EDITORIAL!!

Look Down the Line: T Stop Woes are the Least of Transit Trouble Ahead from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Sadly, the changes that went into effect this week are less than
negligible compared to what will happen on Sept. 2 if Gov. Tom Corbett, state lawmakers, agency officials and unionized workers don't pitch in to save the Port Authority service.

State May Restore Pitt Funding from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"Recent developments in Harrisburg indicate that Pitt might retain its current state funding…"

Battle to Unionize at UPMC Heating Up from the Pittsburgh City Paper 
"If the union comes, it comes. But please, let's just play fairly." After being told for weeks that he couldn't talk about efforts to bring a union to UPMC while on hospital property, Chaney Lewis wasn't going to let this chance pass. Lewis, of Edgewood, has worked for the past eight years transporting patients at UPMC Presbyterian."

House Approves Bill on Drilling at State Colleges from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The state House of Representatives approved a measure that could expand drilling on state-owned lands, including college campuses."

Nuns on the Bus Hear Stories of Formerly Homeless in Clairton from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"This morning, at Sisters Place, a supportive housing community for single parent families in Clairton, Sister Simone and her traveling nuns heard one more story. This one came from a woman who was living with her daughter in a homeless shelter when she received housing and support from Sisters Place."

Vote Set to Keep Illegal Workers Off the Job in Pennsylvania from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Both bills would forbid publicly funded construction projects -- those receiving state, county and/or municipal funding -- from being awarded to contractors and subcontractors who hire, at low wages and with no health benefits, workers who can't show that they are in the country legally. Contractors doing projects with 100 percent private funding wouldn't be covered by the bills."

EVENT!!

'Marcellus and Beyond' Sessions Begin Next Week from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The first session of Penn State Extension's "Marcellus & Beyond" lecture series will begin with remarks by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald next Tuesday. The lecture, “Business Voices of Experience,” is the first in the college’s five part Shale-Gas Summer series. Fitzgerald will offer opening remarks at the inaugural lecture. “The Shale Gas Summer Series is designed to provide information to assist individuals and businesses in the decision making process regarding Marcellus Shale drilling,” Fitzgerald said in a statement."

Customers Will Get the Bill in UPMC-Highmark-West Penn Lawsuits from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Customers will end up paying for the antitrust lawsuits entangling nonprofits UPMC, the West Penn Allegheny Health System and Highmark Inc., whether through higher premiums and fees or not having access to the latest medical equipment and procedures, a legal expert said."

Pennsylvania Given Mixed Grades in Higher Education: Business Group's Study: New Schools Welcome, Accountability Lacking from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The way an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sees it, Pennsylvania is neither an overall leader nor a laggard in public higher education, but earns every grade in the book, from A through F, depending on the category."

Transit Users due to Pick up Higher Fees from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Port Authority of Allegheny County will become one of the nation’s costliest major transit agencies for riders on Sunday. Despite fare increases from 11 percent to 15 percent, Port Authority expects to collect about $500,000 less in the coming year than in the fiscal year ending Saturday because of an anticipated decline in ridership."

Service Ends at 11 Light Rail Transit Stops Today from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Port Authority will end service at 11 little-used Light Rail Transit stops today."

City Council Explores Legal Avenues to Wring More Money from Nonprofits from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Council members said on Wednesday that they intend to approve an agreement next week with the Pittsburgh Public Service Fund, an advisory committee for city nonprofits. Nonprofit organizations, which are exempt from real estate taxes, would ante $2.6 million annually this year and next."

OPINION!!

Level Funding for Pennsylvania Public Libraries (Lane Kintigh) from the Patriot-News [of Harrisburg]
"Libraries have paid their dues and sacrificed more than their fair share. Funding for public libraries has been cut more than 35 percent, a far deeper cut than many other areas of the budget."

OPINION!!

No Shell Game: Corbett's Tax Break Plan is a Good Deal for State from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Given that reality, the incentive package Gov. Tom Corbett put together to persuade Shell Oil Co. to choose Beaver County for a petrochemical processing plant looks like a good deal for Pennsylvanians."

Lawrence County Official Still Optimistic on Race Track from the Beaver Times
"There was plenty of news last week surrounding the proposed Valley View Downs casino, which would be built near the intersection of routes 422 and 551 in Mahoning Township. And all of it was bad."

June 29 ATHENA Awards Deadline Approaches; New Tools on Athena-Pittsburgh.com from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"It’s now just 16 days and counting to the nominating deadline for the 2012 ATHENA awards. There are new tools on the Athena-Pittsburgh.com website to help you recognize women in our region who demonstrate excellence in their work and help other women to succeed."

Residential Real-Estate Sales Surged in May from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"According to RealSTATs, sales increased about $80 million in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties."

Methane Migration Probed in Tioga County from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"State environmental officials are investigating a potential case of methane migration in Tioga County near gas-drilling sites operated by a Shell Oil Co. subsidiary.i"

Injection Wells: The Poison Beneath Us (Abrahm Lustgarten) from Salon  
"The hidden risks of pumping waste underground."

Public Workers Face Continued Layoffs, Hurting the Recovery from the New York Times
"So while the federal government has grown a little since the recession, and many states have recently begun to add a few jobs, local governments are making new cuts that outweigh those gains. More than a quarter of municipal governments are planning layoffs this year, according to a survey by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence."
This article mentions Pennsylvania's situation.

US DOT Grants $15M to URA for East Liberty Project from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority has landed a key $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation that will jump-start the remaining phases of the Eastside development, which is helping to revitalize the urban border between East Liberty and Shadyside."

Point Park Launches Urban Accounting Initiative from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"According to a study by Howard University School of Business’ Center for Accounting Education, only four percent of all accounting graduates hired by accounting firms between 2007 and 2008 were African-Americans. In an effort to increase the number of African-Americans in the accounting and finance fields, Point Park University recently launched the first phase of their Urban Accounting and Finance Initiative."

EDITORIAL!!

Tops in the Nation: Penn State and Pitt Costs Draw a Dubious Ranking from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Administrators at both institutions are correct when they complain about the level of support they receive from Pennsylvania. The state-related universities saw a 19 percent reduction in their state allotments for 2011-12 and were threatened with another drop of as much as 30 percent for the next fiscal year in Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget. In addition, the state historically has been less than generous in funding higher education. ... That is significant, but it is not the whole answer."

Market Square Plan Advances from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"City Councilman allows Market Square plan to move ahead but keeps Strip District plan on ice over questions on finances."

City’s Equal Opportunity Report Raises Questions from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Even as Pittsburgh Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle and other Black community leaders like Rashad Byrdsong and Carl Redwood Jr. are working to increase contracting and employment opportunities for African-Americans, discrepancies in the Equal Opportunity Review Commission’s 2011 report appears to show, “The city and its authorities exceeded the established MBE/WBE participation goals.”

Pittsburgh Sees Asian Population Increase from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"In the metro area, 2.1 percent of the population is Asian, compared to 1.3 percent who are Hispanic."

EVENT!!

Conference to Focus on Revitalization from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"Pittsburgh is the host of this year's Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities conference."

Schools Take New Paths to Balance their Budgets from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"As budgets continue to shrink for state-funded public schools, districts in Western Pennsylvania and across the state are taking unprecedented steps to make ends meet. Those include pay freezes or rollbacks, teacher furloughs, early retirement incentives and changes in how teacher
contracts get done."

A Debate Over Shell Chemical Plant, and the Tax Credits that Might it Lure it to Pa. from the Philadelphia Inquirer
"The Corbett administration is mounting a full-court press to persuade Shell Chemical L.P. to build a huge petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania that officials see as the cornerstone of a manufacturing revival fueled by Marcellus Shale natural gas."

ArcelorMittal Begins Demolitions in Weirton from the Charleston Gazette [of West Virginia]
"Weirton's landscape will undergo a major change as ArcelorMittal demolishes idle facilities in preparation for future sale. The steelmaker announced Thursday that demolition work has begun."

Another Isaly's Fades Away from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The store in West View is changing owners and name, but will keep the classic Isaly's look and its uniquely Pittsburgh menu."

Greene County Businessman Sentenced for Dumping Wastewater Across Six Counties from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Robert Allan Shipman, who admitted to 13 of 98 charges of illegally dumping millions of gallons of wastewater, was sentenced today."

Connect Conference Unites Municipalities on Port Authority Resolution from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"The congress, known as Connect, is a project of Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. The idea for Connect sprung from the mind of Pitt professor David Miller in 2009, with its goal being to bring together municipalities and the city to arrive at policy decisions. Previously, no organization continually fostered collaborative policy work between the city and its surrounding municipalities."

Grant Will be Targeting Skilled-Worker Gap from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"The Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board of Pittsburgh plans to use a $3 million federal grant to partner with the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Carnegie Mellon University and startup companies to close the gap between the number of job openings in technology fields -- particularly manufacturing -- and the number of people with the skills necessary for those jobs."

Pittsburgh Promise Fund Reaches $160 Million, Makes Progress Toward Goal from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"After four years, the Pittsburgh Promise has delivered college graduates, and its steady fundraising could produce more."

PERSPECTIVE!!

Wealth and Welfare: As Budget Ax Prepares to Fall on Social Services, Big Business Gets a Hand Up (Charlie Deitch) from the Pittsburgh City Paper 
"His proposed budget, which could change before July 1, makes a 20 percent cut to the state's county human-service agencies, for example, while axing an assistance program which provides limited financial aid to vulnerable Pennsylvanians. Education is slated to make sacrifices too. But not everyone is hurting."

Governor’s Advisory Commission Fumbles Over Recommendations from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"Gov. Tom Corbett appointed the new Advisory Commission on Postsecondary Education in February and tasked the 31 members with developing recommendations for higher education in Pennsylvania. The commission is composed of officials in public education, private education and corporations."

Pitt’s Tuition and Fees Rank it as Second-highest in the Country from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
For its second straight year, Pitt’s tuition and fees rank it as the second-highest among public four-year schools. The U.S. Department of Educationreleased its second national comparison of college prices on Tuesday. In 2010-2011, the main campus prices for in-state students at Pitt came to $14,936."
The PPG covers the same story HERE.

Study Projects 870,000 Jobs Supported by Unconventional Gas in 2015 from the Energy Inc. blog of the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Unconventional natural gas could support nearly 870,000 jobs in gas producing and nonproducing states by 2015 according to a recent study by IHS Global Insight."

Proposal Would Give Businesses Tax Credits for Funding Scholarships for Troubled Schools from the Patriot-News [of Harrisburg]
"While plans for school vouchers remain mired in the General Assembly, some lawmakers are supporting a new idea to help kids in failing schools. Rep. Jim Christiana, R-Beaver, is introducing a bill that would create a $100 million tax credit program aimed at children in poor-performing schools."

OPINION!!

Private Route: Don't Expect Miracles on Allegheny County Transit from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The PUC will have the power to approve competing companies, but that is unlikely to make a difference."

Heinz Endowments Grant $1 Million to CCAC for Math Education from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"According to CCAC, 65 percent of its new students are placed into remedial math courses. The grant will go toward upping completion rates."

Shale Testing to Start in Robinson, Washington County from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"Seismic testing is set to begin this month in Robinson, Washington County, as part of the Marcellus Shale natural gas exploration process. Dawson Geophysical Co. of Midland, Texas, plans to start testing on various properties south of Route 22, township officials said Monday night."

Medicaid Changes Have Providers Pulling Teeth (Erika Beras) from Essential Public Radio [of Pittsburgh]
"Medicaid takes care of the poor and disabled but it varies by state. Most states don’t cover any dental care under the plan. Now, in Pennsylvania for adult Medicaid patients, Marcia Esters’ scenario is the norm. In September, the Corbett administration reduced coverage for Pennsylvania’s two million adult Medicaid patients to only having basic dental care, eliminating root canals, periodontal disease work and limiting the numbers of dentures a patient can receive. The plan now only covers cleanings, fillings and extractions."
No two ways about it, a devastating indictment of the program as it is now configured.

Privatizing Public Transit from Essential Public Radio
"Last Tuesday, House Bill 10 passed the Senate, and now awaits Governor Corbett’s signature. The bill would mean that the Public Utility Commission, not the Port Authority, would review applications to provide bus service in Allegheny County. House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny), who sponsored the bill, said it will end the Port Authority’s “monopoly.” "

Oversight of County Transit to Shift from Port Authority to Public Utility Commission from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Legislature has approved a measure stripping the Port Authority of its power to regulate transportation services in Allegheny County, transferring it to the state's Public Utility Commission."

INTERVIEW!!

Public Transit in Pittsburgh from Essential Public Radio
"With budgets tightening, public transit has become a major issue. The Port Authority faces service cuts which could significantly change the sort of service it offers to Pittsburgh. Betsy Benson, publisher of Pittsburgh Magazine, shares her thoughts on the issue in an audio essay."

Pittsburgh Leaders Want Development Opportunities for Minorities from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"As the Lower Hill District prepares for a spate of development, black leaders want to make sure minorities get a share of the work."

Blight Fight in Washington PA from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene Counties]
"Washington's fight against blight has come downtown. Eight business district buildings recently were placed on the 2012-13 demolition list. ... While razing the buildings and constructing new structures on the sites could be a boon for the city, McIntyre warns that there's a long road ahead. In fact, it may take years before the first building actually comes down."

EDITORIAL!!

A Bad Deal: Short-term Loan Bill Means Long-term Disgrace from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"This proposal would allow predatory lenders to hurt the poor in Pennsylvania."

OPINION!!

Riverfront Quality: The City and Buncher Must Deliver a Primo Project from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The massive development along the Allegheny River should enhance, not threaten, the Strip District."

Protesters Arrested at Transit Cut Rally from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"Activists protesting proposed cuts in mass transit blocked the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Wood Street, Downtown."

Pitt Study Highlights Marcellus Shale Supply Chain Opportunities from the Energy Inc. blog at the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Amid Western Pennsylvania’s natural gas drilling boom a common refrain from area manufacturers has been a frustration in breaking into the industry supply chain that largely reaches back into companies out of energy-rich states like Texas or Oklahoma."

Federal Agencies Probe Range Resources' Yeager Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Federal health and environmental agencies are investigating whether site in Washington County caused toxic air and groundwater pollution."

DEP 'Keeps You in Dark' About Spills, Officials Say from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"Gas drilling-related companies spilled oils, gases or chemicals about 134 times onto land and into water across Pennsylvania since Jan. 1, 2011, but the state rarely, if ever, notified the public. By law, it doesn't have to. "

Hill Promotes Entrepreneurship from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Josh Linkner knows a little about entrepreneurship because as the managing partner in Detroit Venture Partners, he bets on them all the time as part of an effort to rebuild Detroit via the growth of indigenous businesses. On June 2 he brought his expertise to the Hill District as the keynote speaker for the Make It Happen conference at the Kaufmann Center’s Hillman Auditorium and urged residents to do the same."

Longtime East Liberty Business Babyland to Close and Move from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Babyland & Kidsroom storefront window has been a Pittsburgh staple on the corner of Penn and South Negley avenues for 61 years."

Pennsylvania American Water Finishes $8.8 Million Aldrich Work from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Project of part of $101 million in system improvements in the Mon Valley."

Strip District Project Delayed from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Pittsburgh City Councilman Patrick Dowd said he will hold up legislation for Buncher Co.'s proposed Strip District project."
More on this story HERE from the PPG.

Policy Group Decries Possible Shell Incentives from the Energy Inc. blog of the Pittsburgh Business Times
"A Harrisburg-based policy group isn't impressed by Gov. Tom Corbett's reported plans for $1.7 billion in tax credits for Shell Oil Co. to build an ethane cracker in Beaver County."

Region's Home Sales Rise 20 Percent in May from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"May was another strong month in the Pittsburgh region's residential real estate market, with double-digit growth in number of sales and average sale price."

Parents Shown ‘Hope’ in Pgh Promise from the New Pittsburgh Courier 
"Parents and community leaders at the “Parents for the Promise” luncheon on May 23 were in for a treat when students from the Barack Obama Academy of International Studies opened the program with a selection from their musical “Footloose.” When the Obama High School students finished their performance, the room erupted in applause as the crowd looked into the faces of future Pittsburgh Promise scholarship recipients."

W.Va Economy Saw Third-highest Growth Rate in 2011 from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"An increase in mining — including the Marcellus Shale natural gas play — has turbocharged the West Virginia economy. The Mountain State's economic growth was the third-highest in the U.S. during 2011, outpacing all but North Dakota and Oregon."

Strip Transformation Picks Up Momentum from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 
"Transforming a 37-acre swath of the Strip District into offices, stores and apartments overlooking the Allegheny River could take 15 to 20 years, developers and city officials said on Wednesday. But if The Buncher Co. pulls off its long-discussed vision of constructing five apartment buildings, town houses, three offices, a hotel and a river's edge piazza, the development stands to become a major extension of the Golden Triangle rivaled only by plans for a mixed 28-acre development on the former site of the Civic Arena."

Protesters Call for Education Funding from the New Pittsburgh Courier 
"Bearing signs that said “Save Our Schools” and shirts that read “Stand For Children, Stand For Public Schools,” about 200 union activists, clergy members and community activists marched from the United Steelworkers offices to deliver a symbolic yellow pencil to Gov. Tom Corbett’s Pittsburgh office and ask that he add additional funding to the budget for education."

Pittsburgh Public Schools Sends 285 Layoff Notices from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The furloughs are part of cost-saving measures the district is making to reduce a budget deficit and save $29 million."

Technology Lets Drillers Get More with Less from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Drilling companies operating in Pennsylvania appear to be doing more with less."

New UPMC Hospital to Feature Patient-Friendly Amenities from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"The long-awaited showdown in Monroeville between health care rivals UPMC and West Penn Allegheny Health System officially begins July 2 when UPMC opens a hotel-like facility about a mile from Forbes Regional Hospital. UPMC today provided an early look at the $250 million UPMC East, whose lobby features flat-screen monitors, terrazzo flooring and concierge services for visitors."