A little more than a year ago, we increased the publishing schedule of The Keystone’s flagship newsletter from three days a week to five.

Beginning today, we’re going back to three days a week. Here’s why:

On our end, we’re a small operation. Everyone here wears several hats. In addition to writing and editing this newsletter each day, I’m responsible for writing stories for our website, creating content for our social channels, and producing special edition newsletters. There’s also my passion project: writing and editing Pizzavania, our twice-monthly newsletter highlighting the best in Pennsylvania pizza (you can subscribe here). Going back to three days a week allows me to put more focus and intentionality into each of my responsibilities. In other words, I’m not racing to finish every assignment like (what’s left of) my hair is on fire.

Your feedback also factored significantly in this decision. Many readers have told us that between the glut of email clogging up their inboxes and life getting in the way, they don’t always have the bandwidth to devote to opening and reading through our newsletter each weekday. And given that we cover a broad spectrum of beats for a very large state, we’ve learned that not everything is of interest to everyone, prompting readers to click the ‘trash’ icon if what’s in that day’s newsletter doesn’t concern them.

By going from sending five newsletters a week to three, we hope to make each edition more useful to more Pennsylvanians, with increased focus on the things that matter most in your community.

As always, we welcome your feedback and ideas as we enter this new phase of The Keystone newsletter.

To those who celebrate, happy early National Beer Day, which falls on Tuesday. 

Pennsylvania is a very appropriate place to celebrate. According to the most recent statistics from the Brewers Association, there were 533 craft breweries in the state as of 2024—three times the amount there were just over a decade ago—good for third most in the US. Those breweries produced more than 2.6 million barrels of beer in 2024, the second most in the country.

On top of that, we’ve got the oldest brewery in America in Pottsville’s D.G. Yuengling & Son, lots of small town craft breweries, and great beer scenes in cities like Pittsburgh and Lancaster.

Since we’re clearly a beer-positive state, and National Beer Day is nigh, we’d like to know: What’s your favorite Pennsylvania beer?

I’m going with the Sunshine Pilsner from Hershey-based Tröegs.

What made-in-Pa. beer do you like the most? Reply with your answer and please let us know where you live!

Signs on the entrance ramp in Gibsonia, Pa., indicate to motorists the methods being used to collect tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

The next time you’re cruising through the E-ZPass lane on the Pennsylvania turnpike, think about this: Toll evaders have cheated the commonwealth out of $200 million, with one unpaid toll tab linked to a vehicle in Montgomery County totaling more than $116,000.

That would explain why the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the Pennsylvania State Police, and state lawmakers are cracking down on drivers who evade paying turnpike tolls. 

Learn about the statewide efforts to crack down on toll scofflaws, along with stats on some of the other astronomical unpaid toll tabs in Pa., and which counties owe the most in unpaid tolls.

• Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped in January to 4.3% as the number of nonfarm jobs in the commonwealth set a new record, according to a preliminary report released Friday by the state Department of Labor & Industry. Get the details here. 

• Despite 19 counties losing residents, Pennsylvania has gained more than 50,000 residents since 2020. Find out what else new Census estimates show about Pennsylvania’s population in this story.

• Newly obtained police reports give Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree’s version of what happened when a student protest turned violent when he arrived on scene in February. Learn about his version of events in this report.

Gannon Golden Knights guard Pace Prosser (22) yells in excitement Sunday, April 5, 2026, during the NCAA DII men’s basketball championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)

These are heady times for sports in western Pa., what with the NFL draft coming to Pittsburgh later this month, and 19-year-old rookie sensation Konnor Griffin arriving in the midst of the Pirates’ five-game (and counting) winning streak. 

And then there’s the men’s basketball team at Erie’s Gannon University winning the first NCAA title in program history. The Golden Knights defeated Lander University in Indianapolis Saturday to capture the NCAA Division II National Championship.

“The university deserves it,” Gannon coach Easton Bazzoli said to CBS sports. “They care. We have unique people in Erie. These guys get the opportunity to represent all of them, and it means the world. We have got incredible support, alumni, and family. They get to put Gannon on the map a little bit bigger, and the university and these guys deserve it.”

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Patrick Berkery with stories from Kalena Thomhave,  Sean Kitchen, The Associated Press, USA Today via Reuters Connect, and Whitney Downard of the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. It was edited by Brook Bolen.

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