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Educators want $15M for literacy ‘crisis’ amid $5B budget gap

Educators from Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition and Teach Plus PA sat down Wednesday with state legislators to discuss the improved literacy practices implemented in the Middletown Area School District and lobby for increased funding to address Pennsylvania’s reading crisis. Today, Pennsylvania schools report that only 33% of fourth grade students are reading proficiently; a statistic that has remained essentially unchanged for the past 20 years despite yearly increased funding from the state. Although early literacy is one of the strongest predictors of a student’s later ...

ICE warehouse developer to pay $82K to resolve deficiencies

UPPER BERN — Developers of a warehouse in Upper Bern Township will pay $82,390 to address outstanding issues they failed to complete before selling the building to the Trump administration and ICE earlier this year. The money will help township officials clean out the culvert on Schoolhouse Road, close a stormwater permit, and locate a sanitary sewer line for the over 500,000-square-foot warehouse at 3501 Mountain Road. The payment comes after township officials granted Transwestern Development Company, through GACSD Industrial Development LLC, a 10th extension on the project’s ...

State College Regional Airport adds nonstop flights to Charlotte

From the Altoona Mirror STATE COLLEGE — American Airlines will establish nonstop service between State College Regional Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, beginning Oct. 5, the State College Air Service Alliance announced Tuesday. The new route will operate twice daily and give central Pennsylvania residents, businesses and Penn State affiliates direct access to one of the nation’s busiest hub airports, as well as complement American’s existing nonstop service between State College and Philadelphia, officials said in a release. Ralph Stewart, the Centre County ...

Pa. Supreme Court justice defends independence

HARRISBURG — In early May, a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice made an unexpected announcement: He was leaving the Democratic Party. In a statement sent by a member of his staff from an official court email, David Wecht said he had changed his party registration to unaffiliated due to some elected officials’ “acquiescence to Jew-hatred.” Wecht’s departure from the party will have little effect on his electoral future, even though the state picks judges in partisan contests. He won another 10-year term last year in a retention election and will be near mandatory retirement ...

Jacksonville Road closure begins June 1

STATE COLLEGE — Jacksonville Road between the Interstate 80 eastbound and westbound ramps will close beginning Monday, June 1, as part of PennDOT’s ongoing High-Speed Interchange project between Interstates 80 and 99. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the closure ...

Memorial Day travel sees nearly 850 crashes statewide

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania State Police investigated 843 crashes and made nearly 400 DUI arrests during the Memorial Day holiday enforcement period, according to statistics released Tuesday by the agency. During the four-day enforcement period from May 22-25, troopers investigated crashes that resulted in 129 injuries and five fatalities statewide. Police said alcohol or drugs were a factor in 59 of the crashes, including two fatal crashes. State police also arrested 399 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the holiday period. In addition, troopers ...