The Bucks County Beacon continued to grow this past year. We brought on new writers and continued to expanded our readership, which includes media outlets from across the United States citing our work. Together, we continue to prove that building progressive, participatory media is not only possible, it’s also necessary. I’ve been tasked with choosing our “Top” 10 Stories for 2024 – an almost impossible task given the amount of amazing contributions for our growing roster of writers. These are 10 stories I really appreciated this year, but they could easily be replaced by 10 other ones.
I also want to note to readers that our staff writer Jenny Stephens, who was the first person I brought on when I was named editor, passed away in November. She was a pillar of this media organization, and we would not have achieved our growth and impact locally without her and her tireless reporting. I could easily just make this a list of 10 of her stories, but she wouldn’t want that. She is missed every single day.
Rest in power Jenny.
10. You Are Not Going to Believe Who Funds Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, by Kierstyn Zolfo
It all makes sense now. It makes sense that Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick shuns interviews with local media, skips out of candidate forums, spurns debates, and has refused to host free and public town halls for the past 7 years.
Why does it make sense? Just follow the money.
Only 1 percent of Fitzpatrick’s money comes from small donors while a whopping 92.5 percent comes from out of state. He doesn’t answer to voters in his district. He answers to out-of-state big pockets and PACs.
9. Central Bucks School Board’s Decision to Make Sports Inclusive to Trans Students Is the Right Decision, by Tabitha Dell’Angelo
Inclusion, access, and belonging are important to the development of our children. Thankfully, the new school board reversed the discriminatory policy put in place by the former MAGA-Republican majority last year.
8. Immigrant Rights Action Educates Bucks County on How to Support Neighbors Targeted by Trump’s Expected Immigrant Roundup and Mass Deportation Programs, by Lela Casey
The re-election of Donald Trump has raised fears throughout the immigrant community here in Bucks County. Trump’s racist rhetoric, threats of mass deportation, and the appointment of Tom Homan as “border czar” have led many to wonder what can be done to protect our undocumented neighbors.
Immigration Rights Action stepped in to address these concerns and help provide community members with the tools they need to confront the impending crisis. We will continue to report on issues impacting Bucks County’s immigrant community as Trump readies his militaristic mass deportation plans post-inauguration.
7. Pennsylvania Tenants Who Are Survivors of Domestic Violence Need State Lawmakers to Finally Pass Reforms to Protect Them, by Erin Flynn Jay
Victims and survivors of domestic violence face many difficult choices, not the least of which is choosing between staying in an abusive relationship or homelessness. Housing is one of the biggest challenges domestic violence survivors face. Democratic Representative Lisa A. Borowski is promoting legislation that would provide “the option to terminate a lease [early] and the ability to change the locks or means of entry to a housing unit” to help protect survivors.
6. The Independence Law Center Doesn’t Want You to Know It’s Working to Bring Conservative Christian Dominion Over Pennsylvania’s Public School Districts, by Peter Greene
The Independence Law Center has been busy serving up anti-LGBTQ, anti-reading, anti-student policies for school districts throughout Pennsylvania. This is part of the PA Family Institute’s larger goal of making Pennsylvania an explicitly Christian state. They were even in Bucks County school districts (like Pennridge and Central Bucks) and brought in secretly. Thankfully the November 2023 elections flipped the school boards back to common sense, Democratic-majority control.
5. Souderton School Board Director Says On X Vice President Harris Performed Sex Act on ‘a Lot of Dudes’, by Jenny Stephens
Jenny broke this story locally about Souderton school board director William Formica’s disgusting post on X (formerly Twitter), which was actually just the latest in his the Republican’s toxic, misogynist, and racist social media history. Never mind Formica is a Three Percenter fanboy. We continued to report on the story and the community’s reactions and responses:
OPINION: In Souderton Area School District, Elected School Board Members Should Be Role Models
Open Letter: Souderton School Board Needs Courageous Leaders Now
4. Homelessness in Bucks County: Right Under Our Noses, by Pat LaMarche
In January, Bucks County Beacon reporter Pat LaMarche accompanied local homeless advocates for their Point in Time count to identify and assist local unhoused individuals. Pat continued to report on poverty, housing, and homelessness throughout the year. You can see her work HERE.
3. Uncovering the Cover-up: How Republican Pennridge School Board Directors Secretly Banned Books, by Darren Laustsen
Pennridge School District engaged in a massive two-year cover-up of a secret book-banning campaign initiated by two sitting Republican school board directors hellbent on unilaterally purging books without any due process, community input, oversight, or accountability. Darren Laustsen, a pennridge parent, wasn’t having it. He took the district to court – and won – to put a stop to this. While this serves as a warning to parents in school districts across the country with far-right/Moms for Liberty-aligned partisans on their boards about what they’re capable of, it also shows how you can make a difference, fight back and win to protect public education and the freedom to read.
Listen to my interview with Darren on the Signal:
2. Shocking Online Manifesto Reveals Project 2025’s Link to a Coordinated ‘Christian Nationalism Project’, by Jennifer Cohn
Jennifer Cohn uncovered Project 2025’s links with “The Statement on Christian Nationalism” manifesto, which seeks to implement a Scripture-based system of government whereby Christ-ordained “civil magistrates” exercise authority over the American public. The manifesto states that, pursuant to Scripture, these “civil magistrates” have “lawful authority to punish civil crimes like assault, murder, rape, theft, fraud, man-stealing, and false witness, and to ensure proper due process through the civil courts, payment of liability for verifiably proven harm, and proportionality of punishment.” We will see if this
1. Pipersville Residents Held Hostage By Slaughterhouse Horrors, by Jenny Stephens
Something stinks in Pipersville and many local residents say the pungent smell is coming from Kingdom Provisions, LLC, a slaughterhouse located at 5960 Durham Road, where turkey buzzards are constantly perched in trees and an abundance of flies is considered commonplace … Open dumpsters and other containers, photographed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA-DEP) in response to countless complaints lodged by local residents, contain disturbing photos of slaughterhouse remnants including heads, entrails, and even the lower half of an entire animal only partially covered in a dumpster. Images of dead fish, due to slaughterhouse liquids draining into a stream, were also documented. Jenny Stephens spoke with locals and really dug into this story, which led to hearings, investigations, injunctions, and more. And then Jenny continued to follow-up on the developments:
Plumstead Township Moves to Enforce Regulations at Controversial Slaughterhouse
Legal Troubles Double for Stoltzfus and Kingdom Provisions Slaughterhouse in Pipersville
Kingdom Provisions Slaughterhouse in Pipersville Cited for Inhumane Handling of Animals, Again
