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Pennsylvania’s Senate approves millions for universities and schools, but rejects House priorities

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Pennsylvania’s Senate approves millions for universities and schools, but rejects House priorities


HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Senate on Wednesday approved hundreds of millions of dollars for universities and schools, but it rejected some House priorities as lawmakers search for agreements on elements of a state budget that have dragged on five months into the fiscal year.

The Republican-controlled Senate passed a pair of budget-related bills, all with support from GOP and Democratic leaders, but both require House approval to get to the desk of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.

The bills have an uncertain future in the House because they lack the increases in aid that the chamber’s Democratic majority had sought for the poorest public schools and three major universities: Temple, Pitt and Penn State.

A number of budget items have eluded agreement since House Democrats in June refused to go along with a budget plan supported by Shapiro and Senate Republicans. The sticking point was a new, $100 million program to pay for tuition at private and religious schools.

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The resulting $45 billion budget that Shapiro signed in August doesn’t include the tuition voucher program, and as a result Republicans have held up elements that Democrats had supported.

In Wednesday’s floor debate, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican from Indiana County, acknowledged criticism that the legislation lacks extra school aid that Democrats had sought.

Rather, Pittman said it is important to focus on what the Senate was accomplishing in a bipartisan vote.

“I’m proud of the work this institution has put into this legislation,” Pittman said. “I’m proud of the work we are accomplishing on a bipartisan basis to move education in this commonwealth forward.”

The budget that Shapiro signed boosted aid for public school instruction and operations by $600 million, or about 7%. But it didn’t include the extra $100 million in “Level Up” funding Democrats wanted for the poorest public schools — or, for that matter, the billions of extra dollars that public school advocates say is necessary to adequately fund public schools.

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The Senate’s bills that passed Wednesday marshal another $150 million, for a total of $555 million for an educational tax credit program that largely subsidizes tuition at private schools.

The program is championed primarily by Republicans. Still, Republicans agreed to provisions sought by Democrats: scaling back the amount of money that middleman administrators keep and putting $48 million more toward schools that serve a large proportion of students from lower-income families.

The legislation also sends $603 million to five institutions, including an increase of about $3 million apiece for Lincoln University and Penn College of Technology. But the bill reflects a continued Republican refusal to increase subsidies for Temple, Pitt and Penn State.

Democrats had sought an increase of 7% for each institution, or $20 million total.

Republicans have insisted that the three universities not increase tuition, which each institution did for this school year. Without state aid, though, the universities say it is difficult to keep tuition flat.

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Other provisions in the Senate’s bills allow $100 million in federal aid to flow to school mental health services and create a program to award up to $10,000 to student teachers in an effort to encourage more people to become educators.

The stipends are aimed at easing a hardship for college students finishing up a teaching degree who each must student-teach in schools for 12 weeks without pay.

“We are running out of individuals to educate our children, no matter what school you may be in,” Sen. Vincent Hughes, a Democrat from Philadelphia, said during floor debate. “We are literally running out of teachers.”

Meanwhile, the Senate has not acted on a House bill that would deliver a $1 billion-plus hit to the state’s bank account by increasing subsidies for public transit agencies, cutting business taxes and expanding tax credits for child care costs and lower-earning workers.

In an interview, Pittman said he is “very intrigued” by the bill because it includes such a substantial tax cut. But, he said, his caucus has concerns about the legislation.

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“And that’s what we have to evaluate,” Pittman said. “But we’re keeping all of our options open.”



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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania university on lockdown following pro-Palestinian encampment – KYMA

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Pennsylvania university on lockdown following pro-Palestinian encampment – KYMA


PHILADELPHIA (NBC, KYMA/KECY) – A group of pro-Palestinian protesters set up tents on Drexel University’s campus in West Philladelphia Saturday, forcing the school’s buildings to be placed on lockdown.

The protest is mainly organized by the Philly Palestine Coalition. They started at 4:00pm Eastern at City Hall, marching down JFK Boulevard into West Philly.

By 7:00pm, they were setting up tents on Drexel’s Academic Quadrangle. and around 8:00pm Eastern, police set up barricades and came out in riot gear.

Similar to the Penn protests, their two main demands are for Drexel to disclose its investments and redirect any money going to the Israeli military.

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“We wanna keep it peaceful. At the same time, we don’t want anyone to get hurt…just want people to be heard,” said Kendell Lewis, a student of the university.

“Open the books, let us see what it is…Let us see where you’re actually spending your money, and democratically, we should be able to decide, as students who go to the area, who work for the schools, we should be the ones to decide where that money goes and what’s done with it.”

Marie Gioulis, Drexel alumni

The encampment at Penn was disbanded eight days ago when 33 people were arrested, but protesters returned to campus Saturday night, trying to occupy Fisher-Bennett Hall and start a new encampment.

Police arrested 19 people, including six students, one for one for assaulting a police officer. Penn said police found lockpicking tools and homemade metal shields while adding:

“The exit doors had been secured with zip-ties, barbed wire, and barricaded with metal chairs and desks, and the windows were covered over with newspaper and cardboard. Bike racks and metal chairs were also found blocking outside entrances. Penn remains focused on maintaining the safety and security of our campus.”

Now, protesters at Drexel said they’d like to combine with folks from the Penn protest to create a bigger footprint. They also want to encourage the university unions to go on strike in solidarity.

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“Seeing it finally trickle down from our next-door neighbor to finally here, I hope it is more fruitful, and then more organizations around the area will also step up and also collab,” Lewis expressed.

In a statement, Drexel says its buildings are on lockdown and people unaffiliated with drexel are not allowed to trespass on campus. They also added:

“We will be prepared to respond quickly to any disruptive or threatening behavior by anyone against anyone… We will not tolerate the destruction of property…or threatening behavior of any kind, including speech.”



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Fetterman: I think Biden will win Pennsylvania in 2024 | CNN Politics

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Fetterman: I think Biden will win Pennsylvania in 2024 | CNN Politics


Fetterman: I think Biden will win Pennsylvania in 2024

Senator John Fetterman tells CNN’s Jake Tapper “I do believe that Joe Biden is going to carry” Black voters by wide margins in November, but the election is “going to be very close.”



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Weather alert issued for dense fog in part of Pennsylvania Sunday morning

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Weather alert issued for dense fog in part of Pennsylvania Sunday morning


A report from the National Weather Service was issued on Sunday at 6:03 a.m. for dense fog until 8 a.m. for Westmoreland Ridges, Fayette Ridges and Higher Elevations of Indiana as well as Mercer, Venango, Forest, Lawrence, Butler, Clarion, Beaver, Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, Fayette and Indiana counties.

“Patchy dense fog is ongoing this morning, especially in and around river valleys and areas that saw the heaviest rainfall this weekend. If traveling, take it slow and allow extra time to reach your destination. Fog should begin to lift in most locations after 8 am,” according to the weather service.

Fog safety: Tips from the weather service for safe travels

If you must drive in foggy conditions, keep the following safety tips in mind:

Reduce speed:

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  • Slow down and allow extra travel time to reach your destination safely.

Visibility priority:

  • Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights. If you have fog lights, use them.

Avoid high-beams:

  • Refrain from using high-beam lights, as they create glare, making it more difficult for you to see what’s ahead of you on the road.

Keep your distance:

  • Keep a considerable following distance to account for sudden stops or shifts in traffic patterns.

Stay in your lane:

  • Use the road’s lane markings as a guide to staying in the correct lane.

Visibility near zero:

  • In situations of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and seek a secure location, such as a nearby business’s parking lot, to pull over and come to a stop.

Limited parking options:

  • If no parking area is available, pull your vehicle as far to the roadside as possible. Once stationary, turn off all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.

By adhering to these weather service precautions, you can navigate foggy conditions more safely, reducing the likelihood of accidents and ensuring your personal safety.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.



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