Min Xian of Spotlight PA State College

Pa. Local Governments Want Long-Term State Money for Cybersecurity as Federal Grant Fills the Gap

Federal cybersecurity funding included in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal isn’t enough to help local governments keep up with rising costs, officials say.

How to Judge the Effectiveness of Your Local Government in Pennsylvania

Local governments in Pennsylvania are given certain powers to serve the public, but the services they provide vary widely by municipality.

DuBois Paid More Than $307,000 in Legal Fees Related to City Manager Corruption Investigation, Records Show

A version of this story first appeared in Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA’s State College regional bureau featuring the most important news and happenings in […]

Pa. Voters Play Little Role in Choosing Who Fills Vacant Municipal Offices

When a seat on a municipal governing board is vacant in Pennsylvania, the public has little to no say in who fills it — a situation that’s played out at least 28 times from 2020 to 2022 in Centre County.

How Local Government Works: A Key Factor in Determining Property Taxes Varies Wildly Across Pennsylvania

How much 1 mil in taxes brings a municipality differs widely all over the state. That has serious implications for municipalities’ budgets.

Big Bonuses, Vast Powers and Corruption Charges: 5 Takeaways from an Investigation into DuBois’ Herm Suplizio

A Spotlight PA investigation delved into how suspended DuBois City Manager Herm Suplizio ended up at the center of one of the most sweeping political corruption cases in recent years in Pennsylvania.