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Upcoming Events
Clean Slate
and Expungement Clinic
Tuesday,
March 14 2023, from 6:00-7:45pm
Get a fresh start by
learning about how to clear your record! Join Senator Lindsey Williams
and Barbara Griffin, Director of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation
Pro Bono Center, for a Clean Slate and Expungement Clinic at the
Kingsley Association in Larimer. The clinic begins with a brief
presentation on options for clearing criminal records including Clean
Slate, expungements, and pardons. Afterward, participants have the
option of meeting one-on-one with professionals to see what help is
available to them. Advance registration is strongly encouraged, but
walk-ins are welcome.
Register at www.senatorlindseywilliams.com/events,
412-364-0469, or [email protected].
Good News
Electrified
School Bus Forum
Last Monday, I partnered
with S&B
USA Construction - Fay Southeast, the Green
Building Alliance, Duquesne Light Company, and GreenPower
Motor Company to host a forum for school districts and
transportation companies about the state and federal dollars available
to help electrify their bus fleets. It’s important to me that a
fair portion of the billions of dollars made available in funding
through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation
Reduction Act supported by President Biden and Congress get invested
in Pennsylvania school districts.
I’m grateful to the
many school districts who attended, to A.W.
Beattie Career Center for hosting us, and as always to the
A.W. Beattie students who provided the best food for everyone!
New Fee
Strengthens Ross-West View EMS
The five
municipalities that are serviced by the Ross-West View EMS Authority
(Ross Township, West View, Reserve Township, Millvale Borough, and
Ohio Township) have all approved a new fee for residents and
businesses within their borders. This fee will go directly to the EMS
Authority and will allow them to continue to provide the top-quality
professional services that residents expect when they dial 911. In
exchange, the Authority is waiving out-of-pocket expenses for those
using their emergency ambulance services.
I’ve been
working closely with our local EMS authorities to help secure
additional funding to help with training, recruitment, and retention
of EMTs and the maintenance of their equipment and facilities.
However, with insurance reimbursements remaining stagnant or
decreasing and costs rising, our EMS providers find themselves in need
of more reliable and consistent financial streams to keep their doors
open and continue providing exemplary services. To locate your local
EMS agency and subscribe to their services, please visit
SenatorLindseyWilliams.com/District.
Read more at: Five
Allegheny County communities come together to help fund Ross-West View
EMS - CBS Pittsburgh (cbsnews.com)
“Everyone Gets a Say”
Available on LAMP
I'm very excited that my
reading of "Everyone Gets a Say" by Jill Twiss is now available in
the Library
of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians - LAMP for download on
BARD and in digital cartridge format to patron's mailbox delivery. I
had an amazing time recording this book and making it accessible to
everyone!
Go to Everyone
Gets A Say | LAMP (mylamp.org) to apply for LAMP services and
access to “Everyone Gets a Say.”
Legislative News
Universal
School Meals
Senator Judy Schwank and I are
reintroducing my “No Student Should Go Hungry– Universal
School Meals” legislation from
last year. This bill will provide free school meals to all students
who are not already covered through the federal free and
reduced-price-meal and Community Eligibility Provision programs. It
will also eliminate existing school lunch debt so both schools and
families can begin next school year with a fresh start.
The
Federal government let the pandemic waivers and funding that allowed
schools to provide universal breakfast and lunch for all students
expire at the beginning of this school year. I heard almost
immediately about the difficulties that this caused for our districts
and families, especially in the midst of rising gas prices and rising
food prices.
We know that providing breakfast and lunch
for our students is like providing school books or pencils–
it’s part of a necessary day. If our students aren’t safe,
healthy, and fed, they can’t be ready to learn.
You can join the PA Healthy School Meals for All Coalition by signing
on here:
Read more about Universal School
Meals in the news:
Black History
Month
For our last week of Black History Month we
are focusing on the famous Pittsburgh Courier newspaper. There are so
many notable people connected with the Pittsburgh Courier that we had
a hard time narrowing it down to just three. We hope you enjoy our
choices!
The
Pittsburgh Courier
Did you know that one of
the top Black newspapers in the country was The Pittsburgh Courier?
Published in Pittsburgh from 1907 until 1966, the paper was begun by
Edwin Nathaniel Harleston, a guard at the H. J. Heinz Company food
packing plant in Pittsburgh. Harleston, a self-published poet, started
printing the paper at his own expense in 1907. Generally about two
pages, it was primarily a vehicle for Harleston's work, and he printed
around 10 copies which he sold for five cents apiece. In 1909, Edward
Penman, Hepburn Carter, Scott Wood, Jr., and Harvey Tanner joined
Harleston to run the paper, and they named it Pittsburgh Courier after
the Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina, Harleston's
hometown. The five men sold most of the copies throughout the Hill
District.
On May 10, 1910, the Pittsburgh Courier was formally
incorporated and Robert Vann became the editor. The Pittsburgh Courier
served as a tool for social progress, covering injustices perpetrated
by the Pullman Company and supporting the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters, causes such as improved housing conditions in the Hill
District, better education for Black students, and equal employment
and union opportunities.
By 1928, the Courier's four editions
(local, northern, eastern, and southern) were distributed in all 48
states and internationally, and by 1938, the paper was the largest
American Black weekly, with a circulation of 250,000. It reached an
all-time high circulation of 357,000 in 1947 with 16 regional editions
in 1953.
The Pittsburgh Courier was closed in 1966. It was
reopened in 1967 by John Sengstacke as the New
Pittsburgh Courier, which still operates today as a weekly
paper. The original paper launched or furthered the career of many
Black Pittsburghers, including Frank Bolden and Jackie Ormes.
Frank Bolden: Groundbreaking War Correspondent
and Pittsburgh Courier Reporter
Did you know
that one of the two first accredited Black war correspondents during
WW2 attended the University of Pittsburgh? Frank Bolden, who was the
first Black member of theUniversity of Pittsburgh Marching Band,
graduated from Pitt in 1934. Although he had high grades, he was
rejected from Pitt's Medical School because of his race. He was also
rejected from a teaching position at Pittsburgh Public Schools because
of his race.
Instead, Mr. Bolden began writing full time as a
general assignment reporter with The Pittsburgh Courier. He focused
his work on Wylie Avenue, saying, "Wylie Avenue: the only street in
America that begins with a church and ends with a jail." When America
entered WW2, The Pittsburgh Courier nominated Mr. Bolden to be an
official war correspondent and because of his college degree, he was
selected. Mr. Bolden once told an interviewer: "White America was
convinced that Negro soldiers under fire would be cowards and turn and
run, that is why I went over."
In 1964, Bolden returned to
Pittsburgh to be the assistant director of information and community
relations for the Pittsburgh Board of Education. He held that position
until he retired in 1981.
Jackie
Ormes: First Black Woman Cartoonist in the US
Did you know that the first Black woman cartoonist was born here in
Pittsburgh? Jackie Ormes published her first comic strip, "Torchy
Brown in Dixie to Harlem", in The Pittsburgh Courier on May 1, 1937.
Because The Courier had 14 city editions, her work was seen
coast-to-coast.
Torchy Brown told the story of a Mississippi
teen who journeyed to New York to continue her singing and dancing
career. The strip ran for a year but was revived in 1950 as "Torchy in
Heartbeats." Ms. Ormes also designed beautiful paper doll toppers to
go along with the comic, called "Torchy Togs."
Jackie Ormes is
also known for another of her comics, "Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger," a
big-sister, little-sister single panel comic with Patty-Jo, the little
sister, the only speaker. In 1947, Ms. Ormes contracted with the Terry
Lee doll company to make Patty-Jo dolls, which were the first American
Black dolls to have an upscale wardrobe. The dolls are now
sought-after collectors items.
No stories about the Pittsburgh Courier would be
complete without mentioning the famous Pittsburgh native, One Shot
Charles "Teeny" Harris! Teeny Harris chronicled life in black
neighborhoods of the city for the Pittsburgh Courier from 1936 to
1975. He took over 80,000 images during his career, many of which can
be found at Teenie
Harris Archive – Carnegie Museum of Art (cmoa.org).
Black-Led and
Black Community Organizations
There are so
many Black-led organizations working to end systemic racism, uplift
Black communities, and create positive change in our region. Here are
a few groups that are Black-led and/or work closely with the Black
community that you can connect with, volunteer for, donate to, and
support:
Things to
Know
2023
Allegheny County Banner Communities
Congratulations to municipalities in Senate District 38 that achieved
“Banner Community” status this year! These
municipalities and authorities were chosen by the Allegheny
League of Municipalities, Allegheny
County and sponsor HRG
Engineering, for their commitment to sustainable practices like
intergovernmental cooperation and engagement with the
community.
For the complete list of 2023 Banner
Communities go to Banner
Community Program - ALOM (alleghenyleague.org).
New UC
Debit Cards Coming!
If you choose to receive
your unemployment compensation system payment via prepaid debit card,
you will automatically receive a new Money Network® card next
month to replace the current U.S. Bank ReliaCard® as part of Pennsylvania
Treasury’s transition to a new vendor (see graphic
above). Starting March 24, 2023, all UC benefit payments to prepaid
debit cards will be loaded to the Money Network cards. The last date
that UC benefit payments will be loaded to ReliaCards is February 28,
2023 and balances will not transfer to the new Money Network
cards.
It is essential that the Department of Labor &
Industry has your current address to ensure that your new prepaid
debit card is delivered promptly. If you have moved since
initially applying for UC benefits, you should immediately use the UC
Service Center to update your mailing address at Contact
Us - UC Benefits (pa.gov).
If you have additional
questions about the new card, visit PA Treasury’s FAQ page at Debit
Card FAQs (pa.gov), call our offices at 412-364-0469 (Ross) or
724-224-2131 (Harrison), or email us at
[email protected].
Inflation
Reduction Act Incentives Toolkit
Do you have
questions about the incentives for energy-efficient consumer goods
included in the Inflation Reduction Act? PennEnvironment has
a resource page for these programs that cover everything from heat
pumps to solar energy to electric vehicles.
Go to Clean
energy home toolkit (environmentamerica.org) to start saving
energy and money!
Photographer: Zongfu
Chen
Videos Available of Pittsburgh’s 2023
Lunar New Year Gala
If you were unable to
attend the 2023 Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala, do not
despair! You can enjoy video highlights of the performances at the
links below.
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
