HARRISBURG – The Office of Open Records (OOR) released a report finding that while most government agencies in Pennsylvania provide Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) information on their websites, improvements can still be made to increase citizens’ access to public records.

“I am pleased that the overwhelming majority of agencies we reviewed provide some information about the RTKL on their websites,” said Executive Director Liz Wagenseller. “Informing citizens how to use the law reinforces an agency’s commitment to accountability.”

The OOR’s report, “2021 Agency Website Review,” summarizes the findings of OOR’s review of a sample of 135 state and local agencies’ websites. While 91 percent of agencies post something about the RTKL on their websites, the compliance for the four specific mandated pieces of information are not as universal:

• 96 percent provide contact information for the agency open records officer;
• 62 percent provide contact information for the Office of Open Records or other applicable appeals officer;
• 81 percent provide a request form; and
• 59 percent provide regulations, policies, and procedures of the agency relating to the RTKL.

Just 50 percent of agencies provide all of the first three^[1] items.

“Meeting these requirements is simple and easy. If accountability is a priority, an agency will invite scrutiny, not avoid it,” said Wagenseller. “I hope that all agencies use this report to review their compliance and add the necessary information.”

As the report outlines, failing to provide accurate, comprehensive, and accessible RTKL information may lead to requester errors or an assumption that the agency is not subject to the law. The very basic first step in transparency is giving requesters the necessary tools and information needed.

The report outlines best practices beyond providing the statutorily required information. The OOR’s recommendations include:

• Ensuring the information is simple to locate;
• Providing electronic and printable request forms;
• Including links to frequently requested items; and
• Linking to a municipality’s RTKL information if a police department utilizes the municaplity’s open records offcer.

(Harrisburg, PA) State Senators Nikil Saval and Judy Schwank announced they will soon introduce legislation to support Governor Tom Wolf’s call for mask mandates in the state. Senator Schwank’s forthcoming bill would require general indoor masking in early childhood education and childcare programs on a conditional basis for those over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status. Senator Saval’s bill would require school districts to implement universal indoor masking within K-12 classrooms.

Both pieces of legislation will be introduced in the wake of Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman and House Speaker Bryan Cutler rejecting the Governor’s request for the General Assembly to reconvene and approve a statewide requirement for masks to be worn in schools. According to the health and safety plans submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), currently fewer than 10% of schools have enacted a masking policy, which is counter to CDC guidance for K-12 schools.

“The past 18 months have been devastating for all of us, but school children—isolated from their friends, teachers, and school support systems—have experienced a particular and acute version of this trauma. We need to do everything in our power to ensure that kids can return to their schools, while simultaneously ensuring that teachers, family members, and communities can stay safe. In-door masking policies, as part of a school’s COVID prevention strategy, are effective to the degree that transmission levels in schools are often lower than community transmission levels. For the physical and mental safety of our children and the stability of working families throughout the Commonwealth, it’s crucial that PA schools adhere to CDC guidance and implement universal indoor masking,” said Senator Saval.

The call for a statewide mask mandate in schools has been supported by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

“The COVID-19 pandemic badly exacerbated the problems we face with childcare. The closing of childcare facilities has adversely affected our workforce, especially the role of women in our workforce. I know for parents and guardians across the commonwealth, the health and safety of their children is their highest priority. Because a lot of children are still unable to get vaccinated and the uncertainty around new variants, we need to do everything we can to ensure our youngest students, educators, childcare workers and all staff are protected,” said Senator Schwank.

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Danny Britza 82, former Mayor of Aliquippa  from 1980-88, died Sunday, August, 29, 2021 in  the Apple Blossom Personal Care Home in Moon Township. He graduated from Aliquippa High School in 1957, was a US. Army veteran,  college graduate , state auditor, councilman, mayor,  and city treasurer. Britza also served on the Southwestern PA Regional Planning Commission..

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) Hopewell Township Police officers Garrett Rogers  and Bob Clark were on patrol  at 1:42 a.m. Saturday , August 28, 2021.  According to  Hopewell Twp. Police Chief Don Sedlacek, the two alert officers observed  some suspicious activity at the Sunoco  in Five Points. A  call from  county dispatch  confirmed that there was a robbery in progress. and caught the pair in the act. Officers  arrested a male, Deion Ford, 30 of McKees Rocks,, and a female, Brittany Nieson 28, of Pittsburgh

AAA: Western PA Gas Prices Steady; Hurricane Ida Disrupts Gas Production
Gas prices in Western Pennsylvania are stable this week at $3.323 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                 $3.323
Average price during the week of August 23, 2021                                  $3.326
Average price during the week of August 31, 2020                                  $2.584

The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:      

$3.293      Altoona
$3.353      Beaver
$3.359      Bradford
$3.346      Brookville
$3.328      Butler
$3.359      Clarion
$3.319      DuBois
$3.346      Erie
$3.305      Greensburg
$3.299      Indiana
$3.280      Jeannette
$3.303      Kittanning
$3.356      Latrobe
$3.345      Meadville
$3.369      Mercer
$3.281      New Castle
$3.279      New Kensington
$3.359      Oil City
$3.332      Pittsburgh
$3.299      Sharon
$3.287      Uniontown
$3.359      Warren
$3.278      Washington

Trend Analysis:

The national gas price average decreased by two cents as of Sunday, the cheapest price since early July, but was back up a penny to $3.15 Monday morning following Hurricane Ida. The storm has left more than one million people in Louisiana and Mississippi without power and taken about 13% of U.S. refining capacity offline. There were nine oil refineries in Ida’s path; at least four were believed to have shut down operations ahead of the storm.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by $1.32 to settle at $68.74 as production ramped down ahead of Hurricane Ida. As the storm continues, over 95% of oil production in the Gulf Coast region remains shuttered. In addition, the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement reports that 288 out of 560 manned offshore platforms have been evacuated; all 11 of the non-dynamically positioned rigs have been evacuated; and 10 of the 15 dynamically positioned rigs have moved out of the storm’s path as a precaution. For this week, crude prices will likely increase, at least temporarily, in response to reduced supply. However, as the storm clears and damage is assessed, production will gradually return to normal operations and help to stabilize prices as supply increases.

Until the power is restored, it’s too early to know the full impact of any damage Ida caused on the oil and gas industry, but motorists regionally can expect price fluctuations leading into Labor Day weekend. Typically, a category 4 storm could mean three plus weeks before refineries are back to normal operations, while offshore production is more likely to resume this week.

As a precautionary measure, Colonial Pipeline announced on Sunday that they shut down two main lines that run from Houston, TX, to Greensboro, NC. The company added that following an infrastructure inspection after the storm, the pipeline would be back to full service. Gas prices nationally, especially in the southeast and east coast, will see minimal impact at the pump if the pipeline is down for a matter of hours versus days. AAA will continue to monitor the latest oil and gas developments resulting from Ida and provide updates, especially on the re-opening of the Colonial Pipeline.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 72 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

(Leetsdale, Pa.) Parents and citizens attending Monday night’s Quaker Valley school board meeting expressed their displeasure with the boards decision to make a universal mask policy in the district.
Before the meeting even kicked off, people outside were protesting the universal mask mandate currently in place for the school district. Parents don’t feel that the district has the right to force their children to mask up.

During the meeting some parents did speak and they praised the board’s decision.

The School Board stands behind their decision for universal masking in the district.

Ex-lawmaker to run for lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former state lawmaker and two-time congressional candidate from the Pittsburgh area says he’ll run for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor next year. Rick Saccone said Monday that he’ll make a formal announcement Sept. 10. Saccone drew attention Jan. 6 when he posted videos online from outside the U.S. Capitol that appeared to support the violent insurrection by supporters of then-President Donald Trump to prevent Congress from confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Saccone said Monday that he hasn’t had any run-in with law enforcement over his statements and insisted he knew of no violence at the Capitol until he was at his bus, ready to leave.

Keystone State News Connection

Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Three dozen Pennsylvania advocacy groups sent a letter last week to the state’s congressional delegation, calling on them to ensure the trillion-dollar infrastructure package includes investments that would benefit the Appalachia region.

The letter calls for expanding and electrifying public transportation, among many other climate-related solutions.

Vanessa Lynch, Pennsylvania field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force, said closing leaks from the state’s several hundred thousand orphan wells could help decrease air and water pollution.

“When we talk about climate change and its impacts on local communities, everything from extreme-heat days to major flooding and landslide events, which are some of the most common things we see in Pennsylvania, plugging orphan wells is one of the best ways to decrease methane emissions,” Lynch asserted.

Pennsylvania has a third of the nation’s abandoned mine acreage. A proposed $4.7 billion in the infrastructure bill would go toward plugging and reclaiming orphan wells. This month, the Senate passed the legislation with large bipartisan support. The House has committed to vote by the end of September.

Bobby Hughes, executive director of the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, said a big issue among Appalachian communities is water contamination from abandoned mine drainage, which results in trace metals ending up in rivers and streams. The letter calls for funding for remediating abandoned mine lands, which Hughes supports.

“We consider treatment of water a public infrastructure-type project,” Hughes explained. “And more of that needs to be out there for consideration so that companies or even municipalities could kind of get in on trying to create jobs and build the infrastructure that’s needed to treat this water.”

The letter also calls for targeted hiring programs for historically disadvantaged communities, along with bringing reliable internet access to rural areas and city neighborhoods.

PNC to raise base wages to $18 an hour, latest bank to do so
By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — PNC Bank is the latest large U.S. financial services company to increase wages in a bid to keep and attract employees. It is raising its minimum wage to $18 an hour while also giving higher-paid workers a bump in pay. The bank said Monday that the wage increase will apply to both PNC employees as well as those working for BBVA USA, which PNC acquired last year. Base-level PNC employees will see their wages increase from $15 an hour to $18, a 20% pay raise. The increase is more substantial at BBVA, which had an $11 minimum wage before PNC bought the bank.

Federal aid ending for hundreds of thousands in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians will lose federal unemployment benefits after this week, including an extra $300 per week, an extra 13 weeks of benefits and benefits for the self-employed. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Monday that there are sources of help for people who need it once those benefits run out, including federal rental assistance through counties, Medicaid, food stamps and temporary cash-assistance for low-income families. The state’s regular 26-week unemployment compensation benefits will continue, without the extra $300 federal benefit on top. The American Rescue Plan Act, signed by President Joe Biden in March, extended those federal benefits and set them to expire after this week.