WITF News Stories

Dog bites, lipstick, coffee stains and crayon.

Elections officials sometimes receive messy and messed up ballots.

WITF’s Jordan Wilkie has this explainer on how elections officials make sure all votes are counted. 

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Nigerian-born singer-songwriter Soji Otuyelu settled in York, PA in 2011. WITF Music's Joe Ulrich spoke with him about his music, how he met his wife an his passion for soccer.

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The owner of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant says it should be technically easy to restart the plant because all essential equipment is in good condition.

StateImpact Pennsylvania’s Rachel McDevitt reports TMI plans to reopen after sitting idle for 5 years, thanks to a deal with Microsoft to buy the plant’s electricity.

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Tim: Earlier this year, we brought you the story of Centralia, Washington–home to that state’s only coal plant–that made a deal with the state to close…but also to help the community deal with the loss. 

StateImpact Pennsylvania’s Rachel McDevitt reported that story and joins me now to talk about a new project. 

Rachel, remind us why you went to Washington state. 

Rachel: I went to see an example of what happens to a community when it can plan ahead for a big economic disruption in its energy economy. 

The Washington plant made a deal with the state over a decade ago to close by 2025 and to create a 55 million dollar fund to help the community move on to the next thing–whatever that may be. And so far it’s helped small businesses and it’s gotten new energy industries like hydrogen interested in the area. 

But in Pennsylvania, most communities haven’t gotten help, even as the coal industry has declined. 

Tim: Have there been any efforts to help coal communities in Pennsylvania transition?

Rachel: Nothing comprehensive. And the most recent state plan that came from former Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, caused a lot of controversy and is still tied up in a legal fight. 

Tim: That was the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative?

Rachel: Right, Wolf wanted Pennsylvania to join RGGI, which is a program with ten other northeastern states that makes power plants pay for the pollution they emit. So that would make coal plants more expensive to run and make cleaner energy sources more appealing on the electric grid. 

Wolf wanted some of the money raised through RGGI to go to energy communities–places that are losing jobs because of the energy transition–to help them create something new. 

Republican lawmakers and energy groups sued over the program, and so Pennsylvania has never participated or raised any money that could go to coal communities. And that leaves those places pretty much on their own. 

Tim: You just visited one such energy community–Homer City in Indiana County, which lost its plant last year. What did you find?

Rachel: Homer City now has to deal with a loss of a major industry, and the legacy of that industry. The borough manager wants to pivot to a more recreation, nature based economy, but first, he needs to clean up the waterways that are polluted from a century of coal mining. 

Tim: Definitely sounds like a big challenge. Let’s listen to your report. 

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1.7 million Pennsylvania voters are approved to vote by-mail, and about a third of them have already returned ballots.

WITF’s Jordan Wilkie explains how to legally get mail-in votes back to elections offices.

This story is part of an explanatory series focused on Pennsylvania elections produced collaboratively by WITF's democracy reporter Jordan Wilkie and The Associated Press.

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To vote on or before Election Day, citizens have to register by October 21st.  
WITF’s Katie Knol has this explainer on voter registration and maintenance. 

To register, request a mail-in ballot, or answer any election questions, go to Vote.pa.gov. 

 This story is part of an explanatory series focused on Pennsylvania elections produced collaboratively by WITF's democracy reporter Jordan Wilkie and The Associated Press.

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A Christian nationalist preacher brings his tour to Harrisburg making stops at state capitols on the way to Washington D.C. One New Testament scholar, who attended the event, questions if it fits with Christianity's message and the threat the movement poses to democracy.

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Poll workers are on the front lines across Pennsylvania on election day -- from the time voting begins until well past the deadline for ballots to be cast. Their main responsibilities are to check-in voters and maintain a safe, secure and efficient polling place or precinct. As part of Election 2024 coverage centered around listening to Central Pennsylvanians, we gathered together a group of six poll workers and judges of elections to hear about their experiences.

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Voters across Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York counties have new information about their 10th congressional district candidates. The positions were laid out by Democratic Party challenger Janelle Stelson and Republican Party incumbent Scott Perry. The debate occurred Tuesday October 8, 2024 at WHTM ABC27 in Harrisburg.

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More than 20,000 Pennsylvanians living abroad or serving in the military have applied to vote by mail. 

WITF’s Jordan Wilkie details  the special accommodations made for them.

 This story is part of an explanatory series focused on Pennsylvania elections produced collaboratively by WITF's democracy reporter Jordan Wilkie and The Associated Press.

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