(Harrisburg) -- An advocacy group is teaming up with lawmakers to push for changes to the state law that oversees financially distressed cities like Harrisburg and Reading.  The Coalition for Sustainable Communities says changing Act 47 would be a step toward improving the fiscal health of struggling municipalities.  Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Tom Baldridge is a member of the group.  He says numbers alone make the case for reforming the program.  "Forty-one percent of Pennsylvania residents now live in what is considered a distressed community by Pennsylvania standards.  That, I can assure you, is a number that is going up, not down.  It's a trend we simply have to stop for our economic prosperity in the future," Baldridge says.  The coalition wants a re-write of the law to allow it to trump previously negotiated deals with public worker unions.  It's a response to a state Supreme Court ruling last year that Act 47 recovery plans could not hold sway over a contract with Scranton's firefighters' union.

Thank you for listening to WITF 89.5! witf is committed to serving our listeners and the community, and we value your support and opinions. Please take a moment to fill out this short survey.  Help us better serve radio listeners like you in Central PA!  At the end of the survey, you’ll have an opportunity to share your ideas and opinions about witf 89.5.  As always, we appreciate your feedback.

Click here to take the survey

Altoona has entered the state’s Act 47 program for financially distressed communities – the 27th such community to do so since 1987.  Altoona is the 11th mid-sized city to receive protection under Act 47. That means roughly 20 percent of Pennsylvania’s mid-sized cities are financially distressed.

witf announces the launch of a new mobile app named PA Markers, the first mobile app associated with the award-winning website, ExplorePAhistory.com.

PA Markers is the mobile tool for anyone interested in learning more about American history, Pennsylvania history and the people, places and stories that helped shape our nation.

The PA Markers app reveals the story behind many of Pennsylvania's famous blue and gold historical markers.  Search for a marker by name or set the app to show you all the markers within a set distance from your phone.  Select a marker to see the marker text, then read the full story behind that marker, complete with images and links to other related markers, all on your mobile device. PA Markers even offers additional resources to check out.  No more guessing about town names (Burnt Cabins?)  or historical figures (Daniel Boone).  It’s all on the app!

The PA Markers application can find and map historical markers from all over Pennsylvania along with directions and travel time from your current location.

PA Markers features only official Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) historical markers that have been listed on www.ExplorePAhistory.com.

(Harrisburg) -- A new lobbying group is taking aim at state laws affecting cash-strapped communities -- such as Reading and Harrisburg. The "Coalition for Sustainable Communities" includes chambers of commerce and representatives from local governments. Jack Garner of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities says the coalition aims to update laws governing things like pensions and union negotiations. "Over 2,500 municipalities are really continuing to function in an outaded, inflexible , and uncompetitive set of local laws, which haven't been changed since, in some cases, 1930," Garner says. He says the group is also interested in reforming the state's Act 47 program for financially distressed municipalities. Harrisburg and Reading are currently working through that initiative. A recent study revealed 46 percent of Pennsylvanians live in financially struggling communities.

(Bellmawr, NJ) -- More than 170 Postal Service workers in central Pennsylvania could be out of work within the next few months due to a consolidation effort. The distribution centers in Lancaster and Reading are slated to transfer their mail processing operations to the LeGree Daniels building in Harrisburg. But U.S. Postal Service spokesman Ray Daiutolo says some employees may be transferred to other facilities outside of the region. "When a facility consolidates, that does not necessarily mean that all the employees are going to lose their jobs," he explains. "What that means is career employees will then go through, according to their contracts, there are provisions in there that indicate how reassignment and repositioning opportunities are handled." Daiutolo says the consolidation will not occur until May, at the earliest, and is not expected to affect most mail delivery times. He adds the consolidation of 10 offices in the commonwealth is necessary to make up for a significant drop in mail volume in the past six years.

(Lancaster) -- Several midstate cities could soon find themselves in the middle of lawsuits due to laws requiring residents to report lost or stolen handguns. A bill in the state House would outlaw such ordinances, which are currently in effect in 30 Pennsylvania cities including Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Reading. Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray says cities should be able to act since guns are viewed differently all over the state. "If you look at the rural areas, using a firearm is not a big deal," he says. "In our more urban and suburban areas, it is a big deal, so we should have some authority at the local level to regulate firearms." But, John Hohenwarter, with the National Rifle Association, says it's up to the state to determine whether these guns need to be reported. He says legal costs could mount if municipalities' laws are overturned. "If a community decides to pass its own gun law and it's challenged, and they lose, they're responsible for the cost, and I think by doing so, you're going to eliminate these communities from passing these laws, which are contrary to state law." In 2008 the state legislature tried to pass a proposal requiring people to report lost or stolen firearms, but the measure was rejected.

(Harrisburg) -- A Democratic lawmaker is proposing a financial lifeline to more than a dozen of Pennsylvania’s poorest school districts, including several in the midstate. Representative Eugene DePasquale of York County says his legislation would spread $30 million in grants among the 18 districts in the most severe financial distress. He says his proposal is similar to an existing school district grant program, except it targets needy districts. The Democrat says it should be paid for with any revenue that comes from the as-yet nonexistent Marcellus Shale impact fee. "We need that revenue stream. I mean, if not, you’re going to be looking at cuts in other programs," he says. "Let’s call it like we see it. There is one part of the budget that has been increasing in the last six years, and that’s corrections. I mean we’re building four new prisons across Pennsylvania." DePasquale says last year’s budget cuts to education hit the neediest school districts the hardest. Chester Upland School District in Delaware County would be one of the schools on the list to receive the state grant. It received a few million dollars in emergency funding from the state after the ruling of a federal judge last month. Among the midstate districts on the list are Harrisburg, Steelton-Highspire, York, Lancaster, Lebanon and Reading.

(Reading) -- The Berks County seat's immediate former mayor, Tom McMahon, sees his role as a champion for Pennsylvania's cities - even though he decided not to seek a third term in office. "My way to look at this is as a series of adventures. The adventure I had for eight years as the mayor was great fun," McMahon says. He talks about his adventures with in the latest installment of our Beyond the Bio series. witf's Craig Layne caught up with the former mayor at the cafe in Reading's GoggleWorks - an old factory that's been turned into an arts center.

(Reading) -- Mayors and government experts will meet in Philadelphia today to talk about ways to help the commonwealth's financially struggling cities. Representatives from at least six cities including Lancaster, Reading and Harrisburg are slated to attend. Reading'S new mayor, Vaughn Spencer, says he expects a lot of discussion about Act 47, the state's program for financially distressed communities. "Any time you get a group of mayors together, you have an opportunity to talk to one another about how you're handling this situation or that. It's very valuable," he says. Reading has been working under Act 47 since 2010, while Harrisburg entered the program last year. The meeting at the University of Pennsylvania's Fels School of Government also includes academics like pollster Terry Madonna of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.