iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

The board for the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust is meeting now. Info to view virtually is available here. www.paopioidtrust.org/meetings/202...

paopioidtrust.org

Pennsylvania Opioid Trust - 20250821 Public Board of Trustees' Meeting

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Big fay: I have TWO photos in Spotlight PA’s weekday newsletter. One was for a news article. The other was inspired by my kids’ obsession with the “Hamilton” soundtrack.

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Asha Prihar @ashaprihar.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Pennsylvanians: Do you know someone who deserves recognition for doing good in their PA community? Nominate them to be featured in our monthly PA Local Heroes series! You can submit their name & a few lines about them here: forms.gle/9WBuEgLrTkxS... Examples of some previous profiles in thread 🧵

forms.gle

PA Local Heroes nomination form

Know a person in your community who deserves some praise? Let us help. Spotlight PA is spotlighting one community do-gooder each month with a feature, sponsored by Ballard Spahr, in our PA Local newsl...

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Aneri Pattani @aneripattani.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Great reporting out of West Virginia - by great student journalists - about where opioid settlement money is going in a state that's long been considered the epicenter of the opioid and overdose crisis.

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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

As the Senate passes unprecedented Medicaid cuts, my colleague Sarah Gantz profiled five Philly-area families who are worried about affording food, medications, and mental health services going forward: www.inquirer.com/health/medic...

inquirer.com

The ‘big, beautiful bill’ is poised to cut Medicaid. Here’s what’s at stake for five Philly-area families.

Medicaid insures one in four Pennsylvania residents, and it is poised for cuts under President Donald Trump’s first major policy package, “The Big Beautiful Bill."

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

One of Jessica Berry's overdoses ended up in a news article, she said, and some of the online comments questioned why people like her were even worth saving. “It really broke my heart,” she said. “But it also lit a fire in me.” www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/06...

spotlightpa.org

Real stories of recovery shape Spotlight PA’s addiction reporting.

How Spotlight PA used community conversations, a survey, and data tools to elevate public voices in Pennsylvania’s opioid settlement rollout.

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Drew Hawkins @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

Tons of great stories in here — guarantee you’ll get some ideas! Great working on this with @edmahon.bsky.social and @aneripattani.bsky.social

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

A big list of 30 opioid settlement story ideas and 30 other public health story ideas: docs.google.com/spreadsheets... I created this with @aneripattani.bsky.social and @wadrewhawkins.bsky.social .

docs.google.com

60 opioid settlement and other public health story ideas - (IRE)

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

I've written about efforts to increase oversight of medical marijuana laboratories and doctors in Pennsylvania. State Sen. Dan Laughlin (R., Erie) has proposed an arguably bigger change. www.palegis.us/senate/co-sp...

palegis.us

Senate Co-Sponsorship Memo 46264 Information; 2025-2026 Regular Session - PA State Senate

View the details of the Co-Sponsorship Memo, including the subject, who circulated it, and whether it has become PA Legislation.

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Stephen Caruso @stephenjcaruso.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

New weight loss drugs like Ozempic for Medicaid patients are projected to cost PA $1.3 billion this year. To cut costs, the Shapiro admin plans to limit access next month. But some House lawmakers have another idea -- negotiate with drug companies. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/06...

spotlightpa.org

Low-income Pennsylvanians may lose access to weight loss drugs

The Shapiro administration's plan would limit Ozempic access under Medicaid to save costs. Not everyone is on board.

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

I’m presenting at the PA Prevention Conference today. My family drove up with me. (They are sightseeing in State College now.) Before we split up for the day, my 8-year-old son asked, “What if you mess up 15 times?”

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Pa. opioid trust meeting happening now. Discussion happening now regarding this agenda item: "Presentation by Penn State re: Pennsylvania Opioid Settlement Data Website." Link to the full agenda is here: www.paopioidtrust.org/getmedia/1d4...

paopioidtrust.org

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Aneri Pattani @aneripattani.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

‪Very excited to present @IRE_NICAR next month with @edmahon.bsky.social‬ & Drew Hawkins! We'll be sharing 60 rapid-fire ideas for stories on opioid settlement money & public health topics in 60 minutes. You'll walk away with inspiration for quick turns, features & investigations.

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

“I don’t think it was the intention of the General Assembly for us to have a de facto legalization program, and I’m concerned that that’s what we have set up with the lack of oversight of the medical marijuana program,” said state Rep. Arvind Venkat, a Democrat and physician. shorturl.at/Ebxu4

spotlightpa.org

PA bill targets ‘extraordinary’ medical marijuana certifications

Bipartisan legislation, prompted by Spotlight PA investigations, would strengthen the PA health department's ability to regulate medical marijuana doctors.

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Emily Rizzo @emilykrizzo.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Mayor Parker's administration is ending a community-led grant program funded by opioid settlement dollars. It allowed residents to decide where money flowed in the neighborhood. www.kensingtonvoice.com/en/parker-ad...

kensingtonvoice.com

Parker administration ends community-led opioid settlement grants, leaving Kensington programs in limbo

The Overdose Prevention and Community Healing Fund, or Prevention Fund, used a community-led grantmaking process to distribute $3.1 million to 43 organizations in 2024.

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Danielle Ohl @dtohl.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

So, I decided to get my own. Today, @spotlightpa.bsky.social is publishing data on all commutations votes taken since 2000. As you'll see, it's somewhat incomplete. But I'm hoping to bring you more soon! For now, happy Sunshine Week! www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/03...

spotlightpa.org

Spotlight PA makes 25 years of state commutation votes public

PA’s Board of Pardons makes life-changing decisions with little transparency. Spotlight PA is making 25 years of commutation votes available for the first time.

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Aneri Pattani @aneripattani.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Creative & informative tool from @spotlightpa.bsky.social that let's you be the decision-maker on opioid settlement funds. Will you make the same choices that the state council that oversees the money in Pennsylvania has so far?

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

We launched a new tool today as part of our ongoing coverage of opioid settlement money. I'm really excited for this one. It puts you (and the rest of the public) in the role of a decision-maker. Give it a try: www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/03...

spotlightpa.org

Pa. opioid settlement money: How should it be spent?

Use our interactive tool to share your views on what types of spending should be approved for Pennsylvania’s opioid settlement funds.

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Fun day to be in the Capitol.

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Danielle Ohl @dtohl.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

In Pennsylvania, applying for commutation of a life sentence is kind of like playing the lottery. Only 17 women have received it in half a century. In 2023, Gail Stallworth thought she'd beat the odds. But what would happen to her was rarer still. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/03...

spotlightpa.org

How a PA woman’s rare 2nd chance at freedom was reversed

Gail Stallworth thought her life sentence for murder would be commuted until an unheard-of revote. Advocates say the PA Board of Pardons lacks transparency.

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Katie Meyer @katiemeyer.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Starting an account over here! And sharing a new story I think is important. Clergy abuse survivors are still waiting for Pennsylvania to let them sue. One man recently told me he worries he won't live to see justice. "These people are getting away with it.” www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/02...

spotlightpa.org

Child sex abuse survivors wait for PA lawmakers to act

Survivors of clergy abuse are still waiting for justice as PA lawmakers stall on a long-promised legal fix.

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

I'm at a Department of Health budget hearing today. State senators have asked several questions related to Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program, including about the doctor certification data that Spotlight PA won access to in court. (More details to follow.)

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Many thanks to WITF's Rachel McDevitt for having me on the Morning Agenda podcast to talk about the debate over using opioid settlement money to boost child welfare worker salaries. You can listen here: omny.fm/shows/the-mo...

omny.fm

Limited coverage for weight loss drugs; Counties using opioid settlement money to fund child welfare

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

In 2022, as opioid settlement money was starting to reach local governments in Pennsylvania, officials in rural Cameron County reached out to the state attorney general's office for guidance.

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Legislation prompted by a series of Spotlight PA investigations into the state's medical marijuana program is moving through the Pennsylvania legislature, passing out of the House Health Committee earlier this week.

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Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press @rcfp.org · 16/01/2025

@spotlightpa.bsky.social found that a small group of doctors in Pennsylvania approve an outsize share of the state’s medical marijuana cards. It’s the third story based largely on records that @edmahon.bsky.social obtained with free legal support from an RCFP attorney.

rcfp.org

Spotlight PA investigates doctor approval of medical marijuana cards in Pennsylvania

It’s the third data-driven investigation based on records Spotlight PA obtained through successful litigation with free legal support from an RCFP attorney.

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Danielle Ohl @dtohl.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

A statement of solidarity from our founder and CEO, Chris Baxter. A respectful, productive bargaining table is possible — don't let them tell you any different! www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

linkedin.com

Christopher Baxter on LinkedIn: One of my greatest accomplishments with Spotlight PA in 2024 was something…

One of my greatest accomplishments with Spotlight PA in 2024 was something you've probably heard nothing about — until now. Together with our incredible…

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Zuri Berry @zuriberry.com · 11/01/2025

When I stopped posting on X, I didn’t announce it. I just stopped posting. That was almost two years ago. When I stopped posting on Facebook every day after the 2016 election, same deal. IG? Same deal. Not this time. I’m going to pull back on all Meta products. Here’s why. 🧵

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Attorney Paula Knudsen Burke: "The investigations that have resulted from the release of these records clearly illustrate why it is so important for journalists and news organizations to fight back when government agencies try to withhold information from the public." www.rcfp.org/spotlight-pa...

rcfp.org

Spotlight PA investigates doctor approval of medical marijuana cards in Pennsylvania

It’s the third data-driven investigation based on records Spotlight PA obtained through successful litigation with free legal support from an RCFP attorney.

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

An update on my 2024 resolutions. I solved it.

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Our latest investigation into Pennsylvania's medical marijuana industry looks at why some doctors approve more than 5K, and in a few cases, more than 10K medical marijuana cards a year. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2024/12...

spotlightpa.org

Small group of PA docs approve a third of medical marijuana cards

Records obtained by Spotlight PA through a court victory have sparked debate over state oversight and the quality of medical care

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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Kensington’s Willard Elementary School is getting its first playground. It’s also getting something less whimsical: a bullet-resistant fence. Both have an unusual funding source: drug companies. www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

chalkbeat.org

How Philly schools battered by the opioid crisis are using a financial settlement

Amid a devastating drug epidemic in the Kensington neighborhood, one principal at a local public school said kids there “don’t have basic human rights.” But educators hope money from a legal settlemen...

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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

A bill that would restrict where mobile medical services can operate in Kensington advanced out of a Philly city council committee yesterday -- after heated exchanges with addiction service providers who say the bill will make it harder to help people with addiction: www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

inquirer.com

Philly lawmakers advanced a bill to restrict where mobile addiction services operate in Kensington following heated hearing

The bills aims to keep mobile units off of residential streets and prohibits them from operating close to one another.

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USC Center for Health Journalism @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

A new database from Spotlight PA makes it easier to track how Pennsylvania counties are spending tens of millions from their first rounds of opioid settlement payments, reports 2024 Data Fellow @edmahon.bsky.social. centerforhealthjournalism.org/our-work/rep...

centerforhealthjournalism.org

New database tracks how 10s of millions in opioid settlement dollars are being spent in Pennsylvania

A new database from Spotlight PA makes it easier to track how Pennsylvania counties are spending tens of millions from their first rounds of opioid settlement payments.

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

What do Philadelphia and Somerset County in southwestern Pennsylvania have in common? They're both fighting for more freedom over how to spend opioid settlement money. My latest: www.spotlightpa.org/news/2024/11...

spotlightpa.org

Disputes grow over PA’s opioid settlement spending

Somerset County and Philadelphia are fighting decisions made by a powerful state oversight board to reject their spending plans.

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Ed Mahon @edmahon.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

In Harrisburg, where members of a powerful state oversight board are considering whether counties appropriately spent opioid settlement money.

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Stephen Caruso @stephenjcaruso.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

Young journalists! Do want to learn how to cover government and politics from those who do it every day? And want to make money while doing it? Then apply for the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents' Association internship for the summer of 2025:

buff.ly

PLCA Interships

The Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents' Association (PLCA) offers paid summer journalism internships to two college students or recent graduates.

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