July 18, 2025 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
A gas-drilling site in Penn Twp., Westmoreland County, shown in October 2022. (Ted Auch photo for FracTracker Alliance, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic)
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is asking the public to weigh in on a federal Environmental Protection Agency proposal to curb methane emissions from oil and gas sites.
Methane is a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide and is thought to be a driver of climate change.
Barbara Jarmoska, former director of the Responsible Decarbonization Alliance who lives in Lycoming County, said the EPA plan is built on Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act efforts. Its federal funding has been cut but people can still review the plan and share their feedback during the public comment period. She noted the EPA proposal would decrease pollution, improve air quality and create jobs.
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July 06, 2025 |
By Stacy Alderman | Posted in: State & Region
Volunteers with the Mon-Yough Trail Council dedicate a few hours each week to keeping their portion of the Great Allegheny Passage trail clear and open. (Photo courtesy Mon-Yough Trail Council)
After heavy storms and flooding affected much of the Mon Valley earlier this summer, Ken Medved with the Mon-Yough Trail Council was glad to see that its section of the Great Allegheny Passage didn’t have any weather-related damage.
Thankfully, volunteers have been able to focus on their usual summer maintenance — mowing, grooming weeds, and checking for erosion — readying this part of the trail for their busiest season.
Those members who give their time every Wednesday and Saturday are dedicated to keeping the 15-mile stretch of the GAP trail from Port Vue to the Westmoreland County line as accessible and welcoming as possible. This care and passion is evident in the events they host, like the recently held Half Marathon and five-kilometer Run/Walk.
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July 01, 2025 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
The Trump Administration’s budget — which the president and Republicans have called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — hit a roadblock after the Senate parliamentarian has ruled that a key Medicaid provider tax change violates chamber rules.
The House version would slash federal Medicaid spending by at least $700 billion to help fund tax cuts and other Trump-era priorities.
Molly McCullough, a telemetry float registered nurse in southwestern Pennsylvania, warned the cuts could put seniors at risk and threaten rural hospitals. She said many older adults in this part of the state depend on Medicaid, adding that she hopes the Senate’s action helps protect their care.
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June 25, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
Members of United Steelworkers District 10 met June 10 with State Sen. Nick Pisciotanno. (Submitted photo courtesy State Sen. Nick Pisciottano)
Leaders of the United Steelworkers union are putting their support behind a proposed bill from a local legislator to shore up the future of steelmaking in Pennsylvania.
The Fueling Opportunities for the Revitalization, Growth, and Efficiency of Steel Act — “FORGES” — was announced last month by State Sen. Nick Pisciottano, West Mifflin Democrat, who is seeking co-sponsors.
Although it has not yet been introduced officially, it has attracted support from three state legislators — including State Rep. John Inglis of West Mifflin.
The bill would create incentives to support the steel industry in Pennsylvania, including sales tax exemptions for the use of Pennsylvania-made steel as well as tax credits for upgrades to Pennsylvania steelmaking facilities.
“I think it’s very important,” said Bernie Hall, director of USW District 10, based in North Versailles Twp. “The best part of the bill is that it brings the steel industry into the state budget conversation.”
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June 18, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
David McCall, president of the United Steelworkers union, addresses its constitutional convention in April. (Photo courtesy United Steelworkers)
The president of the union representing production employees at U.S. Steel called the so-called “golden share” awarded to the federal government “startling” and said his organization will hold the company’s new owners accountable for their promises.
David McCall, president of the United Steelworkers International, said that when media scrutiny of the Nippon Steel takeover wanes, the union will remain vigilant.
“As the sale concludes, it seems likely that attention will dissipate,” McCall said in a prepared statement. “U.S. Steel’s PR machine will power down, and the majority of elected officials will turn their attention elsewhere.”
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June 18, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
UPDATED: Adds comments from Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato
U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1873 and forms the nucleus of what is now called the Mon Valley Works. (Mark Dixon photo via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons)
Japan-based Nippon Steel and Pittsburgh’s U.S. Steel announced Wednesday morning that they have agreed to a deal that will preserve the company’s headquarters in Pittsburgh and commit to $11 billion of investment in American steel-making and mining facilities.
The almost $15 billion deal also gives the federal government a seat on U.S. Steel’s board of directors. In addition, it will require consent from the President of the United States on certain operating decisions, including moving jobs out of the U.S. Both sides are calling the agreement a “golden share” for the government.
Trading of U.S. Steel shares was halted at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange, and the stock will be delisted from the exchange June 30.
The final listed market price of U.S. Steel stock was $54.84 per share, roughly double the price in September 2024, when the Nippon Steel takeover seemed to be in jeopardy. Both then-President Biden and Donald Trump, running for re-election, had vowed to stop the deal.
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May 30, 2025 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
The “big beautiful bill” passed by Congressional Republicans may not seem so beautiful to more than 800,000 Pennsylvania residents who rely on local community health centers for health care — including in the Mon-Yough area.
A report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates more than 800,000 Pennsylvanians who rely on local Community Health Centers could face new barriers to care if proposed Medicaid cuts in the bill — which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives — are signed into law.
Locally, there are Community Health Centers on Lysle Boulevard in the city, as well as Miller Avenue in Clairton, Braddock Avenue in Braddock and West Street in Homestead.
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May 30, 2025 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
Staff at Philadelphia’s New Kensington Community Development Corp. greet visitors during a gun-violence prevention event in 2024. The organization is one of many across Pennsylvania whose work is threatened by a loss of federal funding. (Photo courtesy New Kensington Community Development Corp.)
A mass shooting on Memorial Day in Philadelphia marred the solemn holiday and also was an aberration — gun-related homicides across Pennsylvania are down 38 percent this year.
But violence prevention advocates are warning that federal funding cuts threaten key programs designed to curb gun-related crimes.
In Philadelphia, the Cure Violence program run by New Kensington Community Development Corporation is one of 350 groups learning their Justice Department grants would end early.
Amy Perez, vice president of programs for the group, said the cuts affect their entire outreach effort, from a youth basketball league to housing services and nutrition programs.
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May 13, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: State & Region
The Downtown McKeesport Rite Aid location closed in 2023. (Tube City Almanac file photo)
Pennsylvania’s attorney general is advising Rite Aid customers they have until June 6 to use any gift cards, coupons or reward points they have accumulated.
In addition, said state Attorney General Dave Sunday, the stores will stop accepting returns or exchanges on June 4.
Barely seven months after exiting federal bankruptcy protection, the Philadelphia-based pharmacy chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection again last week.
Financial analysts have said that Rite Aid, like competing chains Walgreens and CVS, expanded too quickly and are now struggling with declining prescription reimbursements from insurance companies and the federal government.
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April 25, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: State & Region
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and State Sen. Nick Pisciotanno greet Mary Esther Van Shura of AARP during an event last week at Penn State Greater Allegheny. Officials have kicked off a statewide tour to promote “age-friendly” communities for senior citizens. (Submitted photo)
Pennsylvania officials are traveling across the state to encourage communities to expand and improve services for senior citizens to make them more “age-friendly.”
Last week, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis joined Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich and local elected officials at Penn State Greater Allegheny in McKeesport to kick off the first in the series of events designed to highlight programs to keep older adults in their homes and connected to their communities.
Pennsylvania is the fifth-oldest state in the nation by population. State officials said that one in four Pennsylvanians is over the age of 60, and that number is expected to rise to one in three by 2030.
“Older adults in Allegheny County and here in my hometown of McKeesport are the backbone of our communities,” Davis said in a release. “They are our family, friends and neighbors who have made great contributions in our lives that benefit all of us.
“The organizers of age-friendly communities here in southwest Pennsylvania are making a positive impact, and I applaud their work and dedication as we welcome new faces to the table to expand these initiatives,” he said.
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