Friday, October 31, 2025

An American horror story

Also today: A Colorado ski have seeks to borrow more to build housing, and why Halloween can be so dangerous.
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Bloomberg

Every fall since 2010, the Pennhurst Asylum in Pennsylvania has offered thrill-seekers the ultimate fright experience. Repurposed from the ruins of a state-run medical institution that shut down in the 80s over its mistreatment of disabled patients, the haunted house draws tens of thousand of visitors each year to the 130-acre land it sits on.

But co-owner Derek Strine has a new idea for the property: He wants to turn it into a world-class data center that may require as much electricity as needed to power some 400,000 homes. For some locals nearby, Strine's plan sounds like a true American horror story, one that's being played out in communities across the US as developers chase the AI gold rush. Strine, however, thinks he can win over the town, which has long been split about tearing down the defunct hospital for good, Dawn Lim reports. Today on Bloomberg: The AI Buildout Is So Big Even a Haunted House Owner Wants In

— Linda Poon

More on CityLab

Colorado Ski Haven Asks Voters If It Can Borrow More for Housing
Telluride is seeking to more than triple its ability to borrow to build more affordable housing.

Why Halloween Can Be Dangerous in America
Cars kill more pedestrians on Oct. 31 than any other day of the year. Traffic reform advocates want to change that.

Brazil's Belém Is Attempting a Billion-Dollar Transformation
The city aims to reinvent itself with new parks, museums and hotels to host the COP30 climate conference. But what happens when the spotlight fades?

Food aid caught in shutdown fight

Some 42 million Americans — many in districts that voted for President Donald Trump — could see their SNAP benefits cut off within days as the government shutdown continues. 

What we're reading

  • As design nears completion, state shares new Key Bridge renderings (Baltimore Banner)

  • Illinois House Democrats introduce new transit funding plan, eye billionaire and entertainment taxes (Chicago Tribune)

  • Families say cost of housing means they'll have fewer or no children (NPR)

  • Rio favelas left reeling after lethal gang raid as families bury the dead (Associated Press)

  • Stone: the ancient material making a comeback (BBC)


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