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www.indianagazette.com Vol. 111 — No. 296
24 pages — 2 sections
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INDIANA COUNTY
June 2015
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County kicks in $30K for bike corridor
Who’s in the news There is good news today in The Indiana Gazette about these area people: Mary Little Arnone, Helen Dropcho, Otis Stradford, Ed Brocious, Tavan Davis, Zuhayr Affan, Janet Barber.
By RANDY WELLS
rwells@indianagazette.net
Inside POPE’S URGING: Pope Francis today called for a bold cultural revolution to correct what he calls the “structurally perverse” economic system of the rich exploiting the poor that is turning Earth into an “immense pile of filth.”/Page 7 FCC FINE: AT&T Mobility has been slapped with a record $100 million fine for offering consumers “unlimited” data, but then slowing their Internet speeds after they reached a certain amount./Page 7 HONOR ROLL: Indiana Area Junior High School/Page 10
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Thunderstorms tonight. Partly sunny tomorrow. See Page 2.
Deaths Obituaries on Page 4 CHICHY, Frank, 68, Indiana CONRAD, James W., 88, Smicksburg PETERMAN, Patricia Jean, 86, Hampton, Va., formerly of Indiana STITT, James Edward, 63, Blairsville ZUCHELLI, Mary Ann (Kubala), 81, Monroeville, formerly of Homer City Late death COOK, Jane, 77, Homer City
Index Calendar .......................20 Classifieds ...............21-23 Comics/TV....................19 Dear Abby .....................21 Entertainment ..............18 Family .............................8 Lottery.............................2 Sports.......................13-17 Today in History...........21 Viewpoint .......................6
WADE SPEES/The (Charleston) Post And Courier
A MAN knelt across the street from where police gathered outside the Emanuel AME Church following a shooting Wednesday night in Charleston, S.C.
Nine fatally shot at church in S.C. By ALEX SANZ and DAVID GOLDMAN Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Authorities were searching today for a white man who opened fire during a prayer meeting inside a historic black church in downtown Charleston, killing nine people, including the pastor, in an assault authorities described as a hate crime. The shooter remained at large this morning and police released
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG — In theory, Pennsylvania school districts whose communities are similar economically are supposed to receive about the same amount of money per student from the state. But, with politics muscling in on how public school aid was distributed in the last two decades,
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morning. He did not give other details and said names would be released after families were notified. But State House Minority leader Todd Rutherford told The Associated Press that the Emanuel AME Church’s pastor, state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, was among those killed. Pinckney, 41, was a married father of two who was elected to the state House at age 23, making Continued on Page 12
officials have long complained about gaping disparities in public school aid. Some communities now get half as much per-student aid as those with similar economic circumstances. Today, a panel of lawmakers and top advisers to Gov. Tom Wolf is set to recommend a way to close the gap, an effort that comes as Wolf is seeking the biggest one-
year boost in public school aid in the state’s history. An Associated Press review of state data shows per-student funding differences can be great. For example, take the Purchase Line School District in Indiana County and Curwensville Area School District in Clearfield County. Deemed by the state to have nearly identical wealth, the Continued on Page 12
Indiana County is the third stakeholder to commit $30,000 as part of matching funds for state grant money to help build a multimodal corridor with dedicated bicycle paths across Indiana Borough and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus and in White Township. The county commissioners Wednesday committed the $30,000 that will be added to equal commitments from the White Township supervisors and Indiana Borough council. An equal commitment is also expected from the university. The commissioners also approved an application for a Multimodal Transportation Fund grant to be used for pre-construction and construction costs of the proposed corridor. Byron Stauffer, executive director of the Indiana County Office of Planning and Development, said the amount of the grant application has not been determined but he anticipates it will be $400,000 to $600,000. The MTF money, if approved, could be used with a $1.7 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant already available for the corridor project. The proposed corridor will extend the Hoodlebug Trail from its current end point near Wayne Avenue to the East Pike Recreation Complex in White Township over a route across IUP yet to be finalized and along Gompers Avenue in Indiana. Continued on Page 12
Officials hiring residents to hear assessment appeals By RANDY WELLS
rwells@indianagazette.net
Indiana County’s property reassessment project is about to create more temporary employment opportunities. The county commissioners said Wednesday they are soliciting applicants interested in serving on the county’s reassessment appeals boards. Fifteen people will be hired to form five three-member appeals boards. Eight additional people will be hired as alternates. The appeals boards are expected to operate from August into November. The positions will pay $130 per day or $65 per halfday. Evaluator Services and Technology Inc., the company hired to conduct the reassessment, has estimated that the owners of about 20 percent of all properties in the county will request an informal or formal appeal of their property assessments, and that could mean 9,000 to 10,000 appeals. Applicants for the appeals boards must be Indiana County residents with a high school diploma or equivalent. Anyone interested may call the commissioners’ office Continued on Page 12
JUNETEENTH
PENNS MANOR AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Union leader: Furloughs will diminish education By SEAN YODER
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photographs from surveillance video of a suspect and a dark sedan that may have been the getaway vehicle. “This is a very dangerous individual,” Police Chief Greg Mullen said. The suspect attended the meeting at the church Wednesday night and stayed for nearly an hour before the deaths, Mullen said. The victims were six females and three males, Mullen said this
Lawmakers look to address disparity in school funding
syoder@indianagazette.net
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KENWOOD — The president of the Penns Manor Education Association, representing teachers in the district, said the upcoming furloughs will hurt education and shave off programming. “We feel strongly that the furloughs approved at last week’s school board meeting diminish Penns Manor’s educational programs,” said Dan Antonacci, president of the PMEA. “Furloughs mean larger class sizes and less individualized attention for our students. Furloughs also eliminate professional positions in our community.” On June 11, the Penns Manor
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board of directors doled out full or partial furloughs affecting several teachers to extend the financial life of the district, according to Superintendent Daren Johnston. The district is expected to save $191,032 by reducing positions in art, French, technology education and physical education. But board President Robert Packer said Wednesday PMEA has known about the furloughs for months. He said about a month ago the district offered a verbal agreement to PMEA to split the cost/savings (depending on respective sides’ perspectives) that would avoid or minimize furloughs. Continued on Page 12
JESSICA UPTEGRAPH/Gazette
MORGAN ALSTON, 5, left, and Emily Barker, 6, enjoyed a covered-dish dinner Wednesday at the NAACP’s Juneteenth celebration at the Mack Park pavilion, which marks the anniversary of the abolition of slavery. Activities included swimming, a juggler, a band and a blood drive. Morgan, of Florida, was visiting her grandmother and aunt, and Emily is the daughter of Eric and Barbara Barker, of Indiana.
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