09-02-2009
09-02-2009 Business news briefs
Ebay sells majority stake in Skype telecom service Ebay Inc. is trading control of the online telecommunications service Skype for about $2 billion, reversing a 2005 acquisition that puzzled analysts. The company said yesterday that it was selling a 65 percent stake in the... - POST-GAZ.
09-02-2009 Democrats, Republicans still at odds over state budget
By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau HARRISBURG -- A little more than $600 million. That's what separates two different state budget proposals, one developed by legislative Democrats and the other by Republicans. And a compromise could still be far off.... - POST-GAZ.
09-02-2009 Southwest Airlines cuts flights nationwide, including Pittsburgh
Southwest Airlines will temporarily halt flights on three routes early next year as it deals with a decline in air traffic and tries to bend its schedule to fit seasonal demand. The airline published a new schedule Tuesday that covers flights from next Jan. 9 to March 12.... - TRIB
09-02-2009 American Airlines cuts 921 flight attendants
American Airlines is cutting 921 flight attendant jobs as it deals with an ongoing downturn in traffic and lower revenue. The airline said Tuesday that the cuts will take effect Oct. 1. American, the nation's second-largest airline, said 228 employees will be furloughed... - TRIB
09-02-2009 Wagner: Pa. must resolve budget impasse before G-20
HARRISBURG — The state Legislature must resolve the 65-day budget impasse before the G-20 economic summit in Pittsburgh so the state can show the world its fiscal house is in order, Auditor General Jack Wagner said Tuesday. Not having a budget and the near-crisis financial situation that causes for... - TRIB
09-02-2009 Via e-mails, news of Vince: Fumo son is information clearinghouse
EVEN in federal prison in Ashland, Ky., Vincent J. Fumo, No. 62033-066, has connections among its 300 prisoners. The former state senator, who started serving a 55-month sentence on Monday, met a South Philly pal inside his new "minimum security" home, 525-miles from Philadelphia.... - INQUIRER
09-02-2009 Committee meets to discuss budget, but takes no action
By Mario F. Cattabiani and Amy Worden Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau HARRISBURG - After months of rancorous debate, state lawmakers finally agreed on a spending plan and sent it to the governor's desk yesterday. Unfortunately, it happened in Hartford, not Harrisburg, in a move that will... - INQUIRER
09-02-2009 House, Senate negotiators meet on budget for first time in weeks
GOP, Dems put forth new versions of spending plans, but there's no breakthrough Click here to find out more! * Topics * Budgets and Budgeting * Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) * Pennsylvania * See more topics » o... - MORNING CALL
09-02-2009 Panel agrees to talk more, but when?
A House-Senate committee adjourns to await a line-by-line comparison of plans offered by both sides. There was no word on when negotiations will resume. Wednesday, September 02, 2009 BY CHARLES THOMPSON cthompson@patriot-news.com A Pennsylvania House-Senate conference committee made little progress... - PATRIOT
09-02-2009 Wagner, GOP have budget game
BY LAURA VECSEY lvecsey@patriot-news.com Inch by inch the people of Pennsylvania have been dragged along the Tour de Budget Impasse, a very wretched and abusive course. The incremental "achievements" of the people elected to enact a balanced budget by June 30 have been so few and far between, some of us have seen... - PATRIOT
09-01-2009 Still no state budget, Rendell talks taxes
Governor proposes levies on tobacco, but not Marcellus shale gas Tuesday, September 01, 2009 By Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell's latest pronouncements on the unresolved 2009-10 state budget should make natural gas drillers smile but might make... - POST-GAZ.
09-01-2009 Dec. 1 trial date set for ex-state Rep. Ramaley
Former Democratic state Rep. Sean Ramaley, who faces theft and conflict of interest charges, will stand trial Dec. 1, a Dauphin County judge said Monday. President Judge Richard Lewis said he moved Ramaley's trial from Sept. 21 because of unresolved issues related to documents Ramaley is seeking to... - TRIB
09-01-2009 Port Authority plans to trim Downtown bus routes
The Port Authority's proposal to revamp its service includes a plan to pare the number of routes that buses take through Downtown from 40 to nine. Officials said the goal is to free more streets from buses, make routes easier to understand and reduce traffic conflicts with cars.... - TRIB
09-01-2009 Gov. Rendell drops natural gas tax proposal in budget
HARRISBURG — Gov. Ed Rendell is dropping his proposed tax on natural gas that would have raised $90 million, but he still wants the Legislature to approve $1 billion in new revenue. With a state budget impasse in its 63rd day, Rendell said Monday he no longer would push his proposed severance tax on natural gas extraction from... - TRIB
09-01-2009 Michael Baker wins $1 million state contract
Michael Baker Corp.'s engineering unit won a $1 million contract by the state Emergency Management Agency to update local hazard mitigation plans in 14 counties, including Butler. The one-year pact will include development of standard operating guidelines, data base development and mitigation training, as well as... - TRIB
09-01-2009 Bonusgate trial delayed for former Pa. legislator
A judge yesterday delayed the trial date for a former Pennsylvania legislator who is among a dozen people charged in the Bonusgate scandal. Sean Ramaley, a Democrat who had represented Beaver County in the House, will now go on trial Dec. 1. His trial on theft and conflict-of-interest charges was originally set for... - INQUIRER
09-01-2009 Fumo checks in to prison in Kentucky
By Jeff Gammage Inquirer Staff Writer ASHLAND, Ky. - Former Pennsylvania State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, his head held high, walked from a car to the front door of a federal prison camp here yesterday morning, surrendering as scheduled to begin his 55-month sentence for corruption.... - INQUIRER
09-01-2009 Rendell won't seek natural-gas tax
By Amy Worden and Mario F. Cattabiani Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau HARRISBURG - Gov. Rendell has, for the second time in a month, dropped one of his tax proposals aimed at helping to close the state's multibillion-dollar budget deficit. Rendell said after meeting with industry officials that he would agree to... - INQUIRER
09-01-2009 PennDOT unveils $96 million plan for better Rt. 22 flow
The state Department of Transportation will improve the MacArthur Road and Fullerton Avenue interchanges of Route 22 and replace the decking of the Lehigh River Bridge at an estimated $96.4 million -- 40 percent of the $240 million cost of widening the highway.... - MORNING CALL
09-01-2009 Boscola's choices are popular but not good public policy
While Sen. Lisa Boscola might well be voting according to many of her constituents' preferences and acting independent of her party, she supports a budget proposal, SB850, which is clearly adverse to the interests of children and working families. Her support for SB850 and vote to overturn Gov. Rendell's vetoes might... - MORNING CALL
09-01-2009 Jobless rate hits 26-year high
Tuesday, September 01, 2009 BY DAVID WENNER dwenner@patriot-news.com Unemployment in the Harrisburg area rose to 7.6 percent in July, up from 7.3 percent in June. In the Harrisburg region -- Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties -- unemployment has reached the highest point since June 1983, when it was 7.7... - PATRIOT
09-01-2009 INSIDE THE CAPITOL
An Adams County man is Gov. Ed Rendell's pick to be the newest Cabinet member, although he's anything but a rookie to state government. Russell Redding of Aspers was nominated by Rendell on Friday to succeed Dennis Wolff as state Agriculture Secretary. Redding must be confirmed by... - PATRIOT
09-01-2009 Airborne Wi-Fi May Soar Despite the Doubters
CONVENTIONAL wisdom says that too few people will pay to use Wi-Fi services when they fly and that the fledgling industry is, therefore, not likely to succeed. Skip to next paragraph Chris Gash Related Frequent Flier: That’s Why It’s Called the International Date Line... - NY TIMES
09-01-2009 Gamesa - The truth is out!
Reply - Thomas Tuffey, director, Penn Future Center for Energy, Enterprise and The Environment - letter of Aug. 14. Finally after three years of knowing and “broadcasting” what was told to me by Tim Vought - Gamesa Energy in 2006 - that there would be approximately 100 Wind Turbines placed on Shaffer Mountain, not just the 31... - SOMERSET DAILY
09-01-2009 Pump up pressure on Corps spending
Federal officials scrambled to respond to criticism about the many failures of government - including, it needs to be noted, at the local and state levels - after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. It turns out that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may have acted too hastily in... - LEWIS. SENTINEL
09-01-2009 Wind turbine research continues
The Brady Township Supervisors held a workshop conference call in relation to developing a wind turbine ordinance. The conversation was with Thomas Tuffey, the director of PennFuture's Center for Energy, Enterprise and the Environment covered many areas of interest for the supervisors, who are... - DUB. COURIER-EXPRESS
08-31-2009 At 40, the Internet shows signs of losing its idealism
Goofy videos weren't on the minds of Len Kleinrock and his team at UCLA when they began tests 40 years ago on what would become the Internet... - POST-GAZ.
08-31-2009 Beleaguered Pittsburgh to take the world's stage
By Tom Infield Inquirer Staff Writer PITTSBURGH - Driving downtown on the Parkway East, you had to go past the Jones & Laughlin steel mill with its plumes of hydrogen sulfide gas, which stunk like rotten eggs. Pittsburghers were embarrassed when they had out-of-town guests. But locals always said it was the smell of jobs.... - INQUIRER
08-31-2009 Budget stakes get raised again in Harrisburg
FOR WEEKS, WE'VE been exhorting the state to hurry up and pass House Bill 1848, which would give much-needed fiscal relief for Philadelphia's troubled city budget. So why are we relieved that House Speaker Keith McCall decided to delay a final vote on the bill for two weeks?... - DAILY NEWS
08-31-2009 Narrow decision on Route 22 bridge
Q: It seems very short-sighted to replace the existing Route 22 bridge over the Lehigh River with a new bridge of inadequate width. If the existing bridge is structurally sound, it should be retained to handle traffic flow while a second bridge is being built. Each of the resulting bridges would... - MORNING CALL
08-30-2009 Past catches up with present on Kiski Valley sewage mandate
As the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority and its communities spend millions of dollars to eliminate stormwater from overwhelming its treatment system and sending raw sewage to the Kiski River, it has an unlikely foe — the state. The state Department of Environmental Protection wants the sewage authority... - TRIB
08-28-2009 Appeals court rejects Fumo bid to delay prison
Convicted former state Sen. Vincent Fumo of Philadelphia has lost a bid to delay the start of his prison sentence Monday... - AP
08-28-2009 Laurels & Lances
On the "Watch List": • The G-20. There are reports that virtually no parking garages in Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle will be open during the Group of 20 economic summit next month. None. Couple this with no mass-transit service into Downtown and the economic losses likely can be measured in the tens of... - TRIB
08-28-2009 Two small airports in region to close during G-20
Two small airports in the region will close during the Group of 20 economic summit, rather than require private planes to stop in Clarksburg, W.Va., for a security sweep before coming to Pittsburgh, officials said Thursday. The Federal Aviation Administration likely will publish a notice before the... - TRIB
08-28-2009 Federal funds amounting to $8 million going to New Alexandria sewage project
The second phase of a project to provide a sewage treatment system to residents of New Alexandria and adjacent areas of Derry Township has received about $8 million in federal funds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program will give project developers a $3.7 million, long-term, low-interest loan and a $3.2... - TRIB
08-28-2009 Fumo's bid to delay jail denied again
By Craig R. McCoy Inquirer Staff Writer Former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo appears to be just about out of options in his bid to delay the start of his prison sentence Monday. Yesterday, a two-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected - swiftly and without comment - Fumo's bid to stay free... - INQUIRER
08-28-2009 County fairs, beloved purveyors of funnel cake and rides, may lose state cash
Budget talks stall again -- Pennsylvania House Democratic leaders say they're angry over the latest budget negotiations and plan to resume public talks through the much-maligned conference committee process. Speaker Keith McCall and Majority Leader Todd Eachus said at a Thursday... - MORNING CALL
08-28-2009 Fumo likely to start prison sentence Monday after appeal fails
Former state Sen. Vince Fumo is scheduled to begin serving his 55-month sentence on Monday at the federal prison in Ashland, Ky., but that might change at the last minute. On Monday, as millions of Pennsylvanians report back to work after their weekends, former state Sen. Vince Fumo likely will report to prison.... - PATRIOT
08-27-2009 McCall, Eachus blast Republicans for refusal to compromise in budget negotiation
(Press Release)
08-27-2009 Democratic Leadership: Senate Republican NegotiationsHave Not Been In Good Faith
(Press Conference)
08-27-2009 Event aims to spotlight Pittsburgh's cultural diversity in advance of G-20
African dancers, musicians and cooks in traditional costumes will showcase their skills Saturday as part of an event leading up to the G-20 economic summit. The Union of African Communities in Pittsburgh & Allegheny County will hold the event at Union Project, 801 Negley Ave., Highland Park.... - TRIB
08-27-2009 'Clunkers' drives 20,000 sales in region
click to enlarge About the writer Kim Leonard can be reached via e-mail or at 412-380-5606. Great Race videos Are you a runner, training for the upcoming Pittsburgh Great Race? Or, are you just curious about the race? Click here to watch a series of videos from Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter and veteran runner William... - TRIB
08-27-2009 Nutter backs Senate bill calling for reduced pension benefits
Mayor Nutter this afternoon came out in clear favor of Senate legislation that both gives financial relief to Philadelphia while mandating changes in pension benefits strongly opposed by the city's unions. He said so in a letter to Republican Senate Majority Leader Domenic Pileggi (see below).... - INQUIRER
08-27-2009 Clunkers by the Numbers
By Suzette Parmley Inquirer Staff Writer It's the economic-stimulus success story of the year with the uncanny name: Cash for Clunkers. Nearly 700,000 new cars were bought in exchange for trading in gas-guzzling, environmentally unfriendly vehicles through the program that... - INQUIRER
08-27-2009 Business news in brief
In the Region Hospital, insurer in dispute Chester County Hospital said Keystone Mercy Health Plan will no longer insure patients there after Sept. 30 unless the hospital accepts significantly lower payments. The termination notice includes outpatient services based at the hospital, including the prenatal clinic, and affects... - INQUIRER
08-27-2009 Hopefuls from both parties eye 2 open seats
WASHINGTON - A pair of open congressional seats in eastern Pennsylvania has both parties eyeing pick-up opportunities next year as a parade of declared and potential candidates jockey for early support. Leaving their seats are U.S. Reps. Jim Gerlach, R-6th District, and Joe... - MORNING CALL
08-27-2009 'Clunkers' Generates 690,000 Sales
The federal government's month-long "Cash for Clunkers" program ended after having spent almost the entire $3 billion allotted and putting 690,114 new, more fuel-efficient cars on the road, the Transportation Department said Wednesday. This Story * New Home Sales Climb Nearly Ten Percent... - WASH POST
08-27-2009 Federal agency to assist in bridge talks
This article has been read 73 times. By Scott Beveridge Staff writer sbeveridge@observer-reporter.com A federal agency will enter negotiations on plans to tear down the historic Charleroi-Monessen Bridge to make sure the correct procedures are being followed for protecting National Register sites.... - WASH. O.R.
08-27-2009 Rare procedure proposed to end budget stalemate
Scott Hutchinson and a colleeague also want the state House to reconvene to tackle the matter. Nearly two months into the state budget impasse, the effects on the ground are profound. Preschools are postponing classes, and daycare centers are shutting their doors, some permanently.... - OIL CITY DERRICK
08-27-2009 Why we need to toll I-80
After months of reading all the negative reports in Clarion County , and along the Interstate 80 corridor, about the proposed tolling of I-80 I felt compelled to respond. Pennsylvania needs a sustained funding source to promote economic growth and make our roads and bridges safer.... - CLARION NEWS
Total Entries: 50
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