The Morning Agenda

Well over a thousand people protesting Donald Trump’s presidency rallied on Harrisburg’s Capitol steps Saturday. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court late last week ruled that mandatory life sentences without parole are unconstitutional for people convicted of second-degree murder. Last summer, our partners at Spotlight PA broke the story about pharmacies disappearing across the Pennsylvania landscape....

In Western Pennsylvania, the Allegheny County board of health is looking at how it can reduce the impacts of fracking. It formed a subcommittee on fracking last year, and the committee presented their plans to the full board of health earlier this month. State environmental regulators recently held a hearing for an air permit for Shell’s plant in Beaver County. The State Department of Conservation...

A bi-partisan group of state lawmakers has announced the formation of the new Pennsylvania Anti-Human Trafficking Caucus. When school districts across the U-S violate civil rights laws, families can file a complaint with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. But given the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U-S Department of Education, many are turning to state agencies to ca...

A recently proposed settlement in a central Pennsylvania electric utility rate case aims to protect average residential customers from rising rates connected to new data centers. Consumer advocates hope it'll serve as a model to protect all residential customers in the commonwealth. One year ago, half of U.S. Department of Education staff were laid off, including many in the Office of Civil Rights...

First, we have a follow-up to last Friday’s podcast when we did a deep dive into the inner workings of the Central PA Spelling Bee: Vedika Burman correctly spelled the word "patriotism" on the 16th and final round, Saturday, to become the 2026 WITF Central PA Spelling Bee Grand Champion. Pennsylvania, along with New Jersey and Delaware, are suing the Trump Administration over a major environmental...

Local governments are seeing more challenges to their decisions not to release public records. And some people are turning to ChatGPT, Claude and other artificial intelligence systems for help in making their case. As artificial intelligence technology becomes more common, Pennsylvania state lawmakers say safeguards are needed to protect YOUNG tech users. The state Senate approved a bill this week...

Early research shows that artificial intelligence could be used to improve learning, creativity and social interaction among kids and teens. But the technology could still be harmful to childhood development – that’s according to a new review study by experts at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. And we take a deep dive into the Central PA Spelling Bee, being held this Saturday, March 21. Joinin...

Better access to mental health care for firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and state police officers was provided by state law last year. Now the current budget proposal seeks to expand workers compensation and death coverage to first responders called to duty during state disaster emergencies.  Dauphin County State Representative Justin Williams says crisis counseling and mental health treatment is...

A new center in Philadelphia will support people with Lynch Syndrome, an inherited genetic condition that puts them at high risk for colon, uterine and other cancers. Penn Medicine's King Center for Lynch Syndrome is one of few centers in the world dedicated to Lynch syndrome. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said last week he will continue a lawsuit against a music-industry giant. The mo...

A sustainable farming group in Pennsylvania is announcing the reinstatement of a $59 million contract that the federal government tried to claw back last year. Pennsylvania autism researchers and parents are founding members of the new Independent Autism Coordinating Committee. It’s meant to serve as an alternative voice to a federal committee overseen by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. --...

We're bracing for wild swings in the weather today with the possibility of tornadoes between 3 and 9 p.m. today. And we take a deep dive into Pennsylvania’s wildlife crossings and corridors: State lawmakers were briefed on the subject during a recent state budget hearing in Harrisburg. Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said DCNR will soon be b...

Pennsylvania parents and families who have lost loved ones to drug overdoses and addiction say there’s a need for grief support services specifically tailored to this kind of loss. They’re calling on county and state agencies to use settlement money won in national lawsuits against opioid manufacturing companies to fund grief programs. Penn State’s president was the target of pointed questions dur...

A Cumberland County food manufacturing facility is expanding. Schreiber Foods, located in Shippensburg, announced Tuesday it's embarking on a nearly $133 million expansion at its yogurt and cream cheese plant. Nearly half of the state’s rural counties do not have hospitals with labor and delivery units, according to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. This reflects a nationwide trend of hospitals c...

Pennsylvania officials say some companies are being hurt by a Trump Administration policy that requires them to reapply for a program that has long helped minority-owned businesses. PennDOT secretary Mike Carroll told state legislators Monday that the move caused chaos. An oil and gas company let more than a million gallons of drilling fluid escape underground into an abandoned mine during pipelin...

Lancaster and York County law enforcement agencies who partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement say they are not interested in a targeted operation in Central PA. Newly released records showing ICE sought a local surge. Budget hearings continue in Harrisburg. The Governor’s budget proposal includes spending $6.6 million more of the state’s EMS operating fund to help support emergency medic...

Pennsylvania’s education secretary says her office is preparing to help schools adopt a complete cell phone ban for students. State lawmakers are also beginning to negotiate new education spending for Pennsylvania’s historically underfunded public schools. And now a deep dive: When a Pittsburgh teen had her cancer treatment denied by insurance, her mother’s pleas for help online led her to an unex...

Handling of the economy has long been considered a strong suit for the Republican Party. A new poll suggests the economy might now be one of the party’s weaknesses heading into this year’s midterms. In Northeastern Pa., the case of a Luzerne County teen whose body was found behind a Wilkes-Barre garage last month is raising questions about steps taken to inform the public she was missing. Penn Sta...

The city of Philadelphia is officially a finalist in the race for hosting the 2028 Democratic National Convention. Pennsylvania prison officials said the savings from closing two facilities will NOT offset higher costs for the state's nearly 40,000 incarcerated people. And Governor Josh Shapiro announces the state is taking new steps to fight predatory AI practices. Education advocates say a 30-mi...

Pennsylvania Democrats say voters should know what President Donald Trump asked state Treasurer Stacy Garrity before he endorsed her candidacy for governor. According to Garrity, it took just one question. As appropriations hearings continue at the State Capitol, Shapiro Administration officials are calling attention to the need for updates to Pennsylvania's Older Adults Protective Services Act. M...

The Historic Harrisburg Association has released its 2026 Preservation Priority List. And the Broad Street Market tops the list for a second consecutive year. Historic Harrisburg Association Highlights 2026 Preservation Priority List | The Spark One way Philadelphia is preparing for the nation’s 250th birthday is by training more people to portray famous figures on the streets of the Old City neig...

It took answering just one question for Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity to secure President Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement in this year’s governor's race. That’s according to an audio recording obtained by WITF of Garrity recounting the story at a Republican fundraiser. Our recent snowstorm is having a ripple effect on the area blood supply, among regional American Red Cross banks and cen...

State officials are looking to curb Pennsylvania's ongoing outbreak of bird flu — the worst it’s seen in decades. The State Game Commission has joined efforts to help the Commonwealth address the most recent avian flu outbreak. During his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night President Donald Trump said he worked out a deal with energy-hungry data centers to build their own power plants....

A new study quantifies how many people die in the Pittsburgh region as a result of air pollution. The study finds air pollution was responsible for between 11 and 12 and a half percent of all deaths in southwestern Pennsylvania in 2019. Meantime, Philadelphia has rolled out a new website dedicated to air quality. Scores of monitors across the city are keeping tabs on pollution in many neighborhood...

The Trump administration is announcing it will rollback a Biden-era rule on power plant emissions of mercury, a neurotoxin that impairs cognitive development in young children. The rule mainly affects pollution from plants that burn coal.   Unionized Penn Graduate students have reached a tentative agreement with the university, narrowly averting a strike. The agreement comes after more than a year...

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is reporting a significant increase in revenue from all forms of gaming during January 2026. Central Pa.-area casinos helped contribute to the gains. Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson recently announced plans to build a new cell therapy manufacturing plant in the greater Philadelphia region. The state will contribute more than $41 million towards the...