By Tim Lambert | Editor
“Listen, there’s no secret we know where there’s a concentration of people working who are here illegally. So it does not take a rocket scientist to find out where they’re working at.” — Mahoning Township Police Chief Frederick Dyroff III, on his department’s role in an ICE raid in Montour County earlier this month.
A good Saturday morning to you. With the first day of fall arriving on Tuesday, we’re starting to see a lot of community events across the state focused on autumn. Quite a few this weekend are apple festivals — like those in Smicksburg, Reedsville and Mohnton.
Since Ed Sheeran’s tour has made headlines lately, I’ll simply note he is scheduled to take the stage at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia tonight.
Whatever you are up to over the next couple of days, have fun and stay safe.
Thanks for starting your day with us. As always, we deeply appreciate you reading, sharing and supporting our work. -- Tim
A sign at a University of Utah health clinic warns visitors about the spread of measles. (Photo by McKenzie Romero/Utah News Dispatch)
By Natalie Bencivenga
The Week in Focus is a recap of our top stories.
1. Two more measles-related deaths are reported in the state.
2. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling gives Pa. some finality with mail voting.
3. A new report warns what could happen in Pennsylvania if data center growth continues unchecked and electricity supply stays tight.
Hemlock trees in the woods that are part of the Flight 93 crash site. They were marked with spray-paint by searchers in the days and weeks after the crash. This photo is from sometime in 2006. (Photo courtesy of Tim Lambert)
COMMENTARY
By Tim Lambert
Passing through two towering concrete walls, my eyes were focused on the overlook ahead. The expanse of fields of tall grasses, trees and flowers disappeared from view. I reached the end and stood in front of a waist-high glass window, marked with the phrase: “A common field one day. A field of honor forever.”
I was back at the Flight 93 National Memorial.
Instinctively, I glanced up at the blue sky. “It would have passed right over my head,” I thought as I looked out at the green field. A boulder marked the approximate area where United Flight 93 met the earth at more than 560 mph on Sept. 11, 2001. Forty innocent passengers and crew as well as four al-Qaida terrorists lost their lives there.
It was peaceful now. The sound of birds, crickets and cicadas merged as the wind picked up again. The grass had recently been mowed, and 60-foot-tall hemlock trees still stood around the area that’s come to be known as the “bowl.”
Has it really been 25 years since that horrible day?
The American flag flies at the entry to the pathway that leads to the Wall of Names at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania. The visitor center is in the background. (Photo courtesy of Tim Lambert)
By Peter Hall
Twenty-five years after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 into a reclaimed coal mine in Stonycreek Township, the memory of the day is still strong with those who lived through it.
But for around 100 million Americans born after 9/11, and millions more born in the years shortly before, that day that shifted the nation’s course is an abstract day in history.
Stephen Clark, superintendent of the Flight 93 memorial, said that aspect sets it apart from other memorials in the national park system.
“I like to use the word raw,” he said. “It’s as if it just happened yesterday.”
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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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer’s badge is seen as federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court in New York City on June 10, 2025. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
By Ian Karbal
Earlier this month, immigrants’ rights advocacy groups, the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition and the Centre County Rapid Response Network, brought attention to what they were calling the “largest ICE workplace raid in Pennsylvania to date.”
The Capital-Star has not been able to independently verify many of the details, and has received conflicting information from police departments in the county that assisted ICE, advocates and witnesses, including a Geisinger employee and a construction worker who was there the day of the raid.
Altogether, the incident paints a picture of how difficult it can be to get timely and accurate information on ICE activity at this phase of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, which has gained steam since it began last year.
What else were Capital-Star readers clicking on this week?
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