We’ve been covering how Pennsylvania’s data center expansion is playing out statewide, from town councils to Harrisburg, to the backyards of homeowners fighting back against data centers encroaching on their properties.

While a new Quinnipiac University poll shows an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians oppose data center development in their communities, some are quite literally opening their doors to developers looking to build out the massive facilities on their land that store data, crunch numbers, and run artificial intelligence—and walking away multi-millionaires.

This story from the Wall Street Journal highlights how 96 families in Salem Township, Luzerne County, collectively sold about 1,700 acres to data-center developer Quality Technology Services, which is owned by the investment firm Blackstone. The families sold for an average of $330,000 an acre and earned $5.5 million on average. The total sale price was $586 million.

These newly minted NEPA millionaires were hardly all land barons who cashed in sprawling expanses of property for, in the eyes of many of their neighbors, filthy data center lucre. From the story:

“Some sellers were of modest means. Several lived in double-wide trailers. Others were successful small-business owners and professionals. One was a felon who embezzled money from the bank where she worked. Another was a hard-rock drummer. To celebrate the haul, the sellers printed T-shirts: ‘1 DEAL OF A LIFETIME.’”

They might not be the last residents in the area to strike it rich from the data center boom. The WSJ reports that another 200 land owners nearby are in the process of negotiating a $1.3 billion deal.

You can keep track of data center development in your community through the independent Data Center Ledger.

Patrick Berkery

Senior Newsletter Editor, The Keystone

The number of responses for last week’s QOTW—How confident are you that Pennsylvania’s election process is fair and secure?—was unprecedented. We’ve never had anything close to this many responses previously. Not even close.

They continue to pour in, so we’re keeping the dialogue going this week. Here’s what you’re saying about election security in Pennsylvania:

“The elections are extremely fair. I have no doubt about this. I have longtime friends who have been working at the polls for years. The process is very smooth and I have total confidence in the committed workers. They’re friendly, helpful, and handle themselves professionally.” — Susann W., Bucks County

“There’s zero evidence of any widespread voter fraud, etc. Facts are stubborn things, and it’s a fact that elections are not rigged. If it’s so rigged against the GOP, how do they end up winning so many elections? If it’s so rigged then where is the evidence? I’ve yet to see a shred of evidence of widespread fraud. The only people who think it’s rigged are folks who blindly follow Trump and listen to every word he says without question.” — Jack Port, Mechanicsburg

“To think that our election process in the US is secure is ridiculous, let alone just Pa. I watched the numbers flip on the 2020 election in real time. Others have also recorded this. There is so much proof that has been accumulated. I delivered this research to the Erie County Board of Elections, the sheriff’s office, and the Erie County legislature. Nothing was ever done about it.” — Danielle M.

“I am confident in Pa.’s election process. It just seems funny that certain people question it when they lose. I do believe (President Trump) will do everything in his power to sow disbelief enough for elections to disappear. These actions against the people need to stop.” — Joni Horne, New Bridgeville

“I think the election process is safe and fair. However it would not hurt to require an ID. (But) the ID must be free and easy to get. Perhaps a mobile truck could go to (rural) places.” — Tom, Easton

“Our elections have always been secure in Pa. I’ve been voting since I turned 18 in Pa. and lived in different areas including many areas where businesses employed seasonal workers for decades and in all the different places I voted I never saw an influx of immigrants flooding in to vote. Typical Republican mantra: Tell a lie enough times and eventually people will believe it. And as usual the few voter fraud convictions have been Republicans.” — John Six, Central Pa.

You can find many more reader responses in this story. Let us know below how you feel about election security in Pa. Don’t forget to include where you live!

TELL US: How confident are you that Pennsylvania’s election process is fair and secure?

• US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday unveiled the party’s Fighting for an Affordable America agenda during a Bethlehem campaign rally for congressional candidate Bob Brooks. Get the story here.

• Rabbi Jeffrey Myers is retiring as spiritual leader of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, a position he had assumed just over a year before the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history unfolded at the synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018. Myers speaks about the struggle in the wake of the shooting that left 11 congregants dead in this story.

• As the fifth-oldest state in the country, Pennsylvania’s need for long-term care services is growing. The new state budget provides support for nursing homes, but advocates say more work needs to be done. Get the details here.

Finally…

Purple amethyst can be found in a number of places across Pennsylvania. (Tatiana Diuvbanova/Shutterstock)

With the state’s vast coal mines and the country’s first oil well (in Titusville, Crawford County), Pennsylvania has been known for its natural resources for centuries. But did you know that our state’s natural resources extend into rocks, gemstones, and other minerals that you can collect?

Pennsylvania’s varied geology, thanks to the Appalachian Mountains, makes it ideal for the hobby of rockhounding—that is, amateur rock collecting. Our food and travel writer Kalena Thomhave has put together this handy guide to help you get started collecting rocks, crystals, gemstones, fossils, and minerals in your local area and across the commonwealth.