Initial report doesn’t ID cause of Pittsburgh bridge failure
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board initial review doesn’t identify the cause of a recent bridge collapse in Pittsburgh. But the preliminary report issued Monday concluded it began at the structure’s west end. The report says investigators found no primary fractures in sections of welded steel girders they examined that were considered “fracture critical.” The Forbes Avenue bridge gave way early Jan. 28 and sent a city bus and four cars to the bottom of a ravine. Ten vehicle occupants were injured. There were no fatalities. The NTSB says it’s extracting bridge components for closer study. A final report could take more than a year.

Harrisburg, PA – As Governor Tom Wolf prepares to deliver his eighth and final budget address on Tuesday, today he released a video reflecting on his experiences as the 47th Governor of Pennsylvania. He shares his continued commitment to move Pennsylvania forward, which is possible thanks to wise investments and
focused priorities throughout his administration.
In his final year in office, the governor plans to continue his ongoing efforts to help Pennsylvanians by furthering investments that would support families, learners, and our workforce. Governor Wolf points to multiple key accomplishments during his administration, most notably sound investments that have resulted in a multi-billion-dollar revenue surplus and nearly $3 billion in the Rainy Day Fund. Through his leadership, the governor also invested $1.9 billion in schools, successfully expanded
affordable health insurance, supported our diverse workforce, enacted pension reform and criminal justice reform, took actions to ensure free and fair elections, lead by example through government reform measures, addressed climate change through environmental protection efforts, and created the PA GI Bill and the PA Farm Bill, both the first of their kind in the nation.

By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state Supreme Court will consider a new map of congressional districts being recommended by a lower court judge who picked a proposal favored by top Republican lawmakers, but opposed by Democrats. The map recommended Monday by Commonwealth Court Judge Patricia McCullough, a Republican, came from a pool of more than a dozen submitted to the court. The map passed the Republican-controlled Legislature without support from a single Democratic lawmaker and was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. It sides with Republicans on the most prominent areas of disagreement between partisans. The state Supreme Court — with a 5-2 Democratic majority — will make the ultimate decision.

Keystone State News Connection

February 7, 2022

Emily Scott

A corporate tax break in Pennsylvania funding scholarship programs for K-12 private and religious schools lacks sufficient data to determine its success, according to a new report.

The program, worth about $280 million annually, includes the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit.

Supporters contended the programs help low-income students in underperforming public schools.

Rich Askey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said the report from the state’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) paints a troubling picture of lack of accountability for the programs. He is concerned some lawmakers want to increase the tax credits.

“The bottom line is this: From that report, we do not know if it’s working for students,” Askey asserted. “That brings us to the question of why would we dramatically expand these programs to the point they want to expand them, when we’re not sure if they’re even working?”

Companies donating to a scholarship organization can receive a 75% to 90% credit on their taxes. A bill which cleared the Senate Education Committee last month would automatically increase the annual number of tax credits available by 25%.

The IFO report recommends obtaining data on student outcomes after switching to private schools and tracking scholarship awards by family income, among other metrics, but state law prohibits the collection of such data.

Susan Spicka, executive director of the group Education Voters of Pennsylvania, argued it is time for the law to change.

“It is really extraordinary that there are lawmakers in Harrisburg who claim to be fiscal conservatives, and who claim to be looking out for taxpayers, who support a program that has zero accountability for how over a billion dollars in tax money has been spent over the years on these scholarships,” Spicka remarked.

Legislative leaders and the governor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Funds from the tax credits also go to pre-K and educational improvement programs.

PORT CLINTON, Ohio (AP) — Coast Guard authorities say 18 people were rescued from an ice floe that broke away in Lake Erie over the weekend. Officials said a helicopter from Air Station Detroit noticed a group of people on the floe near Ohio’s Catawba Island at about 1 p.m. Sunday with several all-terrain vehicles seeking a route back to land. The helicopter lifted seven people from the floe. An airboat dispatched from the nearby Marblehead station rescued four others. Officials said the other seven people were picked up and taken to shore by a good Samaritan who also had an airboat at the scene.

(AP Photo)
By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer
Frontier Airlines’ parent company is buying Spirit Airlines in a $2.9 billion cash-and-stock deal that will allow the combined airline to be more competitive against its larger rivals. Spirit shareholders will receive 1.9126 shares of Frontier plus $2.13 in cash for each existing Spirit share they own. This implies a value of $25.83 per Spirit share at Frontier’s closing stock price of $12.39 on Friday. The deal is valued at $6.6 billion when accounting for the assumption of debt and operating lease liabilities.

GOP won’t endorse in big primary fields for governor, Senate
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Republican party isn’t endorsing in huge primary fields for governor, U.S. Senate and lieutenant governor, ensuring that this spring’s races will be that much more wide open. The party banned reporters from the ballroom where it held its winter meeting Saturday at a Lancaster hotel. However, committee members and candidates say the party held a voice vote against endorsing. Party committee members had predicted for months that nobody would win an endorsement. The primary field for governor is double-digits deep, while the fields for U.S. Senate and lieutenant governor each feature at least a half-dozen candidates.

(File Photo)
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is preparing to pitch his eighth and last budget proposal to lawmakers, as the Democrat pushes Republicans to spend more federal pandemic aid now and Wolf looks to secure one more big boost in state funding for public schools. The details of Wolf’s budget plan for the 2022-23 fiscal year starting July 1 will be released Tuesday. State accounts are brimming with cash, thanks to federal aid and a booming economy, and Democrats floating bullish spending plans. Republican majorities in the House and Senate have remained steadfast that federal pandemic aid and state reserves be used conservatively to ward off deficits.