(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) was joined by 42 Members of the House of Representatives in calling on President Biden to continue the suspension of federal student loan repayments until at least the end of 2022.  The original coronavirus relief bill – the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 – provided relief to millions of student loan borrowers across the country by temporarily pausing payments and involuntary collections on federally held student loans through September 30, 2020.

The pause on student loan repayment has been extended several times due to the continued impact of the pandemic.  Most recently the repayment moratorium was extended by the Biden administration until May 1, 2022, following a letter Lamb led with members of the Pennsylvania delegation.  According to the U.S. Department of Education, the pause on student loan payments has saved borrowers $5 billion a month, allowing them to put more money towards other expenses such as food, child care and housing.  A recent survey found that 92% of fully-employed student loan borrowers are concerned that they will not be able to afford their payments come May 1.

“This is a cost we can eliminate for student borrowers while they deal with so many other rising prices.  Inflation won’t be here forever, but while it lasts we can easily afford to suspend student loan payments a little longer,” said Lamb.

“Unemployment remains higher than two years ago, and families are experiencing significant price increases on household goods, food, and energy.  Accordingly, we believe that the Administration should extend its pause on student loan repayment and interest accrual,” the lawmakers wrote.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Dominion Voting Systems has won an appeal in Pennsylvania’s highest court in a bid to ensure that any inspection of its voting machines as part of Republican lawmakers’ inquiry into Pennsylvania’s 2020 election be done by a laboratory that has specific credentials. The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court ruled 5-2 on Monday to overturn a January decision by a Republican judge on a lower court. That judge ruled that Dominion couldn’t intervene in a wider case involving an inspection of its equipment used in 2020’s election.

By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania regulatory board is supporting Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to subject charter schools to stronger ethics and accounting measures and to try to root out discriminatory admissions decisions. The 3-2 party-line vote Monday by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission was on a proposed regulation backed by Democratic lawmakers and public school boards, but opposed by Republican lawmakers and charter schools. The regulation also requires more detailed information from charter school applicants and aims to avoid payment disputes between charter schools and public school boards. Wolf, a Democrat, commissioned the regulation after more than a decade of deadlock in the state Legislature over updating Pennsylvania’s 25-year-old charter school law.

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — State police have opened a driving under the influence investigation following the deaths of two Pennsylvania troopers and a civilian struck by a vehicle on an interstate in Philadelphia early Monday. Police said Trooper Martin F. Mack III and Trooper Branden T. Sisca were trying to get a pedestrian off I-95 when all three were struck by a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. The troopers and the civilian were pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the driver remained at the scene and a DUI-related investigation was opened. Gov. Tom Wolf ordered state flags to fly at half-staff in the troopers’ honor.

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(Pittsburgh, pa.) Pa State Police at the Rivers Casino is reporting that they have charged 22-year-old Walter Gorton of Moon Twp with Disorderly conduct and public drunkenness after an incident that occurred at the Rivers Casino in the Parking Garage on Saturday night around 9:50 PM.
Troopers said in a release that Gorton made unreasonable noise, used obscene Language, and made obscene gestures for no legitimate purpose and caused a public annoyance. Troopers charged Gorton after he was given reasonable warning and he persisted with the inappropriate conduct.

Keystone State News Connection

Emily Scott

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, rejected legal challenges to new state House and Senate maps last week, finalizing the legislative redistricting process.

The chair of the commission tasked with drafting the maps said he believes the districts fairly represent residents. The Legislative Reapportionment Commission, in a 4 to 1 bipartisan vote in February, approved the maps, which include 203 House districts and 50 Senate districts.

Mark Nordenberg, nonpartisan chair of the panel, said the commission made an effort to host a record number of public hearings, despite delays in receiving U.S. Census data.

“I do think that these maps will serve the people of the Commonwealth well for the next decade,” Nordenberg asserted. “That seems to be the consensus view from the good-government groups and the leaders of minority groups, too.”

Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre/Mifflin, is a member of the commission who voted against the maps. He said in a statement the court decision will “artificially create a Democrat majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives through deliberate racial and political gerrymandering.”

The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced the 2020 census undercounted Black people and Native Americans, with Latinos having a net undercount rate of nearly 5%.

Nordenberg acknowledged some undercounts were expected because of the pandemic, but are still disappointing.

“You work hard to key your redistricting efforts to the census results that come from the federal government,” Nordenberg explained. “We are required to do that. That news makes it all the more important that we did try to create minority-influence districts.”

The new maps created majority-Latino districts in Philadelphia, Reading and Allentown. The state’s Latino population grew by 45% between 2010 and 2020, according to census data, and its Asian population grew by 46%.

Candidates running for legislative office in Pennsylvania have until next Monday to submit their nomination petitions.

(Koppel, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver have released the name of the victim in a early Monday morning, March 21, 2022, fatal motorcycle accident that occurred at the intersection of Route 18 and 351 in Koppel.

Troopers said via release that they were dispatched to the scene of the accident at approximately 7:30 AM. Upon arriving it was determined 29-year-old Jacob Watts of Beaver Falls was traveling north bound on 18 on his 2004 Yamaha  when   51 year-old Michelle Stevens of New Castle who was driving a 2012 Ford F-350 pick-up south bound on 18 and turned left in front of Watts. Troopers said in the release that she did not have enough clearance to turn and turned into the path of Watts. Troopers said that Watts succumbed to his injuries and Stevens was not injured in the accident.

The release also stated that Watts was improperly wearing a helmet.

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Story by Sandy Giordano

(Koppel, Pa.) PA State Police in Beaver are reporting that they were called to the scene of a fatal accident involving  motorcycle shortly after 7:00 AM on Monday morning at the intersection of Route 18 and 351 in Koppel. The accident was in front of the Al’s corner, a popular eatery.

Troopers have not said what happened at this point and have not released the names and/or conditions of the victim or victims involved in the accident.

A State Police Spokesperson said more information will be released as the investigation continues.