![\"Gov.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6KP57EFFJ5GJNBTSMUML7WA2JM.jpg\")
Gov. Josh Shapiro\nNovember 12, 2025.
\nDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com<\/p>\n
It\u2019s time.<\/p>\n
Not just for the resurfacing of old New Year\u2019s workout resolutions or the annual helpings of pork and sauerkraut.<\/p>\n
We speak of the unveling of the Pennsylvania Hot List for 2026.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve peered into our crystal ball, consulted the experts and surfed the web.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the people and places with Pennsylvania street cred that we believe you\u2019ll be hearing and talking about in the year ahead.<\/p>\n
Surprises not included.<\/p>\n
Josh ShapiroGov. Josh Shapiro
\nNovember 12, 2025.
\nDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com<\/p>\n
Our little Quaker State politician – if you\u2019ve been around Harrisburg for any length of time, doesn\u2019t it feel like we\u2019ve raised him from a pup? – is getting ready to take flight.<\/p>\n
Not that Gov. Josh Shapiro\u2019s leaving us… The governor\u2019s going to be all over Pennsylvania in 2026 trying to do right and make us feel good about ourselves.<\/p>\n
He has a book scheduled for release in late January.<\/a><\/p>\n He\u2019s also going to ask for your vote, as he seeks a second term. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, his Republican-endorsed opponent,<\/a> has accepted the task of trying to make him work for it.<\/p>\n But if Shapiro wins that second term in November, get ready for presidential jockeying like we haven\u2019t seen in these parts since what, then-Gov. Bill Scranton in 1964?<\/p>\n Matt Campbell Former Iowa State boss Matt Campbell will be Penn State\u2019s first football coach<\/a> to start his tenure in the NIL + transfer portal era, and God knows what that means for Nittany Nation.<\/p>\n What we do know is this.<\/p>\n From a resume standpoint, this guy has earned the right to coach at one of college football Blue Blood programs. Given some time, there\u2019s no reason to believe that he can\u2019t find success.<\/p>\n For the sake of this fan base\u2019s sanity, however, let\u2019s all hope that if they ever start calling this guy \u201cBig Game Matt,\u201d the context is entirely different from the recent past.<\/a><\/p>\n Taylor Swift Pennsylvania\u2019s biggest export of the 21st Century may win June – no offense to soccer\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n As we understand it now, Swift is to be married on June 13 in Watch Hill, R.I. to Travis Kelce, of the Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n It could be the buzziest wedding America\u2019s seen since what, JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette?<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, while it\u2019s unclear at this writing if there will be new music released by Swift in 2026, after 2025\u2019s \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d smashed all records for Digital Age music sales.<\/p>\n And the Wyomissing-bred star, in her recent interviews,<\/a> has made clear that she\u2019s got more to sing, and say.<\/p>\n Corey O\u2019Connor Corey O\u2019Connor\u2019s victory in last year\u2019s Pittsburgh mayoral race continued two trends in Pennsylvania\u2019s second-largest city:<\/p>\n Electing Democratic mayors; and, occasionally, throwing out incumbent mayors for a new one.<\/p>\n After a couple of cycles dominated by progressive Democrats – SEE: U.S. Rep Summer Lee, O\u2019Connor\u2019s predecessor Ed Gainey, and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato – O\u2019Conner\u2019s rise is seen a marked step back toward the center in Pittsburgh politics.<\/p>\n Starting with his swearing-in on Jan. 5, the former Allegheny County Controller takes over a city government facing major challenges, in a city bursting with some exciting potential.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll see what it means for Pittsburgh\u2019s future.<\/p>\n Small Screen PA In the recent tradition of hit comedies \u201cThe Office\u201d and \u201cAbbott Elementary,\u201d Pennsylvania now figures prominently in two of television most compelling dramas.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Pitt,\u201d the latest in a long line of hospital-centered shows, won five Emmy awards in 2025 and Season 2 is set to premier on HBO Max Jan. 8.<\/p>\n This Pittsburgh-based series focusing on a day in a city emergency room and the characters that inhabit it has been called the most-engrossing medical series since \u201cER\u201d.<\/p>\n And then, in the Haven\u2019t seen it? Should. Dept., Brad Inglesby\u2019s \u201dTask\u201d limited series – which debuted in November on HBO Max – is keeping people talking about the Philly burbs.<\/p>\n Headed for its own second season, this crime thriller is on many top shows lists for 2025, and could be a big player come the 2026 Emmys.<\/p>\n Shane Gillis Remember when we wondered if Shane Gillis was going to be canceled?<\/a><\/p>\n Well Gillis, the Trinity High School and West Chester University grad who has cracked wise to the top of the comedy world, is set to have an even bigger 2026.<\/p>\n Fresh on the heels of saving Bud Light in 2025<\/a> with an ad campaign for the masses, Gillis has landed a role in the new John Madden biopic set for release on Thanksgiving 2026.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll play Madison Square Garden in a couple of weeks, host a one-night stadium show at Philly\u2019s Lincoln Financial Field in July, and will be seen in a third season of his Netflix comedy \u201cTires.\u201d<\/p>\n Honestly, you\u2019d be hard-pressed to find any comic drawing more laughs right now.<\/p>\n Data Centers Remember a generation ago when the words Marcellus Shale entered the Pennsylvania lexicon?<\/p>\n It\u2019s like that with data centers now.<\/p>\n Major cloud computing and AI data center projects are planned for almost every region of the state,<\/a> much to the excitement of politicians still seeking the key to a new era of economic growth in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n There is also a great deal of public concern over whether this will quickly become too much of a good thing, given some of the stories where things haven\u2019t worked so well.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no telling how this ends right now, but prepare for some serious public debates.<\/p>\n But if it works, smart people believe this boomlet could significantly raise Pennsylvania\u2019s profile in the data economy for the long term.<\/p>\n Lucy Score Mechanicsburg-based author Lucy Score has become a contemporary romance sensation over the last few years, regularly hitting major bestseller lists.<\/p>\n But she may be about to take it to another level in 2026, as her 2023 novel Things We Never Got Over has been optioned for a television series by Amazon.<\/a><\/p>\n A onetime PennLive contributor who penned her first book in 2015, Score still regularly makes appearances at new and used bookstores throughout central PA to sign books and meet fans.<\/p>\n Her latest for Bloom Books, Mistakes Were Made, is scheduled for a March 2026 release.<\/p>\n Party For the USA America turns 250 this year, and that\u2019s cause for celebrations all year round that you\u2019re not going to be able to miss.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania, as one of the original 13 colonies, and Philadelphia, where independence was actually declared, figure to be stars of the show.<\/p>\n Among the signature events planned by America250PA, watch for: <\/p>\n A traveling series of free, 250th birthday concerts at major venues across the state, culminating with a July 4, 2026 shindig on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. A lecture series hosted by various America250PA partners focusing on all aspects of Pennsylvania\u2019s contribution to the American fabric.<\/p>\n Watch for schedules, ticketing and other information in early 2026. And then check here for other semiquincentennial events<\/a> planned in communities near you.<\/p>\n Christian Pulisic It\u2019s probably the biggest moment yet in this Hershey-born soccer superstar\u2019s career.<\/p>\n It\u2019s Pulisic – the most-decorated American player of his era – and his U.S. Men\u2019s soccer team playing 2026 FIFA World Cup games right here in the good ole\u2019 U.S. of A.<\/p>\n Now, soccer cognoscenti do not realistically expect the Americans to be raising a trophy after the World Cup finals in July.<\/p>\n But wouldn\u2019t it be awesome for all involved if Pulisic and his boys could at least match the success of the 2002 squad that made it into that tournament\u2019s quarterfinal round.<\/p>\n Jared Isaacman This Lehigh Valley entrepreneur – now President Trump\u2019s choice to head NASA – will lead the space agency as it seeks to land astronauts on the moon for the first time since 1972, and before China.<\/p>\n Watch for an Artemis II lunar fly-by mission in early 2026,<\/a> setting the stage for a hoped-for lunar landing in 2027.<\/p>\n His priorities for NASA are: Human exploration of the moon, Mars and deep space; Unlocking a larger space economy; and partnering with the private sector and academia as a \u201cforce multiplier\u201d for scientific projects.<\/p>\n Isaacman, a highly-accomplished jet pilot who became a billionaire after founding a payment-processing company in his parent\u2019s basement,<\/a> has also actually been in space himself.<\/p>\n He\u2019s led two privately-funded missions in Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX rockets, including the first-ever privately funded space walk in September 2024.<\/p>\n Rocky Guess who turns 50 in 2026?<\/p>\n One Rocky Balboa, said to be the most famous of the fictional Philadelphians.<\/p>\n \u201cRocky\u201d the film\u2019s golden anniversary will be feted with a series of events in and around Philadelphia this year, including a special exhibit opening at the Philadelphia Art Museum in April exploring monuments and their role in bringing people together.<\/p>\n (Did you know the Rocky statue, installed on the Art Museum\u2019s steps in an ode to the climax of the title character\u2019s training runs, is said to attract an estimated 4 million visitors per year?).<\/p>\n Other events commemorating the film\u2019s anniversary are still in planning, and will be announced at a later date by the Philadelphia Visitor Center.<\/p>\n David McCormick and John Fetterman What an odd couple Pennsylvania has sent to the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n McCormick, the uber-establishment Republican navigating Donald Trump\u2019s Washington, is punching above his weight class as a first-year senator.<\/p>\n So far, that\u2019s meant more promotion of Pennsylvania than actual results.<\/a> But the man once mocked as \u201cConnecticut Dave\u201d is working hard to learn where and how his impact can be best deployed, even if it sometimes helps a Democratic governor in the process.<\/p>\n And then, there\u2019s Democrat John Fetterman, the persona the national media seemingly can\u2019t get enough of.<\/p>\n Fetterman isn\u2019t exactly setting the world on fire as a great legislator. <\/p>\n But because of his independence, doesn\u2019t it feel like he has outsized (no pun intended) importance on every vote of consequence in this narrowly divided Senate?<\/p>\n Their public bromance aside,<\/a> it\u2019s hard to think of any state with a more interesting pair of senators.<\/p>\n The Winter Olympians Down here in the Mid-Atlantic, we\u2019ll never be confused with Colorado, Minnesota or Wisconsin when it comes to sending athletes to the Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n But if you look past some of the glamour events like alpine skiing and figure skating, you\u2019ll find some Pennsylvanians to root for.<\/p>\n Summer Britcher, a native of Glen Rock, York County,<\/a> is considered a top medal contender in the women\u2019s luge as she eyes her fourth winter games.<\/p>\n Andrew Heo, from Warrington, Bucks County, will represent the U.S. in short track speed skating.<\/p>\n Ava McNaughton, a University of Wisconsin goalie from Seven Fields, Butler County, has been named to the medal-contending women\u2019s ice hockey team, along with Tessa Janeke, a member of the Penn State women\u2019s hockey team from Illinois.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that Mike Sullivan, a past Stanley Cup winning coach with the National Hockey League\u2019s Pittsburgh Penguins, will lead the U.S. men\u2019s ice hockey team into its tournament.<\/a><\/p>\n There are also serious hopefuls in other sports where final rosters are still being selected, like Dan Barefoot, a native of Geistown, Cambria County, who is a member of the U.S. Skeleton World Cup team; and long track speedskater McKenzie Browne, of Coopersburg, Lehigh County.<\/p>\n Swing Seat Congressmen Pennsylvania will once again be a major battlefront in the fight for majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.<\/p>\n Two of our swing state\u2019s swingiest districts are listed among the non-partisan Cook Political Report\u2019s 17 toss-up races<\/a> that most analysts believe will determine who\u2019s in control of the 435-seat chamber for the second half of the Trump Administration.<\/p>\n Those would be seats currently held by Republicans Scott Perry, in south central Pennsylvania\u2019s 10th District, and Ryan McKenzie, in the Lehigh Valley\u2019s 7th.<\/p>\n Perry, a York County Republican, will likely face the winner of what looks to be a contested Democratic primary between former television anchor Janelle Stelson and Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas.<\/p>\n Five Democrats have so far launched campaigns for the nomination to take on McKenzie, who unseated Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in 2024.<\/p>\n At least one other seat – the Scranton \/ Wilkes Barre seat held by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan – starts the year as potentially in play by both parties. Bresnahan faces likely Democratic opposition from Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti.<\/p>\n Sabrina Carpenter If Swift is the bard of a generation, Carpenter has become the personality of the moment.<\/p>\n Last year, in this very space, we asked if the Bucks County native could show staying power at the top of the proverbial pops.<\/p>\n Well, question answered. <\/p>\n In February, you\u2019ll see Carpenter in the running for six Grammy awards<\/a> associated with her 2025 album, \u201cMan\u2019s Best Friend.\u201d<\/p>\n Carpenter will also help celebrate The Muppets 50th Anniversary in February, tour South America and headline Coachella this spring, and she has just signed to star and produce in a forthcoming \u201cAlice in Wonderland\u201d feature film.<\/a><\/p>\n So, in the immortal words of studio head Darryl F. Zanuck, \u201cthe kid stays in the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n Milton and Catherine Hershey Film and chocolate fans will be pleased to know that 2026 is the expected release date for the feature film about the life of American chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey and his wife, Catherine \u201cKitty\u201d Hershey.<\/p>\n![\"Matt](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/TXKPMFAGCZFR7KLCIACHUQUQKU.jpg\")
Matt Campbell
\n(AP Photo\/Matthew Putney)AP<\/p>\n![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6J3JWBEGVVEFBGDP6OVEPFZIDA.jpg\")
TORONTO, ONTARIO – NOVEMBER 14: Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Rogers Centre on November 14, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario.Emma McIntyre\/TAS24\/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management<\/p>\n![\"Corey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KOSLHNVVNBEDRDIPQRUFSVOKYQ.webp.jpeg\")
Corey O’ConnorCharles Thompson<\/p>\n![\"Noah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DWRPLHWPHJHYHK4E6D7XBZDKXM.jpg\")
Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch on “The Pitt.”HBO Max<\/p>\n![\"shane](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/QEWSD6NPUBGH7PJ5F3TVBFMVVA.jpg\")
Shane GillisPhoto by Charley Gallay\/Getty Images for Netflix<\/p>\n![\"Gov.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/X7EG65W3ANBU7AD7E6YMJZLHJU.jpeg\")
Gov. Josh Shapiro announces a $20B investment by Amazon in Pennsylvania data centers in Luzerne AND Bucks counties. More are on the wayCommonwealth Media Services<\/p>\n![\"Mechanicsburg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Q4A4K4LFUFEV7EDZXVVSOYJZBY.png\")
Bestselling Mechanicsburg romance novelist Lucy Score has a new book hitting stores in March, and may soon see another of her works adapted for television.Brianna Wilbur Photography<\/p>\n![\"America](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/RQFWZZMGZNAUZPJET7QAD63UAQ.jpg\")
This image provided by America250 in December 2025 shows the New Year’s Eve ball designed for the U.S.’s 250th year. (Damon Haimoff\/America250 via AP)AP<\/p>\n![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/RY3VGPXGQJFM7HIBYNSU4GRWGQ.jpg\")
United States Christian Pulisic (10) during the second half of an international friendly soccer match against Ecuador in Austin, Texas, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo\/Eric Gay)AP<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AUB3OX4435AKVIUR7CE62PZY5M.jpg\")
Commander Jared Isaacman speaks at a news conference after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center for an upcoming private human spaceflight mission in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024.AP Photo\/John Raoux<\/p>\n![\"Philadelphia's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/HM7S4CICWNGIZO2XDLUEXPZRAU.jpg\")
The Rocky statue at the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, seen here in December 2024, is an ode to a famous scene in the 1976 film. The movie’s 50th birthday will be feted in Philadelphia this year. (Jose F. Moreno\/The Philadelphia Inquirer\/TNS)TNS<\/p>\n![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SOI2HY3DY5GPDOL2SNULS3JQQ4.jpg\")
U.S. Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and David McCormick, R-Pa., during the sixth installment of The Senate Project moderated by Fox News anchor Shannon Bream at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on June 2, 2025, in Boston. (Scott Eisen\/Getty Images\/TNS)TNS<\/p>\n![\"York](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MYH72UZJ3FACRLMEAJOKKOC7HA.webp.jpeg\")
Summer Britcher, a native of Glen Rock, York County seen here at a World Cup race in December, is considered a medal contender in women’s luge at the upcoming Winter Olympics.Associated Press<\/p>\n![\"Swing](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/JRXPTDSYKFEOJKS4GOUXEOFD6Y.png\")
U.S. Reps. Scott Perry, Ryan Mackenzie and Rob Bresnahan, seen left to right here, are three Pa. Congressman whose re-election bids will go far in deciding whether Republicans or Democrats control of next U.S. House.Charles Thompson<\/p>\n![\"Sabrina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/TFWZASEWVJDR7BNDZ6UOG3VEZY.jpg\")
Sabrina Carpenter performs “Please Please Please” during the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Charles Sykes\/Invision\/AP)Charles Sykes\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n![\"Milton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/EU3MOAHVSNBBBI7NJJYBNFTWZQ.jpg\")
Milton S. Hershey (standing
\nbehind bench) with Catherine Hershey (sitting on bench). Formal
\nstudio portrait taken in Nice, France in 1910. (File)Harrisburg Patriot-News<\/p>\n
![\"Big](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F7BO74J6MRGBDB6AL7GHE65V7Q.jpg\")
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the championship trophy after the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo\/Michael Conroy)AP<\/p>\n