Pennsylvania’s 67 counties are once again urging state lawmakers to increase funding for technology and staff needed to answer 911 calls. They’d do that by raising the surcharge on residents’ phone lines.

Mental health and drug treatment advocates in Pennsylvania are reeling after the federal government recently cut their funding and then quickly reversed the cuts.

Nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians got health insurance last year through Pennie, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, marking a record enrollment. But thousands have dropped coverage for 2026 after the loss of federal premium subsidies.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is pausing its proposal to move up the start of firearms deer season...for now. The decision comes after heavy backlash from the hunting community.

A man is dead after being shot by a PA state trooper in Lebanon County. A State Police spokesman says troopers were serving a warrant as part of a child pornography investigation, when the unidentified suspect confronted troopers “in a manner which resulted in members discharging their firearms.”

A Pennsylvania state lawmaker who also leads a trade group is announcing he's resigning effective this Saturday, January 31st. State Rep. Seth Grove is a Republican who represents York County.

Governor Josh Shapiro is preparing to release a long-awaited plan to tackle Pennsylvania's housing crisis, according to reporting by our partners at Spotlight PA. That crisis includes soaring rents, rising homelessness, a housing shortage, and home ownership that is out-of-reach for many families.

Traffic and noise may increase around Cumberland County's Naval base. Officials are in the midst of a two-week-long force protection exercise that began on Monday.

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Hundreds of protesters marched in Philadelphia earlier this week and held a demonstration outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in the city's Chinatown neighborhood.

Governor Josh Shapiro campaigned on getting justice for sexual abuse survivors during his first gubernatorial run. Now, some say he hasn’t done enough to fulfill those promises as governor.

Governor Josh Shapiro is calling for an end to the federal government's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. Speaking Tuesday night on CNN, Shapiro said federal officials have “eviscerated the trust that should exist between law enforcement and the community.”

U.S. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is among those calling for the firing of Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

And now a deep dive:

President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security is claiming a newfound authority to enter some immigrants' homes without a warrant signed by a judge. Pennsylvania legal experts are calling the move unconstitutional.

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In the aftermath of this week’s winter storm, Gov. Josh Shapiro took time to say thank you to highway workers who were on the job since the first flakes began falling.

State Attorney General Dave Sunday and the Bureau of Consumer Protection are warning scammers might take advantage of the recent winter storm and current cold weather.

The snowstorm dumped anywhere from 9 to 15 inches of snow across Pennsylvania.

This may come as a surprise today, but winter is still the fastest-warming season in the Philadelphia region. That doesn’t mean we can’t get serious cold snaps.

An inmate at the state prison at Camp Hill has died. The state Department of Corrections has identified him as 46-year-old James Campbell, who was found unresponsive in his cell on Sunday.

Outraged critics are accusing Donald Trump of “whitewashing history” after the National Park Service last week removed an exhibit on slavery at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike McCarthy have reached a verbal agreement for McCarthy to become the club's next head coach. McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, it set to succeed Mike Tomlin, whose surprise departure created just the third job opening in Pittsburgh since 1969.

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The monster winter storm has finally moved away, but not before dumping anywhere from 10 to 15 inches of snow from one end of Pennsylvania to the other, resulting in closed schools and businesses, cancelled flights from the state’s major airports, and reduced speeds on the major interstates.

Price was trafficked to truckers by her father along Interstates 80 and 81 until she was about 12 years old. Now a sociologist and published author, she educates law enforcement and sex-trafficking victims' advocates on how to identify signs of sex trafficking and protect survivors.

During the recently concluded Pennsylvania Farm Show, 11 centennial and bicentennial farms were honored by state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and PA Lt. Governor Austin Davis.

The City of York is announcing it will "not" enter into an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The city made the announcement after West York Borough, however, "did" elect to sign an agreement with ICE. Agreements between cities and ICE give state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform functions of immigration officers.

PennDOT is embarking on a major project to refurbish a bridge which carries US Routes 11/15 over the Juniata River between Dauphin and Perry counties.

A Cumberland County-based bank will soon have a new owner. Burke and Herbert Financial Services, based in Alexandria Virgina, has announced plans to acquire Link Bank.

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette employees found out from the paper’s owners earlier this month that the publication plans to shut down at the start of May. Now, a dispute has broken out among members of the paper’s union and other staff members about what to do next.

If all the ice and snow has you down – we may have the antidote: The 197th Philadelphia Flower show opens in about a month and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has a preview of what to expect.

Despite cold, icy and snowy weather, this is the time of year that gardeners and farmers lay the groundwork – so to speak – for the next season’s crops. In Philadelphia, one nonprofit is creatively acquiring and repurposing vacant lots to do just that.

As scientists learn more about the harms of PFAS chemicals and microplastics, researchers are trying to find new ways to remove them from drinking water.

And a deep dive into the potential impact of data centers on the Susquehanna River: Andrew Dehoff, executive director of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission joins us for a conversation about how data centers typically use water, the alternatives, and whether the Susquehanna would be able to support water usage at data centers currently proposed for Central Pennsylvania.

In uncertain times, our community counts on facts, not noise. Support the journalism and programming that keep you informed. Donate now at www.witf.org/givenow. And thank you.

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U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Junior is touting the Trump administration’s new national nutrition guidelines in what he’s calling the “Take Back Your Health Tour.” His first stop — a rally in Pennsylvania’s state Capitol.

Some Democrats say Kennedy himself is a danger to health.

State Senator and registered nurse Maria Collett says Kennedy, blaming most health issues on diet alone, is oversimplifying a complicated issue.

Pittsburghers are interested in learning how to respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence, as the agency ramps up detentions and deportations in major cities. A meeting by an immigrants’ rights groups earlier this week drew hundreds.

An eastern Pennsylvania woman who lost both her husband and son to suicide is now working to increase awareness about the issue, especially now that the holidays are in the rearview mirror.

More than seven in ten public school students in Pennsylvania are enrolled in at least one arts class, according to the Arts Education Data Project. It’s good news, but there are caveats.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Art Association of Harrisburg. Executive Director Carrie Wissler-Thomas recalls the organization's founding by Gertrude Olmsted McCormick in 1926.

Art Association of Harrisburg Marks 100 Years with April Gala at the King Mansion | The Spark

If you're already a member of WITF's Sustaining Circle, you know how convenient it is to support programs like this. By increasing your monthly gift, you can help WITF close the budget gap left by the loss of federal funding. Visit us online at witf.org/increase or become a new Sustaining Circle member at www.witf.org/givenow to help build a sustainable future for WITF and public media. Thank you.

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Pennsylvania lawmakers and consumer advocates are blaming new data centers for rising home energy prices.

A new statewide program is designed to preserve and expand Pennsylvania's supply of affordable rental housing for residents at risk of homelessness.

The State Department of Environmental Protection is encouraging Pennsylvanians to test their homes for radon during Radon Action Month in January.

The federal government is buying a former Schuylkill County distribution center with plans to turn the site into a processing facility for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is considering adding more than 1,100 acres of additional state game land across the state.

Hersheypark is announcing upgrades and expansions to its attractions for 2026. Plans include a new hotel, a new restaurant, and new features at its water park known as The Boardwalk at Hersheypark.

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Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick broke with his party last week when he led a discharge petition to extend healthcare subsidies for three years.

A new online tool is set up, to connect Pennsylvania's SNAP recipients with volunteer opportunities. It's designed to help recipients meet the new federal work and reporting requirements to keep their benefits.

Harrisburg is named number two in the nation for first-time homebuyer affordability, in a new study by Realtors.com. Last year, Harrisburg was in the top spot.

A public forum on Cumberland County's data center development - originally slated for Tuesday (January 20th) is postponed because organizers are searching for a larger venue. The Cumberland County Planning Commission says overwhelming public interest was pushing the event to capacity at a Dickinson College auditorium.

The expansion of broadband across Pennsylvania is on hold, as federal officials miss a self-imposed deadline to review the state's spending plan. That means hundreds of millions of dollars to help fund the expansion are also on hold.

The enhanced tax subsidies that helped millions of Americans pay for their health insurance expired at the end of last year. Thousands of Pennsylvanians are dropping their health coverage and others are seeing their rates skyrocket.

In uncertain times, our community counts on facts, not noise. Support the journalism and programming that keep you informed. Donate now at www.witf.org/givenow. And thank you!

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