Recent News
E-news Updates – August 22, 2026
In this Update: Responsible and Transparent Data Center Policies Saltsburg America 250 Celebration and Parade State Funding to Help Keep Allegheny River Locks Open Flag Presentation School Bus Safety Legislation Awaits House Action Schools Can Apply Now for Safety, AED Training Grants Strategies to Prevent Electric Bill Spikes Highlighted at Senate Hearing What to Know […] [Read More]
Responsible and Transparent Data Center Policies
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-41) issued the following statement regarding responsible, transparent, and effective data center policies in Pennsylvania: [Read More]
E-news Updates – August 15, 2026
In this Update: Dedication of the New Snyder Hill 911 Communications Tower National Night Out โ Northern Westmoreland County A Great Day in Punxsutawney! Indiana County Veteran Celebrates Birthday Milestone Felony Murder Sentencing, PA Crime Highlighted at Senate, House Hearing Empowering Parents with Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Understanding Digital Threats to Children Reporting Suspected Benefits […] [Read More]
E-news Updates – August 8, 2026
In this Update: Visit to Peoples Library in New Kensington Armstrong County Junior Livestock Sale Cambria County Regional Firefighterโs Association Pennsylvania Has New Tools to Solve Violent Crimes State Budget Boosts College Tuition Assistance PA College Savings Fees Waived for Fifth Straight Year Red Tape Slashed for PA Cosmetology Workers Booking a Tour of Your […] [Read More]
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๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐
๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง
I was pleased to present the Allegheny River Development Corporation (ARDC) with a check for $100,000 to help support efforts to keep locks open on Armstrong Countyโs portion of the Allegheny River. The funding was approved by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The Allegheny River is a great resource for Armstrong County, but if the locks on the river donโt remain open, it will have an extremely negative impact on #recreational opportunities and local businesses. I am happy to have worked with PA State Rep. Abby Major to get the ARDC needed funding to benefit recreational boaters, #tourism and the regionโs economy.
๐ธ๐๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ก โ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ (๐ด๐
๐ท๐ถ โ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก), ๐
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ด๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐พ๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ (๐ด๐
๐ท๐ถ โ ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐) and ๐ท๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ (๐ด๐
๐ท๐ถ โ ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐)
๐๐๐ฒ๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐
๐๐ข๐ซ ๐
I had a great time visiting the Great Dayton Fair and participating in the Junior #Livestock sale! Here are some of the youth winners and participants I had the pleasure of chatting with:
๐Braelyn Scottโs 270lb County Bred Pig, placed 3rd in her division; Braelyn is from the Tri -County 4-H club.
๐Hunter Claypooleโs 154lb County Bred and Home Bred market sheep was the Reserve Champion County Bred. Hunter is from the Triple S 4-H club.
๐Airiana Stubbs with her Grand Champion Home Bred Goat
๐Lucy Hankey with her Grand Champion Market Goat
๐Avri Watkins was excited to tell me all about his goats!
๐ธOthers pictured: Lennox Harkleroad, Lily Lias with her Highlander Cow named Hickory, Dalton Overly, a 4-H member, and Armstrong County Commissioner John Strate who is also a Fair Board member.
Congratulations to all the youth who participated in the livestock sale and showing of their animals at the Dayton Fair. Your time, dedication and commitment to #4H and your animals is recognized and respected - well done!
๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐
๐ ๐๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐
Congratulations to Kittanning Twp. VFD for 60 years of service protecting people and property! The VFD members recently gathered to celebrate this milestone anniversary with a picnic to thank the dedicated #volunteers for their unwavering #service and sacrifice to the #community.
A sincere thank you to long-time member and President, Steve Baker, and his son, Chief Greg Baker, for inviting me to their celebration. Best wishes for many more years of outstanding community service!
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐
I was pleased to meet with several constituents and members from @psea_org -Central Western Region at my Indiana Office. We discussed ways to strengthen education for #Pennsylvania students.
I appreciated the opportunity to talk about the 2026-27 State Budget, Pre-Act 9 COLA, Cyber Charters, Student Teacher Stipend, Cell Phones, and Education Support Professionals. My thanks to the group for sharing their insights and advocating for policies to support #educators and #students alike.
๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฌ
โA year ago, Governor Shapiro proudly announced his administration was โalready all in on AIโ and โthe future of AI is going to run right here through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.โ His comments today seem aimed at erasing his remarks from last year and underscore how afraid heโs become over his previous record of embracing data centers, only to find out how politically intense the proposals have become. Heโs not seriously engaged on this issue, other than what we have seen on his data center-driven social media.
โData center transparency is of chief importance, which is why we took action on this front as part of the 2026-27 state budget passed by the Senate. While the Senate also passed legislation to revoke the data center sales tax exemption, the House proceeded to amend the measure into something unrecognizable. In addition, work is also being undertaken to position pieces of legislation for further action this Fall. We strongly believe communities need to have the ability to weigh in on what is best for their residents and are open to further discussions, including considering measures to allow for moratorium decisions to be made at the local level.
โThe issue of data center development has no doubt taken a center stage here in Pennsylvania. We want all residents to have their voices heard when it comes to this important issue. As our world continues to embrace greater access to technological advancements, the issues of energy development and national security also go hand in hand. Together, I am confident we can work to safeguard our communities, foster economic growth, and build a stronger Pennsylvania for future generations to come.โ
๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐บ๐ธ
It is always a great honor to recognize veterans, most especially those celebrating #MilestoneMoments, such as local resident, Fred Decarlo.
Fred was born on July 28, 1926, and celebrated his 100th birthday on July 28, 2026, a remarkable milestone! Mr. Decarlo served our nation with honor and courage during World War II, joining the generation of #Americans whose sacrifice and dedication helped preserve the freedoms we cherish today.
Fred devoted 35 years of service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board with dedication & professionalism. He also shared 73 years of marriage with his wife, demonstrating a lifelong commitment to love, faith, and enduring partnership. Wishing Fred a wonderful and blessed year ahead!
๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ฒ โ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ง
I had a great time visiting @peopleslibrarypa in New Kensington and watching an afternoon magic show held as part of the summer programming for children.
Peoples Library has a rich #history in the community as it was started by The Womanโs Club of New Kensington in October 1927. After several location and name changes, it was incorporated as the Peopleโs Library on October 18, 1946. In 1992, a newly built branch was also opened in Lower Burrell.
Libraries, like Peoples Library, provide access to a wealth of knowledge, resources, and technology for people of all ages. Their work plays an important role in helping to foster a love for #reading and lifelong #learning!
Thank you to Library Director, David Hrivnak and staff for the warm welcome and for all you do to serve the New Kensington community!
๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐
๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ซโ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐
The 105th annual convention of the Cambria County Regional Firefighterโs Association was recently held in St. Michael. The festivities were hosted by the St. Michael #firedepartment, gathering numerous #firemen from around the region for meetings, a variety of awards, tributes to past members, a #community parade, the battle of the barrel, and several other friendly competitions. I was pleased to join area leaders and Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr. to take part in the event. A special thank you to all the members of CCRFA for presenting me with a plaque as an honorary member of the Cambria County Regional Firefighters Association!
Two of my family members were also recognized for their extraordinary actions during a carbon monoxide incident on April 3rd of this year. Fire Chief/EMT Mark Riva and First Responder Trish Riva were presented with the Life Saving Award/Unit Citation for their heroic actions that helped save the lives of four individuals who were unconscious.
Congratulations to St. Michael Fire Department & VFD members, and all the local officials who hosted a wonderful convention this year!
