Yearly Archives: 2016

The following list contains contact information for water testing labs in the following counties: Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill. Please take the following steps to protect yourself and children from known or suspected lead in household drinking water

U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-5) today applauded the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for making changes to their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system. The long overdue change will encourage more wood use in building construction. That includes lumber companies certified by the American Tree Farm System and landowners certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative or the Forest Stewardship Council.

Mayor William Peduto and the City of Pittsburgh today are celebrating the valuable service of AmeriCorps and Senior Corps volunteers in Pittsburgh as part of the fourth annual Mayor and County Recognition Day for National Service.

As a result of shortsighted planning and a lack of funding for much-needed repairs to decaying locks and dams on the Ohio and Mon Rivers, Southwestern Pennsylvania waterways are in dangerous condition. At Charleroi, the concrete wall can visibly be seen moving as water flows through the lock. The Edgeworth Dam on the Ohio River has been rated as most likely to fail. Yet each year, the cost of maintenance grows and the need for upgrades become more urgent. In fact, the Army Corp of Engineers reports the condition of inland locks and dams in the United States is “a crisis headed for catastrophe.”

The city’s inaugural Inclusive Innovation Week will be formally kicked off Monday in the Strip District, in an event featuring Mayor William Peduto; Councilwoman Deborah Gross; Debra Lam, Chief & Director of Innovation & Performance; Valerie McDonald-Roberts, Chief Urban Affairs Officer; and Thomas Link, Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

State Treasurer Timothy A. Reese reminds Pennsylvania businesses that April 15 is the deadline to turn over any abandoned money or property after three years of inactivity or dormancy to the Pennsylvania Treasury. This can include financial assets or forgotten tangible items. Holders that do not file a report by April 15 may be subject to interest and penalties

This Saturday, Congressman Chaka Fattah will join leaders from the Philadelphia community to witness the demolition of the Norman Blumberg Apartments and celebrate the redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood. It was announced by the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) in 2015 that the high-rise, former public housing project would be demolished concurrent with a comprehensive plan that the blocks surrounding the existing high-rises would be targeted for extensive development.

Governor Tom Wolf and Brigadier General Anthony Carrelli, acting adjutant general with the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), today announced that Pennsylvania exceeded its 100-day goal with 629 homeless veterans in Pennsylvania were placed in permanent housing between Sept. 23 and Dec. 31, 2015 as part of the Governor’s challenge to significantly reduce veteran homelessness. The 100-day challenge was announced on Sept. 22 with a goal of serving 550 homeless veterans by the end of 2015.

The board of the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority accepted the resignation today of Executive Director Jim Good, and will immediately begin a nationwide search for a new Executive Director.

White-water boating enthusiasts once again will converge on Bucks County’s Tohickon Creek Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20, when the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources releases water from Lake Nockamixon into Tohickon Creek.

The City of Pittsburgh is hosting four Deliberative Forums on the Affordable Housing Task Force’s mission to provide a more robust way for community members to give feedback to city officials and Task Force members.

Massive cuts at the state level and a lack of real investment in education is not only hurting school districts across Pennsylvania, but also having a devastating impact on middle-class families and seniors who can no longer afford to pay for the Republican property tax increases that have been passed down to local communities over the past several years

During Appropriation Committee hearings in both the Pennsylvania House and Senate today, State Treasurer Timothy Reese highlighted the department’s key accomplishments during the past year, discussed operational challenges associated with the budget impasse, and described key initiatives the department is launching.

Congressman Tom Marino (PA-10) guided H.R. 3620, a bill to amend theDelaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Improvement Act, to unanimous bipartisan passage in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation allows access for certain vehicles serving residents of municipalities adjacent

Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin today announced the approval of a grant through the Industrial Sites Reuse Program (ISRP) to support Petra Community Housing to perform an environmental assessment in Phoenixville.

Relocation experts are coming closer this week to finding new housing for all residents of Building 5704 at Penn Plaza in East Liberty. At the same time the developers and the community have agreed to a process to develop plans for Enright Parklet and other amenities throughout East Liberty. This work will not only improve the parklet, but also create a new vision for the neighborhood.

Philadelphia City Council passed Resolution No. 160106, calling on the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reform their programs for the sale of distressed mortgage notes in order to better protect homeowners from foreclosure and facilitate community redevelopment

The Philadelphia Housing Authority and its agent, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, have identified over 1000 properties in the Sharswood/Blumberg neighborhood that it seeks to take through eminent domain proceedings. 

Legislation that would strengthen requirements for notifying customers about unsafe levels of lead and other contamination of public drinking water passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, Congressman Ryan Costello (PA-06) announced Thursday

Legislation introduced by Congressman Keith Rothfus [PA-12], the Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment (SENSE) Act (H.R. 3797), will be marked up in the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power this week. The markup is scheduled for Wednesday, February 10, 2016, at 5 p.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building.