(Moon Twp, Pa.) This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, northwest
Pennsylvania, southwest Pennsylvania, western Pennsylvania,
northern West Virginia and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.


Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop by this
afternoon in advance of a crossing cold front. Initial storm mode
will likely be discrete before more becoming more linear later in the
afternoon. Damaging wind will be the dominant threat, but tornadoes
and large hail are also possible, especially with more discre

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Pittsburgh today with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. The visit to comes as President Joe Biden’s administration pushes a massive infrastructure plan in Congress. The President originally unveiled his $2.3 trillion plan in Pittsburgh on March 31. He billed it as “a once-in-a-generation investment in America” that would also undo tax cuts for corporations under his predecessor former President Donald Trump. President Biden is hoping for a deal with Republicans who are resisting his big ideas and trimming the potential spending, but he also is trying to assure Democrats that he won’t leave behind their priorities.

Keystone State News Connection

June 21, 2021

Emily Scott

PHILADELPHIA — Families with children in Pennsylvania and beyond were hit hard during the pandemic, and returning to pre-COVID levels of support could harm millions of kids, according to the new Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The report tracks children’s health, education and family stability by state, based on 2019 data. It ranked Pennsylvania 19th among states for overall child wellbeing.

The Commonwealth worsened in education, with 53% of preschool-age children not enrolled.

Kari King, CEO and president of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, believes American Rescue Plan funding will address the education gaps exacerbated by the pandemic.

“It is very thoughtfully targeted around learning loss, mental health, things like that,” King explained. “I think it has been crafted well to address some of the concerns noted by educators, parents, other community leaders.”

The report showed Pennsylvania saw areas of improvement in 2019, including a decrease in the number of children living in poverty, although the pandemic might have affected that total.

King added one area where she’d like to see the Keystone State improve is in permanent access to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.

“Overall, what we really need to ensure is that there is that coverage for children,” King contended. “Because we know that when children have health insurance, that they’re going to be healthier and that it really does impact their overall well-being.”

Forty-six percent of children in the state have coverage through CHIP and Medicaid. Another 5% are uninsured.

Leslie Boissiere, vice president of external affairs for the Foundation, said it is crucial for lawmakers to enact policies that address issues like food and housing insecurity, mental-health concerns, and racial inequality.

“We should be doing everything that we can to lift those children so that they’re in a better situation, and that they can have brighter futures just as all other children do,” Boissiere asserted.

The report also recommended making the recent Child Tax Credit expansion permanent.

Frank Bonner, Herb on ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ dies at 79
By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Frank Bonner, who played a brash salesman with a love of flashy plaid suits on the TV comedy “WKRP in Cincinnati,” has died. Bonner’s daughter says he died Wednesday at home from complications of Lewy body dementia. He had been diagnosed about three years ago with the disease that leads to worsening mental and physical complications. “WKRP in Cincinnati” aired from 1978-1982 and was set in a struggling Ohio radio station. Bonner played ad salesman Herb Tarlek, with his co-stars including Loni Anderson. She said she was “heartbroken” by Bonner’s death. His survivors include his wife, Gayle. Frank Bonner was 79.

Biden’s silence on executions adds to death penalty disarray
By MICHAEL TARM AP Legal Affairs Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — Activists widely expected Joe Biden to take swift action against the death penalty as the first sitting president to oppose capital punishment, but the White House has been mostly silent. Biden hasn’t said whether he’d back a bill to strike the death penalty from U.S. statutes. Biden also hasn’t rescinded Trump-era protocols enabling federal executions to resume and allowing prisons to use firing squads if necessary. And this week, Biden’s administration asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the Boston Marathon bomber’s original death sentence. The hands-off approach is adding to disarray around the death penalty nationwide as pressure increases in some conservative states to find ways to continue executions amid shortages of lethal-injection drugs.

US Catholic bishops OK steps toward possible rebuke of Biden
By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer
U.S. Catholic bishops have overwhelmingly approved the drafting of a “teaching document” that many of them hope will rebuke Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, for receiving Communion despite their support for abortion rights. The 168-55 vote was announced near the end of a three-day meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that was held virtually. The bishops had cast their votes the previous day. Supporters say a strong rebuke of Biden is needed because of his recent actions protecting and expanding abortion access. Opponents warn that such action would portray the bishops as a partisan force during a time of bitter political divisions.

Harris to visit Pittsburgh amid push for infrastructure plan
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Pittsburgh on Monday with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. The visit to the presidential battleground state comes as President Joe Biden’s administration pushes a massive infrastructure plan in Congress. Biden originally went to Pittsburgh on March 31 to unveil a $2.3 trillion plan in what he billed as “a once-in-a-generation investment in America” that would also undo tax cuts for corporations under Biden’s predecessor, Republican Donald Trump. Biden is hoping for a deal with Republicans who are resisting his big ideas and trimming the potential spending, but he also is trying to assure Democrats that he won’t leave behind their priorities.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing concrete barrier replacement work on Route 168 in Hookstown Borough, Beaver County, will begin Monday, June 21 weather permitting.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on Route 168 between Pittsburgh Grade Road and Mill Street from 7 a.m. Monday continuously through Friday, June 25. Crews from A. Liberoni, Inc. will conduct concrete barrier replacement work.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s another victory for religious groups at the Supreme Court. The justices have unanimously sided with a Catholic foster care agency that says its religious views prevent it from working with same-sex couples. The court says the city of Philadelphia wrongly limited its relationship with the Catholic Social Services as a result of the group’s policy. The ruling is specific to the facts of the case, and the court has sidestepped bigger questions about how to balance religious freedom and anti-discrimination laws. Instead, the outcome has turned on the language in the city’s foster care contract. Three conservative justices would have gone much further, and LGBTQ groups say they’re relieved that the decision was limited.

By WILL WEISSERT and JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Gas prices have soared passed $3 per gallon. The costs of used cars and new furniture, airline tickets, department store blouses, beef and a burrito at Chipotle are all on the rise, too. Economists say the price increases are fueled by the aftereffects of a global pandemic and probably won’t last. But Republicans are hoping to storm into next year’s midterm elections arguing that key parts of the economy have deteriorated under President Joe Biden and a Democratic-controlled Congress. They say steep government spending has triggered inflation and that’s hurt the purchasing power of everyday Americans rather than triggering a promised boom.