ALLEGHENY – Reps. Carrie Lewis DelRosso (R-Allegheny/Westmoreland) and Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) – in collaboration with Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), who released a statement on Friday – issued the following statement regarding U.S. Steel’s cancellation of its $1 billion investment project:

“As U.S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David Burritt noted, Pennsylvania is not competitive with other states. Permitting takes way too long, which delays projects to the point that we lose opportunities. That’s exactly what happened with U.S. Steel. And with the loss of the $1 billion investment project, we also lose infrastructure money because there’s no revenue streams because the jobs were pulled.

“There’s nothing western PA needs more than jobs and money to invest in infrastructure. Yet, we let the false narrative of environmental concerns steal family-sustaining jobs from Commonwealth families. Having goods manufactured in Pennsylvania benefits the environment because we know how to do things right – unlike foreign countries, where these jobs are being driven, that have little to no environmental or labor standards. Somehow, certain people are convinced that we must choose between saving the planet and saving families in the area from financial distress. That’s simply not the case, and now, we have to brace ourselves for higher rates of crime and blight because the jobs are gone.

“But unlike others, we’re not willing to accept that. No, we’re going to fight back against the job loss, against the blight, against the crime. The revitalization of western Pennsylvania can happen through a job infusion and infrastructure investments, and that’s why we support a package of bills called the Commonwealth’s COVID Comeback. The pro-jobs, pro-families and pro-growth initiative is all about incentivizing manufacturers and providing protections to small businesses, as well as offering tax and regulatory reform.

“U.S. Steel’s announcement is all the more reason to push for real reform in Harrisburg, and we will work to make this awful news the last of its kind that Western Pennsylvanians will have to hear.”

Facebook board upholds Trump suspension
By MATT O’BRIEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook — for now. The social network’s quasi-independent Oversight Board voted to uphold his ban from the platform after his account was suspended four months ago for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. While upholding the suspension, the board faulted Facebook for the way it made the decision, calling it “not appropriate” to suspend him indefinitely. The board says Facebook has six months to reexamine its “arbitrary” penalty.

After Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s announcement on re-openings across the commonwealth on Memorial Day the Pittsburgh Pirates are in the process of making plans to bring more fans into PNC Park.

According to the team, they’ll announce new ticket sale plans soon.

MLB also announced it’s easing some on-field entertainment restrictions beginning today. That smeans the Pierogi Race will back to the OF warning track when the Bucs return home Monday, May 10.

If You’re keeping score this year Bacon Burt and Cheese Chester posted 3 wins each on the Clemente Bridge.

The pierogis had been racing across the Clemente Bridge since the start of the season.

2021 AAA Car Guide Highlights the Latest in Vehicle Tech

Tesla Model Y and other eco-friendly options take top honors in annual AAA ranking

Vehicle safety technologies, environmental concerns, and several other factors are highlights of the 2021 AAA Car Guide, an annual report to help consumers navigate the marketplace. The AAA Car Guide ranks and rates the latest in vehicle technology, including alternative fuel vehicles. The guide includes comprehensive, easy-to-read reviews of each vehicle, which are based on 13 criteria, including the number of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) safety features, emissions, braking, fuel economy, handling, ride comfort and acceleration.

These vehicles are tested, scored and placed in one of five vehicle categories by the Automotive Research Center (ARC) of the Automobile Club of Southern California, a member of the AAA federation of motor clubs.

The 2020 Tesla Model Y Long Range EV SUV has earned the overall top score in this year’s rankings. The majority of the category winners for 2021 are either electric, plug-in electric hybrids or hybrids since manufacturers tend to load up these with the newest in safety technology.

“Consumers are showing a growing interest in electric vehicles and new, improved safety features,” says Mike Hoshaw, vice president of automotive services, AAA East Central. “As long as motorists aren’t over relying on these technologies, it is encouraging to see these trends proliferate as vehicles evolve.”

The AAA Car Guide also contains a compendium of AAA’s recent research of current automotive technologies and topics, such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), gasoline quality, headlight effectiveness and safely transporting a pet in the vehicle.

Winners, detailed evaluation criteria, vehicle reviews and an in-depth analysis of the ADAS technology can be found at aaa.com/carguide.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 73 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  Past news releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

(Freedom, Pa.) Firefighters in Freedom were called to the scene of a fire on 4th Ave in the borough on Tuesday evening. The man who lived in the home was able to make it out safely on his own but fire fighters rescued a dog from a burning home.

Firefighters had a hard time getting into the home because of how much stuff was inside the home.
The house was lined with clutter so high it was covering the upstairs windows and firefighters had to fight the fire from the inside because of it.

The Red Cross is assisting the man that lives inside the home.

Harrisburg, PA – The Wolf administration, in coordination with the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force, announced today that mitigation orders except masking will be lifted on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31 at 12:01 AM.

The current order requiring Pennsylvanians to wear masks will be lifted when 70% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated. Face coverings are required to be worn indoors and outdoors if you are away from your home. In accordance with the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians are not required to wear a mask during certain activities.

“We continue to make significant progress in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19 and as more Pennsylvania adults get vaccinated and guidance from the CDC evolves, we can continue to move forward with our reopening efforts,” ​Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam said. “I encourage Pennsylvanians to take the critical steps needed to put this pandemic behind us by getting vaccinated, follow through with both doses if you receive the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, and continue to take steps like masking, frequent hand washing and sanitizing and social distancing.”

Requirements such as testing and reporting ​new cases will remain in place for hospitals and long-term care facilities. Maintaining requirements for hospitals and long-term care facilities wi​ll allow Pennsylvania to continue to closely monitor COVID-19 spread while lifting other restrictions.

The Department of Health recommends that Pennsylvanians refer to CDC guidance and recommendations regarding ongoing COVID-19 safety measures and procedures.

These updates will not prevent municipalities and school districts from ​continuing and implementing stricter mitigation efforts.

“With millions of Pennsylvanians getting vaccinated, it’s time to plan the transition back to normal,” said Sen. Art Haywood. Hospitalizations and deaths are down. This action today is a key step forward.”

“While the restrictions that were put in place at the outset of the pandemic have been a major source of frustration for many Pennsylvanians and businesses, it is the collaborative work of this bipartisan Task Force that is allowing us to finally roll back the restrictions and get back to normal life,” said Sen. Ryan Aument.

“I’m thrilled after more than a year that we are able to lift these restrictions so that we can move to more normal life,” said Rep. Tim O’Neal. “This will help grow our economy and assist our small businesses that have sacrificed so much due to COVID-19. Thank you to Pennsylvanians who have chosen to be vaccinated. Your efforts have helped us arrive at today.”

“I am proud of the progress we have made with vaccinations throughout Pennsylvania,” said Rep. Bridget Kosierowski. “Lifting mitigation orders on Memorial Day and announcing that masking orders will be lifted once 70 percent of Pennsylvania’s adults are fully vaccinated are all benefits from following the scientific medical research and data. Many sacrifices had been made over the past year while we waited for help. The help is now here in the form of a vaccine and we must do everything we can to encourage everyone to receive their vaccination so we can overcome this pandemic. Let’s follow the science, because it’s the path to us all returning to normalcy.”

The governor’s Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic remains in place.

All Pennsylvanians ages 16 and older are eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine. The provider map is available on the Department of Health’s website. Pennsylvanians with questions about the vaccination process can call the Department of Health hotline at 1-877-724-3258.

More information is available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.