Amanda Fries

Great read on a previous ICE detention center that Berks County activists fought to close:

Local municipalities in Berks and Schuylkill counties aim to mitigate the harm that turning vacant warehouses into ICE detention centers will have on their communities: spotlightpa.org/berks/2026/03/… #pennsylvania

#ICYMI: I combed through 100s of documents to find a litany of problems this Berks County warehouse had during and after construction. Now ICE wants to use it to warehouse people.

Upper Bern Township has struggled for years to make a developer fix deficiencies. spotlightpa.org/berks/2026/03/…

@AudraTesluk @SpotlightPA Did you know that the federal government's purchasing of these warehouses takes them OFF the tax rolls, and thus, communities LOST revenue?

@SpotlightPA Of course he will he loves wasting our money!! Too bad he doesn't listen to the people of his state!

Governor Shapiro opposes planned ICE facilities in Berks and Schuylkill Counties, but it’s unclear if Pennsylvania will file a lawsuit against DHS. spotlightpa.org/news/2026/02/i…

Women reporters have been doing this, only to be admonished and told "quiet piggy."

🚨💪HELL YEAHHH: A reporter just did what every journalist in that room should be doing. @ShawnMcCreesh looked the President of the United States in the eye and said: “You suggested Iran bombed its own elementary school with a missile only America sells. You are the only person in your government saying this. Why?” Trump’s response: “Whatever the report shows, I’m willing to live with it.” 🔥🔥 165 girls. Ages 7-12. That’s what accountability journalism looks like. Not softball questions. Not access journalism. Not protecting your White House credential. Going for the jugular on behalf of dead children. Remember that name: @ShawnMcCreesh. That’s how it’s done.

NEW: ICE buys $87M warehouse in Berks County as it plots expansion of immigration detention centers across the U.S. spotlightpa.org/berks/2026/02/…

Five stories from just the last 24 hours: 1. Minnesota police chief says ICE has been unconstitutionally stopping & pulling guns on *his own* off-duty officers who are brown/black. 2. The Social Security Administration referred two DOGE employees for Hatch Act violations after discovering contacts with a political group seeking SSA data to overturn election results. 3. Canada struck a historic trade deal with China, declaring them more "predictable" than the U.S., then its PM warned of a rupture with the U.S. and the "end of the rules-based international order." 4. Trump quietly pardoned a slew of more white collar criminals, almost all of whom were convicted of fraud. 5. NYTimes released an editorial documenting how Trump has made $1.4 billion (with a "b") dollars off the presidency in his first year in office -- just on the publicly documented trades and transactions. That's legitimately 24 hours of news, and it's just scratching the surface.

Budget constraints, lack of options force Pa. district to rebuild where flood destroyed school spotlightpa.org/berks/2026/01/…

Did you hear what I heard after the ICE agent shot this woman 3 times?

More communities in Berks County are turning to tax breaks for developers: spotlightpa.org/berks/2025/12/…

Check out the projects in Berks County that are proposed for state grants: spotlightpa.org/berks/2025/10/…

The Oley Valley school board is poised for a shake-up in this year's election: spotlightpa.org/berks/2025/09/…

Police chief and lieutenant just left meeting but door still closed. One council member prior to exec session mentioned the recently fired officer possibly returning. Could closed door discussion be about that?

Wyomissing personnel committee is in executive session to discuss the police department. It took coaching to get officials to explain WHY they were going into session. This is a reminder to all local government: You have to explain what the session involved for it to be legit.

Our partners at @69News reported last year on Holmes appointment as fire chief, noting that officials knew what they were looking for in a fire chief: wfmz.com/news/new-fire-…

This morning the Wyomissing Borough Council accepted the resignation of its Fire Chief Ethan Holmes, who was appointed to the position in March 2024. While his last date is Sept. 9, he is taking PTO for the remainder of that time. #berkscountypa

@tcmassie @SpotlightPA Thank you so much! I hope you're doing well!

@mandy_fries @SpotlightPA Congrats on your new gig!

#ICYMI: I'm now working FT reporting in Berks County at @SpotlightPA. Be sure to follow me for coverage of region.