(Photo of Mahalek from appearance on Teleforum, March 18, 2021)

HARRISBURG – Reps. Jesse Topper (R-Bedford/Franklin/Fulton), chairman of House Education Committee’s Subcommittee on Higher Education, and Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny/Washington), chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Education, held a joint hearing this morning on higher education funding in Pennsylvania.

The 2021-22 budget allocates more than $1.86 billion to support higher education, including funding for: The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE); state-related universities of Penn State University, The University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, Lincoln University, and Penn Veterinary School (Penn Vet); community colleges; and grants for students through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA).

Held at the state Capitol, the hearing’s testifiers included:

• Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Nathan Hench, Guaranty and Strategy, PHEAA.
• Dean Andrew Hoffman and Vice Dean Robert Schieri, Penn Vet.
• Vice President Charles Gradowski, Finance and Administration, Lincoln University.
• Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Hari Sastry, University of Pittsburgh.
• Interim Treasurer David Marino, Temple University.
• Executive Vice President and Provost Nick Jones, Pennsylvania State University.
• Chancellor Dr. Daniel Greenstein and Chief Financial Officer Molly Mercer, PASSHE.

“Our focus today was on public dollars earmarked for higher education; where the money goes and how it is used,” said Topper. “Providing this oversight ensures our investment in our institutions and its students is being spent prudently and in the best manner possible.”

“With this much funding being allocated to higher education, it was only appropriate that the state Legislature took a deep dive. Our primary duty is to make sure we are being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Mihalek. “We want accountability and transparency for the public when we’re talking about five cents of every dollar spent in Pennsylvania. The public deserves to know how this money is being used and how it benefits students. I thank PASSHE, PHEAA and our state-run schools for helping us to have a better understanding as to how allocated funding from the General Assembly is used.”

Testifiers focused on this funding being used to keep higher education accessible and affordable for all students, especially those who reside in the Commonwealth. Since these schools work in partnership with the Commonwealth, in-state tuition is discounted greatly compared to out-of-state rates and it helps to keep the discount rates flat year after year.

Another focus was that these state-run universities have been able to manage their cost structure better in recent years. Marino stated that by better aligning their cost structure with changing demographics, Temple University has been able to cut its operating budget in five of the past 10 years, eliminating $136.4 million from the annual operating budget.

Sastry emphasized that the University of Pittsburgh has had modest tuition increases and has invested in several critical initiatives aimed at reducing student debt. “The Pitt Success Pell Match Program was introduced in 2019 and marked the greatest restructuring of financial aid in the university’s history,” Sastry said. The program helps students and families with the greatest financial need pay for college by maximizing the power of this federal program by matching student Pell Grants dollar for dollar.

Hoffman and Schieri thanked the state on behalf of Penn Vet for their support since 1889, four years after the school was founded. “Without the state’s support, Penn Vet would not exist in the form it does today,” said Hoffman. “It would not be able to discount tuition for in-state students, nor would it be able to provide its breadth of services to residents and industry, most notably agriculture, which as you know is regarded as Pennsylvania’s largest industry.”

Hench, on behalf of PHEAA, took pride in the organization being able to offer higher education assistance while minimizing students reliance on loan debt. PHEAA offers a variety of student aid programs for the Commonwealth, the largest being the PA State Grant Program, and many outreach services that millions of residents have relied upon to successfully navigate the student aid application process.

To watch the full hearing, visit www.PAHouseGOP.com/Video/Education.

By FRANK BAJAK and BARBARA ORTUTAY Associated Press
Facebook and its Instagram and WhatsApp platforms are back online after a massive global outage plunged the services and the businesses and people who rely on them into chaos for hours. Facebook said late Monday that “the root cause of this outage was a faulty configuration change” and that there is “no evidence that user data was compromised as a result” of the outage. The company apologized and said it is working to understand more about the cause, which began around 11:40 a.m. Eastern Monday. Facebook is going through a major crisis after the whistleblower who was the source of The Wall Street Journal’s series of stories exposing the company’s awareness of internal research into the negative effects of its products went public on CBS’s “60 Minutes” program Sunday.

Man accused in co-worker deaths tells deputies he was raped
Associated Press undefined
DAVENPORT, Fla. (AP) — An electrician accused of killing three co-workers on assignment in central Florida told detectives he did it because his colleagues had raped him, but a Florida sheriff is dismissing that claim, saying there was no evidence to support it. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Monday at a news conference that Shaun Runyon confessed multiple times to the murders during interviews with detectives. Runyon told detectives that the co-workers raped him, and he hated all three of them. But Judd says a sexual battery test failed to confirm the allegation. Runyon was charged over the weekend with three counts of first degree murder and one count of aggravated battery.

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania House is giving its approval to a bill that would make more data about COVID-19 and other diseases available to the public. The chamber voted along party lines Monday for a Republican-sponsored bill that would make records about disease prevention and control subject to disclosure through the Right-to-Know Law. Supporters say such information has sometimes been difficult to obtain during the pandemic, and it could help people make good health decisions. Democrats warn the bill’s implications aren’t clear, and it could be risky to produce information that might invade individuals’ privacy. The proposal was sent to the state Senate for its consideration.

Trial against pharmacy chains’ opioid sales begins
By MARK GILLISPIE Associated Press
CLEVELAND (AP) — Jurors have heard opening statements in a federal court trial to determine whether retail pharmacy chains created a public nuisance in how they dispensed addictive painkillers in two Ohio counties. Lake and Trumbull counties outside Cleveland say the cost of abating the ongoing crisis is $1 billion for both counties. Mark Lanier, an attorney for the two counties, outlined a case he said would show how pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Giant Eagle failed to prevent the illegal diversion of pain pills that have contributed to an ongoing opioid crisis. An attorney for Walgreens said the company’s pharmacists are well-trained and fill prescriptions written by physicians for patients with legitimate needs.

Pennsylvania AG reschedules pipeline probe announcement
By MARK SCOLFORO and MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s attorney general abruptly postponed a news conference at which he was apparently poised to announce criminal charges against the developer of the troubled Mariner East pipeline project. The news conference was later rescheduled for Tuesday morning. It’s unclear what caused the delay. Attorney General Josh Shapiro had first planned to hold the event Monday at Marsh Creek State Park in Downingtown, where Sunoco Pipeline LP spilled more than 8,000 gallons of drilling fluid last year. The spill happened during construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline. Shapiro’s office says it received “new information” on Monday morning, forcing a postponement.

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh)

Users around the world tried to reset their internet connection and restart their devices Monday morning when they couldn’t access Facebook.  A global outage occurred shortly before noon that left Facebook and their other owned platforms, Instagram and WhatsApp, inaccessible to both users and the company itself.  Facebook released a statement on Twitter saying “We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”  It is currently unclear what caused the outage.  The sites appeared back online around 6pm Monday with some limited functionality.  This came a day after a TV segment was aired about Facebook being under allegations of knowingly spreading violence and misinformation. Stocks for the company plummeted 5% Monday morning shortly before the outage as well. Have no fear, you can always get all your Beaver County news right here on beavercountyradio.com.

(Photo Courtesy of the National Aviary)

(Pittsburgh, Pa) National Aviary officials this morning announced that Kodiak, or Kody, the Steller’s Sea Eagle, has safely returned to the National Aviary, where he has thrived for 15 years. National Aviary staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to bring Kody back home after he got out through a gap in the heavy gauge wire roof of his habitat last Saturday. Kody was recovered from a residence in Pine Township late Sunday afternoon and is doing well. “Since Saturday, September 25, our team has worked tirelessly towards this moment when we can finally say that Kodiak is home safe and sound,” said Cheryl Tracy, Executive Director of the National Aviary. “We are relieved and elated that Kody is in good health, and we have immense gratitude for the support we have received from our community during this stressful time. Your sightings and well wishes were invaluable in our efforts, and we are so appreciative.”

Kodiak initially stayed close to Pittsburgh’s Northside before gradually traveling further north, where he found green spaces to rest. Hundreds of phone calls from community members assisted the National Aviary’s team in locating Kody. A tip from a homeowner Sunday afternoon led the team to a residence in Pine Township. Kodiak recognized one of his caregivers who was able to maintain eye contact with the bird, as a team of trained aviculturists used soft netting to safely hold Kody’s position. Additional soft netting and a towel were used to ensure the safety of both Kody and the aviculturists working to bring him home.

“Kodiak is so beloved by the National Aviary’s staff, volunteers, and visitors, and we are so relieved that he is back home where he has thrived for 15 years. He is resting and eating well—a sign that he is relaxed and comfortable,” said Cathy Schlott, Director of Animal Programs and Experiences at the National Aviary. “Kody has a trusting relationship with his caregivers, and that relationship helped our team immensely in the effort to bring him back home.”

Now back at the National Aviary, Kodiak is resting in a comfortable habitat behind the scenes. He received an initial visual exam upon his return from Dr. Pilar Fish, the National Aviary’s Senior Director of Zoological Advancement and Avian Medicine, who found that Kody is in good health.

It will be several weeks before visitors will be able to see Kody at the National Aviary due to supply delays for materials used for his habitat repairs. Kody is in a comfortable space behind the scenes while the National Aviary makes repairs to his usual habitat. Repairs will include an even stronger material for the roof and an additional net for added safety. All of the habitats at the National Aviary are designed with the comfort and safety of the birds as the highest priority, and this is the first time an incident of this nature has occurred.  It is still unclear how Kodiak was able to get out of his habitat, and we may not have additional information. The entire team is incredibly relieved and grateful for Kody’s safe return, and his welfare continues to be our unwavering focus.

The National Aviary will reopen to the public on Thursday, October 7. The Aviary will be closed until then to allow the staff time for rest and recover following this exhaustive effort to bring Kody home safely.