January 30, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
Editor’s Note: This writer has a conflict of interest. He is a U.S. Steel Corp. stockholder.
David Masur of PennEnvironment addresses reporters at a press conference on Monday as David Meckel of Glassport holds a sign that says “No city is livable with dirty air.” (Screenshot via Zoom)
Environmental watchdog groups this week celebrated the filing of a consent decree that will see U.S. Steel pay more than $8 million in penalties and legal fees and another $19.5 million for improvements to the corporation’s Clairton coal by-products plant.
But advocates argued that the settlement — on top of $17.5 million worth of improvements already completed at Clairton Plant — will not compensate residents of Clairton, Glassport, Liberty Borough and other nearby communities for harm they have already suffered in the wake of a December 2018 accident at the facility.
“U.S. Steel spewed out roughly a month’s worth of sulfur dioxide pollution every three days, along with hydrogen sulfide and harmful small particulates,” said David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, on Monday during a press conference.
“Residents reported splitting headaches, uncontrollable asthma attacks and difficulty breathing,” he said. “It was so bad that the Allegheny County Health Department told local residents living downwind from the facility not to leave their homes.”
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January 30, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
Water covers an entrance to Century III Mall in this 2018 photo. District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. called the abandoned West Mifflin shopping center “the poster boy” for blight in Western Pennsylvania. (Photo by Quackerkats via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution-Generic)
Calling it “something out of a disaster movie,” Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. on Tuesday announced that he will seek criminal charges against the owners of Century III Mall in an attempt to compel them to demolish the property or sell it.
“They clearly have no intention of doing anything with the property as it exists,” Zappala said at a press conference. “They have abandoned this property.”
Zappala said he is hoping that a hearing can be held within 60 to 90 days.
Separately, Zappala’s office went to an Allegheny County judge on Tuesday seeking a temporary restraining order against the mall’s owners.
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December 21, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
State Rep. Matt Gergely addresses local officials during an open house at his McKeesport district office on Nov. 8. (Tube City Almanac file photo)
Add State Rep. Matt Gergely to the list of Mon Valley elected officials who are troubled by the proposed sale of U.S. Steel to a Japanese company.
“My number one priority in the face of this potential sale is making sure any new ownership of U.S. Steel protects this region’s union workers and jobs,” Gergely, Democrat of McKeesport, said Wednesday. “These union jobs play a vital role in our local, state, and national economy; they ensure fair wages, safe working conditions and job security for workers and their families.”
But unlike U.S. Sens. Bob Casey Jr. and John Fetterman, Gergely stopped short of calling for regulators to block the merger, instead calling for a “collaborative approach” to the sale of the iconic 122-year-old corporation.
“My hope is that the foreign company purchasing U.S. Steel recognizes the strategic importance of the U.S. steel industry and aligns its business practices with the interests of our local economy and workers,” Gergely said.
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December 18, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
(File photo by Mark Dixon, licensed under CC-Attribution-2.0-Generic)
A state representative whose district includes U.S. Steel’s Irvin Plant said he was disappointed in the corporation’s decision to sell itself to Japan-based Nippon Steel for $55 per share.
“My chief concern is the future of steelmaking in the historic Steel Valley and the risk to direct and ancillary jobs that have employed generations in Allegheny County and the surrounding region,” said State Rep. Nick Pisciottano of West Mifflin.
“While I hope that any future ownership of plant assets recognize that we have the best workforce on the planet ready to manufacture the next generation of high-quality steel, I am concerned that we are seeing another round of offshoring that we will look back on with regret in the near future,” he said.
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December 18, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
Nippon Steel’s Kimitsu Steel Works, located about 20 miles from Tokyo, employs 2,600 people and produces 10 million tons of iron annually. (File photo by M. Louis via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0)
The union representing workers at U.S. Steel’s nearly two dozen American steel-making facilities on Monday criticized the announcement that the corporation has agreed to be acquired by a Japanese competitor, Nippon Steel.
“To say we’re disappointed in the announced deal between U.S. Steel and Nippon is an understatement, as it demonstrates the same greedy, shortsighted attitude that has guided U.S. Steel for far too long,” said David McCall, president of the United Steelworkers international union, located in Pittsburgh.
“We remained open throughout this process to working with U.S. Steel to keep this iconic American company domestically owned and operated, but instead it chose to push aside the concerns of its dedicated workforce and sell to a foreign-owned company,” he said.
U.S. Steel announced Monday that Tokyo-based Nippon Steel has agreed to purchase the Pittsburgh-based company in an all-cash transaction for $55 per share. The deal, valued at $14.9 billion, also includes the assumption of $800 million in debt.
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November 28, 2023 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
Workers at Azzy’s Design Works in Finleyville sort linkage parts for shipping. The company, which tries to source its materials from other American businesses, makes gauges, parts and accessories for off-road vehicles. (Photo courtesy Azzy’s Design Works, via Facebook)
What’s on your holiday shopping list? This year, people may also be asking, “And where was it made?”
In a new poll from the Alliance for American Manufacturing, 81 percent of Americans surveyed said they would prefer to buy American-made gifts if given the option. The preference is driven by the belief buying products “Made in America” will help the economy, create jobs and support small businesses.
Bryan Spiegel, owner of Azzy’s Design Works in Finleyville, said it is important to support local businesses before looking elsewhere. His company recently designed a badge of honor for a local Girl Scout troop, which helped to market the business.
“Being active in your community, active in offering groups that kind of stuff, gets the word out best,” Spiegel said. “Because word-of-mouth has been the greatest tool I’ve had in marketing these past 10 years.”
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November 28, 2023 |
By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim | Posted in: State & Region
Firefighters from Rainbow Volunteer Fire Co. in White Oak visited Mary of Nazareth Catholic School last month to talk about fire prevention and safety. Like other Mon-Yough area departments, the company says recruiting new members is challenging. (Photo courtesy Rainbow Volunteer Fire Co., via Facebook)
Departments across Pennsylvania are racing to come up with solutions for the declining number of volunteer firefighters. The number of volunteers statewide has dropped from over 300,000 in the 1970s to just above 30,000 now.
“This is not something that really happened overnight,” said Brandon Schmidt, chief of Rainbow Volunteer Fire Co. in White Oak. “The warning signs that this was happening were going on.”
But Schmidt, who has been a member of the Rainbow company for 22 years, said that efforts to address this decline so far have been largely ineffective.
Last month, Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments and the Congress of Neighboring Communities held a meeting in Penn Hills with local fire departments to discuss staffing issues in local volunteer companies.
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November 20, 2023 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
Aaron Chapin testifies Nov. 9 at a public hearing in Bedford. He teaches fourth- and fifth-graders at Stroudsburg Area Middle School and serves as president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. (Screenshot via Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding Commission website.)
“Bold action” is needed to improve school funding across Pennsylvania, advocates testified at a recent hearing in Harrisburg.
During public hearings on improving school funding held Nov. 9 and Nov. 16, the Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding Commission heard from people who stressed the need to set fair and adequate funding targets for every school in the state.
Aaron Chapin, who teaches fourth- and fifth-graders at Stroudsburg Area Middle School in the Pocono Mountains, serves as president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, which represents more than 187,000 teachers’ union members.
He told the committee it is important for the new plan to be transparent and sustainable, and fix the funding inequities across the state. Chapin noted that PSEA has found many equity gaps which need to be closed.
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November 17, 2023 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: State & Region
Editor’s Note: File this under the department of “better late than never.” It’s been a whirlwind few weeks here at TCCMI world news headquarters. My apologies to Vickie and the Masons of Lodge 765; I’ll try to do better. (At least we got this posted before Thanksgiving, right?) —Jason
(All photos: Vickie Babyak for Tube City Almanac)
Despite cloudy skies and intermittent rain, families enjoyed the fourth-annual Trunk or Treat held Oct. 29 by Harry S Truman Masonic Lodge 765 in Dravosburg
Lodge secretary Rob Stone said he had concerns about the rain but said, “It all worked out and the kids are enjoying themselves.”
Adults decorated their vehicles from a cute monster theme to a spooky funeral home theme and passed out candy to delighted children dressed up in their trick or treat costumes. The Shriner Clowns entertained the youngsters and made balloon sculptures underneath the lodge pavilion.
“We’ve been doing this for four years and this is the first year we have an award for the best-decorated vehicle,” said John Stein, past master of the lodge.
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November 17, 2023 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 354 accepts applications from potential apprentices in Westmoreland, Fayette, portions of Washington and Greene counties on the third Monday of each month from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at its training center, 263 Armbrust Road, Youngwood, Westmoreland County. (Photo courtesy Builders Guild of Western Pennsylvania, via Facebook)
Pennsylvania needs more economic opportunities and a new report from the Keystone Research Center showed federal investments in climate and infrastructure projects would help grow a skilled construction workforce.
Diana Polson, senior policy analyst at the center, said the report revealed federal money would create thousands of trade jobs through expanding union construction apprenticeships leading to quality careers, as electricians, operating engineers, carpenters, and laborers.
“In Pennsylvania, for example, these apprenticeships train workers for jobs that pay more than most college-educated workers earn, and 61 percent more than the average worker in Pennsylvania,” Polson said. “Significantly, this training comes without any student debt.”
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