A little more than two weeks after the April 15th deadline, Duquesne University and Essential Public Media have taken the next step in the process of transferring ownership of the license to broadcast at 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh.
In a brief statement, Duquesne University spokesperson Bridget Fare said, “Duquesne University and Essential Public Media have signed the asset purchase agreement for the sale of the station and the next step will be to file with the FCC which will happen shortly, and at that point in time the FCC will begin their 30-day comment period and both the University and E.P.M. are very pleased with this next step in the process and looking forward to moving along in that process.”
Essential Public Media is a nonprofit entity formed by local radio station WYEP and Colorado-based Public Media Company to purchase the license. Public Media Company was formed by Public Radio Capital with the goal of purchasing and operating public radio stations across the country in partnership with local entities. The WDUQ license would be the group’s first purchase.
EPM and WYEP Board Chair Marco Cardamone said, ”It is a very important milestone that we passed today and one of many that are yet to come, so a lot of work is still ahead.” The group is in the process of hiring an executive staff.
“Our intent is to still be operational by July 1,” said Cardamone, “that’s our goal, that’s our target date.”
The university has held the license for WDUQ for more than 60 years but decided in 2009 to sell the asset. A sale price of $6 million was arrived upon in January with Essential Public Media. That deal came with a 90-day deadline to gather funding.
“It is a very complicated transaction, as you might expect, and there were simply a few complications that needed to be worked out,” said Cardamone, “The attorneys did not feel comfortable unless we sort of satisfied every one of the items.”
Details of the finances are still to be made public but Cardamone says much of it is in cash with some seller financing.
UPDATE: Public Radio Capital's Susan Harmon says taking control of operations by July 1st may involve a operating agreement.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Pittsburgh Comprehensive Annual Report Released
Michael Lamb, City Controller of Pittsburgh released the city's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report on Monday.
Lamb said that unlike years past, the city finished the year with a deficit of 12.5 million dollars. He said this is the first time since 2004 that the city saw a deficit as a result of total government expenditures outpacing revenue.
He said that for years he has been saying that this will happen. He said there are three primary reasons the city's budget has a deficit. "Long term debt, fringe benefits and pension obligations," he said, "If you look at 2010 you can see that 56 percent of all the expenditures the city had were in those three categories."
Fringe benefits which include health insurance and workers comp are currently spread city-wide. Lamb says this is not sustainable.
Lamb said total expenditures increased by 61 million to 589 million, partly because the city gave the pension fund 56.4 million.
He added that the city is likely to run out of funds.
Lamb also mentioned the downturn in the global economy, population loss in city limits and said gaming revenue would offset some of the city's finances in the following year.
Lamb said that unlike years past, the city finished the year with a deficit of 12.5 million dollars. He said this is the first time since 2004 that the city saw a deficit as a result of total government expenditures outpacing revenue.
He said that for years he has been saying that this will happen. He said there are three primary reasons the city's budget has a deficit. "Long term debt, fringe benefits and pension obligations," he said, "If you look at 2010 you can see that 56 percent of all the expenditures the city had were in those three categories."
Fringe benefits which include health insurance and workers comp are currently spread city-wide. Lamb says this is not sustainable.
Lamb said total expenditures increased by 61 million to 589 million, partly because the city gave the pension fund 56.4 million.
He added that the city is likely to run out of funds.
Lamb also mentioned the downturn in the global economy, population loss in city limits and said gaming revenue would offset some of the city's finances in the following year.
Adjustments to Vouchers Measure
Pennsylvania Senate Republicans and Governor Tom Corbett have agreed on a framework for a school vouchers bill. The understanding, reached earlier this week, puts the GOP priority back on track for a spring vote.
The Senate had been ready to vote for the vouchers bill in early April, but Republican leaders pulled the measure after Corbett Administration officials raised concerns over its long-term cost. At the time, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi said the measure would be “tweaked,” not overhauled.
That appears to be the case: the vouchers program would still be rolled out over a three year period, gradually expanding from low-income students in failing schools to low-income students across Pennsylvania. In year four, middle class families making up to 350 percent of the federal poverty line would be eligible for vouchers.
The main changes: the program’s start would be delayed until 2012, and costs could be capped to three percent of the previous year’s state education spending. That works out to a cap of about $163 million in 2014, if state spending stays on its current track. “The changes have more to do with the timing and the method of expression of the cap on spending in some of the out years,” said Pileggi. “But the basic structure of the bill remains intact. It is a bill that’s designed to help poor kids trapped in persistently failing schools.”
Pileggi and other Senate GOP leaders are now focused on working out differences with their House counterparts. “Now that we have the governor’s specific, strong endorsement of this particular bill, we need to work with the House. And if they need minor changes, if they need amendments to the bill, we’d like to try and incorporate them and accelerate the process,” he said. “Those discussions are ongoing. And hopefully by next week we’re all on the same page in trying to get this bill enacted and have this bill pass through the Senate and House, and on to the governor’s desk.”
The Senate had been ready to vote for the vouchers bill in early April, but Republican leaders pulled the measure after Corbett Administration officials raised concerns over its long-term cost. At the time, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi said the measure would be “tweaked,” not overhauled.
That appears to be the case: the vouchers program would still be rolled out over a three year period, gradually expanding from low-income students in failing schools to low-income students across Pennsylvania. In year four, middle class families making up to 350 percent of the federal poverty line would be eligible for vouchers.
The main changes: the program’s start would be delayed until 2012, and costs could be capped to three percent of the previous year’s state education spending. That works out to a cap of about $163 million in 2014, if state spending stays on its current track. “The changes have more to do with the timing and the method of expression of the cap on spending in some of the out years,” said Pileggi. “But the basic structure of the bill remains intact. It is a bill that’s designed to help poor kids trapped in persistently failing schools.”
Pileggi and other Senate GOP leaders are now focused on working out differences with their House counterparts. “Now that we have the governor’s specific, strong endorsement of this particular bill, we need to work with the House. And if they need minor changes, if they need amendments to the bill, we’d like to try and incorporate them and accelerate the process,” he said. “Those discussions are ongoing. And hopefully by next week we’re all on the same page in trying to get this bill enacted and have this bill pass through the Senate and House, and on to the governor’s desk.”
Shanksville Residents on Bin Laden's Death
The National Park Service is expecting higher traffic than usual at the Flight 93 Temporary Memorial in Somerset County today.
However, Shanksville’s residents aren’t making too much of a fuss over the news Osama bin Laden has been killed.
The memorial, overlooking the field where the hijacked airplane crashed on September 11, 2001, usually opens at 9 am.
Today, reporters were parked outside before dawn, and park rangers opened the gates at 7.
Superintendant Keith Newlin is bracing for more visitors than usual.
"We did open a little earlier today. I mean, the construction people are on-site. But we opened a little bit earlier. Typically we don’t open until nine for the general public."
William Murray lives just a few miles from the site, but had never visited. He says he wanted to wait for the permanent memorial’s September opening, but he came today, instead.
Murray is glad bin Laden’s gone, but is still a bit apprehensive.
"I believe he got what he deserved, but I’d rather see him captured, and pay for what he’d done other than just killed him off, like they have. He’ll become a martyr. Probably be comeback on this, I imagine, from someone."
In Shanksville, most residents declined to be interviewed about the news, saying they had to go to work. It was a sharp contrast to New York City and Washington, DC, where people are singing and chanting in reaction to bin Laden’s death.
Flight 93 was likely headed for the White House or Capitol, when its passengers and crew challenged the hijackers, forcing them to crash the plane in Pennsylvania.
However, Shanksville’s residents aren’t making too much of a fuss over the news Osama bin Laden has been killed.
The memorial, overlooking the field where the hijacked airplane crashed on September 11, 2001, usually opens at 9 am.
Today, reporters were parked outside before dawn, and park rangers opened the gates at 7.
Superintendant Keith Newlin is bracing for more visitors than usual.
"We did open a little earlier today. I mean, the construction people are on-site. But we opened a little bit earlier. Typically we don’t open until nine for the general public."
William Murray lives just a few miles from the site, but had never visited. He says he wanted to wait for the permanent memorial’s September opening, but he came today, instead.
Murray is glad bin Laden’s gone, but is still a bit apprehensive.
"I believe he got what he deserved, but I’d rather see him captured, and pay for what he’d done other than just killed him off, like they have. He’ll become a martyr. Probably be comeback on this, I imagine, from someone."
In Shanksville, most residents declined to be interviewed about the news, saying they had to go to work. It was a sharp contrast to New York City and Washington, DC, where people are singing and chanting in reaction to bin Laden’s death.
Flight 93 was likely headed for the White House or Capitol, when its passengers and crew challenged the hijackers, forcing them to crash the plane in Pennsylvania.
Scarnati: No Drilling, No Imact Fee Revenues
Municipalities in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale formation have the right to pass zoning laws keeping drillers from extracting gas within their boundaries. They just shouldn’t expect any revenue from Republican Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati’s proposed impact fee.
Scarnati’s legislation would “prohibit a municipality that adopts a zoning ordinance which exceeds [a statewide model published by the Public Utility Commission] from receiving funding from the local impact fee,” according to an outline released Thursday. (The bill itself won’t be introduced until next week, at the earliest.) The legislation boils down to an argument that townships can’t have their cake and eat it, too – if they’re keeping drillers out, Scarnati doesn’t want them taking money from the $10,000-a-well assessment.
“We’re not trying to be heavy-handed on the local level. But at some point, if local officials want to do everything in their power to ensure that natural gas companies cannot drill in their jurisdiction, then at some point for us, there’s got to be a ramification for that,” explained Scarnati’s chief of staff, Drew Crompton. “We don’t believe that there should be a benefit from the impact fees to those few jurisdictions that may elect to ensure that drilling cannot occur in that jurisdiction.”
Pittsburgh is the most high-profile municipality to ban drilling. Its Council passed an anti-hydraulic fracturing ordinance in November.
The executive director of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Dave Sanko, said he’s “pleased with the concept” of Scarnati’s legislation, but he’s worried by the zoning language, especially if municipalities would lose revenue for simply passing restrictions that are tighter than the statewide standard. “If you start deferring those things to Harrisburg in these one size fits all solutions, and you do it for the gas industry, what’s next?” he asked. “Is Harrisburg going to start making zoning determinations for trailer parks or for adult book stores or for other things they don’t want the locals to handle? We’re the last line of defense for our residents in preserving and protecting the quality of life that they’ve come to expect. So we ought to have the ability to control those things.”
Scarnati’s legislation would “prohibit a municipality that adopts a zoning ordinance which exceeds [a statewide model published by the Public Utility Commission] from receiving funding from the local impact fee,” according to an outline released Thursday. (The bill itself won’t be introduced until next week, at the earliest.) The legislation boils down to an argument that townships can’t have their cake and eat it, too – if they’re keeping drillers out, Scarnati doesn’t want them taking money from the $10,000-a-well assessment.
“We’re not trying to be heavy-handed on the local level. But at some point, if local officials want to do everything in their power to ensure that natural gas companies cannot drill in their jurisdiction, then at some point for us, there’s got to be a ramification for that,” explained Scarnati’s chief of staff, Drew Crompton. “We don’t believe that there should be a benefit from the impact fees to those few jurisdictions that may elect to ensure that drilling cannot occur in that jurisdiction.”
Pittsburgh is the most high-profile municipality to ban drilling. Its Council passed an anti-hydraulic fracturing ordinance in November.
The executive director of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Dave Sanko, said he’s “pleased with the concept” of Scarnati’s legislation, but he’s worried by the zoning language, especially if municipalities would lose revenue for simply passing restrictions that are tighter than the statewide standard. “If you start deferring those things to Harrisburg in these one size fits all solutions, and you do it for the gas industry, what’s next?” he asked. “Is Harrisburg going to start making zoning determinations for trailer parks or for adult book stores or for other things they don’t want the locals to handle? We’re the last line of defense for our residents in preserving and protecting the quality of life that they’ve come to expect. So we ought to have the ability to control those things.”
People Visit Flight 93 Memorial Upon Learning of Bin Laden's Death
It's a very different scene this morning in Shanksville, Somerset County compared to New York City and Washington, D.C. where there were celebrations overnight as people learned about the death of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11 terror attacks.
Visitors are paying their respects at the site where Flight 93 crashed as passengers and crew struggled with 4 terrorists for control of the plane. The 9/11 Commission believes the terrorists were likely targeting the White House or the Capitol.
DUQ's Kevin Gavin spoke with Reporter Scott Detrow who traveled to Shanksville.
Visitors are paying their respects at the site where Flight 93 crashed as passengers and crew struggled with 4 terrorists for control of the plane. The 9/11 Commission believes the terrorists were likely targeting the White House or the Capitol.
DUQ's Kevin Gavin spoke with Reporter Scott Detrow who traveled to Shanksville.
Public Input Needed For Air Toxicity Guidelines
The Allegheny Board of Health is seeking public input as it updates its air toxics standards and guidelines.
The guidelines have not been restructured since their creation in 1988 and Guillermo Cole, public information officer for ACHD, says the standards need updating with the advancements in understanding over the last two decades.
“Whether it’s a regulation or a guideline that is used for evaluating the issuance of permits, you have to keep these up to date with the state of knowledge and the science.”
The public meeting with be held Wednesday, May 4, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Avalon Borough Building, 640 California Ave. The meeting will cover a number of topics and include a question and answer session between the public and the air toxics committee of ACHD.
“There will be discussion of why the new guidelines are being developed, how we calculate risk for air toxics pollutants, and ways to address hot spots, areas where toxic air pollutants are emitted from a cluster or groups of sources,” Cole says. Participants from the public may sign up at the meeting to speak during a one-hour public statement period.
The guidelines have not been restructured since their creation in 1988 and Guillermo Cole, public information officer for ACHD, says the standards need updating with the advancements in understanding over the last two decades.
“Whether it’s a regulation or a guideline that is used for evaluating the issuance of permits, you have to keep these up to date with the state of knowledge and the science.”
The public meeting with be held Wednesday, May 4, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Avalon Borough Building, 640 California Ave. The meeting will cover a number of topics and include a question and answer session between the public and the air toxics committee of ACHD.
“There will be discussion of why the new guidelines are being developed, how we calculate risk for air toxics pollutants, and ways to address hot spots, areas where toxic air pollutants are emitted from a cluster or groups of sources,” Cole says. Participants from the public may sign up at the meeting to speak during a one-hour public statement period.
Companies do Good Business at NRA Convention
An estimated 70,000 gun enthusiasts made their way to the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in downtown Pittsburgh over the weekend to take in a few seminars and browse the hundreds of exhibitors that had set up booths. Among the companies were some well-known names and a few startup companies.The Beretta family began making and selling guns in the 1500’s and is still going strong. Their booth at the NRA convention featured everything from pistols to assault rifles. Visitors lined up to hold one of the company’s new handguns and try it out in a shooting range. “You are presented with targets and there is a laser that is actually inside the barrel of the gun that allows the simulator to pick up the actual firing,” said Beretta USA Spokesperson Lea Ramthun, “There are no bullets fired but because the system involves the CO2 cartages the gun will actually recoil and then casings will be ejected.”
Kimber Manufacturing of Montana had more than 150 weapons on display. Spokesperson Dwight Van Brunt says all of their products are backordered three to nine months. Kimber is the largest maker of 1911 pistols but they were showing off a new sidearm by putting one on the hip of every salesperson in the booth. “Instead of taking them up to the counter we can just hand them out in the aisle and demonstrate the pistols,” said Van Brunt.
All of the guns on display were disabled and specially tagged. No firearms could be purchased at the convention.
Guns were not the only things on display at the NRA convention. Visitors could purchase holsters, clothing, sights and a long list of other gun accessories. Several booths featured reloading equipment and supplies. RighttoBareArms.com was showing off its line of pro second amendment rights clothing and auto accessories. The company’s logo is the well know phrase in picture form (see right) with a right turn sign, the number “2,” a drawing of a bear and drawing of a pair muscular human arms posed as if they were holding a pistol. “Its just a neat way to get it out there in front of everybody, a different way to express it,” said owner Jimmy Water. He says they did a decent business, “We think it would look good on Bubba’s truck and Billy’s BMW.”
Lawyers to Gas Industry: More Regulations to Come
At a recent Oil and Gas gathering in Green Tree Pennsylvania, a pair of lawyers put the industry on notice that understanding federal regulations should be among its top concerns.
K&L Gates Government Affairs Lawyer Cliff Rothenstein said scrutinity of Marcellus Shale drillers at the federal level will only grow. “There’s going to be increased EPA oversight, The Corp of Engineers will be considering 404 permits (permits to work in and around waterways and wetlands) other [Department of Interior] regulations, additional hearings, rifle shot amendments… so there is a lot on the plate that folks are going to have to pay attention to,” said Rothenstein. He also believes there will be increased state regulations in the moths and years to come.
K&L Gates partner Tim Weston told the crowd that lawyers and administrators are still hashing out issues over how existing federal regulations should be applied to the Marcellus Shale gas industry. He says regulations governing hazardous materials may apply in places drillers do not expect. “Virtually any material present at, used in, or generated by natural gas exploration and production operations may come under one or more reporting requirements,” said Weston.
Weston opined that drillers could even be classified as chemical producers, “You have to go to the definition, it is ‘an employer with a workplace where chemicals are produced for use or distribution,’ where produced includes, ‘the generation, processing, or admitting of a chemical.’” The EPA says that includes the material that flows back after a well is fracked.
Weston warned that other hazardous materials laws kick in when a site holds more than 10-thousand pounds of hazardous material. He says that may sound like a lot but it is quickly reached when sand and diesel fuel are added into the total. He said racing that number becomes a “spreadsheet nightmare” when multiple contractors come and go from a drill pad with their own sets of materials.
Weston went on to warn that although the EPA has not started to put several wells in one area into an aggregate like it does with air pollution emissions, the law is worded vaguely enough that such a standard could be applied.
K&L Gates Government Affairs Lawyer Cliff Rothenstein said scrutinity of Marcellus Shale drillers at the federal level will only grow. “There’s going to be increased EPA oversight, The Corp of Engineers will be considering 404 permits (permits to work in and around waterways and wetlands) other [Department of Interior] regulations, additional hearings, rifle shot amendments… so there is a lot on the plate that folks are going to have to pay attention to,” said Rothenstein. He also believes there will be increased state regulations in the moths and years to come.
K&L Gates partner Tim Weston told the crowd that lawyers and administrators are still hashing out issues over how existing federal regulations should be applied to the Marcellus Shale gas industry. He says regulations governing hazardous materials may apply in places drillers do not expect. “Virtually any material present at, used in, or generated by natural gas exploration and production operations may come under one or more reporting requirements,” said Weston.
Weston opined that drillers could even be classified as chemical producers, “You have to go to the definition, it is ‘an employer with a workplace where chemicals are produced for use or distribution,’ where produced includes, ‘the generation, processing, or admitting of a chemical.’” The EPA says that includes the material that flows back after a well is fracked.
Weston warned that other hazardous materials laws kick in when a site holds more than 10-thousand pounds of hazardous material. He says that may sound like a lot but it is quickly reached when sand and diesel fuel are added into the total. He said racing that number becomes a “spreadsheet nightmare” when multiple contractors come and go from a drill pad with their own sets of materials.
Weston went on to warn that although the EPA has not started to put several wells in one area into an aggregate like it does with air pollution emissions, the law is worded vaguely enough that such a standard could be applied.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Thousands Pack Convention Center for NRA
Thousands of National Rifle Association members and supporters are expected to make their way to downtown Pittsburgh today to take in the last day of the NRA’s annual convention. Over the span of the three day event as many as 70,000 were expected to attend. Among them was Megan Burns of Greensburg who brought her two young children. “Mostly just to see what guns the new manufacturers have come out with and also just to show my kids what the NRA is about and why it is here,” said Burns. She says she also wants to help her children understand the importance of the second amendment and the “responsibility that comes along with owning guns.”Kirby Lewis came up from Inwood West Virginia for the convention. “I’m encouraged to see so many women involved and youngsters,” said Lewis, “It means a lot of hope for people like myself who are sportsmen and that are interested in seeing that this is a tradition that is continued.” Lewis just became a life member of the NRA. He was at the convention with his father who is also a life member.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee spoke to the crowd Saturday night where he called himself a "gun-clinger and a God-clinger." Huckabee was referring to a remark President Barack Obama made about conservatives clinging to their guns and religion. The program wraps up later today with a lecture by rocker and hunting enthusiast Ted Nugent.
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