Angela Couloumbis

@AngelasInk

Covering the Pa. Capitol -- and the special interests trying to influence policy -- for @SpotlightPA. Mom. Dog mom. Grumpy Greek. There are no dumb questions.

Harrisburg, PA

Joined April 2009

639Following

7KFollowers

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Jul 16

Repairs at the Pa. Gov's residence following the brazen arson attack there three months ago could cost millions -- some of it not covered by insurance. That is where Team PA, a group that doesn't disclose its donors, steps in. My latest for @SpotlightPA: spotlightpa.org/news/2025/07/j…

AngelasInk's tweet card. Team PA is handling donations for the residence restoration, but no names have been released. The Shapiro admin also hasn't released repair or security estimates.

1.0K

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Jul 3

"It is all but certain that Pa. will need to scrounge up, at minimum, an additional $125 million in its budget in the next fiscal year to keep those benefits intact. In the worst-case scenario, that tab could balloon to nearly $800 million." w/@char_keith spotlightpa.org/news/2025/07/t…

AngelasInk's tweet card. Pennsylvania could be on the hook for $800M to continue food assistance for thousands of residents, many of them children and older adults.

714

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Jun 27

“It’s really kind of depressing these days,” said Ziss, who keeps tabs on what remains of Avalon’s live music scene for a Facebook page, Bands in Avalon and Beyond. “What we knew was going on has now been engraved in stone,” he said. Indeed, a great read:

JJoseph N. DiStefano@PhillyJoeD · Jun 27

great NJ Shore story by @AmySRosenberg @PhillyInquirer: empire-building @TheUnionLeague in displacing bars/restaurants from wealthy Avalon is just following members who're already there. ($7,500 down, $500/month: UL costs < an HOA, or Main Line RE taxes) inquirer.com/news/new-jerse…

391

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Jun 24

.@pcntv asked GOP Leader Joe Pittman about this story today. He did not deny that leadership had pressured lobbying firms to drop Pace-O-Matic, instead saying that his caucus expects "those represent an issue, any issue, present it to us in a factual, consistent manner...

SStephen Caruso@StephenJ_Caruso · Jun 24

New: An "ugly" brawl has opened up between top Senate Republicans and skill game producer Pace-O-Matic amid budget talks, threatening one of the only viable proposals for new revenue as lawmakers try to hash out a tough budget deal. W/ @AngelasInk spotlightpa.org/news/2025/06/s…

6.0K

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Jun 24

“The conflict escalated suddenly and bitterly over the past week, with skill games developer and distributor Pace-O-Matic now accusing the state Senate’s top two GOP leaders of intimidating its hired guns in the halls of the Capitol.”

SStephen Caruso@StephenJ_Caruso · Jun 24

506

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · May 1

Gov. Shapiro's "security detail has an office inside the official residence, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Two troopers were on duty when Balmer allegedly broke in," according to three sources interviewed by @SpotlightPA: spotlightpa.org/news/2025/05/p…

AngelasInk's tweet card. Pennsylvania State Police ordered an independent review of the governor's mansion security breach, but have not promised to make any findings public.

349

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Apr 22

Important read by @DTOhl :

SSpotlight PA@SpotlightPA · Apr 22

Why the law that forces people to get mental health help didn’t stop the Shapiro arson attack spotlightpa.org/news/2025/04/p…

369

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Apr 14

"The suspect, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, allegedly confessed during a police interview and said if he had confronted Shapiro inside the historic Susquehanna riverfront residence, he would have beaten him with the hammer." spotlightpa.org/news/2025/04/p…

AngelasInk's tweet card. Cody Balmer, 38, was briefly inside the Harrisburg, PA residence while setting it afire, authorities said.

295

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Apr 13

Fire at Josh Shapiro’s residence caused by arson: PA police • Spotlight PA spotlightpa.org/news/2025/04/p…

AngelasInk's tweet card. Shapiro and his family had just hours before celebrated the first night of Passover in the Governor's Residence.

338

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Apr 8

Of course, the Pa. legislature could just change the law and make explicitly public many of the same records they require other government agencies to disclose.... spotlightpa.org/news/2025/04/p…

AngelasInk's tweet card. A panel of Commonwealth Court judges ruled that lawmakers don’t have to make public their communications with lobbyists.

275

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Apr 2

As more older adults continue to die in high numbers while known to Pa.'s protective services network, we wanted to know why. But Pa.'s Dept. of Aging has stopped tracking that information. Read the latest installment in @SpotlightPA Unprotected series: spotlightpa.org/news/2025/04/e…

AngelasInk's tweet card. Pennsylvania's Department of Aging stopped collecting data on elder deaths during active abuse investigations, shifting oversight to counties.

577

Angela Couloumbis Retweeted

Gillian McGoldrick@gill_mcgoldrick · Mar 10

Pennsylvania is the largest state in the country that lacks a child advocate or ombudsman, and is one of only 6 states without one, via @samanthamelamed Lacking staff and necessary investigatory powers, Pa.'s child advocate stepped down inquirer.com/news/pennsylva…

605

Angela Couloumbis Retweeted

Spotlight PA@SpotlightPA · Feb 4

Shapiro renews calls for legal weed, regulated skill games in budget that would send $526M to poorest schools spotlightpa.org/news/2025/02/j…

716

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Jan 24

Can't give Mr./Mrs. AI a red apple.... This story by @katieemeyer4 is fascinating on multiple levels: spotlightpa.org/news/2025/01/p…

AngelasInk's tweet card. The fact that Unbound Academy has a viable path toward approval shows that PA needs to radically rethink its charter school law, critics say.

225

Angela Couloumbis@AngelasInk · Jan 7

"But first, state House and Senate lawmakers must elect chamber leaders and pass key rules that govern their behavior." If only it were that simple. Read what's in the future political/policy mix at the Pa. Capitol, via @StephenJ_Caruso and @katieemeyer4 spotlightpa.org/news/2025/01/l…

AngelasInk's tweet card. A new PA legislative session began with a compromise over leadership and rules in the closely divided state House.

346