Grants aim to boost riverfront development
By Mary Ann Thomas, FOR THE VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
January 19th, 2012
A $100,000 state grant will boost redevelopment efforts by the nonprofit Allegheny River Towns Enterprise Zone, or ARTEZ, in Millvale, Etna, Blawnox and Sharpsburg. ARTEZ, which also covers Aspinwall, O’Hara and Shaler, aims to promote business development and employment in the Lower Allegheny River communities.
Patio to provide outdoor reading space in Sharpsburg
By Mary Ann Thomas, FOR THE VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
January 19th, 2012
Neither rain nor snow could stop the laying of a new patio at the Sharpsburg Community Library this winter for a much-anticipated outdoor reading room. “It’s beautiful and we’re very excited about it,” said Stephanie Flom, executive director of the Cooper-Siegel Library in Fox Chapel, the parent institution of the Sharpsburg Community Library.
URA approves $2 million loan for August Wilson Center
By Bob Bauder, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
January 18, 2012
The August Wilson Center has secured funding to restructure and reduce its debilitating $11.2 million capital debt, including a $2 million loan approved on Thursday by the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Racial divide persists in Pittsburgh’s infant mortality rate
January 3, 2012, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Pittsburgh is a great place to have a baby — if you’re white. It’s another world for black babies. A haven for advanced medical research, and a city celebrated as America’s Most Livable by Forbes magazine, Pittsburgh carries another less-known distinction: Allegheny County’s infant mortality rate for black children younger than 1 was among the nation’s highest at 20.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009, the latest statistics available.
Hospital solicitation targets health care fight
December 30, 2011, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
Children’s Hospital didn’t authorize a request for donations to its free care fund mailed recently to state Sen. Jim Ferlo and at least three others, spokesman Marc Lukasiak said Thursday.
PA House and Senate form LGBT Equality Caucus in Partnership with Equality PA
December 19, 2011
Keystone Politics
Great news from our friends at Equality PA:
For the first time, members of the state House and Senate have formed an LGBT Equality Caucus. The idea to create a caucus was suggested to a number of members early in 2011 by Equality Pennsylvania.
Onorato Announces Selection of Clairton and Natrona for Allegheny Grows
Contact:: Iris Whitworth, 412-350-5594
PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato today announced that Clairton and Natrona have been selected as the two newest communities to participate in “Allegheny Grows,” an initiative that creates community and workforce development opportunities through urban farming and gardening.
Murals proposed to brighten Sharpsburg
By Mary Ann Thomas, ASPINWALL HERALD
Monday, December 5, 2011
For a town that is not known for art, mayflies, chimney swifts and other visual fancies are proposed for two murals in Sharpsburg.
The murals, one at the Sharpsburg Community Library on Main Street and the other to adorn the dreary train trestle at the 13th Street boat ramp and park, are independent projects guaranteed to spruce up the town. Continue reading →
Seasonal sounds to benefit three organizations
By Julie E. Martin, FOR THE VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Monday, December 5, 2011
The sounds of the season will take center stage Saturday at a holiday concert and community social featuring the Pittsburgh Symphony Brass and the Kiski Area Jazz Choir.
Organized by Sen. Jim Ferlo to support local causes, the event serves as a fundraiser for two libraries this year — the Community Library of Allegheny Valley and the Vandergrift Public Library — and the Natrona Comes Together Association. Continue reading →
Occupy Pittsburgh Marches To Greenfield Bridge
Economic Protesters Step Off From Magee Park
WTAE Channel 4
November 17, 2011
PITTSBURGH — Approximately 250 people participated in an Occupy Pittsburgh march to the Greenfield Bridge, where a large “Good Jobs Now” banner was displayed for drivers on Interstate 376. Continue reading →
Democrats Decry Senate Shale Bill
November 16, 2011
With a late-night vote on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Senate passed the first comprehensive natural gas drilling bill since the explosion of Marcellus Shale drilling, but it did not come without a heated debate. Continue reading →
Upper Burrell Township opposes state bill on drilling
By Rossilynne Skena, VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
November 9, 2011
Upper Burrell is staunchly opposing state Marcellus shale bills that could supersede local drilling regulations. Continue reading →
Looking at Bigelow Boulevard flooding, other issues
October 29th, 2011
On Friday October 28, the PHCA met with Senator Jim Ferlo, Councilman Patrick Dowd, and representatives from PennDot to look at a section of Bigelow Boulevard. During heavy rains or snow runoff, water pours over the retaining wall near the public stairs leading from Harding up to the bus stop on Bigelow. Flooding at this spot has damaged a home on Harding Street below, owned by Evan Clark. Continue reading →
SALLY KALSON: Go over UPMC’s head
UPMC won’t listen to reason, so it’s time for state officials to take charge
Pennsylvania Sen. Jim Ferlo has an interesting way of looking at the split between UPMC, the region’s largest hospital system, and Highmark, the region’s largest insurer and, it hopes, future owner of the much smaller, financially distressed West Penn Allegheny Health System. Continue reading →