Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing lane closures on Route 65 in Conway Borough, Beaver County, will begin Monday, November 1 weather permitting.

An around-the-clock lane closure on southbound Route 65 between 16^th Street and 12^th Street will begin at approximately 7 a.m. Monday continuously through early December. Additionally, work will occur as needed on northbound Route 65 requiring a daily lane closure from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through early December.

Crews from Team Fishel will conduct a mainline gas replacement work for Columbia Gas.

Please use caution if traveling in the area.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Keystone State News Connection
November 1, 2021 06:41 AM
Emily Scott
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The 26th annual United Nations Conference of the Parties, better known as COP26, kicked off yesterday in Glasgow, Scotland with some Pennsylvanians in attendance.

Bill Peduto, outgoing mayor of Pittsburgh, is among them.

COP26 brings together global leaders to discuss strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions around the world. During his two terms as mayor, Peduto’s administration has prioritized environmental policy, including a commitment for Pittsburgh to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

While this is the last summit he will attend as mayor, Peduto said his goal is to show how local governments can play an important role in finding solutions to a warming planet.

“Whether or not you have federal agreements, the cities throughout the world have already agreed that we are going to implement changes on the local level that will significantly lower our carbon footprint by 2030,” Peduto explained.

COP26 runs through Nov. 12. Peduto arrives on Nov. 9 as a representative of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. He first attended the United Nations conference in 2015, when the international Paris Climate Agreement was negotiated.

Peduto noted he sees the climate legacy his administration leaves as helping grow emerging industries in the Rust Belt city, including clean technology.

“Although we’re proud of the past, we understand that our future is a very different idea than what built this city,” Peduto reflected. “Our economic future is tied to a much greener city than where we are today.”

Working toward the city’s 2050 environmental goals, Peduto pointed out Pittsburgh has also set 2030 benchmark goals, which include a 50% reduction in overall energy use and a 50% reduction in vehicle emissions.

Peduto will leave office in January, after losing in the May 2021 primary to state Rep. Ed Gainey, a Democrat from Allegheny County.

Story by Frank Sparks News/Program Director
Monday November 1, 2021 at 06:40 AM
(Stowe Twp., Pa.) A shooting near Sto-Rox High School Football field Saturday around 4:45 PM, October 30, 2021,  has sent one man to a hospital.
The man was found with a gunshot wound to his back.
Stray bullets hit at least two mini vans and a nearby home.
Five football teams were at the Sto-Rox stadium for a club tournament when the shooting happened and had to be evacuated.
There is no word if the game and the shooting were connected as police continue to investigate.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Allegheny County police on the tip line 1-833-ALL-TIPS.

US consumer spending up a modest 0.6% with inflation high
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers slowed their spending to a gain of just 0.6% in September, a cautionary sign for an economy that remains in the grip of a pandemic and a prolonged bout of high inflation. At the same time, a key inflation barometer that is closely followed by the Federal Reserve surged 4.4% last month from a year earlier. Sharply rising prices, in part a result of supply shortages, have imposed a growing burden on American households. For months, annual inflation has remained far above the modest annual rates of 2% or less that prevailed before the pandemic recession.

October 29, 2021 09:50 AM
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wages and salaries jumped in the three months ending in September by the most on records that date back 20 years as companies are forced to offer higher pay to fill a near-record number of available jobs. The Labor Department said Friday that pay increased 1.5% in the third quarter. That’s up sharply from 0.9% in the previous quarter. The value of benefits rose 0.9% in the July-September quarter, more than double the preceding three months. The figures demonstrate that workers are gaining greater leverage in the job market and are able to command higher pay, more benefits, and other perks like flexible work hours.

Keystone State News Connection

October 29, 2021  09:46 AM
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Environmental groups are taking a new approach to hold Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration accountable for a pledge he made; to adopt “a nation-leading strategy” to reduce methane emissions from the state’s oil and gas industry.

Earthworks, Environmental Defense Fund, Clean Air Council, and Clean Water Action have launched WolfsMethanePromise.com, a website featuring a live counter, tracking how much methane has been emitted in Pennsylvania since Wolf took office, followed by the days until his term ends in 2023.

Joseph Minott, executive director and chief counsel of the Clean Air Council, said they believe Wolf is not meeting the environmental commitment necessary to address one of the root causes of climate change.

“We know that methane is a very potent greenhouse gas,” Minott stated. “It really makes no sense that a gas-producing state like Pennsylvania would be so cavalier about not doing a thorough job in terms of reducing methane emissions.”

Pennsylvania is the second-largest gas producer in the country. A spokesperson for the governor said addressing climate change is a top priority for the Wolf administration.

Environmental groups say they were prompted to create the website because of methane regulation the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is considering.

The proposed rules include a loophole to exempt more than 67,000 low-producing gas and oil wells. Although they leak small amounts of methane, the groups say they are responsible overall for more than half of all oil and gas emissions in the state.

Minott argued the potential rule is a missed opportunity for the state to be an environmental leader.

“They essentially are taking the position that they’re doing exactly what EPA requires them to do, which is the minimum that they have to do by law,” Minott asserted. “But they are the Department of Environmental Protection, and it seems to me that they would want to do more than the minimum.”

The DEP said it is reviewing public comments it has received and will revise the regulation where it is appropriate to do so.

October 29, 2021 09:45 AM
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Students and staff at the University of Pittsburgh are being encouraged to share their pronouns and the pronunciation of their names among other recommendations in a new voluntary guide on gender-inclusive language. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Thursday that the guide also includes examples of how to use nongendered pronouns like “they” and “ze,” and has suggestions for using nongendered language in the classroom. In a section on the university’s website for faculty, a professor noted that no one is required to follow the guide.