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.

Beaver County Chamber of Commerce President Jack Manning’s May 2019 Message

Government Affairs Educational Pathway’s Sub-Committee Report

The Beaver County Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee has three key area of advocacy for 2019. These three areas are 1) Elevating Transportation Infrastructure; 2) Maximizing our Riverfront Potential; and 3) Enhancing Educational Pathways. As we enter the month of May with the impending end of the school year and graduations, we’d like to focus on the third of these.

We believe there is nothing more important at this point of the Beaver Valley’s economic revitalization than workforce development. A competent education system is necessary to produce and sustain a qualified workforce that can adapt to the current economy and labor market, with sufficient funding to efficiently improve student outcomes. Specifically, the Chamber supports:

• Supports the study and analysis of our current K-12 system to ensure that all students have the opportunity to receive a quality education, including our underserved areas. The includes measures such as the feasibility study being commissioned by the Quality Education Council of the Beaver County Partnership for Community and economic Growth (the “Partnership”);
• Encourage further development of post-secondary opportunities to help retain Beaver County students beyond their high-school years;
• Advocate for business-education partnership that support and grow current infrastructure, such as the Energy & Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, the Bridges and Pathways College Partnership between CCBC, Geneva, Penn State-Beaver, and Robert Morris University, Junior Achievement BizTown and their classroom programs, the Quality Education Council, Team Consortium, and the Beaver Valley Innovation Hub.
• Urges funding to increase awareness by students and families of the numerous career pathways that currently exist in our region.

All of our current Chamber members are looking for talent to fill open positions and expand their business. Whether you are an entrepreneur opening a small business, a nonprofit providing valuable social services, or a manufacturer looking for technicians and mechanics, everyone is looking for employees willing to learn and become part of their work-teams.

Ensuring that our students understand all the career pathways and opportunities ahead of them is critical. While much emphasis has been rightly placed on the building trades and the need for multiple skilled workers, opportunities abound across multiple segments of our economy. There is great demand for those skilled in healthcare, financial management, hospitality, and food service, as well as engineering.

There are multiple Chamber members and organizations that are working to help high school graduates find the right career path for them, as well as upskill current employees to take on new and emerging careers that require more technical training. Our Bridges and Pathways College Partnership institutions have redefined their curriculum to provide for the right employer needs of an ever-changing knowledge-based economy.  Organizations such as PA CareerLink, Job Training for Beaver County, Community College of Beaver County. Pittsburgh Technical College, Penn State Beaver, the Builders Guild of New Castle and our many union partners, all have programs and apprenticeships for many of today’s career opportunities.

Beaver County is experiencing a great resurgence in job growth and record low unemployment. We know that in order to foster continued business growth and development, organizations will need a skilled workforce. Our Chamber membership and the Government Affairs Committee are committed to ensuring that every student and worker within our region has the skills and opportunity for a successful, family sustaining career. By doing so, we hope to ensure continued prosperity and a quality of life that will sustain us through many future generations.

This important community update is brought to you by Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, 1st Consultants, Strassburger, McKenna, Gutnick & Gefsky, Ambridge Regional Chamber of Commerce, Skerlec Contracting, and NovaCare! 

Over four hundred former federal prosecutors say that President Donald Trump would face charges of obstruction of justice if he weren’t the president, The Washington Post reports. About 426 former federal prosecutors signed a statement declaring that the behavior described in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report would have resulted in obstruction of justice charges had it not come from a sitting president.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco is about to require brick-and-mortar retailers to take cash as payment, joining Philadelphia and New Jersey. Critics say the divisive paperless practice discriminates against low-income people who may not have access to credit cards. Cashless retailers say it’s safer and more efficient not to handle cash. The legislation is likely to pass Tuesday. It comes as San Francisco officials are striving to make life more equitable in a city with an enormous wealth gap.

Three out of four Americans believe children should be vaccinated against measles even if their parents object, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found, showing little sympathy for the anti-vaccination movement that U.S. officials blame for the ongoing outbreak.Some 764 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the United States so far this year, the most seen in 25 years, in an outbreak that public health officials have called “completely avoidable” and largely linked to misinformation campaigns against the vaccines. A small but vocal community of parents refuse to vaccinate their children, citing concerns about the injections that are not supported by science. But the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed U.S. adults by a wide majority share the scientific consensus that the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease is dangerous, while vaccines are safe.

BEIJING (AP) — Efforts to end a U.S.-China trade war are in shambles after the United States accused China of reneging on its commitments and prepared to raise import taxes on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. A Chinese delegation is headed to Washington to salvage talks aimed at resolving a dispute over China’s aggressive push to challenge American technological dominance.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren says the House should begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. The Democratic presidential candidate reiterated on Tuesday her call for impeachment on the Senate floor hours after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell declared “case closed” on the Russia probe and potential obstruction by Trump. Holding a copy of Mueller’s report, Warren responded to McConnell that “wishing won’t make it so,” adding, “It’s there in black and white.”