Pennsylvania
A group of Pa. lawmakers didn’t take pay during the budget impasse. A bill would force all to abstain
All 12 have since received all the pay they were due during the nearly six-month impasse.
Burns, Jones, Miller, Rossi, and Sappey did not reply to requests for comment. Those who did respond to Spotlight PA had different definitions of when the impasse ended which influenced how many checks they declined.
Hogan worked for former U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.), who believed in not taking pay during periods of budget impasse. He declined only his July paycheck after speaking with leadership, who he said told him he could consider the budget finished after that month.
“I thought I had done what I was supposed to do with it,” Hogan told Spotlight PA.
Shusterman, a small business owner, said she and her colleagues went back and forth over how to define the relatively unusual impasse. For instance, she noted that one last budget item, funding for the University of Pennsylvania’s Veterinary School, is still in limbo.
Her bar for defining an impasse was a lack of any measure that would “prevent the commonwealth from running,” she said.
Cooper said she declined pay under the terms of her proposed bill. Under her proposal, pay would be suspended if the legislature fails to pass a main appropriations bill by the June 30 deadline. Lawmakers would be retroactively paid when that bill passes; Cooper’s legislation does not require the passage of accompanying code bills to resume pay.
In October, with the appropriations bill passed but code bills still in limbo, Cooper said she decided to take her pay “to show other legislators that I was following my bill” and rally support for her proposal.
Warren told Spotlight PA that he initially considered the impasse to be over after the state House passed the main budget bill in early July, which was why he deposited that paycheck a few weeks later.
However, on second thought, Warren, an attorney, decided to withhold his pay due to the lack of code bills.
“If service organizations and entities that are supported by state funds are in a position that they have to wait for funding, I can too,” he told Spotlight PA.
In an email, Brennan, also an attorney, told Spotlight PA he picked up his checks but did not deposit them until the day after Shapiro signed the last code bill in December.
“In the Brennan house, there was much rejoicing,” he said. “It’s not the same as what the community colleges, nonprofits, and so many others felt, but there is a cost to having things grind to a halt for that long — interest, carrying costs, opportunity costs, frustration, stress, etc.”
“It definitely put things in perspective and gave a greater sense of urgency,” he added.
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds the powerful to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania
Barron Trump to attend University of Pennsylvania? Pro-Palestinian protests influence college choice
Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron, is currently exploring universities to attend. Having graduated from high school last month, Barron has been applying to various colleges and, according to his father, was accepted at all the institutions he applied to. In a recent Fox News interview, Trump stated that Barron’s college search has been impacted by the recent pro-Palestinian protests and “rioting” occurring on campuses nationwide.
Is Barron Trump planning to attend UPenn?
Barron, 18, was previously chosen by the Florida GOP to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, an offer he later declined. He often makes headlines due to his tall height and his resemblance to his mother, Melania. The only child of Donald and Melania Trump, Barron was a senior at Oxbridge Academy near West Palm Beach and recently graduated in the midst of his father’s high-profile hush money trial. About a year ago, Donald Trump mentioned that his youngest son was considering the University of Pennsylvania, where he himself attended and studied at the Wharton School.
Also read: US braces for wild weather week: Extreme heat in Midwest, Northeast to sudden snowfall and thunderstorms
College decision altered by ‘rioting’
Lately, numerous prestigious colleges in the United States, such as UPenn, Columbia, and NYU, have emerged as key locations for intense pro-Palestinian protests. Across the country, more than 130 educational institutions have seen thousands of students come together to protest the current situation in Gaza, arranging rallies and establishing temporary camps. Even with over 2,000 arrests, these protests continue as colleges prepare for their upcoming graduation ceremonies.
During his interview with FOX, the Republican party’ presumptive nominee said, his son’s choice of college destination was changed due to “rioting.” Its is yet to be seen where he goes.
Also read: Meghan Markle’s business move has nothing to do with Kate’s return as she has ‘no control over…’
UPenn plans to tackle campus protests
On June 6, the University of Pennsylvania introduced new, stringent guidelines for campus events and demonstrations. The “temporary standards and procedures” policy specifies that “encampments and overnight demonstrations are not permitted in any University location, regardless of space (indoor or outdoor). Unauthorised overnight activities will be considered trespassing and addressed.”
With the updated regulations, the university has the authority to request identification from individuals at gatherings or demonstrations to verify their affiliation with the university. Should they not be Penn students, these non-students may face more restrictions in their freedom of expression on campus compared to Penn students.
Pennsylvania
103-year-old WWII veteran credits soda and dark chocolate for his longevity as he celebrates birthday
A Pennsylvania World War II veteran celebrated his 103 birthday earlier this month, calling it the greatest day of his life, while he shared the secret of his extraordinary longevity.
Frank Pugliano Sr., dressed in his WWII veteran jacket and hat, enjoyed the birthday festivities along with his family and friends at Boyce Park, outside of Pittsburgh, PA. last weekend where tables were decorated with tiny American flags.
“The greatest day of my life,” he told WTAE. “I never thought I’d be here at 103, going from what I went through. You never know. A lot of my friends never made it, but I made it.”
Pugliano credits Coca-Cola and dark chocolate as the reason he made it to 103, he told the outlet.
The Italian-born soldier immigrated to the US when he was only 6 years old and graduated from Penn Hills High School in 1942, according to the Tribune-Review.
Pugliano enlisted in the US Army and served for three years in the Pacific theater, where he survived a Japanese torpedo attack while he was deployed on a convoy mission to Luzon in the Philippines.
He says he saw a lot of young men lose their lives during the attack.
Pugliano was honorably discharged from the Army in 1945.
Following his return home, Pugliano married his high school sweetheart, Mary Strough, and the couple were married for 65 years until she died in 2011.
He became a diesel mechanic after his military service, specializing in heavy equipment.
At the time of his centennial milestone, Pugliano credited “good Italian genes” and staying active as the reason he reached triple digits.
“The doctor told me, ‘Whatever you’re doing, do it,’” Pugliano told the newspaper, boasting about his excellent health except for bad knees.
“His health is remarkable and he doesn’t look his age. His frame of mind, everything … it’s absolutely incredible,” Pugliano’s son, Frank Pugliano Jr. said at his father’s 100th birthday.
The 103-year-old says he cuts his grass and maintains his home to keep active.
The Greatest Generation member still keeps up with the times, using his iPad daily and running his own Facebook account.
“That’s how I keep in touch with my relatives,” Pugliano said.
He most recently worked at a 55-and-over residential community, maintaining the clubhouse until he was 98 years old.
Pugliano said his favorite dishes include three eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and coffee at Kings Family Restaurant and pasta fagioli at his favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden, according to the Tribune.
In March, Vincent Dransfield, a former New Jersey volunteer fire chief and great-grandfather of seven turned 110.
Dransfield is one of the few men in the group of 110-plus-year-olds and has lived a healthy life all those years with just some knee pain to complain about, according to “Today.”
He lives alone with no home aide or extra help, cooks simple food for himself, walks up and down his three-level house and drives “pretty good” daily with no issues.
Pennsylvania
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