FLORENCE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Fire has destroyed a large New Jersey church, collapsing its roof as more than 150 firefighters fought to control the blaze. The Fountain of Life Center in Florence Township was engulfed in flames Monday night. No injuries were reported in the fire. The cause wasn’t immediately known. Senior Pastor Russell Hodgins tells Philadelphia’s KYW-TV that it’s a devastating loss. The center describes itself on its website as a multipurpose, 120,000-square-foot facility with a preschool, basketball courts, and a fitness center. It’s believed the school and recreation building survived the fire.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testifies about the Feb.3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, before the Pennsylvania state Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, March 20, 2023, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Norfolk Southern’s CEO is offering support for some parts of a bipartisan Senate bill to put tougher safety regulations on railroads. A fiery hazardous materials train derailed last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. CEO Alan Shaw is under pressure from senators and federal safety regulators to step up his commitment to safety regulations as he appears before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. Shaw says in prepared remarks that Norfolk Southern will “support legislative efforts to enhance the safety of the freight rail industry. But he does not address several key provisions of the Railway Safety Act of 2023.

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Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 21, 2023 12:27 P.M.

(Center Township, PA) Center Township Fire Chief Bill Bricker reported that the police and firefighters were called to the Hilton Garden Inn at 2:24 a.m. Tuesday for a domestic situation that included fires that were in a guest’s bedroom, and one in a trash can in the public restroom on the hotel’s first floor.

Students boys and girls sitting together around the table in clasroom and drawing. With them is their young and beautiful teacher. She teaches children and is smiling (KEystone State News Service)
Danielle Smith

The shortage of school teachers and staffers has reached a crisis level in some public schools. An education advocacy group is making recommendations to fix that. Pennsylvania serves more than 1.7 million students in grades K through 12.

Rich Askey, Pennsylvania State Education Association president, said they plan to unveil a state legislative package that focuses on several key priorities to solve the school staffing crisis, including a boost in teacher salaries. Right now, some teachers average about $27,000 a year to start, and the plan calls for money to attract more candidates.

“First to set the annual minimum salaries for educators, school counselors, nurses, and other educational professionals at $60,000,” Askey said. “And also, we want to look at a minimum wage for custodians, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, and other support staff at $20 per hour. ”

Askey added there has been a dramatic decline in the number of college graduates entering the teaching profession. Pennsylvania issued more than 12,000 fewer first-year teaching certificates in the 2020-21 school year than it did in 2012-13, a drop of 66%.

Askey said in addition to affecting teachers and staff, the shortage has created challenges in the classroom, resulting in some kids having learning problems.

“I know of educators that are teaching two classes at the same time and on one side of the room, they might be teaching life science on the other side of the room, they might be teaching earth science, and that doesn’t let our kids have the individual attention that is so needed, ” Askey said.

Askey added the legislative plan would be taking a sustained multi-year commitment to be phased in over five years. It also includes paying college students in teacher preparation programs while they are student teaching, creating a scholarship program, and investing in the “Grow Your Own” program to help paraprofessionals and school support staff go back to college and earn their teaching degrees.

Harrisburg, PA – With less than a month to go before the deadline for filing personal income tax returns, the Department of Revenue is reminding Pennsylvanians that there is a new state tax credit available that can help ease child and dependent care costs for working families.

Eligible Pennsylvanians can claim the Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit when they file their Pennsylvania Personal Income Tax Return (PA-40). This credit can range between $180 and $630, depending on your income level and the number of your dependents.

“We estimate there are more than 220,000 families in Pennsylvania that can benefit from this credit when they file their state tax returns,” said Acting Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne. “Research has shown that the expansion of a similar tax credit on the federal level significantly reduced childhood poverty, addressed food insecurity, and helped many families secure their finances. We want to ensure that the state tax credit in Pennsylvania has a similar impact, so the Shapiro Administration is working to get the word out and help everyone who is eligible receive this benefit.”

This tax credit program was established to help working individuals and families pay for child and dependent care services necessary for them to maintain their jobs or seek employment. That, in turn, allows them to provide for their families and contribute to the economic growth of the Commonwealth.

Who Qualifies & How Much is Available?

The Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit that is available to Pennsylvanians is based on the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. That means that taxpayers must receive the federal credit to also be eligible for the state credit in Pennsylvania. The state credit is equal to 30 percent of the federal credit, meaning it will be:

• $180 (one child) or $360 (two or more children) for households earning above $43,000; or
• $315 (one child) or $630 (two or more children) for households earning less than $43,000.

In order to claim the credit on your PA Personal Income Tax Return (PA-40), you must have incurred care expenses for:

• A dependent child under age 13.
• A spouse who was physically or mentally incapable of self-care and lived with you for more than half the year.
• An individual who was physically or mentally incapable of self-care, lived with you for more than half the year, and either:
  • Was your dependent; or
  • Could have been your dependent, except that he or she received gross income of $4,400 or more, filed a joint return, or could have been claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer’s return.

This credit is refundable, meaning qualified taxpayers will not owe any state taxes on the amount they receive.

myPATH is Free Option to Request PA Credit on Your Return

When filing your PA Personal Income Tax Return (PA-40), you will need to complete PA Schedule DC, an additional form that allows you to report information related to your dependents and the expenses incurred for their care. Additionally, you must attach completed versions of Federal Form 2441 and 1040 Schedule 3 to your PA-40. These forms are required to claim the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit on the federal Individual Income Tax Return (Form 1040).

One easy way to file your PA-40 and the Schedule DC is to use myPATH, the Department of Revenue’s free online filing system. This system is user friendly and walks the taxpayer through all the necessary steps for filing your PA return.

For example, myPATH will prompt the taxpayer with a question that asks whether they paid child or dependent care expenses. That’s when they’ll be able to enter the necessary information that will automatically fill out the Schedule DC on their behalf. There will also be an option to upload the completed federal forms — 2441 and 1040 Schedule 3 — before completing the submission of your PA return.

The deadline to file 2022 personal income tax returns is Tuesday, April 18. For more information on PA taxes, including free forms and instructions, visit revenue.pa.gov.