By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief
“Starting today, (artificial intelligence) data center developers who want to do business in our commonwealth must respect our communities and abide by these stringent requirements. And if they can’t agree to do that, well, they should stop considering Pennsylvania a home for their project.” — Gov. Josh Shapiro.
A good Wednesday morning to you. With summer winding down, students in some school districts across the state are returning to their classrooms this week (which is crazy to me … because summer started, like, yesterday, right?).
A happy 277th birthday to York County, which was created on this day in 1749. It was the first county west of the Susquehanna River. At the time, only four other counties existed in the state.
Thanks for starting your day with us. As always, we deeply appreciate you reading, sharing and supporting our work. -- Tim
Muncy Township, Lycoming County, is the site of a proposed data center. (Photo by Peter Hall/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Whitney Downard
Using fiery language and describing the companies “recklessly” pushing data centers as “greedy” and “predatory,” Gov. Josh Shapiro distanced himself from project developers after months of mounting pressure to take action.
“Starting today, (artificial intelligence) data center developers who want to do business in our commonwealth must respect our communities and abide by these stringent requirements,” Shapiro said. “And if they can’t agree to do that, well, they should stop considering Pennsylvania a home for their project.”
Shapiro’s executive order signed Tuesday would be “legally binding” under his authority as governor, he told reporters, and directs developers to adhere to previously proposed standards that were introduced as voluntary.
Secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection Jessica Shirley clarified that developers who don’t follow the standards won’t get their permit applications reviewed by the agency until local land use approval are obtained, slowing their progress.
A decades-old pumper truck owned by the Providence Fire Department in Rhode Island, where it’s used for events and ceremonies. Providence is one of dozens of cities accusing fire truck manufacturers of conspiring to suppress the supply of trucks, raising prices and driving up delivery times. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
By Anna Claire Vollers of Stateline
Municipalities and fire departments in Pennsylvania and throughoutthe country are struggling with soaring prices and years-long delivery times for trucks. It’s a crisis many cities and departments lay squarely at the feet of the country’s biggest fire apparatus manufacturers.
“There must come a day of reckoning when the manufacturers of our most important tools are held accountable for runaway pricing and extended delivery times,” Dennis Rubin, the chief of the Kansas City Fire Department, told U.S. senators last fall
Pittsburgh is one of more than 60 cities, counties and fire departments across the nation that say the country’s three biggest fire truck manufacturers have conspired to suppress competition, resulting in skyrocketing prices for fire trucks and repair parts, and yearslong manufacturing delays.
A decade ago, private equity firm American Industrial Partners began buying fire truck manufacturers around the country, eventually rolling them up into one.
Bob Fabina talks with fellow poll workers at Fabina Hall in Johnstown May 19, 2026. Fabina owns the former church hall that dates back to the early 1900s. (Photo by John Beale for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Ian Karbal
In a Bucks County state House race, independent Chris Gambino is fending off a challenge to boot him from the ballot.
While Democratic and Republican candidates vie for places on the ballot through state-funded primary elections, independent and small party candidates must collect signatures and submit nomination papers. Gambino appeared in court to defend his filing Tuesday, but no final ruling was issued.
Gambino told the Capital-Star that he believes the objection to his nomination papers is politically motivated, intended to clear potential competition to major party candidates.
Independent reporting on Pennsylvania's state government that impacts communities statewide — free to read and republish.
We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit newsroom that’s committed to fact-based, contextualized, nuanced and honest reporting on the policies and people shaping our great commonwealth.
Transparency and community service aren’t just goals to us — they’re requirements. Our four reporters and editor-in-chief don’t just cover the news. We cover how state and federal policy decisions affect your school district, your small business, your community and your wallet.
Please consider supporting independent journalism in Pennsylvania by making a one-time gift of $10, $25, $50 or $100. You can also "set it and forget it," by making a monthly contribution between $10 and $50.
Join your friends and neighbors — like Mary from York, Dirk from Scottdale and Thomas from Harrisburg — as donors today.
Freespace Robotics was highlighted at an event for the Innovate in PA 2.0 program on Aug. 14, 2026. The startup developed a modular warehousing system, seen here, which can operate with greater speed and more density that traditional methods. (Photo by David Lance/WESA)
By Rachel McDevitt of WESA
Startup VoxEQ is one of a few companies created with help from Carnegie Foundry in Pittsburgh, which seeks to commercialize the science coming out of universities.
It’s an example of the kind of “innovation economy” that the Shapiro administration is trying to encourage with the Innovate in PA 2.0 program.
Department of Economic and Community Development Secretary Rick Siger said the $125 million made available for the program in the most recent state budget aims to close the gap between invention and commercialization, attract outside investment to the state, and create jobs.
TODAY IN THE CAPITAL-STAR
Violent crime in US fell at record pace in 2025: The estimated murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate also fell 18.1%, to 4.1 killings per 100,000 people — tying the lowest rate recorded since national estimates began. The rate matches those recorded in 1955 and 1956, according to the FBI. The decline across major crime categories was broad.
Refugee admissions on track to hit record low: The U.S. has admitted 10,258 refugees — nearly all of them white South Africans — in the first 10 months of the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. The new numbers reflect a steep decline in refugee admissions since President Donald Trump began his second term.
Mice may drive Lyme disease more than deer: Researchers have been tracking ticks, mice, oak trees and other wildlife in a New York forest to better understand what makes Lyme disease more likely to spread. Their latest findings challenge some long-held assumptions. Pennsylvania is traditionally one of the nation’s high-risk states for Lyme disease.
ICYMI
14 charged in cocaine trafficking ring at two Penn State fraternities: Pennsylvania’s Attorney General says more than a dozen current or former Penn State students at the University Park campus are facing drug trafficking charges. All but one of the 14 people accused of drug trafficking were students at University Park during the multi-year investigation period
Transformer delivery brings TMI restart one step closer to reality: On a hot, muggy day, the long-awaited arrival of a 500,000-pound transformer in Dauphin County signaled “outward, visible progress” of Constellation Energy’s intent to restart nuclear energy generation at the former Three Mile Island plant for the first time in years.
Thanks for reading Morning Guide. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.