Upcoming Events

 

June Community Days!

Summer is upon us, and we are looking forward to attending as many community celebrations as we can in Senate District 38! We had a wonderful time at Cheswick’s Strawberry Festival last weekend and are excited to be a part of the Fox Chapel/Aspinwall, Ross, and Sharpsburg Pride events. Stop by our table for resources, questions, or to share what is important to you with Senator Williams. Hope to see you there!

Book Your In-Person VSO Appointment Early!

Our June in-person Veterans Service Officer (VSO) appointments are filling up quickly! Call us today to reserve a 30-minute in-person meeting with a VSO this month or for any month in the future. Appointments alternate between our Ross and Harrison offices monthly and are held every 3rd Tuesday from 9 am - 1 pm.

Upcoming Dates:

• Tuesday, June 18, Harrison Office
• Tuesday, July 16, Ross Township Office
• Tuesday, August 20, Harrison Office 

Whether you have a question or just need a fresh review of the benefits you’ve earned, call or email our office to schedule a one-on-one appointment: 412-364-0469 (Ross), 724-224-2131 (Harrison), [email protected]. 

Good News

Cheswick Strawberry Festival

We had a sweet time sharing a resource table with Rep. Mandy Steele at Cheswick’s Strawberry Festival on Sunday! The delicious homemade strawberry shortcake was the perfect way to kick off the summer– and the local strawberries available to take home were an extra bonus! Thanks to all of the tireless volunteers who made this event a highlight of summer and to all the residents who came out to participate.  

 

Tour of Good Dog Farm

Last month I had the opportunity to tour Good Dog Farm in Tarentum with the Allegheny County Conservation District. We're working with small business owners like Good Dog and other local farmers to help build up our natural resources and protect our streams and waterways from sediment and other runoff.

Thank you to Lindsay of Good Dog for giving us the chance to see first-hand the opportunities and challenges that these small businesses are facing!

Rededication and Centennial Celebration of Peabody Memorial to WWI Soldiers

Last week, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Preservation Pittsburgh, and Obama Academy celebrated the restoration and rededication of the Peabody Memorial to Soldiers. This beautifully restored memorial includes the names of the 17 students who served during WWI, as well as figures depicting the end of the War. These three figures at the front of the statue represent new beginnings and rebuilding and serve as an invitation to all students to be engaged and active in building our future together.

Pittsburgh school's World War I memorial restored for its centennial | 90.5 WESA

Fighting for Fairness for all Pennsylvanians

In Harrisburg on Monday, I joined my colleagues Rep. Jessica Benham and Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta to celebrate the launch of Fairness Pennsylvania. We are dedicated to not just defending the rights of LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians, but to proactively improving their quality of life.

Every Pennsylvanian deserves to be open, honest, and safe in their homes, their school, at work, and in their community. Because these schools and communities-- this Pennsylvania-- belongs to all of us.

https://www.pennlive.com/politics/2024/06/lgbtq-advocacy-group-forms-to-fight-discrimination.html

Supporting Bike Transportation Lanes

I joined Families for Safe Streets, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, and my colleague Senator Kearney this week for a rally in support of HB 1283, which would permit municipalities to install parking protected bike lanes to help keep cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicle traffic safe as we share our roads. 

HB 1283 has already overwhelmingly passed the House and is waiting for action in the Senate Transportation Committee. I’m asking our Transportation Committee chairs to take action and bring a clean version of HB 1283 up for vote so that we can give local governments the ability to protect all traffic. 

Too many lives have been lost in the seven years that Families for Safe Streets has been advocating for this legislation. We cannot wait any longer to protect cyclists.

Legislative Update

Public Funds for Public Schools

Ahead of returning to Harrisburg for the June Budget Session weeks, I joined education advocates at Westinghouse High School to rally for full funding of our public schools.

In the Senate Education Committee and on the Senate floor we have voted on a number of voucher bills over the last few years. They have been called different names and have had some slightly different structures but they all do the same thing – they all take public money and give it to unaccountable private and religious schools that discriminate against children. That isn’t a secret– that’s the plan. 

At an Education Committee hearing, the head of a private religious school said that the school would not accept a student that was a few grade levels behind in reading. And a recent report from Education Voters of Pennsylvania surveyed private or religious schools receiving existing voucher funds found that 100% of those schools have policies in place that can be used to discriminate against students on the basis of religion, LGBTQ+ status, disability and more.

The Governor has called vouchers “unfinished business.” It might very well be unfinished business for Jeffrey Yass and the Commonwealth Foundation, but it is not our unfinished business. 

Our unfinished business this budget season is the minimum of $6 Billion that the Courts say we owe students and families for decades of unconstitutionally underfunding and inequitably funding our public schools. Our unfinished business is that students across the state can’t go to school when it's too hot outside. Our unfinished business is our students do not have enough caring adults in the building. They need more teachers, paraprofessionals, school counselors, social workers and many more adults.

Our students are constitutionally entitled to public schools that meet their needs regardless of race, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. And it is our constitutional duty and moral obligation to fight to protect and fully fund those schools.

Senior Farmers Market Voucher Distribution Day is Tuesday, June 25!

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) is distributing vouchers this month on Tuesday, June 25, 2024!

Eligible seniors will receive one set of vouchers worth $50 to be spent at participating farmers markets and farm stands (see eligibility criteria above). If you have more than two people in your household, check the income limits listed below. Note that income is self-reported and should be your gross household income.

The 2024 SFMNP household income limits are:

• 1 person $27,861
• 2 people $37,814
• 3 people $47,767
• 4 People $57,720
• 5 people $67,673
• 6 people $77,626
• 7 people $87.579
• 8 people $97,532

On distribution day, vouchers will be given out in-person only at participating Senior Community Centers on a first come, first served basis (see list above for Senate District 38 locations). Applications will not be accepted by mail this year. Eligible seniors who are unable to travel to a senior center may designate a proxy - someone to pick up their vouchers. Proxy forms and information as well as the complete list of distribution centers can be found under the “Resources'' section at: sfmnp.pdf (alleghenycounty.us).

The vouchers come as a set of five $10 vouchers which can be used through November 30, 2024 on produce that is grown in Pennsylvania or purchased directly from a Pennsylvania farmer. Please note that when redeeming a voucher at a farmers market, the whole voucher must be spent at once– no change can be given.To find a participating farmer’s market or farm stand use the search tool at PAMeals or download a locator app for your phone. 

Contact our office at 412-364-0469 (Ross), 724-224-2131(Harrison), or [email protected] if you have any questions! 

SNAP Recipients Receive Extra Dollars to Spend at Farmers Markets!

If you receive SNAP benefits (food stamps) and would like to shop at a Farmers Market this year, you should know about two programs currently running in Allegheny County. 

The Fresh Access Program:

Just Harvest’s Fresh Access Program enables farmers market shoppers to use their food stamps – as well as credit and debit cards – to buy fresh, nutritious, and locally-produced food. Shoppers receive tokens that give food stamp shoppers an extra $2.00 to spend on fruits and veggies for every $5.00 they spend at one of the 15 participating Farmers Markets listed above. Tokens never expire!

SNAP Matching Program - Only at the Lawrenceville Farmers Market

The Lawrenceville Farmers Market and Lawrenceville United recently announced the launch of their SNAP Matching Program! Thanks to the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Community Food Solutions Grant, all dollars spent on SNAP/EBT cards at the Market will be matched dollar for dollar. This means that food stamp users will DOUBLE their benefits by shopping at the Lawrenceville Farmers Market this year.

DCNR Town Hall on the Plan for PA Forests
Virtual, Wednesday, June 12 at 6:00 - 7:00 pm

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry is inviting the public to a live virtual town hall event to give feedback on their draft strategic plan for Pennsylvania’s forests: Forests for All: A Plan for Pennsylvania’s Forests and People.

At this town hall, you will hear from State Forester Seth Cassell and Bureau staff about who the Bureau of Forestry is, what its plans are for the future, and what it means for you as someone that benefits from and cares for forests. Participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the strategic plan.

The event will be hosted virtually through the Microsoft Teams platform. To register, go to Registration for Bureau of Forestry Draft Strategic Plan  Townhall Survey (surveymonkey.com) Registrants complete a brief survey and are sent an email link afterward for access to the town hall. Lend your voice to the plan for our treasured forests!

FREE Allegheny County Summer Concerts in the Park

Looking for ways to spend summer evenings without spending a dime? You should plan to attend some of the FREE concerts at this summer’s 2024 Allegheny County Summer Concert Series. The series kicked off last weekend and runs every weekend throughout the summer.

These concerts are performed at Allegheny County’s two biggest parks: South Park and Hartwood Acres in Senate District 38. The lineup is bursting with national and local award-winning talent. All you need is a picnic basket or food truck money and a blanket or chair, and you are set! Performances start at 7:30 and take place rain or shine.

Shows not to miss at Hartwood Acres include:

• July 7 - The Bar-Kays: legendary funk band whose studio work backing Stax Records recording artists including Otis Redding carved their place in music history; Pittsburgh’s own Clinton Clegg will open the show with help from the Norside Organ Trio
• July 14 - Patty Griffin: two-time Grammy-winner and one of the most consequential singer songwriters of her generation
• July 21 - Paula Cole: Grammy-winner whose hit "I Don’t Want to Wait" became iconic through its use on the popular television series "Dawson’s Creek"
• August 4 - Anees: hit song "Sun and Moon" led the way to more than 40 million streams and over seven million followers on social media
• August 11 - Matthew Whitaker: a renowned Jazz pianist who is no stranger to Pittsburgh thanks to his work as musical director on Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of "Billy Strayhorn: Something to Live For"
• August 18 - MAGIC!: Reggae/Pop powerhouse whose song "Rude" held the #1 spot on Billboard’s top 100 chart for six weeks and hit number one in 41 countries
• September 1 - 24th Annual Allegheny County Music Festival. This year, the event will feature two-time Tony Award-winner Michael Cerveris singing the songs of David Bowie backed by a Pittsburgh All-Star band with special guests Scott Blasey and Rob James of the Clarks.

For more information and to see the complete line-up for the 2024 Allegheny County Summer Concert Series at both parks click here.

Free Reservoir of Jazz Series in Highland Park

Looking for a free concert in the City of Pittsburgh? Every Sunday afternoon in August, Highland Park’s lawn showcases the sounds of Pittsburgh’s finest jazz musicians during the ever-popular “Reservoir of Jazz” series. Enthusiasts can enjoy local eats and smooth beats from extraordinary talent. Following the concert, enjoy “Summer Soul Line Dancing” sessions at the fountain. This series is supported by AARP Pennsylvania, WZUM Jazz, Highland Park Community Council, and RAD.

For more information on the Reservoir of Jazz Concert Series go to Reservoir of Jazz | pittsburghpa.gov.

West View Urban Farm’s Strawberry Festival
148 Georgetown Ave., Friday June 21, 6:00 - 8:00 pm

West View Urban Farm is celebrating its second year as the first community-led urban farm in West View with a Strawberry Festival! Come by to learn more about the farm, how it contributes to the community, meet neighbors, and kick off the summer season with snacks and family-friendly activities.

To register for the event click here or scan the QR code above.  

Questions? Email [email protected].

Want to help? Event volunteer and potluck sign ups are available here.  

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