About 90K sex abuse claims filed in Boy Scouts bankruptcy
By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Close to 90,000 sex abuse claims have been filed against the Boy Scouts of America as the deadline arrived for submitting claims in the organization’s bankruptcy case. The number filed by Monday far exceeds initial projections of lawyers who have been signing up clients since the Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy protection in February in the face of hundreds of lawsuits alleging decades-old sex abuse by Scout leaders. Eventually, the proceedings in federal bankruptcy court will lead to the creation of a compensation fund to pay settlements to abuse survivors whose claims are upheld. The potential size of the compensation fund isn’t yet known and will be negotiated.

Trump to order troop reductions in Afghanistan, Iraq
By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press
A U.S. official says the Pentagon is expected to cut the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan almost in half by Jan. 15. The order would stop short of outgoing President Donald Trump’s goal to have all troops withdrawn by the end of the year, which had faced opposition from military and diplomatic advisers. The Pentagon also expects to cut the number of troops in Iraq to 2,500, a reduction of more than 500. The decisions follow Trump’s shakeup of the Pentagon last week in which he installed loyalists who share his frustration with the continued troop presence in the Middle East.

Matzie: Nearly $516,000 in funding to ensure school safety  

AMBRIDGE, Nov. 16 – Schools in Beaver and Allegheny counties are receiving $515,977 in grant funding to ensure students and staff enjoy the safety possible environment, state Rep, Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, announced today.

Matzie said the competitive 2020-21 Safe Schools Targeted Grants from the state Department of Education will ensure schools have all the resources they need to implement safety plans for the year ahead.

“Safety is the first order of business when it comes to our schools, and that’s true whether we’re protecting students and staff from health risks like COVID or ensuring basic security is in place,” Matzie said. “Although there is no one-size-fits-all solution, our school officials do an excellent job of assessing specific needs and ensuring every potential issue is addressed before it becomes a problem.

“But security comes at a price, and the cost burden often falls on taxpayers. Securing this funding will allow officials to cover all bases and ensure schools have the resources they need – including a mix of personnel, programs and equipment – while easing the tax burden on residents.”

Matzie said the funding includes the following grants:

• Aliquippa School District – $25,000 for security equipment.

• Ambridge Area School District – $24,960 for security equipment and $60,000 for a school resource officer.
• Central Valley School District – $21,480 for security equipment and $60,000 for a school resource officer.
• Freedom Area School District – $25,000 for security equipment and $40,000 for a school resource officer.
• Quaker Valley School District – $24,522 for security equipment, $19,800 for security programs and $40,000 for a school police officer.
• Rochester Area School District – $25,000 for security equipment.

In addition to the public school grants, eight Allegheny County private schools in Intermediate Unit 3 will receive equipment grants totaling $150,215.

The grants are part of a package of more than $9 million in competitive grants awarded statewide. The PDE’s Office for Safe Schools offers four types of safety grants: equipment grants of up to $25,000; program grants of up to $20,000; School Police Officer grants of up to $40,000; and School Resource Officer grants of up to $60,000.

More information on the specific awardees and amounts is available here.

(McKees Rocks, Pa.)  Two people were shot in McKees Rocks on Sunday night. Police were called to the intersection of Island Avenue and Churchill Street around 7:30 pm were they found two men who had been shot with non-life threating injuries. Both men were transported to a local hospital.  Allegheny County Police detectives are investigating.

Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the Allegheny County Police Tip Line 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.

SpaceX launches 2nd crew, regular station crew flights begin
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four astronauts are in orbit and on their way to the International Space Station. Their launch Sunday night by SpaceX kicks off regular crew flights from the U.S. The Falcon rocket thundered into the night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon capsule carrying three Americans and one Japanese is due to reach the orbiting outpost late Monday and will remain there until spring. The astronauts named their capsule Resilience in light of the coronavirus pandemic and other hardships of 2020. SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk was sidelined by the virus himself. He says he “most likely” has a moderate case of COVID-19.

PNC to buy US unit of Spain’s BBVA bank for $11.6 billion
NEW YORK (AP) — PNC Financial Services Group says it is buying the U.S. subsidiary of Spain’s BBVA bank for $11.6 billion in cash. BBVA’s U.S. operations are based in Houston, Texas. They have $104 billion in assets and operate 637 branches, mainly in the south and southwest of the country. PNC is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is largely a regional bank. The deal would give it a presence across the U.S. Shares in BBVA jumped more than 15% in Madrid on Monday. Those in PNC were up 1.8% in premarket trading.

Keystone State News Connection

November 16, 2020

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — This is American Education Week and even with the disruptions of a national health crisis, educators say there is plenty to celebrate.

School closures, remote learning and fears of spreading the coronavirus have presented teachers, parents and students with a unique set of challenges this year.

Joe Welch, an eighth-grade American History teacher and Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year, said American Education Week is an opportunity to recognize that, despite those difficulties, teachers across the Commonwealth are finding new ways to make education work.

“We still have really great things happening in our schools,” Welch stressed. “We’re getting creative, we’re thinking outside the box, and we’re really thinking about how we can still connect with students and still provide them with a great education.”

He emphasized the pandemic should make tackling the unequal resources available to school districts in Pennsylvania a top priority.

Welch noted the innovative approaches teachers are using this year include collaborating with a local public television station to produce educational videos, and “virtual instruction days” with teachers conducting live classes from historical sites.

“We travelled to Washington, DC to teach live from the national memorials there,” Welch explained. “When we were learning about the French and Indian Wars, we taught direct from Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.”

He added in the classroom he’s used wooden cutouts of historical figures at the empty desks required by social distancing to spark conversations about their impact on history.

It is difficult to know just how the disruptions of the pandemic will affect educational outcomes, but Welch observed there are signs the innovative techniques teachers have developed are working.

“If I have a class of 25 students and I see all 25 there early, on-time in a virtual format, I think that’s evidence that they’re engaged, that I am making a difference and my colleagues are making a difference,” Welch concluded.

A schedule of events during American Education Week is available online at psea.org/americaneducationweek.