Sarah Rafacz

State College

State College Bureau Editor at Spotlight PA

State College editor @SpotlightPA | proud @DailyCollegian grad | she/her

Articles

Centre Gives: Support investigative journalism in PA

May 8, 2024 | spotlightpa.org | Sarah Rafacz |Maggie Messitt |Marley Parish |Min Xian

Almost two years ago, Spotlight PA announced a historic local expansion of our award-winning investigative and public-service journalism — starting with our first regional bureau based in State College. The results have been astounding, but there is much more to do. We’ve exposed systemic problems in Penn State’s misconduct reporting structure, resulting in improved transparency. We’ve delved into how rural communities are served (or not) by state agencies and lawmakers.
Donate to Spotlight PA State College during Centre Gives to power vital journalism in Centre County

May 8, 2024 | centredaily.com | Sarah Rafacz

Almost two years ago, Spotlight PA announced a historic local expansion of our award-winning investigative and public-service journalism - starting with our first regional bureau based in State College. The results have been astounding, but there is much more to do. We've exposed systemic problems in Penn State's misconduct reporting structure, resulting in improved transparency. We've delved into how rural communities are served (or not) by state agencies and lawmakers.
Donate to Spotlight PA State College During Centre Gives to Power Vital Journalism in Centre County

May 8, 2024 | statecollege.com | Sarah Rafacz

Almost two years ago, Spotlight PA announced a historic local expansion of our award-winning investigative and public-service journalism — starting with our first regional bureau based in State College. The results have been astounding, but there is much more to do. We’ve exposed systemic problems in Penn State’s misconduct reporting structure, resulting in improved transparency. We’ve delved into how rural communities are served (or not) by state agencies and lawmakers.
Spotlight PA, News Lab at Penn State launch community-based program to keep tabs on local elected leaders

Dec 21, 2023 | centredaily.com | Maggie Messitt |Sarah Rafacz

Public participation is crucial to democracy. Elected officials need to hear from the people who live in their communities to make informed decisions that benefit everyone. While an abundance of news sources makes it easy to have an opinion about what's happening in national politics, it's the decisions made by local governments that directly affect our everyday lives. But keeping up with your local government's various boards and commissions might not be the easiest thing to do.
Spotlight PA, PSU News Lab launch Centre Documenters

Dec 20, 2023 | spotlightpa.org | Maggie Messitt |Sarah Rafacz |Christopher Baxter |Marley Parish

Public participation is crucial to democracy. Elected officials need to hear from the people who live in their communities to make informed decisions that benefit everyone. While an abundance of news sources makes it easy to have an opinion about what’s happening in national politics, it’s the decisions made by local governments that directly affect our everyday lives. But keeping up with your local government’s various boards and commissions might not be the easiest thing to do.
Energy Transfer’s pipeline pollution cost at least $42M

Nov 16, 2023 | spotlightpa.org | Marley Parish |Sarah Rafacz

This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — A year after the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office secured $10 million to restore private waterways polluted during the construction of the Mariner East II pipeline, little of the money has flowed toward affected residents.
Lyme disease cases tied to PA forest fragmentation

Nov 12, 2023 | spotlightpa.org | Marley Parish |Sarah Rafacz |Ashad Hajela

This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. HOUSERVILLE — Pennsylvania leads the nation in Lyme disease cases, and the continued development of forested areas increases people’s risk of being bitten by the species of tick that transmits the illness.
How a PA Wilds remote work program measures success

Oct 26, 2023 | spotlightpa.org | Marley Parish |Sarah Rafacz |Ashad Hajela

This story first appeared in Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA’s State College regional bureau featuring the most important news and happenings in north-central Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. BELLEFONTE — A publicly funded initiative that pays out-of-area workers to temporarily live in the Pennsylvania Wilds with the goal of them becoming permanent residents is looking inward as it enters its third year.
Injection well process draws ire of rural PA township

Oct 18, 2023 | spotlightpa.org | Marley Parish |Sarah Rafacz |Ashad Hajela |Wyatt Massey

This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. BELLEFONTE — An oil and gas company recently withdrew its application to inject liquids deep underground in rural Clara Township, a win for officials and residents who feared groundwater pollution and health risks.
PA parks get $112M toward $1.4B backlog

Sep 28, 2023 | spotlightpa.org | Marley Parish |Sarah Rafacz |Ashad Hajela |Wyatt Massey

This story first appeared in Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA’s State College regional bureau featuring the most important news and happenings in north-central Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. BELLEFONTE — Pennsylvania lawmakers set aside $112 million to sustain and improve state parks and forests in this year’s budget, one of the commonwealth’s most significant investments in outdoor infrastructure in decades.