January 05, 2026 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
It may not feel much like a happy New Year for the almost half-million Pennsylvanians who rely on plans from the Affordable Care Act marketplace for their health coverage. Enhanced federal tax credits have expired, raising monthly premiums for an estimated 21 million Americans who get their coverage through the ACA.
Tori Baggot, owner of SuperMutt Press, a small, custom printing business near Pittsburgh, said the increase came as an unwelcome surprise — and that ACA tax credits through Pennie, the state marketplace, have been her best option for affordable health coverage.
“I was paying $197 a month for this whole past year for the care that I have,” she explained. “And the same plan — I didn’t change a single thing, I re-enrolled in the same plan — it went from $197 (to) $365.”
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December 18, 2025 |
By Farah Siddiqi - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
Pennsylvania health care advocates warn a pending vote in Congress could sharply raise insurance costs for hundreds of thousands of residents, as federal tax credits that help people afford coverage under the Affordable Care Act are set to expire at the end of the year.
At a press call this week, advocates said Pennsylvania could be among the states hardest hit if the credits are not extended, pointing to data from the state’s insurance marketplace showing steep premium increases ahead.
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Philadelphia Democrat, said the impact would be immediate for families relying on the ACA.
“What they have said is that the average premium increase — average — will be 102 percent,” he said. “So a family that today is paying five hundred dollars a month overnight will be paying a thousand a month.
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December 16, 2025 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
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)
According to a new analysis, the U.S. steel industry is falling behind as the global market shifts toward cleaner production.
Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel could help reverse it, with $6.5 billion planned for upgrades at Pennsylvania’s Mon Valley Works, Indiana’s Gary Works, and a new mill, potentially creating jobs and cutting emissions.
Justine Hackimer, industrial decarbonization program manager at the Ohio River Valley Institute, said the report updates their 2023 findings, showing without investment in clean steel, the Mon Valley’s legacy operations could fall further behind, but a shift to green steel — made in electric furnaces, not coke- or gas-fired blast furnaces — could boost the region’s economy.
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December 15, 2025 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
A bumble bee is shown gathering pollen from a rosemallow. Bumble bees are natural pollinators and are considered a threatened insect. (File photo by Vickie Babyak for Tube City Almanac)
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering several bills to protect insects and promote native plants, amid growing concerns over declining species. The state is home to 77 threatened insects, including the monarch butterfly and American bumble bee.
Nate Reagle, clean energy program advocate with the Sierra Club Pennsylvania, said pollinators are crucial to agriculture, and many insects provide food for wildlife, control pests and help cycle nutrients. He said the proposals would boost farm productivity and environmental health — and noted Pennsylvania currently has no way to list a native land-dwelling insect as threatened or endangered.
“There is no state agency that has authority over the native insects,” he said. “House Bill 441 would grant that authority to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and thankfully, they’ve already been doing a lot of great work when it comes to insect conservation, so it would be a great fit for them.”
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December 09, 2025 |
By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim | Posted in: State & Region
(Submitted photo)
Holiday shoppers at a local outlet mall will get a chance to buy gifts for local families in need thanks to a partnership between McKeesport-based Auberle and the national Giving Machines initiative.
On Wednesday, two “vending machines” will be placed at Tanger Outlets near Washington, Pa., where shoppers can make a donation to purchase items such as clothes, diapers, menstrual kits and other necessary items.
Items are not actually dispensed by the machines; instead, a donation of the item is made to the charity.
In 2024, Giving Machines raised $16.4 million and 490,000 items were donated.
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November 19, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: State & Region
Nearly $1.9 million in economic development money generated by casino gaming will benefit Mon-Yough area communities, state officials announced.
The money from the Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund is administered by the state Department of Community & Economic Development and the Commonwealth Financing Authority for infrastructure development projects, job training, community improvements, public safety and public interest projects in Allegheny County.
“These grants are investments in our communities, and I’m happy to help bring these funds back to Allegheny County,” said State Sen. Nick Pisciottano of West Mifflin. “From improving public facilities to supporting local job creation, GEDTF funding helps advance projects that make our region stronger and better prepared for future growth.”
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November 04, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: State & Region
Written by Vickie Babyak and Jason Togyer
Crystal Reist relies on SNAP benefits to care for herself and her mother: “If it’s between paying a bill or purchasing food, we will choose having food on the table.” (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Although two federal judges have ordered the U.S. Government to pay supplemental nutrition benefits to about 42 million Americans, the funds remain frozen.
That has left nearly 2 million Pennsylvania residents — including 160,000 people in the Pittsburgh area — unsure how they’re going to pay their bills this month.
Crystal Reist is a 40-year-old McKeesport resident receiving disability benefits due to bipolar disorder, debilitating migraines and herniated discs in both her neck and back. She shares an apartment with her mother, who also receives disability benefits.
Without the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Reist said, she worries about making ends meet and hopes nothing major such as a large appliance breaks down, because they won't be able to cover costs for repairs. It will be out of the question to buy clothes or shoes, and we’ll need to cut back on everything, she said.
“If it’s between paying a bill or purchasing food, we will choose having food on the table,” Reist said.
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October 30, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
Fresh produce is prepared for distribution by Mission: Agape at the Croatian Club in Versailles on Sept. 26. Mission: Agape and other food banks are alarmed by the federal government shut-down that has caused an end to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for nearly 2 million Pennsylvania residents. (Submitted photo courtesy Mission: Agape)
Listen:
Charla Irwin-Buncher of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Kelly Doyle of Mission: Agape were our guests this week on “Two Rivers, 30 Minutes,” our weekly talk show that airs on Tube City Online Radio, WEDO (810) and WZUM (1550/101.1 FM)
Organizers at local food banks say the panic has already begun for more than 2 million Pennsylvania residents — mostly senior citizens and children — who use the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy groceries each month.
The SNAP program — still commonly referred to as “food stamps” — has run out of money due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, which began almost a month ago.
Charla Irwin-Buncher, chief external affairs officer for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in Duquesne, said the federal government has already missed the deadline for recipients to receive their November benefits.
“The crisis is already here,” Irwin-Buncher said. “It’s causing a lot of anxiety and stress amongst people who are recipients of the SNAP program. We have seen a surge in demand at our on-site food pantry attached to our building in Duquesne. People are preparing in advance, knowing that their SNAP benefits might not come through in November.”
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September 23, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: State & Region
Measles cases in the United States plummeted after vaccines became available in the 1960s. The disease was considered all but eradicated in the U.S. until recently. (Graphic by Julius Senegal via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)
Doctors are worried about a new analysis that showed that Pennsylvania’s childhood vaccination rates have slipped again.
For the second year in a row, kindergarten immunizations fell below the 95 percent target set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Becky Ludwick, vice president of public policy for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said state data show a steady decline over the past seven years, even before COVID-19. The report highlighted a decline in vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella, otherwise known as MMR vaccines.
“In the most recent school year available, we saw that there were almost 8,000 kindergartners who weren’t up-to-date on their MMR vaccine,” Ludwick said. “That has doubled since the 2017-2018 school year.”
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September 11, 2025 |
By Leslie Savisky | Posted in: State & Region
With additional reporting from Tube City Almanac Editor Jason Togyer
State Rep. John Inglis (third from left) and state Sen. Nick Pisciottano (fourth from left) met with teachers and students at South Allegheny High School during a tour in February. (Submitted photo)
Pennsylvania’s budget was due on June 30 — over 10 weeks ago. But for the fourth year in a row, the state General Assembly and the governor have come to a stalemate.
While Gov. Josh Shapiro and legislators are still working to reach an agreement on spending, public schools are missing millions in payments.
According to Spotlight PA, the stalemate has caused a delay of more than $2 billion in education funding.
“We have allowed partisan fighting to get in the way of achieving a budget that works for all Pennsylvanians, and without consequences to missing the deadline, we will continue to see missed deadlines that hurt the many people and organizations that depend on the state for funding,” State Rep. John Inglis, Democrat of West Mifflin, told Tube City Almanac.
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