ICE buys $87M warehouse in Berks County as it plots expansion of detention centers across U.S.
This story was produced by the Berks County bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom. Sign up for Good Day, Berks, a daily dose of essential local stories at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/gooddayberks. UPPER BERN — The Trump administration has quietly purchased a nearly 520,000-square-foot warehouse in Berks County as it plans...
Shapiro proposes record $53.3B in spending for coming fiscal year
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday unveiled a proposed $53.3 billion budget for the coming fiscal year that would use nearly $4.6 billion, or more than half, of the state’s largest reserve fund to balance. Shapiro said in an address to a joint session of the state House and Senate that...
Western Pa. casinos report mixed results despite 5th year of statewide gambling revenue growth
For the fifth consecutive year, gambling revenue statewide reached a record high in 2025, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Gambling revenue hit nearly $6.8 billion last year, the board said, which is a 10.7% increase from 2024 and more than double the state’s 2016 figure of $3.2 billion....
Gov. Shapiro wants to ban cellphones from Pennsylvania schools
Gov. Josh Shapiro is backing a proposal to ban cellphones from Pennsylvania classrooms, joining a growing chorus of parents, teachers, and officials seeking to curb school disruptions and detach kids from addictive devices. “It’s time for us to get distractions out of the classroom and create a healthier environment in...
New documents show Jeffrey Epstein tried to buy Bill Cosby’s home and closely followed entertainer’s sexual assault case
PHILADELPHIA — In the mid-2010s, well after he was already a convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein began closely following the sexual assault case against another prominent figure: Philadelphia-born actor and comedian Bill Cosby. Among the millions of documents released Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice — in the latest...
Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow — predicting no early springVideo
PUNXSUTAWNEY — Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather Monday, a forecast sure to disappoint many after what’s already been a long, cold season across large parts of the United States. His annual prediction and announcement that he had seen his shadow was translated by his handlers in...
Pa.’s budget impasse ended in November. It’s already time to talk about the next budget
Here we go again. Pennsylvania’s latest budget impasse, which dragged on for 135 days, just ended in mid-November. Now, less than three months later, state government leaders are preparing to begin the often-tortured process of trying to hammer out a budget for the coming fiscal year. The budget process formally...
Sen. John Fetterman supports ICE agents’ mask use amid rising doxxing threatsVideo
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, during a Fox News interview on Sunday, said he was in support of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents wearing masks to protect them and their families from being identified and pursued by left-wing protesters. “Some of those agents wearing masks, primarily that’s driven by...
Deadline for 2026 health insurance through Pennie is almost here
Pennsylvanians still searching for a 2026 health insurance plan are running out of time to secure it through the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment on Pennie, the state’s Obamacare marketplace, ends just before midnight Jan. 31. Pennie officials had extended the deadline from an original cutoff of Jan. 15. The...
York County GOP Rep. Seth Grove to leave office, 5th opening in the House this year
A former state House Republican leader who served as the caucus’ budget watchdog announced he would resign from office effective Sunday. Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) revealed in May that he would not seek reelection for a 10th term, ending the announcement with “Lets get back to work,” but no indication...
What is the fate of some 2 dozen ICE bills before Pa. state lawmakers?
About two dozen proposals related to immigration enforcement are percolating in the state legislature in response to the Trump administration’s crackdown and tactics – including increased reliance on county jails and local police departments. Lawmakers acknowledge it’s a long shot to enact reforms in a federally-governed arena and with a...
Allegheny County GOP Chairman Jason Richey to run for lieutenant governor
A Sewickley attorney who serves as Allegheny County’s GOP chairman said Thursday that he is running for lieutenant governor with the endorsement of the presumptive Republican nominee for the state’s highest office, Stacy Garrity. Jason Richey, 54, said he arrived at the decision to run over the past two weeks...
Gas smell at nursing home was reported hours before deadly explosion, report says
HARRISBURG — Hours before a deadly explosion ripped through a Pennsylvania nursing home last month, staff grew concerned about the smell of natural gas on several floors and brought in workers from the local utility company to check it out, federal regulators said Wednesday. The preliminary report by the National...
Trump endorses Stacy Garrity in race for Pa. governor
President Donald Trump threw his support behind Republican Stacy Garrity on Tuesday night as she aims to unseat Gov. Josh Shapiro as Pennsylvania governor. In an evening Truth Social post, Trump called Garrity — who serves as Pennsylvania treasurer — a “true America First Patriot.” “Stacy Garrity has my Complete...
Shapiro calls for end to immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, Noem to be fired
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday during an appearance on “CBS Mornings” that he thinks the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis should end immediately and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department is overseeing the operation, should be fired. “The mission is broken. It must be terminated,” said Shapiro, a Democrat...
Fetterman says Trump should fire Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is calling for President Donald Trump to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as the immigration crackdown her department is overseeing faces increasing criticism following this weekend’s fatal shooting by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. “President Trump, I make a direct appeal to immediately fire Secretary...
Western Pa. wine, cheesemakers take top honors at 2026 PA Farm ShowVideo
Couples planning for Valentine’s Day could have themselves quite a fancy evening dining solely on some local wine and cheese, which has been judged among the best in Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania wine and cheesemakers once again came home with a good deal of accolades from the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show,...
Fetterman calls for end to immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis in wake of killing
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman issued a statement Monday afternoon calling for the federal government to immediately end its massive immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The statement from the Braddock Democrat came two days after Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, 37, in Minneapolis, increasing tensions in a city where...
Pennsylvania deer hunting opener stays Saturday after Thanksgiving — ‘for now’
Pennsylvania hunting regulators cast a preliminary vote on keeping the Saturday after Thanksgiving as the opening day for the regular firearms season for white-tailed deer. A final vote is scheduled at the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners’ next quarterly meeting April 10-11. Commissioners meeting Saturday in Harrisburg listened to public...
Philadelphia sues over removal of slavery exhibit at Independence National Historical Park
PHILADELPHIA — Outraged critics accused President Donald Trump of “whitewashing history” on Friday after the National Park Service removed an exhibit on slavery at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park in response to his executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. Empty...
RFK Jr. talks new food pyramid, avoids controversial vaccine changes in Harrisburg visit
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Harrisburg on Wednesday, giving an address that roped Pennsylvania’s agricultural prowess into his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, particularly the recent revision of federal dietary guidelines. But the most enthusiastic supporters weren’t exactly there to hear about the new food pyramid. Although not a perfect...
Poor insurance reimbursements place Pa. hospitals at risk of closure, report says
Insufficient insurance reimbursements could drive more than a dozen Pennsylvania hospitals to close within five years, according to a report released Wednesday by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. The industry group hired consultancy Oliver Wyman to create the report. In its analysis, the New York City-based firm focused...
Pa. Game Commission considers Saturday start before Thanksgiving for deer seasonVideo
For Mike Shipley, the Monday after Thanksgiving was a holiday tradition that died in 2019. That was the year the Pennsylvania Game Commission shifted its hunting schedule to start two days earlier, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, ending a decadeslong ritual of hunters heading into the woods the first Monday after...
Penn calls federal commission’s request for personal employee information ‘unconstitutional,’ ‘disconcerting’ and ‘unnecessary’
The University of Pennsylvania in a legal filing Tuesday pushed back against a federal commission’s demand that in effect would require it to turn over lists of Jewish faculty, staff and students, calling the request “unconstitutional,” “disconcerting” and “unnecessary.” The filing comes in response to a lawsuit filed against the...
Lehigh County official calls for ICE’s eviction, demands overdue rent
Lehigh County’s top financial elected official is calling for the eviction of ICE from county-owned property. Mark Pinsley, the county controller, said the federal agency has been delinquent on three years of rent for county-owned office space. He added the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, or Immigration and...
