PITTSBURGH (AP) — President Joe Biden on Sunday marked the sixth anniversary of a gunman’s deadly attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue and called out what he called an “appalling surge of antisemitism” amid the war in Gaza.

The 2018 attack claimed the lives of 11 worshippers from Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life congregations, which shared space in the synagogue in Squirrel Hill, the heart of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. Two worshippers and five responding police officers were also injured in the attack, the deadliest act of antisemitism in U.S. history.

Biden said in a statement that the attack “shattered families, pierced the heart of the Jewish community, and struck the soul of our nation.” But he said that in the years since, the Jewish community “has also shown the country how to courageously turn pain into purpose” launching “a global initiative to counter hate and hate-fueled violence.”

Biden noted that the remembrance of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack comes weeks after the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel “during which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people, took another 250 hostage and committed horrific acts of sexual assault.”

He said the trauma and losses of Oct. 7 are made worse by “the appalling surge of antisemitism against Jews in America and around the world.”

The attack sparked a war between Israel and the militant group Hamas and has resulted in widespread destruction and civilian deaths in Gaza.

Biden said his administration was implementing a national strategy to counter antisemitism, including securing $1.2 billion for security of nonprofits such as synagogues and Jewish community centers and day schools. He also cited the Justice Department’s investigation and prosecution of antisemitic hate crimes and said his administration had “put colleges on notice that antisemitism is discrimination” and barred under laws protecting civil rights.

Vice President Kamala Harris also cited a rise in antisemitism in a statement marking the anniversary of the Pittsburgh attack.

“I will always work to ensure the safety and security of Jewish people in the United States and around the world, and will always call out antisemitism whenever and wherever we see it,” she said.

The Pittsburgh attacker was sentenced to death last year after being convicted on 63 counts, including hate crimes resulting in death.

In June, ground was broken for a new complex on the Pittsburgh site that is to include a cultural center, sanctuary, educational center and museum along with a memorial to the slain worshipers from three congregations.

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This story has been corrected to show that anniversary is Sunday.

Union voters are split between Harris at 50% and Trump at 43%, with 6% supporting third-party candidates, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center. (Platoo Studio/Adobe Stock)
Danielle Smith – Keystone State News Connection

Labor unions in the battleground state of Pennsylvania said they could play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of this year’s election.

In 2023, the state had 749,000 union members, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Anthony Ferriera, sergeant at arms and legislative political coordinator for the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1647, is among those mobilizing. He said he is walking neighborhoods, knocking on doors and talking with voters in an effort to motivate them to go to the polls.

“This year, I’m making phone calls,” Ferriera explained. “And anywhere that any of the congressionals or senators or anybody is, we’re at the rallies. We were at the rally for Kamala in Wilkes Barre, probably a month ago. We have people on our team that were driving folks that come into the area last Saturday to knock on doors.”

Ferriera pointed out their response has been positive, even when some do not support their candidates. Pennsylvania’s early voting option is available until Oct. 29, the last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot for the Nov. 5 general election.

Kevin Cooper, political director for the union, said the President and Congress have a direct effect on their livelihoods. He added the union is diverse not only in terms of geography and demographics, but its members work in agencies from Social Security and Veterans Affairs, to the Border Patrol and Environmental Protection Agency. Cooper stressed he is encouraging everyone to vote, particularly his fellow union members.

“In the 2016 cycle, for example, we saw all these states that were determined by thousands of votes; not millions but certain battleground states where thousands of votes determined the result,” Cooper pointed out. “You step back and you see that there’s, you know, over 14 million union members nationwide. Unions can be the deciding factor in a lot of these places.”

Cooper suggested people review the Heritage Foundation’s conservative playbook known as Project 2025, as it includes plans to dismantle workers’ rights to organize.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing inspection activities on the Pinney Street Bridge over Route 65 in Baden Borough, Beaver County will occur Monday through Wednesday, October 28-30 weather permitting.

Single-lane restrictions will occur in each direction on Route 65 between Johnson Avenue and State Street for bridge inspection activities.  Restrictions will occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

Crews from AECOM will conduct the routine inspection activities.

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding invited Pennsylvania singers to enter “Oh, Say, Can You Sing?”, an annual star-spangled sing-off to win a chance to sing live at the 2025 PA Farm Show — the Pennsylvania State Fair™. Each morning, from January 4-11, the Farm Show will start by featuring an individual or group singing the national anthem live. Top vote-getters may also be selected to sing at special events such as the Opening Ceremony on January 4.

 

“Our 2025 Farm Show theme is Powering Pennsylvania,” Secretary Redding said. “There’s no better way to start each day of the PA Farm Show than by hearing a powerful reminder of the pride and freedom that make our country, our commonwealth, and our agriculture industry great.”

 

The contest is open to Pennsylvania residents of all ages – both individuals and groups. Contestants can enter by emailing a YouTube link to a video of themselves singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” without instrumental accompaniment, to agcontests@pa.gov or by uploading their video or YouTube link to the comments of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Facebook page posts about the contest.

 

Entries can be submitted until 11:59 p.m. November 17, 2024.

MONACA, Pa. — A grant from Barnes & Noble College will fund Penn State Beaver Thrives, an initiative designed to help the campus and local community become a more inclusive.

The resources and programming of Penn State Beaver Thrives will focus on mental health and neurodiversity. 

The first program will be a dyslexia simulation program from 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Student Union Building Lodge. The program will help people understand the experience of dyslexia to promote compassion and better support. This event is free and open to the public.

An increasing number of students have identified as having mental health and neurodiversity support needs. While Beaver campus already had a foundation of support in place, the Barnes & Noble grant will allow the campus to increase that support and add resources for current and future students. 

“Providing our students with resources that support their individual academic and personal growth, allows them to feel acknowledged and valued as they continue their ​journey through the confusing, stressful, yet wonderful college years,” said Kristin Oberg, learning center and disabilities coordinator at Penn State Beaver. 

In addition to programming, the campus library will add a wellness collection and promote reading groups through the Beaver County Library System, the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit, and Bridges and Pathways College Consortium.

Penn State Beaver Associate Professor of Psychology Amy Camodeca will conduct free autism testing for 50 children in the community during the spring and summer of 2025. Testing opportunities will be advertised on social and through the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit. 

Barnes and Noble College (BNC) — a Barnes and Noble Education company that operates the Penn State Bookstore — launched the grant program in 2015. This year, Penn State Beaver was one of 9 Commonwealth Campuses to receive the grant.