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Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA

Angela Couloumbis has covered government, politics, courts and crime for The Philadelphia Inquirer since 1996. She has reported on forest fires in the Rocky Mountains, riots in Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati, the mob’s effort to infiltrate city hall in New Jersey’s poorest city and the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

For the past 13 years, she has focused on government and politics in the Pennsylvania State Capitol, shedding light on backroom dealing and corruption. She was part of a two-member reporting team that, in 2014, exposed a secret effort by the state Attorney General’s office to shut down an investigation into lawmakers who accepted envelopes stuffed with cash from an undercover government informant. The reporting led to a series of resignations and criminal convictions over several years. She has spent the past 18 months focused on investigative reporting on the #metoo movement in Pennsylvania. Her coverage has included projects on secret, taxpayer-funded sexual harassment settlements in the Legislature and state government.

Latest by Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA


Group that doesn’t disclose its donors paid $12K for Shapiro to attend Phillies games, other sporting events

The secrecy leaves taxpayers in the dark about who underwrites the outings and what interests they may have in state government policy.
By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA and Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA

In low-turnout Pa. primary, location and luck may have mattered more than policy

Tuesday’s election saw a major upset in the Democratic race for state treasurer and a decisive win in a crowded Democratic attorney general field.
By Stephen Caruso/SpotlightPA, Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA and Katie Meyer/Spotlight PA

Updated: April 24, 2024 | 10:53 am

Erin McClelland wins Democratic primary for Pa. treasurer, will face Republican Stacy Garrity this fall

McClelland defeated her Democratic primary opponent Ryan Bizzarro to win the party’s nod for state treasurer. She’ll face Garrity, the incumbent, in November.
By Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA

Outside group hires pricey design firm to refurbish Pa. Governor’s Residence but declines to reveal donors, costs

A New York City design firm has been hired to refurbish the public areas of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, but no one will say who is managing the project, raising money for it, or exactly who is paying for it.

By Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA

Pa. Game Commission won’t renew controversial contract with lobbying firm run by former top lawmaker

Several Republican state senators expressed concerns about using public funds to pay for the services of private lobbyists.
By Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA

Pa. was deluged by election lawsuits in 2020. Experts say 2024 will be even more intense.

New challenges are expected to target everything from the legality of drop boxes to what constitutes a valid mail ballot.
By Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA

Former top Pa. lawmaker’s lobbying firm paid $41K by Game Commission in unusual arrangement

Good-government advocates and some Pennsylvania lawmakers have questioned whether taxpayers benefit when their money is used in this way, and other states have banned or restricted the practice.
By Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA

Some deleted Pa. crime lab records ‘no longer accessible,’ State Police say

Affected records may include information about how evidence was handled once it reached the lab, as well as communication logs and digital images.

By Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s admin blames ‘human error’ for deletion of Pa. State Police records

The Office of Administration under Gov. Josh Shapiro accidentally deleted thousands of records including State Police evidence logs. Some records haven’t been recovered.

By Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA

New law aims to make guardianship a last resort in Pa., but some experts say it doesn’t go far enough

A new Pennsylvania law makes changes to the process of assigning guardians to people who are considered incapacitated, but some experts fear it won’t solve the issues.

By Angela Couloumbis/Spotlight PA
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