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.

US judge orders stop to Postal Service cuts, echoing others
By MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge in Philadelphia has joined others around the country in ordering the U.S. Postal Service to halt recent service cuts. An agency spokesperson said after the injunction was granted Monday that he had no immediate response. Officials have previously said they would consider their legal options as injunctions were issued. Critics say the new policies are causing mail delays and threatening the integrity of the presidential election. U.S. District Judge Gerald McHugh Jr. says six states and District of Columbia presented “compelling evidence” from the Postal Service itself that shows “a pronounced increase in mail delays” since July.

GOP takes Pennsylvania court’s ballot deadline to high court
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to put a hold on a court ruling in the battleground state that extends the deadline in November’s election to receive and count mailed-in ballots. In Monday’s filing, Republicans argue that the three-day extension violates federal law that sets Election Day as the first Tuesday in November and that such a decision constitutionally belongs to lawmakers, not the court. Republicans also object to a portion of the state court’s ruling that orders counties to count ballots that arrive during the three-day period even if they lack a postmark or legible postmark, unless there is proof they were mailed after polls closed.

Mother, daughter get life terms in slayings of 5 relatives
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A mother and her adult daughter have been sentenced to life in prison in the slayings of five close relatives, including three children, outside Philadelphia last year. Forty-seven-year-old Shana Decree and 21-year-old Dominique Decree were sentenced Monday in Bucks County Court after entering guilty but mentally ill pleas to five counts of first-degree murder. President Judge Wallace Bateman told the two that they had caused “unimaginable” harm. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that both women offered tearful apologies to the court and other relatives in the courtroom.

AAA: Western Pennsylvania Gas Prices Stable; National Demand Set to Drop
The average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania is steady this week at $2.537 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                  $2.537
Average price during the week of September 21, 2020                             $2.534
Average price during the week of September 30, 2019                             $2.861

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

$2.553      Altoona
$2.592      Beaver
$2.597      Bradford
$2.593      Brookville
$2.492      Butler
$2.482      Clarion
$2.573      DuBois
$2.585      Erie
$2.455      Greensburg
$2.590      Indiana
$2.223      Jeannette
$2.593      Kittanning
$2.571      Latrobe
$2.585      Meadville
$2.587      Mercer
$2.407      New Castle
$2.572      New Kensington
$2.599      Oil City
$2.514      Pittsburgh
$2.571      Sharon
$2.573      Uniontown
$2.599      Warren
$2.441      Washington

Trend Analysis:
Today’s national gas price average is $2.18, which is the same price as last week, five cents lower than a month ago, and 47 cents cheaper than a year ago. On the week, most states saw gas prices decrease or fluctuate by a penny or two.

The latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) report measures demand at 8.52 million b/d, which is a slight uptick from the previous week’s 8.48 million b/d. However, the small increase is still 850,000 b/d lower than last year at this time. Low demand, even as gasoline inventory declines, has helped pump prices move lower or hold steady across the country. This is likely to continue into the fall as the season generally sees fewer road trips, especially during the pandemic. The low demand should translate to cheaper prices for motorists.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate decreased by six cents to settle at $40.25. Domestic crude prices declined due to increased market fears as coronavirus infections increase worldwide, which could impact crude demand. Before market fears emerged, there was some market optimism that domestic demand could be starting to stabilize after the EIA’s latest weekly report revealed that total domestic crude inventories decreased. Decreasing stocks could signal that supply and demand are rebalancing, while crude production decreased by 200,000 b/d to 10.7 million b/d. For this week, crude prices could decline further if demand concerns continue to worry the market.

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

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 76 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.

Wolf Administration Launches Nation’s First Innovative, Evidence-Based Substance Use Disorder Stigma Reduction Campaign

Harrisburg, PA – Today Governor Tom Wolf and Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jennifer Smith, in partnership with Penn State University’s Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research, public health nonprofit The Public Good Projects, and national nonprofit Shatterproof, announced the launch of Life Unites Us, an evidence-based approach to stigma reduction of substance use disorders (SUD), specifically opioid use disorder (OUD).

The state-wide campaign is funded by $1.9 million in federal grant funding and part of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Program’s (DDAP) 2019-2022 Strategic Plan goal of reducing stigma of substance use disorder.

“We want every Pennsylvanian struggling with substance use disorder to know that they are valued, that they are loved, and that they deserve treatment,” Gov. Wolf said. “The Life Unites Us campaign will help to save lives by decreasing stigma in the commonwealth, and it will remind us all that every person is greater than the diseases that afflict them, and that we are all stronger when we support one another.

“It is important that we continue to direct resources into ending the opioid epidemic here in Pennsylvania and not let our attention be swayed from that goal by the overwhelming nature of the current pandemic.”

“For decades stigma has cast a shadow over people battling substance use disorder and their families,” said DDAP Secretary Jen Smith. “That must change. The Wolf Administration is thrilled to be the first state in the country to address SUD stigma with an evidence-based method that has proven results. We look forward to these continued partnerships and creating meaningful impact for Pennsylvanians living with substance use disorder.”

Life Unites Us will be utilizing social media platforms to spread real-life stories of individuals and their family members battling SUD, live and recorded webinars detailing tools and information necessary to effectively reduce stigma to more than 350 community-based organizations focused on SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery throughout Pennsylvania, and a web-based interactive data dashboard detailing the progress of the campaign.

“Stigma keeps people from seeking treatment, and staying in treatment,” says Dr. Joe Smyser, PhD, MSPH, Chief Executive Officer of PGP. “It prevents communities from effectively addressing the opioid epidemic because it creates a false narrative about addiction. This isn’t about ‘addicts.’ It’s about family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Real people with real lived experiences from all walks of life and all parts of the state are behind this effort. Our role is to help give them a platform, and work behind the scenes to ensure their messages reach everyone, and by supporting community organizations who, in many cases, have been engaged in this work for years.”

Life Unites Us was developed based on the results of mixed methods behavioral health research and modeled after a successful mental health stigma reduction campaign led by PGP that used a collective impact approach. The project saw a reduction in stigma by 8 percentage points, equating to 7 million people holding less stigmatizing views towards those living with mental health conditions. Based on the success and lessons learned of the mental health campaign, Life Unites Us will be rigorously evaluated throughout the campaign.

“In the past, stigma reduction projects have often solely focused on sharing stories and while this campaign will share stories, it is much more involved than that,” said Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research Director, Weston Kensinger, Ph.D., CHES. “It’s an innovative, research driven behavior change campaign aimed at celebrating recovery stories to empower individuals but also educating policy makers and medical professionals treating patients with SUD while advocating for harm-reduction strategies with proven outcomes.”

Some baseline statistics from the campaign’s initial survey include:

• 60 percent of respondents reported having a family member or close friend having SUD; When asked specifically about OUD, 42 percent reported having a family member or close friend having an OUD;
• 92 percent of respondents agreed that prescription opioids can be a problem for anyone, 56 percent agreed that OUD is a medical illness like diabetes, arthritis, or heart disease; and
• Approximately 50 percent of respondents agreed that most employers would not hire a person in recovery; while almost 60 percent of respondents believed that most employers would not interview an applicant they had been arrested for OUD.

Life Unites Us is part of Shatterproof’s recently announced strategy to ended addiction stigma across the nation titled The Movement to End Addiction Stigma. The strategy identifies nine commonly cited drivers of the opioid epidemic, seven of which are either partially or entirely driven by stigma. Additionally, the strategy addresses four key areas of stigma including public stigma, structural stigma, self-stigma, and stigma against medications for treatment. Pennsylvania is the first state in the country to participate in the strategic plan.

“Ending addiction stigma means saving lives and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a leader in this country through its commitment to have open, honest discussions and evidence-based content that tell the true stories about this treatable disease,” shared Gary Mendell Founder and CEO of Shatterproof. “We applaud Governor Wolf and his staff, The Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research at Penn State Harrisburg, and the Public Good Projects for their support of the National Movement to End Addiction Stigma and collaboration to bring the stories of real people throughout Pennsylvania to the forefront to end addiction stigma.”

During the Wolf Administration’s second term, DDAP will place a heavy focus on reducing stigma associated with substance use disorder, intensifying primary prevention efforts, strengthening treatment systems, and empowering sustained recovery. The aim of these efforts will be to positively influence the knowledge and behavior around the topic of addiction.

For more information about Life Unites Us and how to get involved, visit lifeunitesus.com, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

For more information about the work the Wolf Administration is doing to combat the opioid crisis, visit pa.gov/opioids.

Keystone State News Connection

September 28, 2020

Will the Debates Skip Climate Again?

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Environmentalists and elected officials are insisting – so far in vain – that climate change needs to be addressed in every presidential debate this year. The first of three debates between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will take place Tuesday evening.

Four years ago, moderators asked no questions at all about climate change in any of the presidential debates, and it is not among the six topics chosen by the moderator for Tuesday’s event. But according to Collin O’Mara, President and CEO at the National Wildlife Federation, this year’s catastrophic wildfires, hurricanes, drought, heatwaves and floods show the impact of climate change is real and it’s happening now.

“To have a presidential debate with so many Americans displaced, so many folks not being able to breathe the air, so many folks struggling to survive, to not have a question is just the height of irresponsibly,” O’Mara said.

Last week, 37 U.S. Senators, all Democrats, signed a letter asking the Presidential Debate Commission to ensure questions about climate change are asked in every debate this year.

The power sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, and the Keystone State has been supplying the nation with coal, oil and natural gas for generations. But O’Mara noted switching to a clean energy economy is good for Pennsylvanians.

“A lot of the clean energy solutions are going to come from Pennsylvania, and so the opportunities for Pennsylvania to create tens of thousands of good-paying new jobs as we make this transition is incredibly important,” he said.

A report from a nonpartisan business group says in 2019, clean energy industries employed more than twice the number of Pennsylvania workers as the entire fossil fuel industry.

O’Mara pointd out that the moderators of each of the three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate have full discretion to determine what questions the candidates will be asked.

“We’re imploring that each of the four of them use at least one question to focus on this issue that is affecting so many people and frankly also creates such a huge opportunity for job creation as we’re trying to figure out ways to grow our economy after the pandemic,” O’Mara said.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) A Beaver Falls man died as a result of gunshot  wounds  sustained in a shooting early Friday morning at 14th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Beaver County Coroner David J. Gabauer identified the victim as Dec Latrell Parker, 22 of Beaver Falls. His death was ruled a homicide.  The shooting occurred during a home invasion  around 1:15 a.m., and a female was also shot and life flighted to a Pittsburgh hospital. Her name has not been released at this time.