push back on misinformation ahead of elections this fall. From our friends at WESA in Pittsburgh, Tom Riese reports the timing of this effort during the summer also coincides with when voter lists are often updated. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasi...

Every week, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star recaps our top stories with Natalie Bencivenga's The Week in Focus.  It’s a way to get caught up on some news you might’ve missed in just a few minutes as you head into your weekend. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasizes context, accountability and community impact.  The podcast is hosted and produced by the Capital-Star's...

The race to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District is expected to be one of the closest in the country.  Its outcome could determine which party controls the U.S. House. With less than three months until the election, it’s not just Democrats and Republicans making headlines.  A little-known Green Party candidate is stoking big controversy.   And The Pennsylvania Capital-Star's Ian Kar...

In the vast majority of states, businesses have to file reports every year or two. That includes Pennsylvania, as of 2025, when the law in the commonwealth changed from just once per decade.  But it turns out that some of the same legislators who enacted the new rule have not been following it. More than two dozen of them disclosed income or a financial interest in companies that had overdue filin...

Every week, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star recaps our top stories with Natalie Bencivenga's The Week in Focus.  Natalie's on vacation, but she'll be back next week to get you caught up on some news you might’ve missed in just a few minutes as you head into your weekend. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasizes context, accountability and community impact.  The podcast...

State law requires the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to document underground mining damages to properties and the environment, and publish its findings every five years.  This mandate on DEP took effect in 1994 -- and now, an environmental group is claiming the latest publication has major issues. The Pennsylvania Capital-Star’s Ian Karbal asked DEP officials about it and the...

Pennsylvania expects to get nearly $1 billion during a five-year stretch through the federal Rural Health Transformation Plan.  Some of that money will go toward launching the state’s Primary Care Medics initiative.  The goal is for trained medical professionals to make house calls to triage care. And the hope is that they’ll help extend the reach of doctors in rural communities, where providers a...

Every week, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star recaps our top stories with Natalie Bencivenga's The Week in Focus.  It’s a way to get caught up on some news you might’ve missed in just a few minutes as you head into your weekend. Folo PA features Pennsylvania-focused audio journalism that emphasizes context, accountability and community impact.  The podcast is hosted and produced by the Capital-Star's...

Pennsylvania lawmakers passed the state budget within a couple weeks after their deadline this year –  a dramatic departure from some other years, including negotiations in 2025 that lasted 135 days. A big factor driving the duration of budget talks seems to be whether an election is coming up – as it is this year for half the state Senate, the entire state House and the Governor’s office. In fact...