Category: News

Monaca Borough Meets Via Zoom to Discuss New Municipal Complex and Other Projects

Story by News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Monaca, PA.) Borough Manager Mario Leone will be in Harrisburg tomorrow to meet with the Deputy Secretary of PA DCED  to seek funding for a new municipal complex in the borough. Leone said the proposed site  will be located on  Pacific Avenue    in the vicinity of the railroad tracks. DESIGN SCREEN  of  Pittsburgh is the architect for the project. The project cost is estimated to be $3 million.

The borough is waiting for Duquesne Light  concerning the 10-13th Street corridor project, Leone said the project is moving slowly, Another project in the works  is 17th Street.  Penn DOT  is negotiating with engineers so the project can move forward.

Highmark Health Has Been Named a “Best Place to Work” for Individuals with Disabilities

PITTSBURGH (July 15, 2020) — For the sixth consecutive year, Highmark Health has been named a “Best Place to Work” for individuals with disabilities in the Disability Equality Index® (DEI®), a national benchmarking survey administered jointly by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN®.

For its comprehensive efforts to attract, develop and retain people with disabilities in its workforce, national blended health organization Highmark Health has earned a top score of 100 percent in the most comprehensive disability inclusion assessment tool designed and embraced by both business leaders and disability advocates. This year’s recognition measures culture and leadership; enterprise-wide access; employment practices, including benefits, recruitment, employment, education, retention and advancement, and accommodations; community engagement; and supplier diversity.

“Supporting a diverse workforce is a vital part of getting health care right for our customers,” said Dr. Lonie Haynes, vice president of diversity and inclusion, Highmark Health. “When our workforce reflects the diverse communities which we serve, we are able to develop more innovative solutions and ultimately deliver a differentiated health care experience with greater value. We are honored to be named a 2020 ‘Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion’ – a distinction which recognizes our organization’s commitment to diversity, accessibility, community engagement, and competitive employment inclusive of people with disabilities.”

Among those practices earning Highmark Health the “Best Place to Work” recognition are programs and partnerships that help to recruit people with disabilities, including the Rooney Rule; a centralized accommodation process; support and leadership of organizations in the community that advocate for people with disabilities; executive sponsorship of the business case for recruiting, hiring and developing people with disabilities; supplier diversity and provider diversity programs; and enterprise-wide support of business resources groups through which employees with disabilities get involved in workplace, marketplace and community-wide programs.

“The best way to attract, retain and grow talent with disabilities is to create an accessible, inclusive workplace. This year’s top scoring Disability Equality Index companies are demonstrating their commitment to many of the numerous leading disability inclusion practices featured in the DEI, recognizing that there’s still room for improvement,” said Jill Houghton, president and chief executive officer, Disability:IN. “We are proud to have developed strong partnerships with corporate allies who are committed to advancing disability inclusion and equality across their businesses in the United States and around the world.”

Highmark Health’s Abilities Business Resource Group (BRG) raises awareness about the needs of, and offers support to, people with disabilities and their caregivers in the workplace, marketplace and community. The Abilities BRG encourages workplace inclusion, equality of opportunity and best practices in recruitment. Its members also build community partnerships through educational-to-career experiences for students with disabilities, advocate accessibility to Highmark Health facilities, act as a champion for customers with disabilities, and serve as a voice for those who care for or support people with disabilities.

Pa House of Representatives Acts to Give Pennsylvanians Voice in Emergencies

Bill would give voters option to change declaration procedures, prohibit racial discrimination

HARRISBURG – After months of taking action to carry the voices of Pennsylvanians concerning the governor’s response to COVID-19, today the House voted to give the people of Pennsylvania the opportunity to decide for themselves how they wish to be governed during times of emergency.

Senate Bill 1166 would amend the constitution to limit an emergency declaration by the governor to 21 days, unless otherwise extended in whole or in part by a majority vote of the General Assembly.  The legislation would also provide constitutional protections against racial discrimination.

“Time is of the essence to get these two important issues before the people of Pennsylvania,” Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) said. “Amending our state Constitution is not something we should take lightly; however, we believe doing so is necessary. Our communities should decide for themselves how they wish to be governed.”

While current law states emergency declarations can last up to 90 days, a recent court ruling blocked the Legislature’s ability to end emergency declarations without the consent of the governor.

“We believe the power of our Commonwealth truly rests with the people. Pennsylvania is not a dictatorship, and the voters should ultimately decide,” Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) said. “We are a co-equal branch of government and have tried at every turn to work with the administration, including asking to join a multi-branch, bipartisan task force to manage this crisis. The governor turned us down, deciding instead to go it alone for months on end.”

The constitutional amendment now advances to the Senate for further consideration. It must pass both chambers of the General Assembly in consecutive sessions before it can be placed on the ballot for voters to consider.

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Bernstine Announces Funding For New Business Park on Site of Former Stonecrest Golf Course

HARRISBURG – Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) today announced the Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded a $2 million Business in Our Sites grant and a $3 million Business in Our Sites loan for the development of the Stonecrest Business Park located in New Beaver Borough, Lawrence County.

The Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation (LCEDC), in cooperation with Stonecrest Business Park (SBP), plans to develop a former golf course into the Stonecrest Business Park. The site consisting of 213 acres, 110 acres of which is developable, is accessible to Interstate 79 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike and is 30 minutes north of the Shell Cracker Plant.

“The development of the Stonecrest Business Park in the southern part of the county will build upon other developments already happening in Beaver County and around the Pittsburgh International Airport,” said Bernstine. “This will create more businesses and a significant amount of new jobs, which adds up to strengthening the economy. Approximately 3.3 million Pennsylvanians, including thousands from our area, find themselves looking for work due to the coronavirus pandemic. This project will help the unemployed tremendously. It is anticipated this will result in the creation of more than 1,000 jobs.”

SBP plans to develop up to 1.5 million square feet of commercial and industrial space. In addition, Business in Our Sites loan funds will be used for site excavation, grading construction of roads, streets and engineering. The grant funds will be used to bring utilities to the site. The total cost of the project is almost $7.5 million.

“By building a local hub for businesses to grow, we can expand our tax base and lessen the burden on homeowners,” said Bernstine. “This is a model we can duplicate for all of our communities across the 10th District.”

The Commonwealth Financing Authority Business in Our Sites funding empowers communities to attract growing and expanding businesses by helping them build an inventory of ready sites. This program is for speculative projects only. Funds cannot be used for projects that are primarily residential or recreational. Sites must be previously used property or undeveloped property that is planned and zoned for development.

 

Block House Run Bridge to Close Indefinitely

(New Brighton, Pa.) New Brighton Borough announced yesterday via e-mail that the bridge on Cemetery Road in Pulaski Township, between Grove Avenue and Blockhouse Run Road, will be closed indefinitely on Friday, July 31, 2020 to all traffic. The Bridge which was originally built in 1940 as reported on bridge reports dot com, is known by many people as the Blockhouse Run Bridge and for years has been a short cut to get to Valley Ave and Grove Ave. to avoid the traffic by the New Brighton Middle School. The e-mail said the closure is due to hazardous conditions noted in the most recent Bridge Safety Assessment Report prepared by a PennDOT consulting engineering firm.  Pulaski Township officials will place signs to alert motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists of the bridge closure.

Recognizing a PA Wilderness Hero

Andrea Sears, Keystone News Exchange

WARREN, Pa. — Wilderness areas are under threat across the United States, but now advocates of preserving open space are hoping to raise awareness of a Pennsylvania native who made protecting wilderness a national priority.

Born in Franklin in 1906, Howard Zahniser worked tirelessly to protect American wilderness. He served as an officer of The Wilderness Society for 19 years and was the principal author of the Wilderness Act, landmark legislation signed into law in 1964.

Kirk Johnson, executive director of Friends of Allegheny Wilderness, said Zahniser’s work led to a vast expansion of nationally protected areas nationwide.

“The total amount of protected wilderness has grown from 9 million acres to more than 111 million acres and 803 wilderness areas, all across the country,” he said.

Johnson said he wants to see Zahniser included in the proposed National Garden of American Heroes, slated to open in 2026.

Johnson said every president since 1964 has signed wilderness legislation into law, including two wilderness areas in Pennsylvania, designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

“They are the Allegheny Islands Wilderness, seven islands in the Allegheny River, and the Hickory Creek Wilderness, which is 8,600 acres just outside Tidioute, Pa.,” he said.

Some of the Allegheny National Forest also is part of a national network of designated roadless areas that don’t yet have the full protection of the Wilderness Act.

Johnson said his organization is following in Zahniser’s footsteps with an ongoing campaign to preserve that area.

“The Friends of Allegheny Wilderness have proposed that more than 50,000 additional acres of the Allegheny National Forest be permanently protected from all forms of development, under Howard Zahniser’s Wilderness Act,” he said.

As the U.S. population continues to grow, Johnson said, the demand for and protection of untrammeled American wilderness will take on even greater significance.

Biden unveils climate change plan with energy revamp

Biden unveils climate change plan with energy revamp
By ALEXANDRA JAFFE, ELLEN KNICKMEYER and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Joe Biden released a plan Tuesday aimed at combating climate change and spurring economic growth in part by overhauling America’s energy industry. The plan includes a proposal to achieve entirely carbon pollution-free power by 2035. It’s the latest example of Biden’s efforts to appeal to progressives as he builds out a legislative agenda as the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee. In the plan, Biden pledges to spend $2 trillion over four years on the plan. It’s a significant acceleration of the $1.7 trillion over 10 years he proposed spending in his climate plan during the primary.

Confederate statue removed from prominent spot at Ole Miss

Confederate statue removed from prominent spot at Ole Miss
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Confederate monument that’s been a divisive symbol at the University of Mississippi has been removed from a prominent spot on the Oxford campus. Workers removed the monument on Tuesday. It will be taken to a Civil War cemetery in a secluded area of campus. Students and faculty who pushed the university for years to move the statue have also criticized the draft plan for the new site. They say the university is attempting to placate people who favor the Confederate symbols with its plan to provide a lighted pathway to the figure, and possibly add headstones to the previously unmarked graves of other soldiers.

First George Floyd-inspired bills become law in Pennsylvania

First George Floyd-inspired bills become law in Pennsylvania
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The first bills passed by Pennsylvania’s Legislature in response to widespread protests over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd are now law with Gov. Tom Wolf’s signature. In a news conference Tuesday in Harrisburg, Wolf, a Democrat, characterized the two bills he signed as small, but important steps toward making society fair. The two bills passed the House and Senate unanimously last month. They are designed to prevent problematic officers from continuing to find employment in police departments, provide officers with more cultural sensitivity training and provide officers with more mental health screening.

Tom Bergeron, Erin Andrews exit ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Tom Bergeron, Erin Andrews exit ‘Dancing With the Stars’
By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The dance has ended for “Dancing With the Stars” hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. ABC said in a statement that the show is looking to “embark on a new creative direction” and host Bergeron “departs the show with our sincerest thanks and gratitude for his trademark wit and charm.” Bergeron has hosted “Dancing With the Stars” since its premiere in 2005. He took to Twitter to announce his departure, saying “it’s been an incredible 15-year run.” The network also said farewell to Andrews, who originally competed as a contestant back in 2010 and returned as co-host in 2014. No replacements were named.