A state lawmaker from our area wants to make a major change in concealed-carry laws. Representative Aaron Bernstine recently announced plans to abolish the requirement to have a concealed carry permit in Pennsylvania. The lawmaker says the right to carry a gun should not be questioned, but pro-permit activists say gun owners should have proper training.
Several hundred young people are urging lawmakers in Harrisburg to increase the sales age for tobacco in Pennsylvania. More than 600 members of the Tobacco Resistance Unit spoke with lawmakers prior to a rally Tuesday at the state capital. The group wants the age raised from 18 to 21 for all tobacco products. It’s reported 12 other states have already made a similar move.
A proposal to expand a private school tax Credit program is moving on from the state House of Representatives. The measure nearly doubles the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and would expand eligibility limits for families looking to qualify for the private school scholarships created by the program. Representative Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield & Elk) supported the legislation and said the expansion will help to allow more students to access the educational programs they need…
All House Republicans and four Democrats voted in favor of the measure.
A missing 90-year-old man from Hopewell Township is found safe. Family members hadn’t seen William Palumbo since his vehicle was spotted near the Steubenville Pike Eat-‘N-Park in Robinson Township Tuesday afternoon. Police aren’t saying where Palumbo was found or what led to his disappearance.
Six people are displaced after a fire broke out late last night at an apartment building in Rochester. When firefighters arrived at the scene on Riverview Street, they saw flames coming from a third-floor window. Fire officials say the fire started in the living room of an apartment. The six people who were displaced are receiving assistance from the Red Cross. Two cats were also displaced.
PennDOT District 11 is announcing a traffic shift on Route 18 (Brodhead Road) in Monaca Borough began today. Beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Route 18 traffic will be shifted into two 10-foot wide lanes on the bridge over Markeys Run between Old Brodhead Road and the railroad overpass continuously through Friday, June 21. Crews will conduct concrete patching and a latex placement on the bridge. The work is part of an $11.86 million improvement project on Route 18 between the Rochester-Monaca Bridge and the new I-376 Monaca/Shippingport interchange. Additional work includes guiderail upgrades, drainage work, shoulder repairs, and signal updates.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 8TH, 2019
TODAY – PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH – 74.
TONIGHT – SOME CLOUDS. LOW NEAR 60.
THURSDAY – MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING LATER IN THE DAY. HIGH
NEAR 80.
Republicans move expanded ed tax credits through state House
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans in the Pennsylvania House are moving a proposal ahead to expand a private school tax credit program.
Representatives voted 111 to 85 Tuesday to nearly double the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, increasing it by $100 million.
The bill also includes an automatic 10 percent increase, if all available credits are used in a given year.
All Republicans and four Democrats voted for it, advancing the proposal to the Senate.
The 18-year-old tax credit program reimburses corporations for donating to groups that offer private school scholarships to low- and middle-income families.
The bill would expand eligibility limits from families that make $85,000 to families with income of $95,000.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf says he’s hesitant to boost business tax credits at the expense of education funding that goes into classrooms.
Sheriff says shots fired at school in suburban Denver
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say shots have been fired at a school in suburban Denver.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says it believes two people have been injured in the shooting at the school but says it’s still gathering information.
It described the situation as “unstable” and asked the public to avoid the area.
(Harrisburg, Pa.) — Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. congratulated Elliot Howsie on his confirmed appointment to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.
Howsie was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf following Senator Costa’s recommendation and was today confirmed by the full Senate unanimously.
“I was honored to recommend Elliot through this process, and we saw he had a broad range of support from folks who have worked with him for years or just recently met him,” said Senator Costa. “Elliot has the unique blend of work and life experience that will make him a valuable addition to the bench. I know he’ll be a wonderful judge and administer fair justice in his new role.”
Howsie grew up in Wilkinsburg, and after graduating from Central Catholic High School, he attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in criminal justice.
As he pursued his master’s degree in criminal justice, Elliot worked in social services teaching decision making and reintegration skills to the children at Shuman Juvenile Detention Center.
Elliot went on to serve as an Assistant District Attorney for five years in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, where he focused on prosecuting cases involving child abuse. After leaving the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, he established his own law firm. He worked as a sole practitioner specializing in criminal defense as well as personal injury cases in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
In 2012, he was appointed by Allegheny County Executive, Rich Fitzgerald, to be Allegheny County’s first African American Chief Public Defender.