By Tim Lambert | Editor
“The majority of [new clients] that we’ve spoken to and asked these questions are people who have had their SNAP either cut or taken away completely. Most of them are working, and they just can’t make ends meet between their income and the price of gas.” — Anne Eagan, executive director of the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank, on rising demand for assistance that Pennsylvania food banks are experiencing.
A good Saturday morning to you. Time to take a deep breath and settle into the weekend. Our staff is in the process of leaving our old digs and moving into a new office space. The Capital-Star will still be in Harrisburg, but just a few blocks farther away from the Capitol. We’ll have more details in the Morning Guide next week.
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport, The International Championship is set for 12:30 p.m. and features Pariba LL from Curaçao vs. Joto LL of Japan. The U.S. Championship is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. with Paseo Verde LL from Nevada taking on Ohio’s West Side LL.
The winners will meet tomorrow for the LLBWS title.
Thanks for starting your day with us. As always, we deeply appreciate you reading, sharing and supporting our work. -- Tim
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in March, 2025 (Photo by Ian Karbal/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Natalie Bencivenga
The Week in Focus is a recap of our top stories.
Food banks in Pennsylvania struggle to keep up with demand amid SNAP cuts.
Pennsylvania reports the nation’s first measles-related deaths of 2026.
Big Tech is getting a bill from Pa. for what its negative impacts on kids.
Bridges across the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh (Photo by Peter Hall/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Ian Karbal
A report found rivers and streams across Pennsylvania are testing positive for harmful levels of the bacteria E. coli, which spreads through fecal matter.
The nonprofit PennEnvironment found that at 55% of 653 monitoring sites, levels of E. coli reached potentially unsafe levels for swimmers in 2024 and 2025. Nearly 40% of testing sites tested positive for unsafe levels of the bacteria on at least one-quarter of the days they were tested.
E. coli is especially harmful for swimmers. It can cause gastrointestinal illness, respiratory disease and infections of the skin, ears and eyes. But the report notes that bacteria can be harmful for people engaging in other recreational activities like fishing, boating or paddling.
Independent reporting on Pennsylvania state government that impacts communities statewide — free to read and republish.
Amid fluctuating gas prices, economic uncertainty and rising costs for things like groceries and electricity, we know how important it is to make every dollar count.
So, we understand if you are facing a tight budget and aren’t able to make a gift to the Capital-Star at this time.
But if you are able to invest today, you will be helping to keep your fellow Pennsylvanians educated and informed about issues impacting our great commonwealth — from data centers to the election to healthcare.
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Inside the Pennsylvania Capitol building in downtown Harrisburg on October 14, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
FOLO PA PODCAST
By Emily Previti
About 80 data center projects are in the works throughout Pennsylvania. They’re at various stages: from preliminary exploration when land hasn’t yet been acquired, up to construction being underway.
And public reaction tends to be strong where the facilities have been proposed.
Peter Hall recently published a story based on his reporting in three future, prospective or would-be host communities in the commonwealth, published a story and made time to talk more about it on this episode.
What else were Capital-Star readers clicking on this week?
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