Refurbished Fort Pitt Museum Opens Doors Saturday

In August the Fort Pitt Museum closed its doors due to a of a lack of funding. But thanks to a state contract allowing the John Heinz History Center to operate the museum, it will be open to the public once more. History Center CEO Andy Masich says they spent the past few months refurbishing the facility. He says the infrastructure was outdated and it needed fresh paint, electrical maintenance and a lot of work on the exhibits–including adding new artifacts, changing labels and building new forensic figures that bring museums to life. Another problem is that the museum, situated in Point State Park, is hidden in plain sight. To that end, Masich says they're putting up new signage, mounting a marketing campaign and making it a destination for school field trips. They also plan to stay relevant through ever changing exhibits, programs and activities. This weekend the museum will hold special events like musket firing and colonial craft demonstrations. A shuttle will run between the Fort Pitt Museum and the Heinz History Center every 15 minutes and a ticket bought at one facility will get visitors into both buildings. More information is available at heinzhistorycenter.org.

Get Your Taxes In

If you've been waiting for the last minute to do the taxes - don't wait too much longer. Tax Day is Thursday April 15th and the United States Postal Service no longer offers extended hours. Spokesperson Tad Kelley said people often remember the days of long lines and extra hours and staff at the post office but that is no longer the case. Due to the drop in the economy and the rise in electronic mail the post office does not offer any special services on tax day and is open regular hours.

Kelley suggests mailing your taxes in earlier in the day and using automated postal machines. He also suggests weighing the forms and using a tracking services to ensure the forms get where they are going.

As Election Day Nears, Time To Register To Vote Dwindles

The last to register to vote is coming up fast. Monday April 19Th is the last day for anyone to register, change their name or their political party. In Pennsylvania primaries a voter must be registered in a political part to vote in that party's primary. To be qualified to vote an individual must be a United States citizen for at least one month prior to the election, be a resident of Pennsylvania and his or her election district for at least 30 days before a primary and be 18 years of age on or before the day of the upcoming election. You can register to vote by clicking here.

Some of the competitive primary races include:

In the United States Senate Incumbent Arlen Specter is attempting to hold off a challenge by Joe Sestak.

The democratic gubernatorial primary has four candidates on the ballot including Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, Philadelphia lawmaker Anthony Williams, Joe Hoeffel and State Auditor General Jack Wagner.

There is a special election to fill the seat for the late John Murtha, and there is also a special election to fill the remaining term for current Judge and former State Representative Don Walko.
Both of the special elections are being held at the same time as their seats primary race.

The primary election is May 18Th.

Any Allegheny County residents with question about their registration can contact the Allegheny County Elections Divisons at 412-350-4510 or by clicking here.

Casino In Johnstown?

State Senator John Wozniak is trying to bring one of Philadelphia's two casino license's to Johnstown. Wozniak says delays in the Foxwood casino have prompted him to urge state lawmakers to reconsider the Foxwood casino license. Wozniak introduced legislation that would make the casino license available outside of Philadelphia and says he wants the gaming control board to review Foxwood's plans to determine if they will be able to open by May 2011. Wozniak says a casino in Johnstown would make sense because they are under served by the casino industry. Wozniak the casino would also serve as an economic boon to the region creating many jobs and other sources of revenue. The Foxwood casino is being fined $2,000 per day that it is not operating and must be in operation by May 2011.

Wagner Gets Labor Endorsements

Outside of the annual Pennsylvania AFL-CIO in Pittsburgh the presidents of several union locals threw their support behind Jack Wagner’s Democratic gubernatorial campaign. Among those endorsing Wagner today was Jim Rich of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Worker local 29, Eric Hoover of the IBEW local 201 and Ed Yankovich of the United Mine Workers of America local 3. Yankovich says all union members want is a seat at the table and his union feels Wagner will give them access at a level never before seen in state government. Also making endorsement statements were Keith Hill of the American Federation of Government Employees and Wendell Young of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union local 1776. UFCW 1776 represents PLCB retail workers. Young says Wagner backed the union at a time when the state was thinking about selling the state stores. He says Wagner helped to save jobs and helped Pennsylvania to retain an important asset. Patrick McMahon of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 threw his union’s support behind Wagner at the event. He says Wagner has shown time and again that his word can be trusted. The ATU has had a long fight with Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato who is also running in the Democratic primary. Also on the ballot is State Senator Anthony Williams and Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel.

Wagner says, “I am humbly grateful and honored to have the support of these unions who embody the true spiriting of working families in Pennsylvania." Wagner was a member of the IBEW when he worked for Duquesne Light shortly after graduation.

Merton Center in Crisis, Looks to Reorganize

The Thomas Merton Center of Pittsburgh, a peace and justice non-profit organization, faced with economic troubles has had to lay off three staff members. Board President Michael Drohan said if the center did not cut operating costs, it would be in deficit spending by June. Drohan says the center will remain open and will be operated by board members and volunteers, but they hope to bring back the staff after a brief reorganization period.
Drohan says he's hopeful to get a positive response to their crisis and there are signs that is happening...."We cannot let this organization of peace and justice go down. We have to rebuild it even in difficult economic times because it's more necessary than ever."
Drohan says in recent years the center has been moving from one crisis to another. He says there will be a community meeting to work on refocusing the center's mission Sunday April 25 at 7 p.m. at East Liberty Presbyterian Church.

County Must Address Short Term Funding Issues

In releasing his annual financial report, Allegheny County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty says the county can't keep relying on one-time revenue sources to balance the operating budget. Flaherty says the non-repeatable income totaled $35.2 million in 2009, up from $9.4 million in 2005 but down from a high of $41.8 million in 2007. The one-time sources included the sale of the county-owned One Smithfield Building for $11.4 million and a final payment of $10 million dollars for the hosting of a casino.
"I again emphasize the critical importance of long-term planning to reverse the trend of using one-time revenues."
Flaherty says officials must develop long-range plans to address short term issues such as the reliance on one-time sources and the struggle to get revenues to balance the expenditures in the budget, or there will be long-term financial troubles.
Flaherty says he does not support tax hikes in this economy but council and the county executive have to devise plans to increase revenues or cut costs.
He says the county's largest program deficits continue to be unfunded mandates such as the Child Support Enforcement Program subsidy and costs related to Children, Youth and Family services.
"They always start out fully funded but over the years they (state and federal government) find a way to cut funding but still require us to keep the programs."

Flaherty says the county must also come up with a way to make the Kane Regional Hospitals more efficient because expenditures exceeded revenues by $4.9 million last year.

Flaherty did note that the county's reserve fund increased by $700,000 last year to $19.5 million but that's still $15 million short of the recommended 5% of the total operating budget.

Head of UMWA Calls for Massey CEO to be Arrested.

The head of the United Mine Workers of America Union went before the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO convention in Pittsburgh today and fired up the crowd by taking some swipes at the head of Massey energy. Massey Energy owns the mine where 29 workers lost their lives last week. UMWA President Cecil Roberts admits mining is dangerous but he says Massey Energy continued to ignore safety violations to the point that one miner wrote a letter to his family and sealed it fearing he would not get out of the mine alive someday. He says Massey CEO Don Blankenship should be held criminally accountable. He says, “if there is any justice in America, US Marshalls should go to where he lives, get him, handcuff him, put him in chains, take him to jail, set his fine at $40 million.” Roberts says if the mine had been unionized the workers would have never gone into such an unsafe place but the workers at the upper big branch mine were too worried about losing their jobs to complain. THE UMWA had tried several times to unionize the mine but were unsuccessful. Roberts called on the unions that hold Massey stock in their pension programs to call for the ouster of Blankenship and the company’s board of directors.

Listen to Roberts address to the PA AFL-CIO

Pittsburgh Gets A Friendlier Bike-Friendly Rating

Bicycling magazine ranked Pittsburgh 28th most bike friendly American city with populations larger than 100,000. Its an improvement from twenty years ago when it was ranked the nation's worst.

Scott Bricker, Director of Bike Pittsburgh, a bicycling advocacy group said the ranking is due to the city's hiring of Stephen Patchan as a dedicated bicycling/pedestrian coordinator in The City Planning Department, the nearly twenty miles of marked on-street bike lanes and the development of the riverfront trails.

Pittsburgh also ranks high among cities where bicyclists commute to work.

Call for More Debates

Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Sestak continues to hammer Senator Arlen Specter for only agreeing to one debate before the May 18th Democratic Senate primary.
Sestak’s campaign has proposed debate after debate with Specter, but the incumbent keeps turning down requests.
The two will meet in Philadelphia on May 1st, but that’s not enough for Sestak.

"And if there was one media market in Pennsylvania, I think I could understand. But there are differences of what happens to Lake Erie, as opposed to what happens in Philadelphia. As opposed to where the Marcellus Shale might be, and what it means if it’s not done well. For those whose water might be contaminated."

Specter recently told the Erie Times more debates would just provide free publicity to Sestak, who’s trailing in every recent poll.
The Delaware County Congressman says that comment reveals Specter feels entitled to the seat he’s held for three decades.
Specter’s campaign has maintained the Republican-turned-Democrat traditionally holds just one debate during primary campaigns.