Friday, December 3, 2021 at 6:43 AM
By KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a stopgap spending bill that avoids a short-term shutdown and funds the federal government through Feb. 18 after leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Earlier in the day, congressional leaders announced they had finally reached an agreement to keep the government running for 11 more weeks, generally at current spending levels, while adding $7 billion to aid Afghanistan evacuees. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he is “glad that in the end, cooler heads prevailed.”

By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf has followed through on his veto threat and rejected Republican-penned legislation to allow people to carry a firearm openly or concealed, without a permit. The veto Thursday adds to his total for Pennsylvania’s chief executive with the most vetoes in more than four decades. Wolf, a Democrat, called the bill “dangerous.” According to online state records, Wolf has penned his 52nd veto with 13 months left in his second term. That’s more than any other governor since Milton Shapp, who left office in 1979. Wolf passed Democrat Robert P. Casey, who had 50 vetoes. The Legislature has never overridden a Wolf veto.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing a lane closure on the Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, will occur tonight, Thursday night, December 2 weather permitting.

Keystone State News Connection

December 2, 2021

Emily Scott

MILL CREEK, Pa. — The trillion-dollar infrastructure bill passed by Congress last month includes $65 billion to provide better internet access to rural and low-income communities.

Pennsylvanians see the internet as a necessity to their economic future.

In Huntingdon County, issues with getting online led to the founding of the Rural Broadband Cooperative, a small nonprofit that built a radio tower on a nearby mountain to provide wireless internet service to the central Pennsylvania region.

Henry McCreary, general manager of the Rural Broadband Cooperative, said based on customer anecdotes, the infrastructure bill could help families with students who struggled to connect during COVID.

“Mom had to drive the kids 15 miles every day to grandmother’s house for the kids to be able to access to the internet to get their schoolwork done, which was really a burden for them for lots of reasons,” McCreary related.

The cooperative is now up to 250 customers and growing. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide Pennsylvania with an estimated $100 million over the next five years to increase broadband connectivity across the Commonwealth. An estimated 394,000 Pennsylvanians lack internet coverage.

In Juniata County, 26% of households don’t have broadband access, according to U.S. Census data.

Vince Giordano, director of the Juniata County Library, said many residents depend on them to get online. He said so far this year, the library’s mobile hotspots have been used about 250 times. Giordano argued making broadband widespread in Juniata County is vital to its future.

“Pennsylvania is a big state. And I think if rural areas are going to excel, they need internet,” Giordano contended. “And if they don’t excel, people are going to leave. Even just having good internet can allow people to work from home and do remote work. But if people don’t have the internet, they can’t really do that.”

Juniata County’s population fell by about eleven-hundred people between 2010 and 2020, according to U.S. census data. Through the infrastructure package, 23% of Pennsylvanians will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Program, which will help low-income families pay for internet access.

US reports 1st case of omicron variant in returning traveler
By ZEKE MIILLER and RAF CASERT Associated Press
The U.S. identified its first known case of the omicron variant Wednesday — in a person in California — as scientists around the world raced to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous than the previous ones. The first U.S. case is a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22. The person, who was fully vaccinated, had mild symptoms that are improving. The person has agreed to remain in quarantine and all the individual’s close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative. Nigeria and Saudi Arabia also reported omicron infections Wednesday, marking the first known cases in West Africa and the Persian Gulf region.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The Commissioners’ work session on Wednesday provided some insight into Beaver County’s role in a national multi-state lawsuit  that could be settled soon.

“Beaver County initiated a lawsuit along with a multitude of other counties, cities, [and] states throughout the country,” said Garen Fedeles, the Solicitor for Beaver County. “What is now happening is that the state is trying to work out a settlement for all counties and cities throughout the state to settle the lawsuit as it comes to Pennsylvania.”

Commissioner Jack Manning was the one who brought up the lawsuit during the work session, saying “It has to be everybody in, or it doesn’t work, as far as my understanding. And this is a national $26 billion [lawsuit] with Johnson & Johnson.”

“What the loose proposal is right now from the state’s negotations”, Fedeles said, “Is that the county would get approximately $8.8 million as part of  this settlement to use towards various items…the understanding is that it would be used to fight the effects of the opioid epidemic.”

The Commissioners’ next public work session is scheduled for December 8 at 10:00 AM.

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 7:48 AM
(Harrisburg, Pa.) The automatic pay raise for Pa Legislators kicks in today, boosting their pay to over $95,000/year. With the raise some lawmakers earn well over six figures, depending on the position they hold in the statehouse or senate.
The pay raise doesn’t require a vote because of a 1995 law that bases their raises on inflation.
Pennsylvania ranks third on the list of highest-paid legislatures in the country.
California is number one, followed by New York, and then Pennsylvania, not counting per diem.