PA Local is a weekly newsletter that aims to tell a deeper story about the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and do it in a way that is people-focused, illuminating, and a respite in a punishing news cycle.
PA Local showcases the diversity, creativity, and ingenuity on display in Pennsylvania’s biggest cities as well as vast rural areas often dismissed with the “Pennsyltucky” portmanteau. The commonwealth is varied and idiosyncratic, and so are our subjects.
Since launching the newsletter in February of 2022, we’ve written about the very busy leader of Pittsburgh’s labor choir, the last gay rodeo leaving the state, an alleged FBI doublecross on a fabled trove of Civil War gold, the lively politics around evolving state symbols, and one of the smallest communities in the country to have its own full-size symphony.
In this year’s ONA submissions we journey into the woods with a forager and eco-entrepreneur of color named William Padilla-Brown, introduce readers to 8,000 clay cats recreating Civil War history in Gettysburg, a rural fire company’s historic all-female attack line, the Black country artists buoyed by Beyoncé, and explore Trans Heaven on the Delaware River.
We are enamored with Pennsylvania and constantly surprised by it. PA Local is a way to share that sense of discovery weekly. The newsletter includes a Pennsylvania-focused trivia question, a roundup of must-read and overlooked news stories from other outlets, and a reader-submitted photo.
But the centerpiece is always a profile of people, places, and curiosities meant to inspire a sense of wonderment about the familiar, and a sense of community and commonality in a large state where regionalism reigns.
“PA Local” punches above its weight. It’s a smart entry into a broader conversation about politics across the state. It develops an emotional connection to the people and the issues that matter. It has really good presence to the issues, with a wide range of topics integrated in a compelling way. There’s a bit of fun while keeping people informed, it’s an interactive digest of the news. A great product top to bottom.
