“This is a simple bill designed to separate the real from the fake. With this bill, if you’re a data center developer, you need to apply for electric service and pay for any fees associated with that application before you seek zoning approval.” — Rep. Kyle Donahue (D-Lackawanna), on co-sponsoring a proposal that requires developers to demonstrate their commitment to a data center project before beginning that process.

Good morning and happy Friday. Can we just start the weekend now?

Today marks 20 years since one of the worst tragedies in recent Pennsylvania history occurred. A gunman killed five young girls and wounded five others at the West Nickel Mines Amish School in Lancaster County. He then took his own life. Some members of the Amish community refer to it simply as “the happening.” A little more than two years ago, one of the survivors who was severely wounded died from her injuries at the age of 23.

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Mail-in ballots heading out as voter registration deadline approaches: More than one million Pennsylvanian voters have requested a mail-in ballot ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election, with counties reporting nearly 64,000 returned ballots at the end of September.

Penn State-WHYY deal finalized. A new era begins for WPSU: Central Pennsylvania public broadcasting station, WPSU, is officially separated from Penn State. WPSU is now part of WHYY under an agreement the Philadelphia-based station and Penn State finalized this week.

Voters to weigh different approaches to housing affordability: Four states will decide housing-related ballot measures in November, providing testing grounds for different strategies to boost affordable homes. The six measures across the states are the highest number in a single election year in at least two decades.

Feds provide guidance on new federal K-12 scholarship tax credit: The Education Freedom Tax Credit program allows individuals to claim a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to certain scholarship-granting organizations (known as SGOs) and taxpayers to contribute to an eligible organization regardless of where they live.  

Pennsylvania reports fifth measles-related death: A fifth measles-related death occurred in Pennsylvania, which remains one of the nation’s hot spots for outbreaks. The state Health Department reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that an unvaccinated person in Lancaster County died after testing positive for measles.

Done being silent: As Rep. Liz Hanbidge started promoting her bill to educate and promote health access for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause this week, one fellow lawmaker said he’d support the measure — but wished she’d stop talking about it because “he thinks it’s gross.”

Specter of ‘forever chemicals’ looms over Pa.’s rural communities: The sewage sludge some farmers have applied to their fields for decades is contaminated with PFAS — with serious consequences for drinking water in Columbia County.