Good News

Celebrating the Ingomar North Recreation & Swim Club Community Pool

I joined Rep. Arvind Venkat and members of the community to celebrate opening day at the Ingomar North Recreation & Swim Club pool on May 24th. We were also celebrating a $100,000 Allegheny County Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund (GEDTF) grant I helped secure that will partially fund renovations at the pool this fall including replacing the pool liner, a new pool vacuum, and a winter pool cover.

I’ve heard incredible stories about the pool being the heart of this community. It isn’t just where kids learn to swim—it’s where people develop lifelong friendships and build community with one another. At a time when it’s easier than ever to feel isolated, shared spaces that make a neighborhood your home and turn your neighbors into family are more important than ever. That’s why I’m so happy to support investments that extend this sense of belonging into the next generation of families.

Shredding Event in Ross Township

On May 30th we had beautiful weather for our shredding event with Rep. Emily Kinkead at the Ross Twp Department of Public Works. My office consistently hears from constituents looking for shredding events in the area to safely dispose of documents with their personal information. That’s why we hold as many of these free shredding events as possible every year. 

Thank you to Steel City Shredding, the hard-working Ross DPW employees, and our staff who made this event a great success. 

If you were unable to make this shredding event, mark you calendars for our next ones:

• Saturday, September 12th, 10am - 12pm, Lawrenceville Goodwill
• Saturday, September 19th, 9–11am, Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church
• Thursday, October 10th, 9–11am, Ross Township DPW

Hope to see you there!

 

Visiting “Unblurred” at the Bloomfield-Garfield Night Market

I had the chance to visit “Unblurred,” Pittsburgh’s longest-running art crawl, at Bloomfield-Garfield’s First Friday market. This free event invites visitors to explore art gallery openings, live performances, pop-up markets, and community events along the 4800-5500 blocks of Penn Avenue.

If you get a chance, check out this beautiful and engaging event next month!

Happy Pride, Pittsburgh!

The fight for everyone to exist as themselves regardless of their gender identity or who they love continues, but events like the downtown Pride Parade on June 7th and Ross Pride on May 31st show that queer joy cannot be legislated away. 

Legislative Update

My Legislation Reducing Barriers to Career and Tech Ed Passes Committee

My bill to help eliminate Career and Tech Ed waitlists passed the Senate Education Committee this week! My goal is for every student in Pennsylvania who wants to take advantage of our amazing Career and Technical Education programs to do so. This bill allows for more CTE students to get a head start on their next steps, whether that’s entering the job market, an apprenticeship, or some form of post-secondary education. 

This legislation was crafted with the Department of Education in response to the growing number of students hoping to enroll in Career and Technical Education who are put on waitlists. Aging facilities, lack of predictable funding, and difficulty recruiting and retaining educators are just some of the reasons that CTE programs are forced to put students on waitlists. But another is the requirement that students must wait until their senior year to take the end of program assessment, known as the NOCTI exam.  

SB 366 addresses this issue by allowing students to complete that coursework earlier, freeing up their ‘seat’ for incoming students. This bill is one piece of modernizing CTE programs, but we cannot forget about the most important part: funding. We need to meaningfully increase investments in CTE if we want to meet our constitutional obligations of fully and equitably fund our public schools.

Voting to Approve Student-Focused Performance-Based Funding Measures

As a member of the Performance-Based Funding Council, this week we voted to approve the inaugural Performance Goals and Student Weights for distributing funding to three Pennsylvania State-Related Universities: University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University, and Temple University.

Pennsylvania should have a well-resourced, thriving higher education landscape where all students who want to go to college can - and where they receive the supports needed to succeed. As a first-generation college student myself, and a proud daughter who watched my mom return to community college and complete her associate degree as an adult, I understand how education changes lives.

But it has to be affordable. Pennsylvania currently ranks 49^th in the country for higher education funding per student. This lack of investment comes at a real cost.  64% of Pennsylvania college graduates carry student loan debt, the third most in the nation. While I remain skeptical of the long-term impacts of performance-based funding, the weights adopted today incentivize Pennsylvania’s State-Related Universities to educate low-income students, students who have transferred from community colleges, and students who come from less resourced school districts.

The General Assembly must do more to ensure that our state-related universities, PASSHE schools, and community colleges are affordable. This vote is a step towards giving more students a real chance at higher education.

News You Can Use

Allegheny County Seeks Public Comment on Mandatory Paid Parental Leave

The Allegheny County Health Department is considering making 18 weeks of Paid Parental Leave mandatory for every worker countywide.

We know that paid parental leave reduces infant and maternal mortality, protects maternal mental health, and supports physical recovery and healing. Too many families are forced back to work before they are medically ready because they can't afford to stay home.

This is a step in lowering our maternal mortality rate and protecting our working families.

The Allegheny County Health Department is accepting public comments through Thursday, June 16:

• Electronically: submit written comments via email to:
  [email protected]
• By phone at: 412-258-3258
• By mail to:

Attn: Article XXIV Comments (Paid Parental Leave)
Allegheny County Health Department
542 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

For more information on the proposal go to: https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Services/Health-Department/Legal/Public-Comment-Notices. 

Plant a Tree for Dad this Father’s Day!

Honor the person who helped you grow up this Father’s Day with a tree planted by Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy this fall in one of Pittsburgh’s beautiful parks! Your donation will celebrate your dad’s impact for years to come by cleaning the air, cooling the city, restoring habitat, and strengthening the health of our communities.

There are three types of plantings available:

• A Restoration Tree- native tree that will replenish Pittsburgh’s urban forest. 
• A Commemorative Tree- a landscape tree to commemorate a person, event, or milestone. GPS coordinates to the tree’s location are provided and Conservancy staff will water and much the tree for two years. 
• A Commemorative Tree & Ceremony- a landscape tree to commemorate a person, event, or milestone with a dedication ceremony in the park. You can also attend or help with the planting. GPS coordinates to the tree’s location are provided and Conservancy staff will water and much the tree for two years. 

For more information and to donate a tree in your father’s name go to: https://pittsburghparks.org/donate-to-plant-trees/.

BikePGH Needs Volunteers for OpenStreetsPGH!

Looking for a fun volunteer opportunity this summer? Why not join BikePGH in Lawrenceville on July 26th to help make their OpenStreetsPGH event a success. The event route starts on Smallman St. in the Strip District and ends on Butler St. in Upper Lawrenceville.

BikePGH provides water, lunch, and all of the snacks for each volunteer, plus t-shirts for first-timers! Volunteer opportunities include working in a hub, at the kids activity stations, safety, surveying, and more.

For full details and to sign up, go to https://secure.everyaction.com/w9fRfPvtH0q-KSRXK2OpoQ2. 

If you want to sign up as a group, workplace, or club, please send an email to [email protected].

 

Try a New Outdoor Activity this Summer with First Try Collective!

Always wanted to try a new outdoor activity but don’t think you have the equipment or someone to go with? Check out the First Try Collective! This program was created to offer Greater Pittsburgh residents an easy way to explore the outdoors, learn new skills, and enjoy the region’s many outdoor amenities. From mushroom identification to mountain biking and more, First Try Collective welcomes people of all abilities, ages, interests, and ability levels to try a new activity in a supportive environment.

Go to https://www.firsttrycollective.org/ to register for an event. After completing 3 beginner instruction activities, you will receive a prize at the Outdoors for All Day at Allegheny Commons on Saturday, August 15!

FREE First Aide & CPR Training

Monday, June 15, 2026, 10am - 12pm

Ross West View EMSA is offering a FREE first aid, Stop the Bleed, and CPR training on Monday, June 15th from 10 AM - 12 PM. Call 412-585-5575 to register!

Summer Open House!

This Sunday, June 14, 2026, 12pm - 4pm, 7 Chalafonte Ave, West View

Join neighbors and friends at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Community Center’s summer kickoff event this Sunday. Food, fun, art, music, and a wide variety of exercise demos are on the agenda! 

For more information call: 412-585-5575. 

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