In just over a week, our country turns 250. Leading up to America’s milestone birthday, we’re going to highlight the commonwealth’s rich history and the key role many Pennsylvanians have played in shaping our country.

Because of all this history, and with Pennsylvania one of the original 13 colonies, some of the cities and towns in our state are pretty old. Of course, many Native American communities existed in Pennsylvania before colonial settlement; their influence helped chart the course of some of the cities and towns that still exist today.

In this story, our Kalena Thomhave highlights the origin stories of eight of the oldest towns and cities in Pennsylvania, dating back to 1682. You can visit all of these communities today, though they do look pretty different after hundreds of years.

And Ashley Adams has the story behind the Pa. towns that were named after the nine Declaration of Independence signatories from Pennsylvania. Fun fact: there are more than a dozen municipalities and one county named after the best-known Pennsylvania signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin.

Check out Ashley’s story here.

Fireworks above Subaru Park in Chester before the start of action between the Philadelphia Union and New England Revolution, Nov. 24, 2020 (USA Today via Reuters Connect)

If you like to light up the sky with fireworks on the Fourth of July, you should know that there are laws governing their usage in Pennsylvania.

You should also be aware of the safety risks involved. The National Fire Protection Association estimated that fireworks caused approximately 32,302 fires and $142 million in direct property damage in 2024.

We’ve got the details on Pennsylvania’s fireworks laws, along with safety tips below.

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• The state House passed two bills Wednesday regarding data center development: one that would give township leaders the option to pause new data center applications, and another that sets up Gov. Josh Shapiro’s package of voluntary guidelines and incentives for developers to become law if the state Senate agrees. Get the details here.

• In other data center news, state Rep. Joshua Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) is proposing a bill that would give older Pa. residents living near data centers a break on their property taxes. Learn more about it in this story.

• In the Lehigh Valley’s US House race, voters will decide between Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie, who has a long track record of supporting anti-union legislation, and Democrat Bob Brooks, a retired 20-year firefighter and union leader. Sean Kitchen breaks down why political forecasters consider Mackenzie one of the most vulnerable lawmakers in the country in this story.

Strawberry moon. (Shutterstock)

This coming Monday’s Strawberry Moon (which will reach peak illumination at 7:56 p.m.) kicks off a summer in which stargazers can expect the Pennsylvania sky to glow with full moons, meteor showers, an eclipse, and more.

We’ve got the details on when these celestial events are happening, and how you can experience each one right here.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Patrick Berkery with stories from Ashley Adams, Kalena Thomhave, Sean Kitchen, USA Today via Reuters Connect, and Peter Hall of the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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