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"It’s also bone, pancreas, brain. You name it — there is growing evidence."

—Linda Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, on how PFAS chemicals affect the body.

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The middle of the Keystone State doesn't lack much in the way of natural beauty, charming towns, and fascinating people. This region is home to the darkest skies east of the Mississippi; tons of hiking trails and scenic views; and Penn State University, one of the largest and most influential employers in the commonwealth.

But what it does lack is sufficient independent investigative and public-service journalism — which is why Spotlight PA has been working for more than a year on a historic effort to rebuild and reinvigorate local news in north-central Pennsylvania.

This summer, we are launching our first regional news bureau — based in State College and reporting on northern and central Pennsylvania. 

When we set out to build the bureau, we knew our communities needed more reporters on the ground. After all, independent, nonpartisan journalism is essential to the health of our region and the strength of our democracy. So we brought together a team with a mix of local experience and outside perspective, varying skill sets, and, most importantly, a commitment to high-quality public-service journalism.

Our team of four journalists will have the time, resources, and mandate to dig deep into the issues of the region. 

Rural affairs reporter Ashad Hajela joins the bureau thanks to Spotlight PA’s first-ever partnership with Report for America (RFA). Ashad covers everyday issues that affect the communities of rural north-central Pennsylvania — including agriculture, climate change, housing, health care, utilities, criminal justice, and education.

Wyatt Massey, an investigative reporter focused on Penn State, previously worked in the Bible Belt as the religion reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press through RFA. Wyatt plans to focus on Penn State's influence on the region and how the university operates internally. 

Local accountability reporter Min Xian has covered state and local government, changing communities, and rural issues in central and northern Pennsylvania for the past five years as a reporter with WPSU. For the bureau, Min is focused on issues like how our tax dollars are spent and how our towns are run.

And I’m Sarah Rafacz, bureau editor and a native of Centre County. I’ve worked in local news in State College for the past seven years, most recently as the editor of State College Magazine. 

We recognize the important responsibility we have as journalists to shine a light on the issues our region faces and to cover those issues with care and determination through a lens of equity.

Whether you live on a farm or in a village, in a college town or a city, you are entitled to reliable information about your community. Everyone should see their lives, triumphs, and challenges reflected in the news. And everyone deserves to be served by a trustworthy watchdog unafraid to expose wrongdoing by people and institutions with influence. —Sarah Rafacz, State College Editor

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