FILE – Tom Duffy of Clairton raises his fist as hundreds of United Steelworkers rally and march on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, in Clairton, Pa. The United Steelworkers Union has endorsed President Joe Biden Wednesday, March 20, 2024, giving him support from another large labor union. (Steph Chambers/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The United Steelworkers Union has endorsed President Joe Biden, giving him support from another large labor union. The announcement Wednesday by the Pittsburgh-based union came less than a week after Biden voiced opposition to the planned sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan. The USW represents 850,000 workers in metals, mining, rubber and other industries. It said that Biden has a track record of supporting retirement security, affordable health care and laws that support workers. The union said those issues are important to its members. The AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers, and several other unions previously endorsed Democrat Biden in his race against Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. The Teamsters union has yet to announce its pick.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Employers in Pennsylvania could get a tax credit if they make contributions to their employees’ tuition savings account, under a Pennsylvania House of Representatives bill. The legislation passed out of the chamber unanimously on Wednesday. It now goes to the state Senate. The bill would allow employers to contribute up to $500 to an employee’s tuition savings account for a tax credit equal to 25% of the employer’s total contributions. Sponsors for the bill say that with student debt totaling $1.77 trillion nationally, the legislation would help reduce the financial burden on students.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro’s plan to boost funding for public transportation systems has been approved by Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives. But it faces tough odds in the Republican-controlled Senate. The Democratic-controlled House voted 106-95 on Wednesday, nearly along partisan lines. The Democratic governor wants the 20% increase for transit systems still trying to recover pre-pandemic ridership numbers and facing a drop-off in federal funding. Republicans, however, are protesting the amount of the funding increase and say public transit systems have structural problems that can’t be fixed by more money alone. Democrats defended the increase as an economic good and necessary to keep transit systems from cutting services or increasing fares.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 21, 2024 10:00 A.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa)  Eric Rozanski was hired by the Aliquippa School Board as an interim Elementary Assistant Principal and will earn $75,000.00 for the rest of the 2023-24 school year. He replaces Sam Giordano who served in that position since October 2022. Giordano was hired in 2003 and taught math for 20 years at the junior senior high school.

FILE – (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) held a hearing entitled, “Keeping Our Promise to Older Adults and People with Disabilities: The Status of Social Security Today.” The hearing examined the importance of preserving Social Security and the critical support the program provides for millions of seniors across Pennsylvania and the Nation. At the hearing, Chairman Casey heard testimony from newly appointed Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Martin O’Malley about the agency’s plans to protect the critical benefits that Social Security provides and ensure SSA workers receive the support they need. This was Commissioner O’Malley’s first appearance in the Senate since his confirmation in December.

During the hearing, Chairman Casey emphasized his support for preserving Social Security benefits and protecting it from attacks. He denounced plans by some Republican politicians to cut Social Security, saying, “Social Security is the most successful antipoverty program to date, allowing tens of millions of Americans, including older adults, people with disabilities, and children to live with dignity. Despite this, we have heard outlandish proposals from some that Congress should consider cutting Social Security. Let me be clear—I will never support cuts to Social Security. Social Security is a lifeline for Americans of all walks of life—we have made a promise to deliver benefits to Americans, and I will not go back on that promise.”

Chairman Casey has long been one of the Senate’s strongest champions for protecting Social Security and ensuring the program’s promise to every American is fulfilled. This week, he introduced the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act, which would change how Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Social Security benefits are calculated—ensuring benefit adjustments are robust and reflective of the true costs incurred by older adults. He also introduced the SWIFT Act in September, which would fix outdated and arbitrary restrictions on Social Security benefits for widows, widowers, and surviving divorced spouses who often face unnecessary and burdensome hurdles to access Social Security benefits despite disproportionately experiencing poverty.

(Hopewell Township, Pa)  With the help of a Great Ideas Mini-Grant, made possible by Lincoln Learning Solutions and Beaver County Educational Trust, fourth-grade science and social studies teacher Kim Petrina is bringing her dream of reconstructing her school’s garden to life.

Fourth graders at Hopewell Elementary School in Hopewell Township are now getting their hands dirty as they dig into learning about plants and gardening. 

An avid gardener for 14 years, Petrina saw the connection between the educational standards she teaches and her passion for planting. Lincoln Learning and BCET allowed her to act on it.

“We cover agriculture standards, so the students need to learn where their food comes from and about the transportation of food into the economy,” Petrina said. “Planting and gardening help to make these concepts less abstract for fourth graders.”

Petrina said students began the garden project by learning about winter sowing. The 60 students split into four groups to plant seeds indoors in different ways. Some used traditional peat moss and gardening flats. Others recycled paper towel rolls to create pots they filled with seeds and garden soil. A third group wrapped seeds in wet paper towels, while the final group created a makeshift greenhouse from a milk carton.

Over the next few months, the students will use heat lamps to promote growth and study which methods work best. 

Petrina’s long-term goals for her students include partnering with the school’s third-grade class to reconstruct the outdoor gardens so that all Hopewell Elementary students can use the space. 

According to BCET Executive Director Jamie Connelly, over its 33-year history, the mini-grant program has funded 755 grant requests totaling $450,000 and reached more than 97,000 K–12 students in Beaver County. Of those funds, Lincoln Learning Solutions has donated $110,000 since its involvement in the program in December 2014.

Lincoln Learning Solutions CEO Bob Clements said that, for the 2023–2024 school year, his organization has contributed $30,000, which has funded 33 K–12 mini-grants. 

“Lincoln Learning Solutions has a strong commitment to giving back to our local communities,” he said, “and these grants, supporting everything from language arts and technology to science and the arts, are meaningful ways for us to invest.”

Petrina is no stranger to the mini grant funds. Their flexibility, she said, has enabled her to provide her students with opportunities that would not have been possible with traditional grants.  

“I love that these grants fund so many things,” Petrina said. 

Her students love the project as well. 

“This project is really fun,” said Sophia Tiller, one of Petrina’s students. “I love gardening. I’ve done it with my grandma, and I like sharing it with my friends.”

Fourth grader Caleb Myers said, “I like that it is a challenge to keep the plants alive. I like watching them grow.” 

Petrina said she is looking forward to watching the project unfold over the next few months. “I can’t wait to see what we end up with,” she said.

Great Ideas Mini-Grant applications are open to all Beaver County teachers in September, and the mini-grants are awarded in October. All recipients receive funding in December. For more details, visit the BCET Great Ideas Mini-Grant site. 

PITTSBURGH — Duquesne Light Company (DLC) announced they are investing in the future to continue providing safe, reliable and resilient service to more than 600,000 customers in Allegheny and Beaver counties while also enabling the region’s clean energy transition. In a filing submitted today to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), the company requested a regulatory review of its distribution base rates to support essential investments required to modernize the electrical grid and secure the vibrancy, prosperity and competitiveness of the region that DLC serves.

DLC is requesting an overall rate increase of $101 million to enhance grid capabilities and reliability. As increased severe weather has created a greater need for resiliency, DLC’s proposal aims to strengthen the grid with more durable equipment and advanced technologies. The proposed rate changes would take effect on or before Jan. 1, 2025, and would be the first increases in DLC’s distribution base rates in three years. DLC is also seeking to transfer $32 million in surcharges, currently paid by customers for equipment upgrades, to base rates.

“Our customers have greater expectations of the grid than ever before. Continuing to provide safe, reliable and resilient electric service in the face of changing climate dynamics is a critical responsibility that we take very seriously,” said Kevin Walker, president and CEO of DLC. “Beyond these basics, we must also invest to ensure that the grid is nimble, intelligent and responsive enough to support the evolving expectations placed upon it as we progress through our region’s clean energy transition. Doing this well will give our customers, friends and neighbors a competitive advantage and contribute to a bright, equitable future for all.”

Some investments included in DLC’s proposal are:

• Constructing a new substation in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood that will provide additional capacity, increased reliability, resiliency gains and electrical flexibility in how DLC serves the community.
• Enhancing DLC’s outage management system by adding customer-facing tools such as a new outage map, proactive notifications and an upgraded automated phone system.
• Continuing the installation of modern streetlights that have advanced capabilities, including providing notifications that enable more efficient maintenance and repair.
• Supporting DLC’s comprehensive vegetation management program, which aims to prevent service interruptions by keeping vegetation away from electrical circuits and removing trees that are at risk of falling onto distribution lines.
• Helping customers make informed decisions about electric vehicles and empowering them to experience the benefits of electric mobility through increased charging infrastructure as well as new incentives and rate structures.

If the PUC approves the current requested rates:

• Residential customers using 600 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month could see their bill increase from $130.67 to $139.19 per month, or 6.52%.
• Commercial customers using 10,000 kWh per month could expect to see an increase from $1,207.43 to $1,283.46 per month, or 6.30%.
• Industrial customers using 200,000 kWh per month could see an increase from $19,421.64 to $20,610.56 per month, or 6.12%.