Keystone State News Connection

September 10, 2021

Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania is now the second state in the country to launch a program focused on training state and local leaders on tackling the challenges of climate change.

The Pennsylvania Climate Leadership Academy, run by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), wrapped up the first portion of the program this week. About 170 people from nonprofits, state agencies, local governments and universities participated in the online courses that discussed the impacts of climate change on communities and policy-driven solutions to mitigate its effects.

Heidi Kunsch, environmental group manager for the Energy Programs Office at the DEP, said civic engagement is key to addressing environmental concerns.

“It’s not about doom and gloom,” Kunsch explained. “It’s about taking action and all hands on deck. All of us, down to the homeowner, making changes in our own homes with the way we use energy and with the way we commute. It starts with each of us. Every one of us has a role to play.”

Maryland was the first state in the U.S. to launch a Climate Leadership Academy. The next part of the training, called the Certified Climate Change Professional Program, starts in October and will offer courses on topics including climate science, greenhouse-gas accounting and vulnerability assessments.

Kate Semmens, science director at the Nurture Nature Center in Easton, which helps that community learn about environmental risks, is a participant in the Climate Leadership Academy. She helped develop a vulnerability assessment and Climate Action Plan for Easton, which is at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers and at risk of flooding.

Semmens said the academy is important for municipality leaders because climate-change risks will have a direct impact on residents.

“A lot of the actions that these decision-makers can take related to climate change have co-benefits,” Semmens contended. “They’re gonna help with air and water quality. They’re gonna help with human health. Having that understanding that you can make these changes that are going to have multiple beneficial impacts is really important going forward.”

Pennsylvania’s average temperature has risen nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. According to DEP data, the temperature will rise another 5.9 degrees by 2050 unless greenhouse-gas emissions are cut.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing utility pole replacement work on Route 4052 (Warrendale Road) in Pine Township, Allegheny County will occur Friday, September 10 weather permitting.

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(Slippery Rock Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police in Butler are reporting that over the past several days State Police in Butler have received several reports of thefts from motor vehicles at off campus housing near Slippery Rock University. The thefts occurred early Sunday morning, September 6, 2021, between midnight and 7 AM.
Troopers are asking anyone with information on these thefts to call them at 724-284-8100.
Troopers are also reminding everyone to lock and secure their vehicles and housing. They are also not encouraging you to leave valuable items within a vehicle even if it is locked.

PennDOT District 11 is announcing bridge deck repair work on northbound I-79 in Marshall Township, Allegheny County, will occur Monday through Wednesday nights, September 13-15 weather permitting.

A single-lane restriction will occur on northbound I-79 on the bridge over the Pennsylvania Turnpike from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night for concrete deck repairs.

Crews from Michael Facchiano Contracting will perform the emergency repair work.

Please use caution and allow extra time if traveling through the area.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 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.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano 

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Aliquippa City Council met via Zoom on Wednesday night and adopted  the amended exit plan for the city  pursuant to the municipality’s financial recovery act, Act 47 of 1987 and Act 23 0f 2020. The plan   provides for an 18 month extension  for the city due to the pandemic.

Publisher to reissue Pa. senator’s WWI book with corrections
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The academic press that published a Pennsylvania state senator’s 2014 book about World War I hero Sgt. Alvin York has given him a list of factual errors and sourcing issues to review. It plans to publish a corrected version of the book early next year. The University Press of Kentucky outlined plans for the potential corrections and revisions to Sen. Doug Mastriano’s book in emails Tuesday to The Associated Press and to another researcher looking into York’s 1918 acts of heroism while fighting in France. Press director Ashley Runyon says an outside scholar will also review sources and corrections in the new version.

(File Photo)

Biden asked to declare disaster in Pennsylvania due to storm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is asking President Biden to declare a major disaster in Pennsylvania due to heavy rains, severe flash flooding and tornadoes in the commonwealth last week from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. The governor is seeking a major disaster declaration allowing assistance to individuals for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and York counties. It would provide federal funding and services to eligible individuals and households and federal funding to local, county and state governments. Businesses would be eligible for aid through the Small Business Administration.

(File Photo)
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Republican primary for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat is turning personal, as real estate developer Jeff Bartos slammed rival Sean Parnell for allegations related to his contentious divorce and child custody dispute. Parnell, the Trump-endorsed candidate, accused Bartos of lying and demanded he drop out of the race. Bartos launched the attack by bringing up restraining orders sought by Parnell’s wife in 2017 and in 2018 during divorce proceedings that are still ongoing. Parnell’s campaign disputed the notion that the temporary orders — granted prior to a hearing involving both parties — were evidence of any wrongdoing. Neither lasted more than a matter of days.

Keystone State News Connection

September 9, 2021

Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With the expanded unemployment benefits from the American Rescue Plan ending last week, a new report from the Keystone Research Center showed Pennsylvania and the federal government are at a crossroads and have a chance to implement policies that can build a stronger economy.

The report took a deeper look at the impact COVID-19 had on jobs and the economy over the last 18 months, which showed Pennsylvania had 360,000 fewer jobs in July 2021 than in Feb. 2020.

Stephen Herzenberg, executive director of the Center, said increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour could boost needed support for Pennsylvania workers.

“For years, Gov. (Tom) Wolf has been proposing, ‘Let’s get on the same track as our neighbors in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, in terms of raising the wages of low-wage workers,'” Herzenberg explained. “Our Pennsylvania lawmakers need to get off the dime and get in line with what our surrounding states have already done.”

The Pennsylvania and federal minimum wage are both $7.25. According to the report, about two million Pennsylvania workers take home an estimated $3 billion less each year due to the state’s low minimum wage.

Among other federal policy solutions that the report suggests enacting include passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act. The PRO Act would protect workers’ rights to unionize and bargain collectively.

Herzenberg pointed out the legislation could also help to address the ways in which companies contribute to climate change.

“Real worker rights again in this country to unionize are both a way to create an economy that works for all and a way to create the kind of social unity we need as a team to reduce carbon emissions,” Herzenberg asserted. “Because the globe is in deep trouble.”

The PRO Act passed the House of Representatives in March and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.