Hearing Tomorrow on Allowing 17-Year-Olds to Vote

Fox Chapel High School will host a hearing tomorrow on a bill that would give some 17-year-olds the right to vote. The bill would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 before the corresponding general election. State Representative Frank Dermody of Oakmont has helped the Fox Chapel students seek the change. He is among those who will testify tomorrow. Dermody says the change would encourage more people to become politically active. He says if people get into the habit of voting at a young age, they'll get hooked for life. He also said the students convinced him that they should have a say in who ends up winning their party's nomination in the fall.

Dermody says the Department of State has testified that it would not cost anything to implement the change. He also says some Republicans have opposed the bill, but its sponsors include lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

At least nine other states allow 17-year-olds to vote. Connecticut is considering similar legislation.

Silkscreen Film Fest starts Friday

The third annual Silkscreen Asian American Film Festival kicks off Friday and runs through the 18th with a total of 25 films. All the films are from Asian countries. Many of the films are from India but Festival Director Harish Saluja says there are also films from Japan, China, Iran, Singapore and several other countries. Saluja says the goal of the fest is to promote cross culture awareness and understanding. He says while Asian countries are playing bigger rolls in the US economy and people from Asian are becoming part of our every day life, many of us know very little about the various cultures. He thinks watching their films will help. In the last three years the festival has grown into a year round celebration of the arts but the film fest is still the focus.

Art Olympic Theatre

The Tom Museum on the North Side will close at the end of this month after an almost two-year run. The museum's founder, curator and namesake says he wants to spend more time on other projects. One of those projects is Art Olympic Theatre, a timed competition that judges artists not only on what they create, but also how entertaining they are in the process. DUQ's Katherine Fink has this audio postcard from the most recent Art Olympic Theatre at the Union Project in Highland Park:

Listen to the full story here.

Committee Vote On Smoking Ban Postponed Again

Pennsylvanians will have to wait a little longer for a potential state-wide smoking ban, as the House-Senate conference committee's vote has been postponed until Monday. It was thought that the vote would be held at this morning's 9:00 public meeting. However, Republican Senator Charles McIlhinney of Bucks County recently obtained new information, and needs until Monday to compose his proposal. Senator Stewart Greenleaf of Montgomery County said that the idea is that all committee members will bring their own proposals to Monday's meeting and the committee will vote on them. He said the biggest issue of disparity within the committee remains exceptions to the smoking ban. Greenleaf, who supports a no-exception smoking ban, was optimistic that the committee will come to a decision on a bill on Monday. Today marks the third time action on the bill has been postponed. The House and Senate approved separate bills banning smoking in most public places, but the Senate version had several exceptions.

St. Vincent Science Building Receives $7 Million

A $40 million project to construct a new natural science hall at St. Vincent College got a major boost today receiving $7 million from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. This is the largest private foundation donation in the liberal arts college's 162-year history. President Jim Towey said the gift will allow the college to move forward with the project including groundbreaking set for 2009. The $40 million will go towards construction and endowment of professorships, student scholarships, research, and maintenance. Towey says around 1/3 of the college's students are enrolled in natural science programs, and the project aims to create a better learning facility for them. Earlier this month, the school received a $7.6 million donation from Herman and Sis Dupre. Herman Dupre is a prominent alumnus of the college, and the new building will be named for him. Completion of the project is set for 2011.

Onorato courts Southwest

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato will travel to Dallas in the next week or two to meet with Southwest Airlines officials to talk about long term plans for expansion in Pittsburgh. Airport Authority Executive Director Brad Penrod is accompanying him. They were to have meet with the company Tuesday but bad weather in Dallas forced flight conciliations and delays so the meeting had to be rescheduled. Onorato says Southwest has gone from an initial 10 flights a day to 27 and he says the company plans to expand but it is unclear when or by how much. He says he wants to talk to company executives about making it as much as possible and as quickly as possible. He says this is not a “courtesy call.” He says discussions have gone well beyond that point. Onorato says there is no doubt that there is room for southwest to grow here.

Tax Credit Program Marks Seventh Anniversary

A celebration at the state Capitol today marked the seventh anniversary of Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. The program offers tax credits to businesses that help fund scholarships or innovative educational programs. Pennsylvania was the first state to create this kind of tax credit.

The Harrisburg-based REACH Foundation led today’s celebration. The organization supports school choice in Pennsylvania and was involved in the creation of the EITC.

Organizations in the Pittsburgh area that benefit from the EITC include:
The Crossroads Foundation, which provides educational support services and tuition aid for Pittsburgh-area students to attend Catholic schools. The EITC program provided Crossroads with about 40% of its revenue in fiscal year 2004.

Asset (Achieving Student Success through Excellence in Teaching), which provides supplemental materials to schools to encourage better teaching methods and more hands-on learning.

The Fund for the Advancement of Minorities through Education (FAME), a scholarship program that helps minorities attend private schools and get internships.

Point Park U. dreams big

Point Park University unveiled a 210-million dollar plan to grow its downtown . The plan includes several buildings along Wood Street from First Avenue to Forbes Avenue. The work will range from offices and classrooms to dorms and performance spaces. University President Paul Hennigan says it will be done with an eye toward retail on every first floor. The work will be spread over the next 8 years with the dorms and athletic facilities completed first with the relocated Pittsburgh Playhouse to follow. The university expects to expand enrolment from the current 36-hundred students to 43-hundred in 6 years including a nearly 2 thirds increase in on campus living. The school also plans to plant at least 150 trees and it hopes to turn the Blvd of the Allies into an actual Blvd by adding a center median.

Firefighter Perks considered

Volunteer firefighters in Allegheny County may receive special benefits in the future that is worthy of risking their lives.

Councilman Nick Futules is to introduce a proposal to give free passes to county-owned swimming pools, ice skating, skiing, as well as other events at a county council meeting tonight.

"It's a thank you to the people that do put their lives on the line," Futules said. He added that it also provides an incentive for more firefighters to join the voluntary force.

However, there is some controversy about where the costs to pay for the free services will come from.

Futules explained it could cost anywhere between $500 thousand to $1 million per fire company, if the county paid for the firefighters' services. While more research needs to be done to confirm how much the perks will cost the county, he believes it will be significantly less than if the county were to begin paying them.

If the proposal passes, Futules said they can start providing the firefighters with the perks as early as next year.

One Hill Coalition to vote on CBA

The One Hill Coalition will be holding a vote on Saturday May 10Th, to decide if they will accept the proposed Community Benefits Agreement. The Preliminary agreement says the Penguins will contribute $500,000 a year for six years, with a six year option. The residents of the Hill will have a chance at hiring for development jobs a week before anyone else, the Penguins and the city will contribute $2 million towards a new grocery store, and Don Barden will donate $3 million dollars.
The 100+ members will vote between 10 am and 1 pm on the 10Th.