Pennsylvania jobless rate stable as payrolls hit record high
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate stayed the same in December, at close to a two-decade low, although payrolls still jumped to a new record high.
The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 4.2 percent last month.
The national rate is 3.9 percent.
A survey of households found Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force grew by 21,000. Employment rose by 16,000 to a new record of nearly 6.2 million, while unemployment also rose by 5,000 to 274,000.
A separate survey of employers showed seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls rose by 13,200 in December. Education and health services and the leisure and hospitality sector grew by the biggest numbers. Manufacturing crept higher, as construction and the trade, transportation and utility sectors shrank.
Friday’s figures are preliminary and could change.

TSA agents rally at Pittsburgh airport, urge end to shutdown
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Transportation Security Administration workers are venting frustration with the current government shutdown at a rally inside the Pittsburgh airport.
The rally, organized by union leaders representing the 450 TSA workers in Pennsylvania, got underway Friday morning at the Pittsburgh International Airport’s ticketing level.
Union President William Reese says TSA employees in Pittsburgh and elsewhere are worried about feeding their families and paying bills. He says “morale is at an all-time low.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb is speaking at the rally, calling on his colleagues in Congress to end the shutdown.
TSA agents at other airports around the country are also planning rallies for Friday.
The partial government shutdown has reached its 28th day.

Winter storm slows travel in Plains states, heads east
CHICAGO (AP) — After leaving slick roads and runways in the Midwest, a winter storm inched its way toward New England, where it was forecast to dump up to 2 feet (0.61 meters) of snow.
The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for the weekend from the Dakotas, across the Great Lakes states and into New England. The weather service at one point warned that conditions in the Northeast “could approach blizzard criteria.” Ice was also a possibility in some areas in the storm’s path.
In Nebraska, where freezing drizzle was falling Friday afternoon, authorities closed Omaha’s Eppley Airfield after a Southwest Airlines plane slid off an ice-slicked runway. No one was injured.
In Iowa, the Department of Transportation warned that visibility was less than a half mile in many locations due to snow and wind. And in South Dakota, where snow was starting to pile up, authorities warned drivers to give plows extra room.
The storm was expected to bring between up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow to the Midwest before walloping the Northeast on Sunday. The National Weather Service in Albany, New York, said snow could fall at a rate of 1 to 3 inches (2.5-7.5 centimeters) an hour, creating “difficult to impossible travel conditions” in areas.
In New York City, the worst of the storm is expected from Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, with snow accumulations of 3-6 inches (7.5-15 centimeters), followed by rain that could turn to ice as temperatures drop later Sunday. Single-digit temperatures could last into Monday. Strong wind gusts beginning Sunday afternoon could bring down snow- or ice-burdened tree limbs and power lines.
Officials warn of flight disruptions at airports, as well as possible changes in train schedules. The Chicago Department of Aviation reported more than 300 flights at O’Hare and Midway international airports had been canceled as of Friday evening. Amtrak canceled some trains Saturday from Chicago to Washington and New York and between New York and Boston and Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Chicago is forecast to receive as much as 8 inches by Saturday and wind gusts in the Chicago area are expected to reach 35 mph (56 kph).
Bitterly cold air was expected in the storm’s aftermath.
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Associated Press writers Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, Blake Nicholson in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Verena Dobnik in New York City contributed to this report.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania is ending any consideration of joining a potentially crowded Democratic field running for president in 2020, saying it’s not the right time. Casey’s statement today comes a couple months after he dropped hints that he was considering a run, fresh off easily winning a third term in the Senate.

Transportation Security Administration workers are venting frustration with the current government shutdown at a rally inside the Pittsburgh airport. A rally organized by union leaders representing the 450 TSA workers in Pennsylvania got underway Friday morning at the Pittsburgh International Airport’s ticketing level.

Most of Pennsylvania is under a winter storm watch or a winter storm warning ahead of a weekend storm that could pack a wallop of snow, followed by bitter cold and high winds, making travel hazardous. From Pittsburgh to the Poconos, communities are being warned about possibly heavy mixed precipitation, with snow totals ranging from a dusting to 15 inches. The storm should sweep into western Pennsylvania on Saturday morning, tracking its way across the state by afternoon.

CONGRESSMAN CONOR LAMB HAS ANNOUNCED THAT HE IS CO-SPONSORING A BILL TO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS MORE. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

REPRESENTATIVE JAN SCHAKOWSKY HAS BEEN NAMED THE NEW LEAD SPONSOR OF THE LYMPHEDEMA TREATMENT ACT. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS MORE. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

A FORMER REPUBLICAN COUNTY COMMISSIONER IS NOW SEEKING THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR COMMISSIONER. DENNIS NICHOLS CHANGED POLITICAL PARTIES AFTER LOSING IN THE 2015 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY ELECTION TO CURRENT BEAVER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DAN CAMP AND SANDIE EGLEY. THEN-STATE REPRESENTATIVE JIM CHRISTIANA CAMPAIGNED FOR CAMP AND EGLEY, LEADING NICHOLS TO SEEK THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR STATE REP. IN 2016 TO TAKE ON CHRISTIANA. HOWEVER, NICHOLS WAS DEFEATED IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY BY MICHAEL ROSSI.