PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh: Uptown goes eco
EcoDistricts, urban developers who aim to make cities more sustainable, selected the Uptown neighborhood to be an incubator for their project, which will include implementing a rapid-transit bus system.
Pittsburgh: Sexual assault victims groups talk Plum High School
Schools officials banned students from talking about sexual assault allegations at Plum High School, threatening them with arrest. Pittsburgh Action Against Rape and PA Coalition Against Rape are unhappy with the way the school treated the assaults, stating that the next case is inevitable and schools should prepare with the right training for educators and by making outside counseling available.
Allentown: Creek restoration proposal
The Bushkill Stream Conservancy and Forks of the Delaware chapter of Trout Unlimited have plans to restore a 2-mile segment of Bushkill Creek, which runs through Forks, Tatamy and Palmer Townships. The project will use bed manipulation to rehabilitate the creek and increase the trout population.
Statewide: Medicare drug spending
Medicare spent $141 million on Pennsylvanians taking asthma and COPD medication Advair in 2013, more than any other drug. The most prescribed drugs under Medicare in Pennsylvania were low-cost generics simvastatin and lisinopril, which are cholesterol and high blood pressure medications, respectively.
Statewide: HR recommends Kane fire chief of staff
An internal affairs investigation into Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s acting Chief of Staff Jonathan Duecker, who’s being accused of sexually harassing two former employees, has concluded that he should be fired.
NATIONAL
Nebraska inmates overtake maximum-security prison
Prisoners gathered around a housing unit Sunday and assaulted two officers at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. The inmates took control of part of the facility, set fires, tore down the security cameras and ripped up the drywall. The riots were quelled Monday morning by guards in riot gear.
Data rules the schools
Some schools around the U.S. use extensive data tracking to monitor students and teachers. Metrics are used to improve bus routes, cafeteria food, cleanliness and grades. Advocates say metrics provide concrete evidence of what does and doesn’t work, but others debate that it ignores intangibles, like the relationships between students and faculty.
Gov. Christie expense accounts
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie spent over $300,000 on food, alcohol and dessert since he took office. Even more shocking is that more than $82,000 of that was spent at NFL games, which is enough money to pay a year’s household income of a N.J. family, three years of tuition at Rutgers or 1,877 tickets to a preseason New York Giants game.
Seattle ‘kayaktivists’ stand against Shell
People opposed to Royal Dutch Shell’s proposal to lease a terminal at the Port of Seattle for its Arctic drilling fleet, took to the waters Thursday as a first show of solidarity against the oil giant. This week, the activists are organizing a “ShellNo Flotilla” of 1,000 kayaks to stand against Shell’s oil rigs.
IN OTHER NEWS
The “American Idol” falls
The once-insanely popular singing competition will end after its 15th season, which will air in January 2016. Ratings for the show declined with each change to the judging panel and now Fox is looking to add new comedies and dramas to its primetime lineup next year.
