Connect with us

Pennsylvania

Why lawmakers want to bring ‘community solar’ to Pennsylvania

Published

on

Why lawmakers want to bring ‘community solar’ to Pennsylvania


This story is part of the WHYY News Climate Desk, bringing you news and solutions for our changing region.

From the Poconos to the Jersey Shore to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, what do you want to know about climate change? What would you like us to cover? Get in touch.


In Pennsylvania, more solar panels are installed on the roofs of homes and in utility-scale solar farms each year.

But an increasingly popular third model — which boosters say “democratizes” solar energy — has yet to get off the ground.

Advertisement

At least 24 states, including Delaware and New Jersey, have passed legislation enabling a type of solar energy development known as community solar. For years, state lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to add Pennsylvania to this list. With more federal incentives available for solar development through Biden’s 2022 climate bill, proponents say now is the time.

“I don’t want this money to just go to large industry that is looking to do solar,” said state Rep. Peter Schweyer (D-Allentown).  “I want to make sure everybody gets at least a bite of the apple.”

What is community solar?

While traditional residential rooftop solar is owned or leased by a single household, electricity from a community solar project is shared by several customers, known as subscribers.

“Community solar allows them to pool their money together and invest in a solar system, normally on a parking structure, empty lot — anywhere really that’s available,” said Moises Morales, who supervised the installation of community solar projects in Washington, D.C. and now works as lead instructor at solar installation and training company Solar States in Philly. “It allows them to buy in and then share the benefits.”

A community solar installation does not need to be located right where its subscribers live.

Advertisement

“The power [subscribers use] is always going to come from the grid,” Morales said. “The system that gets installed is feeding the power into the grid and it just goes where it’s needed. The grid doesn’t know what’s renewable and what’s not. … You’re just kind of feeding the power back into the grid and offsetting what you’re using.”

Community solar installations can be owned by a group of neighbors, a church or other nonprofit, a third-party solar development company, or a utility. Electricity generated by the installation enters the grid, and subscribers to the project receive a credit on their electricity bills proportional to the share of the project they lease or own.

“You pay an annual subscription fee and the cost of the power from that project shows up on your utility bill,” said Emily Schapira, president of the Philadelphia Energy Authority. The quasi-governmental authority runs Solarize Philly — a discount program that offers leasing options for rooftop solar in Philly.

Community solar capitalizes on economies of scale, Schapira said.

“It’s cheaper to install a larger scale solar project per kilowatt than it would be for your own roof,” she said.

Advertisement



Source link

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Rankings Before 2026 PIAA States – FloWrestling

Published

on

Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Rankings Before 2026 PIAA States – FloWrestling


Is Pennsylvania the most wrestling-centric state in the country? Does the Keystone State have the most talent? Or even the top talent? Is it harder to win a state title there than anywhere else?

These all are terrific questions, and the answers may vary depending on who you ask and where they’re from, much like our nation’s great pizza debate, where the answers will vary by region.

What we do know for sure, is that Pennsylvania is well-represented in the 2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings, but with the 2026 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys & Girls Individual State Wrestling Championships on the horizon, where do the competitors rank amongst their peers?

If you follow high school wrestling, you’ve probably already heard many of the names, whether it was at past PIAA events, national tournaments, international competition, college recruiting news or signings, etc.

Advertisement

Now, here they are listed by weight class in FloWrestling’s latest Pennsylvania-only rankings.

Among the most recognizable are Bishop McCort senior Bo Bassett (152 pounds), his brother and teammate Melvin Miller (172 pounds) and Adam Waters (189 pounds) from rival school Faith Christian Academy. 

As you get ready to see who takes home the titles at the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships, set for March 5-7 at GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, here’s a look at where everyone falls in the pecking order:

What Are The Weight Classes For High School Wrestling In Pennsylvania?

  • Boys: 107, 114, 121, 127, 133, 139, 145, 152, 160, 172, 189, 215, 285
  • Girls: 100, 106, 112, 118, 124, 130, 136, 142, 148, 155, 170, 190, 235

Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Rankings Before 2026 PIAA State Championships

As of Feb. 22, 2026

Boys

Girls

When Are The 2026 PIAA Boys & Girls Individual State Wrestling Championships?

The 2026 PIAA Boys & Girls Individual State Wrestling Championships will take place March 5-7, live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app.

The first girls wrestling champions in PIAA action were determined in 2024.

Advertisement

The road back to GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, began with regional competition across 12 sites (eight boys, four girls) in February (Feb. 20-21; Feb. 22; Feb. 27-28; Feb. 28)

Among the highlights at the 2025 event was Bassett winning his second individual PIAA state championship and helping Bishop McCort to a Class AA runner-up finish behind Faith Christian. 

Read more: 2025 PIAA Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets

How To Watch The 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships 

Live coverage of the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships on March 5-7 will be broadcast on FloWrestling and the FloSports app, with news, notes, stats and more available on both platforms.

Archives will be available immediately following the conclusion of each match.

Advertisement

If you’re going to be in the area and want to catch the action in person, click here for spectator and ticket information. 

Read more: 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships Schedule & Brackets

2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships Brackets

Here’s where you’ll be able to find the brackets for the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships: 

2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships Schedule

Here’s a look at when everything is going down:

All Times Eastern

Advertisement

Wednesday, March 4

  • 4-7 p.m. – Media registration
  • 4-7 p.m. – School registration (AA/Girls/AAA)
  • 4-7 p.m. – Qualifying wrestlers’ workout (AA/Girls/AAA) (six mats)
  • 6 p.m. – Officials’ meeting

Thursday, March 5 (Session 1)

  • 7:30 a.m. – Media registration
  • 7:30 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA)
  • 7:30 a.m. – Late school registration (AA)
  • 7:45 a.m. – Skin condition check (AA)
  • 8 a.m. – Weigh-ins (AA)
  • 9 a.m. – Preliminaries and first round (AA), six mats (52/104 matches)
  • 12:30 p.m. – First-round consolations (AA), six mats
  • 12:30 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (Girls)
  • 12:30 p.m. – Late school registration (Girls)
  • 12:45 p.m. – Skin condition check (Girls)
  • 1 p.m. – Weigh-ins (Girls)
  • 2 p.m. – First round (Girls), six mats (104 matches)
  • 3 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AAA)
  • 3 p.m. – Late school registration (AAA)
  • 3:15 p.m. – Skin condition check (AAA)
  • 3:30 p.m. – Weigh-ins (AAA)
  • 3:30 p.m. – First-round consolations (Girls), six mats (52 matches)
  • 4:30 p.m. – Preliminaries and first round (AAA), six mats (52/104 matches)
  • 8 p.m. – First-round consolations (AAA), six mats (52 matches)

Friday, March 6 (Session 2/Session 3)

  • 6:30 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA)
  • 6:45 a.m. – Skin condition check (AA)
  • 7 a.m. – Weigh-ins (AA)
  • 8 a.m. – Quarterfinals (AA), three mats (52 matches)
  • 8 a.m. – Second-round consolations (AA), three mats (52 matches)
  • 10:15 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (Girls)
  • 10:30 a.m. – Third-round consolations (AA), three mats (52 matches)
  • 10:30 a.m. – Skin condition check (Girls)
  • 10:45 a.m. – Weigh-ins (Girls)
  • 11:45 a.m. – Quarterfinals (Girls), six mats (52 matches)
  • 12:45 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AAA)
  • 1 p.m. – Skin condition check (AAA)
  • 1:15 p.m. – Weigh-ins (AAA)
  • 1:15 p.m. – Second-round consolations (Girls), six mats (52 matches)
  • 2:15 p.m. – Quarterfinals (AAA), three mats (52 matches)
  • 2:15 p.m. – Second-round consolations (AAA), three mats (52 matches)
  • 4:45 p.m. – Third-round consolations (AAA), six mats (52 matches)
  • 6:15 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA/Girls/AAA)
  • 7 p.m. – Semifinals (AA/Girls/AAA), 2/2/2 mats (26/26/26 matches)
  • 9 p.m. – Fourth-round consolations (AA/AAA), 2/2 mats (26/26 matches)
  • 9 p.m. – Third-round consolations (Girls), two mats (26 matches)

Saturday, March 7 (Session 4/Session 5)

  • 8 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA/Girls/AAA) 
  • 8:15 a.m. – Skin condition check (AA/Girls/AAA)
  • 8:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins (AA/Girls/AAA)
  • 8:45 a.m. – Skin condition check, finalists (AA/Girls/AAA)
  • 9 a.m. – Weigh-in, finalists (AA/Girls/AAA)
  • 9:30 a.m. – Fifth-round consolations (AA/AAA), 2/2 mats (26/26 matches)
  • 9:30 a.m. – Fourth-round consolations (Girls), 2 mats (26 matches)
  • 11:30 a.m. – Third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches (AA/Girls/AAA), 2/2/2 mats (39/39/39 matches)
  • 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA/Girls/AAA)
  • 3:40 p.m. – Parade of Champions (AA/Girls/AAA)
  • 4 p.m. – Championship Finals (AA/Girls/AAA), 1/1/1 mats (13/13/13 matches)

When Was The 2026 PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships?

The 2026 PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships took place Feb. 6-7 at the 1st Summit Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and included 20 teams that survived the preliminary and first round of the tournament, which was held Feb. 3 at host schools across the state.

The advancing teams made their way to Johnstown for two more days of intense competition, with the 1st Summit Arena hosting the quarterfinals through the championship matches. 

In Pennsylvania this year, there were 475 schools participating in boys wrestling. 

They were divided into two classifications – 228 schools in AA and 247 schools in AAA – which are further split into 12 districts. Class AA is for schools with 1-308 male enrollees, and Class AAA wrestling includes schools with 309-9999 male students. 

Read more: 2026 PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships Schedule & Brackets

Did You Know: PIAA Wrestling Has A Long History

The first state wrestling championships in Keystone State happened in 1938, while the girls were added to the action in 2024. The PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships debuted in 1999.

Advertisement

There are 14 four-time individual state champions in Pennsylvania. Another 30 have won three times.

2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings

Top 20 as of Feb. 18, 2026

Curious about how the top wrestlers from each state stack up against competitors from across the country?

Click here to see the latest high school rankings from FloWrestling.

FULL DUAL: Bishop McCort vs. Faith Christian | 2026 PIAA AA Team State Finals

Faith Christian has been dominant in team wrestling in Pennsylvania, and Bishop McCort keeps falling just short.

Advertisement

Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling

Trackwrestling officially has merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform. 

Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.

This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.

FloWrestling Archived Footage

Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Advertisement

Join The State Wrestling Conversation On Social





Source link

Continue Reading

Pennsylvania

Man cited after abandoning car in frozen pond at Pennsylvania country club: Police

Published

on

Man cited after abandoning car in frozen pond at Pennsylvania country club: Police


A man has been cited after police said he drove a vehicle into a frozen pond at a country club in Pennsylvania, left the scene, then spent the night in a hotel.

According to the East Lampeter Township Police Department, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, around 10:38 a.m., officers were called to the Lancaster Country Club after receiving reports about a vehicle in a pond.

Police said that, through an investigation, it was learned that Sung Chun, a 50-year-old man from Hoboken, New Jersey, had driven onto the property the day before around 8:30 p.m., crossed portions of the golf course, and ultimately ended up in a pond.

Chun then exited the vehicle and walked away without reporting the incident and spent the night at a nearby hotel, according to police.

Advertisement

Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department

Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department

Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department

Police said Chun returned to the location while police were on scene investigating the incident and was ultimately cited with “Trespass by Motor Vehicle.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Pennsylvania

State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards

Published

on

State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards


In rural Pennsylvania, State College houses Penn State against a backdrop of beautiful country scenery. The university hosts many events, arts performances, and lively festivals that give the town year-round excitement that blends student life with local charm. Visitors can attend a football game, explore nearby parks and trails, and savor the town’s growing culinary scene of pubs and local eateries.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending