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In this Update:

• Reducing the Negative Impacts of Social Media on Students
• Progress in Breathing New Life into Downtown Pottsville Continues!
• One Step Closer for a New Use of the White Haven Center
• Progress at the Schwab School in Weatherly
• Around the District
• Congratulations, Seth!
• Focusing on Our Local Communities: Meet South Manheim Township’s Jack Brennan
• Quote of the Week

Reducing the Negative Impacts of Social Media on Students

On Thursday, I chaired a public hearing of the Senate Majority Policy Committee focused on the negative impacts of social media on our students.

We heard from Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, students, parents, mental health advocates, and others about the serious challenges young people face online, from harmful content and AI-generated abuse to the effects of excessive social media use on mental health and learning.

Attorney General Sunday shared an update on his office’s efforts to protect children online and hold technology companies accountable. His office recently reached a significant agreement with Facebook parent company Meta, which secured over $516 million for youth mental health support and sets time restrictions, age verification requirements, and limits on inappropriate content for minors. Sunday has filed similar lawsuits against TikTok and Snapchat.

Hearing directly from those affected, and those working to protect our kids, is invaluable as we work toward realistic solutions to protect our children.

Progress in Breathing New Life into Downtown Pottsville 

Big things are happening in Pottsville, breathing much-needed new life into vacant downtown buildings! The PA Downtown Center recently brought more than 70 economic development managers to Pottsville for its Leadership Forum with Mayor Tom Smith, City Council, and the Pottsville Area Development Corporation. 

They reviewed several new businesses and toured the ongoing expansion of the Miners 1928 Hotel, which will add 66 additional rooms.  Until recently, it was a beautiful but very large vacant bank and an empty hotel.  

One announcement really stole the show! The new hotel’s owner Bill Metzinger unveiled plans for the former Pomeroy’s Department Store’s transformation into a Yuengling-themed sports bar just down the street from America’s oldest brewery.

Yuengling already attracts nearly 70,000 visitors to our region each year and this project has the potential to greatly increase the number of people visiting Pottsville. As Bill told the Republican Herald, he hopes the project will be “the dynamite that explodes downtown development.” Read more here.

One Step Closer for a New Use of the White Haven Center

Our goal to breathe new life into the long-vacant White Haven Center moved one step further this week.

The PA Senate and the House of Representatives have approved the 2026 Real Property Disposition Plan, which authorizes the sale of the White Haven Center through competitive bidding or public auction. This 182-acre and 23 building campus has sat vacant since 2023, while the state’s bureaucracy continues to spend millions of dollars each year maintaining it. The next step is to move toward a sale and, ultimately, put this property back into productive use.

Rep. Jamie Walsh and I have heard directly from residents and local leaders about the importance of finding a new purpose for this property. Luzerne County is also completing a study to evaluate the best potential redevelopment options for the property—and the sooner, the better!

Progress at the Schwab School in Weatherly

Finally!! Efforts to transform the historic Mrs. C.M. Schwab School in Weatherly are moving forward. After three decades of blight and decay, this 1901 landmark is on track to be transformed into 30 affordable apartments, while preserving the character and history of this important building.

Rep. Doyle Heffley and I have worked with the Alliance for Building Communities and Weatherly’s borough council to secure more than $2.2 million in competitive state funding and housing tax credits for the project. Most recently, Weatherly received $459,838 in state Local Share Account funding to demolish the deteriorating Schwab School annex, an important step in moving the project forward.

Local journalist Ruth Isenberg put it best: “The building, well-constructed though it is, it has begun to show signs of deterioration. What was once a beautiful and generous gift to the community was beginning to turn into a dangerous eyesore. The community needs housing. The Schwab school is a piece of history that should be used, not abandoned. It has sat idle and unoccupied for too long. It is not too late to restore it to useful life—but wait much longer, and it will become a demolition project. Regarding demolition projects—tearing down the annex will be a benefit to the community. That structure reached the end of its useful life long ago. The presence of asbestos, while not a surprise given when the annex was built, has proved a nasty surprise in the cost to tear it down safely. Use of state grant money to make up the 2/3 price increase is invaluable.”

This has been a long process, but it is exciting to see the pieces finally coming together. Thank you to all who continue to work to breathe new life into this historic building and bring much-needed housing to Weatherly. Read more here.

Rep. Dane Watro and I recently met with Michael Koval, the new Chief of Police for Mahanoy Township, to discuss his plans for the department and his priorities for local law enforcement. We also discussed several legislative issues and how we can work together to support our local police and the communities they serve. Rep. Watro and I look forward to working with Chief Koval to keep our communities safe

Rep. Dane Watro and I also met with leaders of the Mahanoy City Chamber of Commerce to discuss their plans to renovate several different downtown buildings for a variety of purposes.

We look forward to seeing this much-needed effort move forward—and the sooner, the better!

Rep. Tim Twardzik and I were recently invited to tour the Solstice Advanced Materials facility in Norwegian Township. Formerly known as Honeywell, the facility manufactures specialty chemicals and barrier films used in pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging to help keep medicines safe and effective. The company employs 120 local residents and plays an important role in our region’s manufacturing industry. Thank you for inviting us to learn more!

I recently joined Pottsville Mayor Tom Smith and Rep. Tim Twardzik for our monthly meeting to review ongoing projects across the City of Pottsville.

During the meeting, Mayor Smith gave us a tour of the Pottsville Police Station and highlighted the need for a larger, upgraded facility to better serve our city’s law enforcement officers.

We also reviewed continued efforts to breathe new life into downtown Pottsville, including new sidewalks that will connect Yuengling Brewery to downtown; the recent completion of the YMCA facility and new restaurant, the Golden Kettle, at Alvernia University Pottsville CollegeTowne; the addition of new downtown businesses; and the ongoing expansion of The Miners 1928 Hotel on Centre Street. We also discussed Pottsville’s bipartisan application to the Main Street Matters program, a tool that will spark further revitalization in the downtown.

Pottsville has tremendous potential, and it’s encouraging to see continued investment in local businesses and infrastructure. I look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Smith, Rep. Twardzik, and other local leaders to build on this momentum. 

I was recently invited to participate in the Legislative Leaders Roundtable at the 2026 Legislation Education & Advocacy Day (LEAD) in Wilkes-Barre, hosted by the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce & Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce.

During the panel, we discussed workforce development and education efforts across Luzerne County, including our recent efforts to preserve Penn State Hazleton and to expand Luzerne County Community College in the Hazleton region. We also discussed infrastructure and transportation upgrades, expanded childcare and early childhood education investments, and more.

Thank you to everyone who recently joined Rep. JoAnne Stehr’s office and my staff in Valley View to replace damaged license plates. Special thanks to Chief John Boyer who assisted with the event and carried out the plate inspections

Rep. Dane Watro and I were recently invited to welcome PA Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll to review plans for a new access road and bridge connecting the Hazleton Area School District’s North Academic Campus, which consists of the Hazleton Area High School, Hazleton Area Career Center, and Hazle Township Early Learning Center, to Hazle Township Boulevard.

Rep. Watro and I advocated for a state grant, which was awarded by PennDOT, to help support this new road and bridge to improve access to the campus while supporting the fast-growing district’s plans to expand. Read more here.

I was recently invited to Fighter’s Heaven, Muhammad Ali’s historic training camp in Deer Lake, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its reopening to the public.

Established in 1972, the training camp was purchased and restored more than a decade ago by Mike Madden, son of legendary NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden, to preserve its unique history. The site has been added to the National Register of Historic Places and operates as a museum. Thank you for preserving this important part of Schuylkill County’s history!

I was recently invited to read to the Head Start Class at Luzerne County Community College in Downtown Hazleton.  I enjoyed meeting the dedicated bilingual staff who make this program possible and reading to a curious group of four- and five-year-olds.

Quality pre-school programs play a vital role in supporting children and families in our communities — that’s why I was proud to support this program with my vote earlier this year.

Thank you to the hundreds of local residents who joined Tuesday’s Senior Expo hosted by Diakon at the Fairlane Village Mall!  Melanie Weikel and Colleen Koppenhaver from my Pottsville office shared information about assistance with PennDOT documents, property tax/rent rebate forms, securing unclaimed property, and much more.

Congratulations, Seth!

Congratulations to Seth Hubler, my communications director and a proud Penn State Schuylkill alumnus, on being featured by Penn State Schuylkill in their new series, Beyond the Blue & White.

It’s great to see Seth’s connection to Penn State Schuylkill come full circle through his work in public service. I’m grateful for his dedication to our office and the 102 communities our office serves in Carbon, Luzerne, and Schuylkill Counties, from Pine Grove to Palmerton to Bear Creek. Read more here.

Focusing on Our Local Communities: Meet South Manheim Township’s Jack Brennan

Welcome to the latest edition of “Focusing on Our Local Communities,” where we interview, on a bipartisan basis, a key local leader in one of the 102 municipalities that I represent in Carbon, Schuylkill, and Luzerne counties.

This week, we’re focusing on South Manheim Township Supervisor Jack Brennan. A Republican, Brennan grew up in Pottsville and graduated from Pottsville High School in 1977. After finishing high school, he joined the U.S. Army, serving for four years and attaining the rank of Sergeant. 

Following his military service, Brennan attended Penn State, where he earned a degree in business before beginning his career with the United States Postal Service. While working part‑time for the USPS, he also launched his own business — Brennan & Company Real Estate — through which he purchased, remodeled, and either sold or rented properties. Brennan is now retired from the Postal Service but continues to run his business, which currently includes parking lots, storage units, and rental properties.

Brennan has been involved in politics since he was young man and became a candidate in South Manheim Township after a family friend who served as a supervisor fell ill.

“I’ve been involved and interested in politics since I was 15 years old, when my grandfather, Albert Brennan, served as a committeeman in Pottsville. It’s something that always interested me,” Brennan said. “I moved to South Manheim Township in 1995, and in 2012 I was appointed to one of the supervisor positions. A close family friend of my father’s, James McGovern who was a Vietnam veteran, became ill due to complications from Agent Orange, and he asked me to take his place. After my appointment, I ran on my own and have been re-elected ever since. It’s something I’ve been happy to do because I want to help the township run as efficiently as possible and be there for the people who live here.”

Brennan has also been active in numerous organizations throughout South Manheim Township and the Pottsville area. He has served on the South Schuylkill Unified board since its inception and spent 27 years as a board member with CACL FCU. Brennan was also a past member of the Pottsville Zoning Hearing Board, and he volunteers with Lasting Legacy for Pottsville.

As a supervisor, Brennan is particularly proud of the work done by the South Manheim Township Road Department and office staff and the high quality of the employees in those departments. 

“We have been able to do some really good things for the township like lower the real estate millage, which was a huge accomplishment,” added Brennan. “But what I’m most proud of is the way that we reconfigured our Road Department. We were able to recruit and hire some highly skilled and experienced workers away from big-time jobs because of the quality of life that we offer here in South Manheim Township. I think we have some of the best road crew guys you can find in all of Schuylkill County working for us and we’re extremely proud of that. And then we also have an impressive office staff as well that does a great job.”

Quote of the Week

“It’s gritty, tough, self-sufficient, that’s the character of the Commonwealth. From the factories to the family farms, Pennsylvania hasn’t just built products; we’ve built the American Dream, and our best days are still ahead of us.” – U.S. Senator Dave McCormick