Rally brings gun rights advocates to Pennsylvania Capitol
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A few hundred people brought their support for gun rights to the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol building for what is an annual rally. Tuesday’s gathering constituted a pep rally, provided an update on the gun lobby’s legislative efforts and opposition, and gave participants an opportunity to target Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and other political opponents.  Organizers said rainy weather and the pandemic may have kept down attendance. Cease Fire PA, which advocates to reduce the harm done by firearms, says about 1,600 people have been killed by guns in Pennsylvania in the past year.

Matzie: House unanimously adopts ‘Rail Safety Week’ resolution

Seeks to raise awareness as pedestrian trespass casualties increase

HARRISBURG, Sept. 29 – The House today unanimously adopted state Rep. Rob Matzie’s resolution to raise awareness about the high toll of deaths and injuries from train collisions.

Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, said he introduced H.B. 1002 – designating Sept. 21-27 as “Rail Safety Week” in Pennsylvania – to call attention to a preventable hazard that kills and injures too many motorists and pedestrians each year.

“Unfortunately, Pennsylvania again this year made the top 15 list of states with the greatest number of highway-rail grade crossing collisions and pedestrian trespassing casualties,” Matzie said. “Perhaps most disturbing, the commonwealth ranks fourth in the nation when it comes to pedestrian trespass deaths and injuries, with 29 deaths and 23 injuries in 2019. That’s an increase from the year before.

“People who are walking at night or distracted while on their cell phones may easily fail to appreciate the degree of danger near tracks. For example, pedestrians may not realize that trains overhang tracks by at least three feet in all directions, with loose straps from rail cars extending even further so even if pedestrians are in the right-of-way next to the tracks, they can still be hit.

“It’s also important to remember that it can take a mile or more for a train to stop, so that by the time a locomotive engineer sees someone on the tracks, it will likely be too late to stop.

“I’m encouraged that the House unanimously adopted my resolution today. There is no need for any pedestrian or motorist to die in a rail collision, and the more we can get the word out, the better our chances of eliminating these tragic, preventable incidents.”

Matzie said additional safety tips and statistics involving rail casualties in Pennsylvania and nationwide are available through the Operation Lifesaver website here.

Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner joined first responders in the United States and Canada for “Operation Clear Track,” the largest rail-safety initiative in North America. More information about the initiative is available here.

In the United States, a person or vehicle is hit by a train about every three hours.

LAMB, FITZPATRICK AND CISNEROS INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO EXTEND GI BILL BENEFITS FOR VETERANS

 

(WASHINGTON, DC) –  Today Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17), who serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, was joined by Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) and Gil Cisneros (CA-39) to introduce the Protecting Apprenticeship Training for Veterans Act, which would extend GI Bill benefits for veterans whose registered apprenticeships were cut short due to COVID-19.  This legislation builds on the bipartisan efforts of Lamb and Fitzpatrick who have been advocating for the needs of the nation’s veterans, transitioning service members, and their families in the next COVID-19 legislative response package.

Currently, veterans must meet a minimum number of apprenticeship hours to receive their full Monthly Housing Allowance.  However, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many registered apprenticeships have ended or been cut short – resulting in veterans facing a reduction or suspension in their stipend.  The legislation introduced today would pause GI benefit time limits for those impacted and would allow veteran apprentices who were laid off to roll over excess hours from a previous month to meet the hourly requirement.  This bill also provides COVID-19 pandemic relief assistance to veterans who are nontraditional students in Registered Apprenticeship and On-the-Job Training programs.

“Veterans should not lose the benefits they’ve earned through their service due to circumstances out of their control,” said Lamb.  “Extending the GI bill benefits to ensure veterans receive the support they need for good-paying jobs is critical.”

“Our veterans put their lives on the line for our country, and they deserve all the support we can provide them.  Veterans contribute so much to our workforce, and registered apprenticeships are critical in securing good-paying jobs,” said Fitzpatrick. “COVID-19 shut down many job training and apprenticeship programs, and it is not fair for our veterans participating in these programs to lose the benefits they have earned. I’m proud to partner with Rep. Lamb on this bipartisan bill to protect our veterans.”

“This pandemic has put a strain on our nation’s veterans—ending their apprenticeship programs and jeopardizing the benefits they have earned.  As a Navy Veteran, I’m proud to work on a bipartisan basis with Reps. Fitzpatrick and Lamb to help our veterans and extend their GI Bill benefits.  I’ll continue to fight for those who have served our country and ensure they have the support they need during this difficult time,” said Cisneros.

This legislation is supported by the Union Veterans Council.

“I commend the bipartisan leadership Rep. Lamb, Rep. Fitzpatrick and Rep. Cisneros have shown in introducing this bill,” said Will Attig, Executive Director of the Union Veterans Council.  “Apprenticeship and on-the-job programs like this changed my life and are instrumental in helping veterans like me across the country.  However, these non-traditional education paths aren’t always as well-supported in our veterans’ legislation as traditional education paths.  This bill makes great strides towards closing that gap and supporting these great programs that we know are effective.”

Details surrounding Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden’s Wednesday train ride across Ohio and Pennsylvania dubbed as the “Build Back Better Express” have been announced. The stops that have been announced for the Pittsburgh area are:

• Train station stop in Pittsburgh
• Train station stop in Greensburg
• Train station stop in New Alexandria
• Train station stop in Latrobe
• Drive-in event in Johnstown

Biden is expected to speak after the last stop in Johnstown.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose at a faster pace in July as the housing market continued to show strength during the coronavirus outbreak. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, released Tuesday, rose 3.9% in July from a year earlier, up from a 3.5% annual gain in June. The 20-city index released Tuesday excluded prices from the Detroit metropolitan area index because of delays related to pandemic at the recording office in Wayne County, which includes Detroit. Phoenix (up 9.2%), Seattle (7%) and Charlotte, North Carolina (6%), reported the biggest year-over-year gains. Sixteen of the 19 cities saw prices rise at a faster pace than they did in June.

Authorities: Man steals truck, leads police on 3-state chase
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Authorities say a man who had just been released from a county jail in western Pennsylvania stole a vehicle and eventually led police on chase that went into West Virginia before he was finally captured in Ohio. The chase began shortly before noon Monday, when a work truck was reported stolen from a construction site in Pittsburgh. The vehicle was soon stopped by police, but authorities say the driver, 24-year-old Shad Bocella, soon drove off. Authorities say an officer fired their weapon during the stop, though no one was hit by any shots. Bocella eventually drove into West Virginia and Ohio.

Keystone State News Connection

September 29, 2020

Pandemic Highlights Vital Role of Career and Technical Ed

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — During the pandemic, frontline workers have shown the importance of career and technical education, and a new report outlines how Pennsylvania can become a national leader in the field.

While school closures and remote learning are challenging for all students, the impact on the kind of hands-on training offered at Career and Technical Education Centers can be huge. Kari King is president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. She said by increasing state funding, adopting best practices from other states and improving data collection and analysis, the Keystone State can make sure students will get what they need to aid in the post-pandemic economic recovery.

“There’s no greater return on investment than the school-to-workforce pipeline, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when so many front-line workers in health care or distribution and logistics are actually CTE graduates,” King said.

The report, called “Career and Technical Education: Setting the Standard in Pennsylvania,” says the first step is to ensure sustained investments in CTE in the state education budget.

The report also looked at how CTE is structured in other states. King noted while there are many different approaches to providing training and the funding for it, no state is doing a comprehensive job.

“But what we did find is that there are customized approaches by states that we think it’s worthwhile for Pennsylvania to consider — things like specific populations, so trying to get middle schoolers engaged in career planning and if they’d want to go into a CTE pathway.”

She added that some states have focused on funding CTE in high-poverty areas and in juvenile justice settings.

King said PA Schools Work, the coalition that authored the report, is urging state lawmakers to consider a $10 million increase in funding for CTE in the next state budget.

“It should be noted our state budget is just around $34 billion, so proportionately the investment there in exchange for preparing students for a 21st-century workforce and economy, it just shows the benefits,” she said.

Police: Man angry over text from mother repeatedly stabs her
ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a Pennsylvania man repeatedly stabbed his mother after she sent him a text message telling him to grow up and get a job. Twenty-three-year-old Tavin McCullough faces attempted homicide and other counts stemming from Sunday’s attack at his mother’s home in Altoona, It wasn’t known Monday if he has retained an attorney. WTAJ reports that police went to the home around 6 a.m. and found the victim, who had been stabbed at least nine times with a 10-inch kitchen knife in her bedroom. The victim was stabbed in the face, chest, stomach and back and remained hospitalized Monday in critical condition, but she’s expected to recover.