PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh: State budget impasse means reduced charter school payments
Pittsburgh Public Schools will pay only 54 percent of its payments to charter schools starting next month. Jeremy Resnick, the executive director of Propel, a federation of 10 charter schools, said programming will not be affected by the reduced payments.
Pittsburgh: City Council postpones vote on historic structure legislation
City Council will vote next week on legislation that would require the consent of the owners of a historic structure before granting them preservation protections. Currently, the Historic Review Commission has authority over historic structure designations.
Harrisburg: Lawmaker cut off over English-only bill
Rep. Leslie Acosta’s (D – Philadelphia County) mic was turned off while she argued, initially in Spanish, against a bill that would make English the state’s official language at a House committee hearing. The bill is intended to save the government money because it wouldn’t require federal documents to be translated into Spanish.
Statewide: Number of homeless students on the rise
The population of homeless students in public schools rose 18 percent between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years, the U.S. Department of Education reports. Experts say a poor economy and more accurate survey contribute to the numbers.
Allentown: Ex-doctor charged with drug law violations
Maryann Theresa Weisman, whose medical license was permanently suspended in December 2014, continued to fill out prescriptions afterward, according to court records. Authorities charged her with drug violations and had previously suspended her license in 2002 and 2009.
NATIONAL
Pope addresses Congress
Pope Francis, who arrived in Washington, D.C., Wednesday and met President Obama, will address a joint session of Congress Thursday morning. He is the first pope to do this.
Drug CEO drops price after spike
Martin Shkreli, CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, is lowering the price of Daraprim from $750 per pill after increasing it from $13.50 on Sunday. Daraprim treats malaria and toxoplasmosis, which infects people who have weakened immune systems.
Volkswagen CEO resigns
VW CEO Martin Winterkorn announced his resignation Wednesday amid accusations that the company cheated on emissions testing. Volkswagen’s market value has dropped more than $15 billion.
Los Angeles moves to help homeless
The mayor and city council say they are going to spend at least $100 million on services that would help homeless people starting next year. About 26,000 people live in poverty within the city.
IN OTHER NEWS
Selfies vs. sharks
More people have died in selfie-related incidents, such as falling down stairs while taking photos, this year than in shark attacks, says a report released by the website Mashable. The death tolls are 12 and eight, respectively.
The daily report was compiled by Elaina Zachos, a PublicSource intern. You can reach her with questions or suggestions at ezachos@publicsource.org.
