Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

As the state's capital remains on the brink of bankruptcy and cities across Pennsylvania are faring little better, state Sen. John N. Wozniak is forming a legislative coalition to push for aggressive action to end the decline. In a letter to House and Senate colleagues, Wozniak noted that, while Pennsylvania's historic downtowns are unique, the fiscal problems they face are not. "Sprawl, changing demographics, public safety concerns and archaic tax structure have drained the vitality of our once-vibrant downtowns," Wozniak wrote. "Since the causes are not unique, we can't stand by and ask local government officials to stem a tide that is overwhelming their capacity and authority to innovate." Wozniak proposes a "Third-Class City Caucus," a coalition of lawmakers who have to balance the plight of central cities with the concerns of surrounding suburbs and rural regions. "The intent of forming the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) announced today that he has co-sponsored S. 950, which would repeal a ban on states using toll road revenues as matching funds for Appalachian Development Highway System projects. Congress authorized construction of the Appalachian Development Highway System in 1965, and 2,715.1 miles of the authorized 3,090-mile system were completed or under construction as of September 2010. Allowing states in the Appalachian corridor to use toll road credits as matching funds for the system will speed up the use of already allocated construction dollars for several Pennsylvania infrastructure projects. The ban does not exist outside the Appalachian corridor. “Several important highway projects in Pennsylvania, including the U.S. 219 extension and the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway, have stalled because Pennsylvania isn’t allowed to use its toll road credits as matching funds. Since states outside the Appalachian corridor can use toll road credi...

HARRISBURG -- State Sen. John N. Wozniak on Tuesday praised the resumption of the 96-year-old Pitt-Penn State football rivalry. "While games have been scheduled for 2016 and 2017, I am hopeful the schools will continue to work toward permanently resuming the rivalry," Wozniak said. The Cambria County lawmaker has continually pressed the presidents and athletic directors of both schools to resume the game since they discontinued the rivalry in 2000. Wozniak hosted a meeting between representatives of the two schools last year at his local office in Johnstown. He said both school presidents pledged to him at that time that they would work cooperatively to resume the game. The Pitt Panthers will host Penn State at Heinz Field on Sept. 10, 2016. The Nittany Lions will host Pitt in State College on Sept. 16, 2017 Wozniak described the Pitt-Penn State game as "one of the greatest college football rivalries in the nation." He...