(Photo Courtesy of PENNDOT)

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is pleased to announce the relaunch of the “Paint the Plow” program in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties.

The safety outreach program was introduced by the department to promote safe winter driving, integrate community involvement, and foster appreciation for high school artists and student creativity. The program invites local high schools to have students paint a plow blade with an original piece of artwork based on a provided theme.
Since 2016, the program has run as a competition, judging the plows based on the ability to create their design, incorporating a designated safety theme. After taking a hiatus in 2020, this year focused on rebuilding the community involvement. The schools were tasked with designing a plow featuring “school spirit” without a judging component.
During the winter weather season, plows designed by this year’s participating schools, including Montour, Beaver Falls, and Neshannock high schools, along with Forbes Road Career & Technology Center, will be used to maintain state-owned roadways in their respective counties.Photos of the plows can be found on PennDOT’s Facebook page and the District 11 Paint the Plow webpage.
For more information on winter driving and PennDOT operations, visit www.penndot.gov/winter.

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A sharply divided House has approved the Democrats’ sweeping social and environment bill, a big victory for President Joe Biden. Republicans solidly opposed the measure, but Democrats prevailed after the party’s progressives and moderates ended months of disputes over its size and scope. The legislation now moves to the Senate, where moderates like West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin are poised to curtail the bill further. The measure would bolster child care assistance, create free preschool, curb seniors’ prescription drug costs and combat climate change. Passage came after new cost estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the legislation would cause federal deficits to grow by $160 billion over the coming decade.

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17), a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, was joined by fellow Committee members, Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and John Katko (NY-24), to introduce the bipartisan Promoting Advancement Through Transit Help (PATH) to College Act.  Senator Bob Casey (PA) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.  The PATH to College Act establishes a new pilot grant program for public transit providers, in collaboration with eligible institutions of higher education, to increase access to public transportation for college students.

The PATH to College Act authorizes funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Labor to award funds, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education and transit agencies for the purpose of improving transit accessibility for students attending community colleges, Minority Serving Institutions, or those with a large number of Pell-eligible students.  A report from the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation indicated that just 57% of community colleges are currently accessible by transit.

“Too many students who want to pursue education or training beyond high school face challenges with the ability to simply get to school.  This bill will improve accessibility to public transportation to ensure more students can access education and training opportunities in their community,” said Lamb.

“A lack of reliable transportation should never stop a student from achieving their dreams,” said Casey.  “This legislation will improve public transportation so students can pursue education and training beyond high school, allowing them to focus on their education instead of how they’re getting to school every day.  I’m proud to partner with Representative Lamb on this bill and I’ll keep fighting to get it over the finish line.”

“The cost and lack of access to public transportation are often barriers for students pursuing higher education,” said Fitzpatrick.  “Our bipartisan legislation will increase public transit stops near college campuses, ensuring that students have a reliable and affordable way to get to class, so they are able to focus on their studies.”

“The lack of access to reliable transportation is one of the greatest barriers between students and their educational pursuits.  Far too often, young people are challenged with the simple task of getting to campus.  This legislation will improve access to public transportation to ensure that students can get to class easily and on time,” said Wilson.

Multiple higher education and workforce development advocacy organizations have endorsed the legislation, including Partner4Work, Association of Community College Trustees, College Promise, Student Veterans of America and more.  Click here to read the endorsing letters.

Visit Lamb’s website to learn more about the PATH to College Act.

Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Rate Down to 6.0 Percent in October 

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) today released its preliminary employment situation report for October 2021.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was down two-tenths of a percentage point over the month to 6.0 percent in October. The U.S. rate also fell two-tenths of a percentage point from its September level, down to 4.6 percent. The commonwealth’s unemployment rate was 1.0 percentage points below its October 2020 level and the national rate was down 2.3 points over the year.

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – decreased 6,000 over the month. The unemployment count fell for the eighth consecutive month, with 12,000 fewer unemployed individuals in October.

Pennsylvania’s total nonfarm jobs increased by 19,100 over the month to 5,760,800 in October, the sixth consecutive gain. The number of jobs increased from September in seven of the 11 industry supersectors. The largest movement was an increase of 8,600  leisure & hospitality jobs.  Over the year, total nonfarm jobs were up 134,700 with gains in nine of the 11 supersectors. Leisure & hospitality had the largest 12-month gain, adding back 47,300 jobs. All supersectors remained below their February 2020 job levels as of October 2021.

Additional information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov or by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.