Media Mentions
False claims laws in other states have brought in millions. Why hasn’t it passed in Pa.?
HARRISBURG — For more than two decades, state lawmakers from both parties have pushed for a new law to crack down on fraudulent government spending and encourage whistleblowers to come forward. Each time, powerful health care and business interests stunted those...
PHEAA board votes to keep awarding scholarships after partisan dispute on funding
A partisan divide has emerged on the board of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) over how quickly the agency should be handing out funds from a recently-enacted scholarship program, with potential implications for the upcoming state budget.
More than 100 state lawmakers support Penn State faculty union efforts
More than 100 state lawmakers are supporting a unionization attempt for Penn State University faculty, as a vote to unionize could come this spring. Minority Leader Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, sent a letter to Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi on behalf of 102...
Springdale demonstrators plead for detained immigrant Cordova Flores, as confrontation ensues
A Valentine’s Day rally drew about 200 demonstrators to Springdale, where speakers decried the immigration arrest of Randy Cordova Flores and called for a review of the borough’s relationship with immigration authorities. But while Cordova Flores’ supporters spoke...
Local lawmakers question ICE’s detention of Springdale father
Though local officials have mostly remained silent,the Alle-Kiski Valley’s lawmakers are seeking more details after a traffic stop in Springdale ended with a local father in ICE custody on Tuesday. Randy Cordova-Flores, 36, remains in custody at Northern Regional...
Sharpsburg continues to rack up funding for multimillion-dollar Allegheny Shores development
Transformation of the Sharpsburg riverfront continues to chug along, with officials shoring up streetscape plans expected to improve safety and access to the site. Councilman Roman Mason believes work near the 19th Street entrance of the proposed Allegheny Shores...
Nearly 1 million Pennsylvanians will qualify for new earned income tax credit in 2026
As tax season ramps up, elected officials and advocates are highlighting a new state tax credit that can put hundreds of dollars into the pockets of working families this year. Close to 1 million Pennsylvanians will qualify for the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit in...
Cheswick plans to redo sidewalks, add lights along Pittsburgh Street
Cheswick’s main business district could see significant updates soon. The borough plans to repave its sidewalks and curbs and add light poles along Pittsburgh Street with a $1.1 million state grant, according to Council President Brad Yaksich. Yaksich said the effort...
Pa. House Advances Appliance Efficiency Bill, Promising Billions in Savings
HARRISBURG, PA — A bipartisan majority of the Pennsylvania House on Monday approved legislation that supporters say could quietly reshape household budgets and energy use across the Commonwealth, advancing minimum efficiency standards for a wide range of appliances...
Blawnox launches ‘soft dig’ to test water lines throughout borough
Blawnox officials are taking steps to ensure that borough infrastructure is built to last. A “soft dig” project will kick off this spring to test water line composition throughout the borough. “The project will allow the borough to dig down to certain water lines and...
Fox Chapel’s Cooper-Siegel library opens $2.5M expansion, ‘a space where ideas can flourish’
Cooper-Siegel Community Library in Fox Chapel has started a new chapter, one that bolsters its mission of cultivating a community of lifelong learners. On Jan. 23, the library opened its $2.5 million expansion of the facility’s lower level, complete with a Makerspace,...
Lawmakers, pet advocates push bill spurred by pet cremation scandal
State Sen. Nick Pisciottano said the state’s framework for pet cremation oversight is “a little like the Wild West.” The legislator, whose district includes Plum, Monroeville and parts of the Mon Valley, proposed Senate Bill 950 to strengthen consumer protection and...
Harrison hospital opens $6.2M rehab center for stroke, surgery recovery
A $6.2 million tech-forward rehab facility opened Thursday at AHN Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison, making it the only stroke and surgery recovery center of its kind in the region, according to Allegheny Health Network officials. “This is equipment that few...
State Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Protect and Improve Access to Contraceptives in Pennsylvania
Democratic state senators are introducing legislation in Harrisburg to require insurance companies to provide coverage for contraceptives. The legislation aims to ensure access to contraceptives after the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling hurt reproductive health care access in...
Northland Public Library celebrates results of $4.1M renovation at ribbon-cutting ceremony
Northland Public Library celebrated its newly renovated and more functional space with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 8. A large crowd gathered in the library’s front spacious lobby, via the new lower-level main entrance, to tour the robust additions to the $4.1...
Post-Gazette parent company says the paper will end publication in May
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper serving the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, is set to shut down on May 3, according to its owners. The move will impact the paper’s print and digital content. The paper’s parent company, Block...
Poll: Pennsylvania voters want to see universal free lunches in all public schools
All Pennsylvania public school students are entitled to a free breakfast, but not lunch. An overwhelming majority of voters in the state think that should change. According to a new poll from Susquehanna Polling and Research, nearly eight in 10 Pennsylvania voters...
Retired teacher keeps feeding Deer Lakes students
Retired Deer Lakes teacher Carol McCaskey was tired of seeing students come to school with a stomachache. “Us teachers knew the truth. We knew it was because they didn’t have food at home,” said McCaskey, who spent nearly three decades at East Union Intermediate...
Your View: Pa. should cancel student lunch debt across the state
The Pennsylvania Cancel Lunch Debt Coalition is on a mission to abolish lunch debt in Pennsylvania. Our campaign started a couple of years ago when we were able to work with Bristol Borough School District in Bucks County to cancel over $20,000 of lunch debt. We are...
Universal Lunch initiative would mean free meals for all students, regardless of family income
Hungry kids can quickly turn into hangry students. Rumbling stomachs can lead to classroom distraction and discipline issues, research shows, along with feelings of isolation for children whose families struggle to afford school lunches. “Not only do we see the...
LGBTQ+ advocacy group Fairness Pennsylvania launches
Fairness Pennsylvania, a lobbying group, launched Monday during the first week of Pride Month.
It will work with members of the General Assembly on the wording of bills geared toward protecting LGBTQ+ rights. It’s the state’s first full-time lobbying group focused on LGBTQ+ issues.
“The launch of Fairness PA will give every person the opportunity to learn about the realities facing our LGBTQ+ friends, family, and colleagues while working towards fostering nondiscrimination principles across the Commonwealth,” said Fairness PA state director Sarah Hammond in a statement.
Advocates who won Pa. education lawsuit call for a $2 billion ‘down payment’ on fair funding
Advocates who fought for and won a historic court ruling declaring Pennsylvania’s education funding system unconstitutional said Thursday that they’re ready to go back to court if state lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro fail to make a significant down payment on a...
State arts council distributes $2.3 million to arts groups
Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday that 309 nonprofit arts organizations will receive grants totaling $2.3 million to help with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds from the federal CARES Act support staff salaries, facilities costs and fees for artists or...
Pa. just eliminated general assistance. The need for it hasn’t gone away
By Katie Muth, Maria Collett and Lindsey Williams
This week marks the end of General Assistance (GA) as we know it. The life-saving program that has helped thousands of Pennsylvanians get back on their feet and bridge the gap to self-sustainability ended on Aug. 1.
After a difficult battle through the legislative process and an underhanded maneuver to tie the elimination of GA to millions of dollars of hospitals, we accept that the program will cease to exist. However, that does not mean that the need has vanished.
Senator Lindsey Williams to Host District Office Grand Opening Today
Pittsburgh, Pa. − May 23, 2019 − Senator Lindsey M. Williams will host her District Office Grand Opening today from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at 5000 McKnight Road, Suite 405, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237. From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. representatives from Port...
Pa. AG Josh Shapiro and Sen. Lindsey Williams: ‘We’re trying to deliver concrete results’ on student loan debt
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro traveled to Pittsburgh Friday to hear from University of Pittsburgh students and alumni, as well as others, on the problems they’re having paying their student loan debt. According to Shapiro’s office, loan debt is “growing...
Pennsylvania National Guard family college benefit touted
Pennsylvania’s Adjutant General on Friday urged state lawmakers to endorse a family education benefit for members of the state’s National Guard touted as the first of its kind n the nation. Gov. Tom Wolf endorsed the concept of the Military Family Education Program or...
Aspinwall Officer Helping Teach Police Across Country How To Deal With Someone With Autism
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — There have been some high profile cases of police officers encountering people with autism — with frightening results. An officer in Florida was charged with shooting and wounding a caregiver for a man with autism. An officer in Chicago shot and...
Senator Kearney, Four Fellow Freshmen Senators, Introduce Bill To Eliminate Statute Of Limitations For Sexual Offenses
HARRISBURG, PA — Senator Tim Kearney and his four freshman Senate colleagues – Senators Lindsey Williams, Katie Muth, Steve Santarsiero, and Maria Collett – were joined by almost all members of the Senate Democrats in introducing legislation to abolish the statute of...
Fight over sexual abuse victims’ lawsuits returns to Pa. Senate
HARRISBURG — Democratic lawmakers are attempting anew to give now-adult victims of child sexual abuse a reprieve from time limits in Pennsylvania law that prohibit them from suing perpetrators and institutions that may have covered it up.
Competing bills broaden and complicate efforts to reform child sex crime laws in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania on Wednesday further advanced the debate over the reform of child sex crime laws as House lawmakers approved two key reform measures even as counterparts in the Senate introduced a third counter bill aimed at similar purposes.
Democratic senators commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. by turning attention to Pa. poverty
Three days after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech to more than 10,000 gathered at the corner of 40th and Lancaster Avenues on Aug. 3, 1965, the civil rights legend signed the historic Voting Rights Act. On Thursday, 51 years after King was assassinated in...
State proposal could accelerate riverfront trail development along Allegheny River
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has joined local riverfront communities to improve the parks and trails along the Allegheny River with the goal of closing gaps on the trail that prevent bikers and hikers from enjoying a full ride.
Editorial: Student loans are the new mortgage
The changing demographics of the Pennsylvania Legislature are going to do more than increase Harrisburg’s social media presence and a demand for avocado toast. They are producing a whole new perspective on debt, and it’s an important view to understand as we move...
In Pennsylvania, young lawmakers drive conversation on reducing student debt
When freshman state Sen. Lindsey Williams, a Democrat from West View, learned Philadelphia Sen. Vincent Hughes was crafting a bill to tackle student debt refinancing, she quickly agreed to circulate a co-sponsorship memo. Williams, 36, and fellow freshman state Sen....
Democratic state senators propose student loan debt relief
(Harrisburg) -- Three Pennsylvania state senate Democrats are launching a plan to help people with student loan debt. Sen. Vincent Hughes, who represents parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, is working with Sen. Katie Muth, who represents parts of Montgomery...
State Sen. Lindsey Williams wants to help Pennsylvanians manage their student debt
State Sen. Lindsey Williams (D-West View) is sponsoring a new plan to help Pennsylvanian students and their families manage student debt, according to a recent press release. The bill, called PA Student HELP (Higher Education Lending Protection), aims to protect...
Sharpsburg, Etna compete in community clean-up for Earth Day Mayor’s Cup
It’s going down between Sharpsburg and Etna. The two communities are celebrating Earth Day with a friendly wager to see who can be the most green. Officials are challenging residents to rid the streets of pop bottles, cigarette butts and other debris to spruce up...
Lawmakers unveil bill aimed at helping people with student loan debt
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Lawmakers unveiled a bill which aims to help people pay down student loan debt and handle the cost of borrowing. The bill was unveiled by Sens. Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), Katie Muth (D-Montgomery/Chester) and Lindsey Williams...
Senate Democrats roll out college debt relief plan
HARRISBURG – Senate Democrats on Wednesday rolled out a plan to help roughly 28,000 Pennsylvanians with high-interest student loans. Under the plan, modeled after a similar but smaller program in Connecticut, the state would borrow $1 billion to offer lower student...