What's up Harrisburg! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: The Neighborhood Table: Community Picnic and 8 more events.
Today's riddle: What is the longest word in the dictionary? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. $1.3 billion project to replace Harrisburg's South Bridge to begin soon (pennlive.com) — Drivers in and around Harrisburg should prepare for a decade-long, $1.3 billion replacement of I-83's John Harris Memorial (South) Bridge starting in January, with lane restrictions and detours expected. PennDOT will build two new bridges, rework nearby interchanges, and use a $500 million federal grant to modernize this critical Susquehanna River crossing that carries 125,000 vehicles daily.
2. Bryan Jones will serve as president of the Harrisburg Rotary Club (hbg100.com) — Harrisburg residents will see new leadership at the Rotary Club as longtime member Bryan Jones steps in as president for the 2026–27 year, prioritizing downtown revitalization. The club plans networking events with local businesses, developers, and civic groups to connect young professionals, entrepreneurs, and neighbors at venues across the city while continuing its long tradition of community service.
3. Questions Mount After Closure of Harrisburg's Campus for Jewish Life (jmoreliving.com) — Major Jewish institutions in Harrisburg are scrambling after the Jewish Federation's Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life collapsed under heavy debt, triggering staff layoffs, school relocations, and program closures. Local rabbis, parents, and educators are now piecing together new arrangements in synagogues and other spaces while outside advisors help design a more sustainable model for Jewish communal life in the city.
4. Crash victim pushes for stronger safety measures ahead of 2026 Kipona festival (local21news.com) — Harrisburg is tightening security for this year's Kipona Festival on Sept. 5 after last year's crash on Front Street injured a photographer, a child, and a city employee. Victim Morgan Smoker plans to return and is calling for clearer barriers and wheelchair access, while city officials say added barricades, lighting, vehicles, and officers are already standard at major events.
5. Why Pennsylvanians care so dang much about regional names, borders (spotlightpa.org) — Harrisburg appears here as one stop in a Pennsylvanian's journey that sparked her awareness of how different the state's regions feel from one another. The piece explores how residents across Pennsylvania define their home regions, why those labels matter so much, and how geography, industry, and culture shape identities from Harrisburg to Erie and beyond.
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Ok Harrisburg! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Smiles, because it has a mile between "s". (Thank you Sharon M. for sending it in!)
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