The U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government has opened civil rights investigations at seven schools and universities over allegations of antisemitism or Islamophobia since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. It includes three Ivy League institutions — Columbia, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania — along with Wellesley College, Lafayette College and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. It also includes Maize Unified School District, a K-12 system in Kansas. The Education Department announced the inquiries on Thursday, calling it part of the Biden administration’s effort to take “aggressive action” against discrimination.

Danielle Smith – Keystone State News Service

Pennsylvania needs more economic opportunities and a new report from the Keystone Research Center showed federal investments in climate and infrastructure projects would help grow a skilled construction workforce.

Diana Polson, senior policy analyst at the center, said the report revealed federal money would create thousands of trade jobs through expanding union construction apprenticeships leading to quality careers, as electricians, operating engineers, carpenters, and laborers.

“In Pennsylvania, for example, these apprenticeships train workers for jobs that pay more than most college-educated workers earn, and 61% more than the average worker in Pennsylvania,” Polson pointed out. “Significantly, this training comes without any student debt.”

Polson added Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to use 3% of the federal funds from recently signed climate and infrastructure laws to expand workforce development and apprenticeships. Shapiro’s 2023-24 budget includes $6 million for the effort.

Polson noted President Joe Biden’s Good Jobs Initiative seeks to embed job quality and equity incentives into the federal funding, to make sure apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeships benefit underserved communities. She called it a huge win all around, for the state, climate, for those communities, and taxpayers.

“We had shared this in the report, research has shown that for every dollar invested in apprenticeship $35 is returned to the government in higher tax collections, or reduced expenditures on public assistance or unemployment over the career of an apprentice,” Polson emphasized. “These are huge returns on investments.”

Keystone Research Center said the resources will lead to high-wage union construction careers. The center is holding a webinar today at 1 p.m. on construction apprenticeship programs in coal country, in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio.  Published November 17, 2023 11:06 A.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) At the November 8, 2023 work session, Antwon Townsend was hired. He will be paid $20 an hour effective, November 6, 2023. Zazshyra Bryant was hired as an autistic support aide and will earn $14.00 an hour.
An ESL teacher was hired for the district along with Craig Popovich, a JSHS art teacher who was hired. His salary will be $50,480 a year.  Rachel Roberts was hired as a JSHS English teacher. Her prorated salary is $64,294. Dr. Phillip K. Woods said she has 20 years of teaching experience in schools in Western Pennsylvania.
At the November 15, 2023 meeting, speech teacher Megan Paich’s resignation was approved effective January 12, 2024.
All fall and winter girls coaching salaries were approved for the junior high and junior varsity and varsity coaches.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that all driver license and photo centers, including its full-service center in Harrisburg, will be closed Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24, 2023, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

CARNEGIE, PA — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced that the non-profit STEM Coding Lab is getting a $150,000 grant from the Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program through the ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute, the nation’s leading robotics and AI manufacturing innovation Institute, headquartered in Western Pennsylvania. This investment will allow STEM Coding Lab to provide robotics and manufacturing workforce education to high-poverty, K-8 students across Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District.

“Our students today are the inventors and creators of tomorrow,” said Rep. Chris Deluzio. “This $150,000 federal investment in Western Pennsylvania’s students will help foster the high-demand skills our region needs to launch an innovative new era of domestic manufacturing.”

“In the last 3 years, STEM Coding Lab has quadrupled in size, now serving nearly 4,000 under-resourced youth throughout Western Pennsylvania,” said Casey Mindlin, Executive Director of STEM Coding Lab. “Our growth and success are rooted in the reality that computer science and STEM instruction are critical in equipping all our youth, not just affluent learners, with the skills needed to be creators, rather than just users of technology. We are grateful for Rep. Deluzio’s continued commitment to unlocking federal funds to activate the next generation of Pennsylvania innovators. We look forward to continuing to work with him, as well as the rest of the Pennsylvania delegation, to ensure that all of our region’s youth are prepared to compete for the jobs of tomorrow.”

“The ARM Institute is excited to work with STEM Coding Lab in furthering our mission to expand awareness of careers in advanced manufacturing across the nation”, stated Lisa Masciantonio, Chief Workforce Officer of the ARM Institute.  “A key part of that mission is exposing young people to robotics and STEM at an early age, which makes what STEM Coding Lab does so critical.”

The project will be led by the ARM Institute, with STEM Coding Lab as a subcontractor, and has an overarching goal of creating at least 1,000 modern manufacturing jobs in the Pittsburgh region. This award was part of a larger White House announcement as part of their workforce hub convenings in Western Pennsylvania and Augusta, GA.

In May, the Biden-Harris Administration designated the Pittsburgh region as one of five Workforce Hubs where President Biden’s Investing in America agenda (the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act) are creating good-paying jobs and catalyzing historic levels of private and public investment. In Western Pennsylvania, these investments show a roadmap to creating high-quality career opportunities for students and workers while boosting local manufacturing and strengthening the economy.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) today released its preliminary employment situation report for October 2023.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was unchanged over the month, remaining at the record low of 3.4% in October (records date back to January 1976). The U.S. unemployment rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point from September to 3.9%. The Commonwealth’s unemployment rate was one full percentage point below its October 2022 level of 4.4%, while the national rate was up two-tenths of a percentage point over the year.

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – was up 2,000 over the month due to gains of 1,000 in both resident employment and unemployment.

Pennsylvania’s total nonfarm jobs were down 4,700 over the month to 6,168,100. Jobs increased from September in six of the 11 industry supersectors with the largest gain in education & health services (+2,300), which rose to a record high.

Over the year, total nonfarm jobs were up 129,200 with gains in 10 of the 11 supersectors. Education & health services (+48,100) had the largest volume over-the-year gain among supersectors.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published November 17, 2023 11:00 A.M.

(Ambridge, Pa) Ambridge Borough Manager Mario Leone reported that the council approved a grant application for $2.6 million for the 8th Street Gateway off of Route 65, and State Route 989. Discussions and negotiations are underway for a free digital community sign at 8th Street playground and the Route 65 gateway.
Council approved the hiring of part time firefighter/code enforcement officer Tyler Adams.
Council is advertising for the upcoming budget meetings beginning Tuesday, November 21 at 6 p.m. in the borough building.

Danielle Smith – Keystone State News Service

A new analysis of 2022 census data has uncovered a troubling trend: The uninsured rate for Pennsylvania children worsened during the final full year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2023 State of Children’s Health in Pennsylvania report found more than 145,000 children are without health insurance.

Becky Ludwick, vice president of public policy at Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, emphasized despite the Medicaid continuous coverage and other flexibilities in place during the public health emergency, Pennsylvania is among a few states observing a decline in the rate of children having access to health insurance.

“We did see the uninsured rate get worse for children; it went up to 5.2%,” Ludwick reported. “And that’s a pretty significant increase from the previous year, which was 4.4%. And we were surprised because we expected at least stable or improvements to the coverage, like many other states have seen during this latest census round.”

Ludwick pointed out children are facing greater barriers to accessing health insurance compared with adults. The exact reasons for the disparity are unclear, but data suggests some children may not be properly enrolled in Medicaid, despite being eligible.

Ludwick anticipated next year’s data may show an even more concerning decline in coverage, so they are urging the Department of Human Services to take a couple of actions they think could help better connect kids to coverage.

“First is to immediately restore coverage for children who lost coverage during the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage provision, due to an error in how the state was determining eligibility,” Ludwick recommended.

Ludwick added they also recommend the Department of Human Services provide children from birth through kindergarten with continuous health insurance coverage for multiple years. She further urged policy changes to ensure seamless access to health insurance between Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Monaca, PA – The Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) has launched a Mechatronics program to prepare students for high-growth job opportunities in advanced and automated manufacturing sectors. The Mechatronics career pathway includes certificates from CCBC and the Manufacturing Skills  Institute, associate degree, journeyman, and ultimately a hands-on, high-tech, high paying career in  manufacturing. 

Mechatronics is a field of study focusing on the integration of mechanical, electronics, computers, and  control systems technologies of machines and processes. 

Mechatronics program graduates are vital in advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0 because of their  hands-on training and expertise in integrating mechanical, electrical, and computer systems. Graduates  maintain and optimize equipment, troubleshoot complex setups, and analyze data for process and  quality improvement. They integrate cyber-physical systems, work with collaborative robots, and  embrace artificial intelligence (AI). Their adaptability and multidisciplinary skills make them  indispensable in transforming manufacturing into interconnected, efficient, and data-driven operations. 

“Primary metals, glass, construction materials, chemical processing, and material handling/inventory  control companies in southwestern PA are very excited about the program and have already enrolled  students in the first cohort,” according to John Goberish, Dean School of Industrial Technology and  Continuing Education. “The registered apprenticeship component of this program and available grant  funding were other keys that got companies interested.” 

High-demand manufacturing industries including semiconductors, food and beverage, aerospace, and  medical equipment need personnel to perform daily operations using the skills learned in the mechatronics program. 

Typical job titles of program graduates include Automation Technician, Robotics Technician, Machinery  Technician, Field Service Technician, Industrial Maintenance, and Electrical Assembler. Projected  employment growth for these roles in Pennsylvania is five percent and in the United States, growth is  projected at six percent per year through 2026.

Classes are being conducted in CCBC’s state-of-the-art, Shell Center for Process Technology Education. With a focus on hands-on learning, training equipment includes pneumatic and hydraulic systems,  electrical control systems, collaborative robots, a fully operational plant, and dedicated manufacturing  cells. 

Paul Alwin, Lead Faculty of Mechatronics and Process Technology said, “Students train on the actual  devices and equipment commonly found in real manufacturing environments, enabling them to have an  immediate positive impact in their work.” 

CCBC has received $405,050 under the Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better  Challenge to launch the Mechatronics pathway and integrate two additional programs, robotics and AI which are currently being developed. 

This year, CCBC initiated a new partnership with Eaton Corporation in Beaver, Pennsylvania. Eaton  Corporation is a power management company that conducts business in more than 175 countries. This  year, the Eaton Charitable Foundation provided a $150,000 donation to the College to purchase state of-the-art robotics and mechatronics training equipment and technology essential to the expansion of  CCBC’s advanced manufacturing training programs. The company will collaborate with CCBC to upskill  its manufacturing team around automation.