Remembering Etna Mayor Tom
Rengers
Last Thursday, Etna Borough suffered
the terrible loss of their mayor, Tom Rengers. Mayor Tom was a
passionate public servant who loved his community beyond measure. Not
only was he mayor for 19 years, but he was also a member of Etna
Council for 11 years, wrote Etna’s newsletter, and served on the
committees and associations that make Etna the dynamic and special
community it is today. I am grateful I had the opportunity to work
with Mayor Tom over the last few years. He will be dearly missed.
Read
more about Tom Renger’s lifetime of service.
2023 Events Review
Series
This year we were able to host two Senior
Fairs!
Spring 2023
Senior Fair in East Liberty
We were excited
this year to hold our first Senior Fair in Pittsburgh’s East
Liberty neighborhood at the Mount
Ararat Community Activity Center!
Everyone had a great
time and took advantage of the wealth of information and resources
that the non-profit vendors provided. Thank you to my co-host Rep.
La'Tasha D. Mayes, the vendors who helped seniors and caregivers
with information and free health screenings, Tanya's Catering for the
delicious breakfast, and a very special thank you to Mount Ararat
Community Activity Center for hosting us!
Fall 2023
Senior Fair in Ross
We co-hosted a Fall Senior
Fair with Rep.
Emily Kinkead at the Ross Township Community Center in the North
Hills again this year, and it was a phenomenal success with over 350
attendees!
As always, it was a great chance to talk
one-on-one with constituents and we were so grateful to the 54 vendors
who came to share information, to the
Ross Township Community Center for being a wonderful host,
Dunkin Donuts in Etna and
Eat ‘n Park for delicious refreshments,
Pittsburgh Regional Transit for issuing free senior bus passes,
and
Waltmire Pharmacy for providing flu and COVID-19 shots to
attendees!
Good News
An Etna
Carol: Library Fundraiser and Costume Ball
On
Saturday I joined residents and local officials to celebrate the
one-year anniversary of Etna’s Pop-up Library and to take part
in “An Etna Carol,” an evening of fun in support of the
ongoing effort to raise funds for Etna’s library building
renovation. Thank you to Etna Borough for inviting me to participate
in this creative and fun evening of support for a worthy
cause!
Senate
Guest Chaplain Harry Van Riper
This week, I
had the honor of joining my colleague, Senator Robinson, in
introducing our Senate Guest Chaplain, Vietnam Veteran and American
Legion Post 548 Chaplain Harry Van Riper. The Senate was incredibly
fortunate to have Chaplain Van Riper open our Session and inspire our
work this week, and I’m grateful for his lifetime of
service.
Maryanne
Wesdock Confirmed as Judge of the Environmental Hearing
Board
I also had the privilege of
introducing my friend and constituent, Maryanne Wesdock, Esq. to the
Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee for her nomination
hearing for Judge of the Environmental Hearing Board. Ms. Wesdock is
an incredibly qualified candidate and her nomination was unanimously
voted out of committee.
Ms. Wesdock’s nomination
was later confirmed by the full Senate by a vote of 43-7.
You
can view the full video of my introductory remarks below.
Legislative Update
Pennsylvania’s Biggest
Tax Giveaway to Corporations and Wealthy Individuals Discriminates
Against Children
I voted against the 2023-24
School Code because it continues to take tax dollars away from public
education and instead funnels that money to schools that actively
discriminate against our children and families.
Since the
inception of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) and
Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program (OSTC) in 2001,
Pennsylvania has given over $2 billion in tax breaks to corporations
and its wealthiest
citizens in exchange for scholarships to private and religious
schools. Virtually nothing is known about how, or if, students have
benefitted from these programs because we
do not collect sufficient data to evaluate them.
What we
do know is that the private and religious schools who receive this
funding actively discriminate against parents and students. In early
December, Education Voters of Pennsylvania released a report
examining 25% of the private schools that participate in the OSTC
program. Every single school studied had a clear statement or policy
declaring that the school can and will discriminate against students
and parents.
Here are some lowlights from that report:
- Nearly 1 in 5 schools have explicit statements
discriminating against LGBTQ students and their families.
-
Nearly half of the schools engage in some type of discrimination based
on religion.
- More than 80% of schools have policies that
allow them to refuse to admit students if they are not the
“right fit” with the school.
- More than 50% of
schools have policies that allow them to discriminate against students
based on disability or how they’re currently doing in
school.
Unlike public schools that must educate every
resident student who comes through their doors, these private and
religious schools do not have to admit students with disabilities or
follow their IEPs, nor are they required to educate students who
struggle academically for whatever reason.
That means
that the very students that proponents claim the OSTC voucher program
was created to assist - students that attend schools with low
standardized test scores - can and are turned away because of their
low test scores.
It has been nearly a year since the
Commonwealth Court declared our system of funding public education
unconstitutional. Since then, I’ve opposed legislation that
upholds that unconstitutional system or makes it even worse many
times. But long before that decision, I have stood up every year in
opposition to the school code BECAUSE of EITC and OSTC. As in past
years, this year’s school code contains bills that are a huge
priority to me—including bills that I’ve sponsored. But I
stand in strong opposition to any program – EITC, OSTC, or any
future voucher programs like
PASS or Lifeline Scholarships – that discriminate against
kids and
siphon your tax dollars into the pockets of billionaires who seek
to defund, destabilize, and destroy public education.
You can
view the full video of my floor remarks prior to the vote below.
Enroll
With Pennie for Coverage Starting January 1!
Don’t procrastinate! Enroll by Friday, December 15, 2023 to get
healthcare coverage that starts January 1, 2023 from Pennie,
Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace. Open enrollment
runs through January 15, 2024, but why not skip the rush and call
1-844-844-8040 or go to Home
| Pennie to sign up or get personalized help navigating
plans.
If you’ve lost your Medicaid
coverage, Pennie can help!
Pennie and the
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) are working
together to ensure that qualified Pennsylvanians have access to health
coverage either through
Medical Assistance, the
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or the
affordable, high-quality coverage available through Pennie.
Scam Alert
from PA Treasury
Fraudsters are
targeting residents in a new scam involving false promises of a state
grant and fraudulent requests to pay taxes using gift cards.
In this scam, unsuspecting residents receive a call, an email, and/or
a letter claiming to be from the Pennsylvania
Treasury or the Federal
Reserve Bank, fraudulently indicating that the recipient will be
awarded grant money – but first must pay taxes. In at least one
case, the recipient was told to make the supposed tax payments with
gift cards.
- PA Treasury does NOT announce grant
awards.
- PA Treasury does NOT collect taxes.
-
PA Treasury will NEVER request payments in the form of a gift card
– and neither will any other legitimate government agency.
If you receive any suspicious emails or calls, please
contact PA Treasury by calling 717-787-2465 or visit
Pennsylvania Treasury, Stacy Garrity - State Treasurer
(patreasury.gov).
You can read more about this scam
at Pennsylvania
treasurer warns of new scam targeting residents; here’s what to
look out for – WPXI.
2024 PA
River of the Year!
Did you know there is an
annual contest for ‘River of the Year’ in Pennsylvania?
The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources holds this
annual contest to raise awareness of our waterway’s value and as
well as the importance of river stewardship. This year you can vote
for our own Allegheny River!
The nominees for the 2024 River
of the Year are the Allegheny River, Lackawaxen River, and
Youghiogheny River. Nominations came in from all over the state and
were based on each waterway’s conservation needs, successes, and
programming plans if the nominee is voted 2024 River of the Year. The
winner receives a grant for conservation, education, and recreation
activities in celebration. Show your Allegheny pride and vote
today!
Vote at: Vote
for a 2024 River of the Year! - POWR Pennsylvania Organization for
Watersheds and Rivers (pawatersheds.org).
For more
information on the contest go to Voting
to Begin for Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year
(pa.gov).
Annual
Fishing Licenses Make Great Gifts!
Need a
last-minute gift for a special someone? Purchase an Annual Fishing
License for under $28 to give the gift of a season’s worth of
fun to your favorite angler! Buy a license at Buy/Redeem
Gift Vouchers (fishandboat.com).
Winter Allegheny County Parks
Programming!
Holiday Laser Show
Looking for a festive and affordable activity for the whole family
over the holidays? Come to North
Park’s Holiday Laser Show and enjoy a dazzling 40-minute
drive-in show synchronized with holiday music from the comfort of your
own vehicle!
Show runs December 8-23, 2023 at the North Park
Pool parking lot.
View the schedule and buy tickets at
Holiday
Laser Show | Special Events | Allegheny County.
Skate
with Santa at North Park Ice Rink
He’s
making a list and checking it twice – and you can skate and get
a picture with him on ice! Skate along with Santa at the North Park
ice rink on Sunday, December 17, 2023 from noon to 2 pm.
For information and to buy tickets go to Skate
with Santa | Special Events | Allegheny
County.
‘Winter Trees’ Guided
Hikes
Just because it is winter, doesn’t
mean you have to stay indoors. The Allegheny
County Park Rangers have FREE programs in December and you can
still catch their last guided hike this Saturday or Sunday!
Join the Rangers for their “Winter Trees” guided hike to
explore the ways trees survive winter conditions and how to identify
them without the help of their leaves.
- Saturday,
December 16th, 10am-12pm, Hartwood Acres Park
- Sunday,
December 17th, 10am-12pm, Harrison Hills Park
Sign up
for these and future ‘Winter Trees’ hikes at Activity
search | Allegheny Parks - Online Services
(activecommunities.com). Check out all upcoming Allegheny County
Park Ranger activities here.
Latodami
Christmas Bird Count
This is the 123rd year of
the Christmas Bird Count, an annual North American winter bird census.
Join the effort to count our bird species in North Park by
volunteering with the Latodami Nature Center on December 30! No
previous experience is necessary to participate. Binoculars are highly
recommended.
- Saturday, December 30th, 8am- 11am, North
Park Latodami Nature Center, 575 Brown Rd. Wexford.
Register by December 25, 2023 at Activity
detail | Allegheny Parks - Online Services
(activecommunities.com).
Tarentum Holiday Light Decorating
Contest
If you live or own a business in
Tarentum and are proud of your holiday light display, consider
entering the Tarentum Recreation Board’s
Holiday Light Decorating Contest! Deadline for entries is Friday,
December 18, 2023. See the graphic above for details.
As always, please feel free to reach out with any
questions you may have by phone at 412-364-0469 (Ross
Office), 724-224-2131 (Harrison
Office) or by email at [email protected].
My staff will return your call/email within 24 hours
(Monday-Friday).
Senator Lindsey Williams
