HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania students who attend one of the 14 state-owned universities won’t see higher tuition next year, the first such freeze in more than 20 years. The State System of Higher Education’s board on Wednesday voted for to keep in-state tuition flat at about $7,700. The system’s last tuition freeze was for the 1998-99 school year, when the cost for in-state students was less than half what it is today.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s elected fiscal watchdog is urging state officials to end the Keystone Exams, saying they’re not federally required and it’s costing nearly $100 million. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Wednesday that Pennsylvania should instead consider using a nationally recognized test. DePasquale says many states use the SAT or ACT to meet the federal requirement for a secondary-level standardized test. DePasquale says at least 12 other states have phased out the state-specific tests.
Penn National gaming is getting the go ahead to test an online gaming platform. A spokesperson said the Gaming Control Board approved testing to start next week. If all goes well, online gaming could begin shortly afterward.
The state House is offering employees an early retirement incentive to help save some money. The program is offering employees one-grand per year they’ve worked there up to 25 years. To qualify, workers must have been with the state House for at least five years and must be willing to leave by October 22nd. There are about 15-hundred people who work for the state House across P-A.
Cash will no longer be accepted at the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Gateway tolling booths in Lawrence County starting this fall. The Turnpike Commission announced as of Oct. 27, drivers going through the booths at mile marker 2 coming from Ohio will either pay using EZ-Pass transponders or have their license plates photographed and invoices sent by mail. The Commission has been implementing cashless tolling on sections of the highway for the last several years. The Beaver Valley Expressway toll road and the Findlay Connector already were converted to cashless.
(Photos taken by Sandy Giordano)
THE ALIQUPPA SCHOOL BOARD HAS HIRED A NEW GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO WAS AT LAST NIGHT’S BOARD MEETING AND FILED THIS REPORT. Click ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…
(Photo of Dr. Shelly Moore provided by CCBC)
THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BEAVER COUNTY TODAY HAS ANNOUNCED A COUPLE OF LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS. CCBC TODAY ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS APPOINTED DR. SHELLY MOORE AS VICE-PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS/ PROVOST AND ELAINE STROUSS AS DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES. BOTH OF THEIR APPOINTMENTS BECAME EFFECTIVE JULY 1ST.
Beaver County prosecutors say they’re pursuing more charges against a man who’s accused of taking naked pictures of group home residents. The district attorney’s office says new evidence has surfaced that appear to link Zachary Dinell to more victims. Dinell is accused of taking explicit photos of people with special needs at the McGuire Memorial Home in Daugherty Township.
YOUNGWOOD, Pa. (AP) — A woman has asked a judge to dismiss charges that she beat her mother and shaved her head because she thought the older woman was listening to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game too loudly on the radio. Lawyers for Delores Amorino filed legal documents Wednesday that claimed her now 19-year-old daughter is responsible for assaulting the 78-year-old woman. The filing comes a few weeks after a judge found Amorino was competent to stand trial but her daughter wasn’t.
Lawrence County District Attorney Josh Lamancusa says that he will seek the death penalty against 43 year old Keith Burley, Jr of Edingburg. He was arrested Tuesday in Youngstown following the stabbing death of eight-year-old Mark Mason at a home in Union Township. At least two other juveniles witnessed the fatal stabbing. Burley is being held in the Mahoning County Jail and is awaiting an extradition hearing today.