Pgh Ranks High for High School Diplomas, Low for Degrees

Lower unemployment than most, poorer roads than most: those are a couple of the findings of a new benchmark study comparing a 22 county Pittsburgh region with 14 other cities. The report was compiled by the Regional Indicators at Pittsburgh today dot org.
In the 2nd part of our look at this study, DUQ’s Kevin Gavin talks with the director of the Regional Indicators, Doug Heuck about some of the 10 categories including economy, arts, health, education and demographics.

Listen to the interview

Listen to Part 1

How Pittsburgh Rates Versus 14 Other Cities

The Pittsburgh region is doing better than most others in cost of living, unemployment and job growth. That's according to a new benchmarking study by the Regional Indicators at Pitsburghtoday.org. The study, Pittsburgh Today and Tomorrow," measures a 22 county Pittsburgh region that includes some of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia against 14 other cities: Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Richmond and St. Louis....in 10 categories: demographics, arts, education, economy, environment, housing, health, public safety, government and transportation.
The study looks at how the region rebounded since the early 1980's when unemployment topped 17%. Now the jobless rate remains well below the national average.

Listen to Part 1 of an interview between DUQ's Kevin Gavin and Douglas Heuck, director of the Regional Indicators at Pittsburghtoday.org

Listen to Part 2 of interview with Douglas Heuck

Benchmark Study Looks At Pgh Region & 14 Others

The Pittsburgh region is doing better than most others in cost of living, unemployment and job growth. That's according to a new benchmarking study released today by the Regional Indicators at Pitsburghtoday.org. The study, Pittsburgh Today and Tomorrow," measures a 22 county Pittsburgh region that includes some of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia against 14 other cities: Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Richmond and St. Louis....in 10 categories: demographics, arts, education, economy, environment, housing, health, public safety, government and transportation.
The study looks at how the region rebounded since the early 1980's when unemployment topped 17%. Now the jobless rate remains well below the national average.
"We have by no means perfected the region, says Douglas Heuck, director of the Regional Indicators at Pittsburghtoday.org, "but after 30 years, we are poised to consider our regional future, not with a measure of fear, but from a position of strength."
While the Pittsburgh area experienced a net gain of 1,144 residents in domestic migration in 2009, the overall population declined by 434 due to more deaths than births.
The study indicates that in the transportation category 20% of road miles are listed in "poor" condition. Only Kansas City, Baltimore and Philadelphia have a higher percentage of poor or mediocre road miles.
Heuck says that Pittsburgh remains an arts rich region and the arts continue to attract visitors to the area.
The full report will be published in Pittsburgh Quarterly Magazine this week.

Regional Home Sales Up in January

There were more homes sold in the region this January than in January 2010, despite the expiration of a homebuyer tax credit. RealSTATS Vice President Dan Murrer says the nearly 1,500 homes sold in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland Counties last month represented a 3% jump from the January 2010 rate. Murrer says existing home sales were flat, but a large increase in new home sales “carried the flag” so far this year. He says the average price of a new home fell about $60,000 since January 2010. "By virtue of dropping that much, it opened up the new home market to more buyers,” says Murrer. “More people can afford a $280,000 house as opposed to, say, a $360,000 house." Murrer says areas like the Strip District and Moon sold particularly well this January, even though the federal Home Buyer Tax Credit expired last April. The stimulus program had given $8,000 in tax credits to new homebuyers and $6,500 to repeat homebuyers. Murrer says it’s still too early in the year to predict how 2011 will turn out for regional real estate, but January’s numbers are encouraging.

Life Sci Greenhouse on G20 Tour

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato are taking tours of several high-tech and green businesses in the region in an effort to point out some of the reasons why the city was chosen to host the G20 Summit in September. Monday they toured the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. The center hosts startup companies as they work to development early stage technologies into marketable products. Onorato says, "The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse is a perfect example of why our region has earned a reputation of being on the leading edge of science and technology." The Green House sits next to the Hot Metal Bridge on land that was once a Jones and Laughlin steel mill. It is now know as The Pittsburgh Technology Center. Greenhouse CEO John Manzetti stood on the 5th floor patio of the building and pointed to the bridge as a symbol of the past and then at his building, the others in the Technology Center and the development on the Southside as the future of the city. Manzetti says it would be great if any of the G20 visitors from a president to a reporter stopped by. He says, "It's our privilege to get the word out that this region has some of the world's very best life sciences technologies. We are creating companies and growing our talent pool of researchers and entrepreneurs which will allow us bring more innovation and investment opportunities to the market." No tours of the building have been set for visiting dignitaries but Ravenstahl says anyone asking about the region’s transformation will be told about it.

Stimulus Money To Clean PGH Air

Three businesses and the Port Authority of Allegheny County will share $3.49 million in Recovery Act funding to retrofit or replace old diesel engines. The goal is to reduce pollution and lower fuel consumption. Allegheny County was on of more than 40 counties in the EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region to apply for the $16 million in stimulus funds. The Fed chose to fund 7 of those applications. “We are grateful to the EPA for recognizing the importance of these four projects in Allegheny County, which will result in a significant reduction in particle pollution in our region,” says Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato.

EPA’s $3.49 million Recovery Act grant to the Allegheny County Health Department will support:

• PAT will use the funds to replace two 1996-model transit buses with 2010 diesel hybrid electric buses and repower nine 2003-model diesel buses with engines that meet the new, higher 2007 emission standards. The EPA says these transit projects will reduce particulate matter pollution by approximately 0.1 tons per year, carbon monoxide by 2.8 tons per year, and nitrogen oxides by 6.8 tons per year.

• Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania will retrofit 23 diesel-powered construction vehicles. It’s estimated that the various upgrades will reduce particulate matter pollution by 1.8 tons per year, carbon monoxide by 14.6 tons per year, hydrocarbons by 2.09 tons per year, and nitrogen oxides by 9.73 tons per year.

• Diamond Head Trucking and MultiServ Corporation will install diesel particulate filters on 35 dump trucks operating in and around the U.S. Steel Corporation’s Mon Valley Works. The EPA says the dump trucks will be 90% less polluting than they are today. It is estimated that these diesel particulate filters will remove 0.22 tons of particulate matter per year, 0.74 tons of carbon monoxide per year, and 3.39 tons of hydrocarbons per year.

• CSX Transportation will replace one vintage diesel switcher locomotive having no emission controls with a two-engine configuration with the latest in emission control technology. This is expected to cut diesel particulate matter by approximately 0.5 tons per year, carbon dioxide by 172 tons per year, and nitrogen oxides by 16.6 tons per year. It will also save 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually.

Stimulus Grants to Help With PA Water Projects

Pennsylvania has been awarded more federal stimulus money, targeted for use on water and wastewater projects.
The latest grant announced by the U-S Environmental Protection Agency brings to 220-million dollars the amount of stimulus-funded grants and loans for repairs and upgrades to the commonwealth's drinking water and wastewater systems.
Acting E-P-A Regional Administrator Bill Early says such projects can have far-reaching effects.

"It's important for us to keep being mindful of the fact that the water we are dealing with flows downstream and has downstream impacts. Particularly, one of the things that is impacted is the Chesapeake Bay.

State officials note the funding could help municipalities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as they make upgrades in order to comply with tougher nutrient pollution rules. Governor Rendell says nearly 140 projects across 63 Pennsylvania counties that will be under way by year's end will create more than 56-hundred construction-related jobs. The federal money is being distributed by the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, or PENNVEST.

States' Stimulus Websites Graded

A Washington-based nonprofit has released a study ranking each state on the transparency and efficacy of its stimulus-tracking website. Good Jobs First says Pennsylvania’s site was the sixth-best in the nation with a 50 percent score; Maryland came out on top with 80 percent, while Illinois and Utah were tied for 50th place with zeros.

Lead author Philip Mattera says since states must report stimulus money usage to the federal government in any case, there’s no reason they can’t effectively share the information with their citizens. Much of that data required by the federal government, like figures on job creation and private construction contracts, was lacking from most states’ websites. He says a software company called ESRI has a very effective stimulus tracker template that they’ve offered to the states for free; however, few states have taken advantage of this.

Mattera says the study probably gave the sites more points than an average user would – researchers gave credit for information even if it was “buried” beneath odd file formats and hard-to-reach websites. Good Jobs First hasn’t notified state governments of their findings, but Mattera says other nonprofits from each state are bound to do so.

City Youth Work Program Twice as Big

The Pittsburgh Summer Youth Employment Program marked its midway point today by taking Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl on a tour of several work sites across the city. The program gives city youth 6 weeks of employment from July 6th through August 14th. They are paid minimum wage while working in mostly public works-type jobs but City Acting Personnel Director Judy Hill Finegan says this year some of the participants are working “white collar internships.” With 554 participants, the program is twice the size it was last year. The expansion comes with the help of federal stimulus finds. Finegan says the $1.6 million in stimulus funds had to go to disadvantaged youth, the $500,000 from the city was used for projects that could attract block grant funds and $150,000 from the Pittsburgh foundation was used to fill the gaps. Students were chosen using a lottery system from all city zip codes. Finegan says not only do the participants get to put more than one thousand dollars in their pocket but they also walk away with work experience and a “Jumpstart Success” certification. The certification is preapproved by the PA Department of Education and the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board and recognized by employers across the state. She says the certification process includes education on how to be a good employee. It touches on everything from showing up on time and listening to making a good representation of your self and building interpersonal relationships. About a third of the stimulus money will be held back for a work preparation program for 22-24 year olds later this year.

Local Locks and Dams to be fixed with Stimulus

After years of postponements, stimulus money allotted for the American Recovery and Investment Act will go toward fixing a river wall at the Monongahela River Locks and Dam in Charleroi. The National Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh Project Manager Jeff Fritz says the $17.5 million will be invested in fixing the river wall over the next two years, employing 204 directly and 230 indirectly. After fixing the river wall, Fritz says there will be two more phases to ultimately build two new locks to replace the old ones at the Locks and Dam. The stimulus money is a great aid and catalyst to the project, and Fritz says the Charleroi-based site is grateful to receive it.

PNC Economist: The End is Near

PNC Financial Services Chief Economist Stuart Hoffman told a group of pension fund managers Tuesday that he sees a light at the end of the recession tunnel but they should not get too excited. Hoffman says things are “getting somewhat better” for the national and global economy and there is some optimism among fellow analysts, business leaders and consumers. He notes tat “the new ‘up’ is ‘less down’” but that is about to change. He says things should begin to turn around later this year and unemployment numbers will begin to recover in 2010 but that does not mean the economy will be roaring anytime soon. He says, “There are to many speed bumps” on the path to recovery but he says they are not “roadblocks.” Hoffman says among the issues that could retard the rebound is the possibility of a continued slow global economy, high oil prices, changing consumer trends and slow job growth. He says with oil in the 60-70 dollar range the economy can rebound but oil at 80-90 dollars a barrel could kill the recovery. Hoffman says he thinks the federal stimulus package is having an impact but with so much of the money having to pass through state and municipal governments we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. He says the impact will continue to be felt in to the new year. Locally, Hoffman says the economy is doing better than many other parts of the country, partially because it did not have the big build up going into the recession. However, he says the regional economy is poised to rebound as quickly as the rest of the nation. That is something that the region has not seen coming out of past recessions. He says one factor to watch is the global economy. The Pittsburgh region now has strong global ties and Hoffman says the local economy will need to have those markets recover if it is to fully participate in the rebound. Hoffman says small business success will also be a key to the local economic recovery.
Click here to listen to Stewart Hoffman's full address.

PA Banks Hold Footing Through Recession

The magazine U.S. Banker ranked 24 Pennsylvania banks in its annual list of the top 200 community banks nationwide, state Department of Banking spokesman Dan Egan says. The Commonwealth had more ranked banks than any other state. Egan says both Pennsylvania banks’ conservative style and the state’s relatively low real estate flux helped these banks make the list. “That combination of factors, while they didn’t necessarily generate big profits in the years past, are now paying off for these banks because they don’t find themselves in the same situation as some of the competitors who may have dabbled in sub-prime loans or looked to risky investments to bolster their balance sheets,” says Egan. Egan says he can’t say for how long such success will be sustained, but the achievement of these community banks bodes well for municipalities statewide in the short-term. The magazine’s ranking was based on the three-year average of return on equity (ROE), which measures how well a company uses investors’ money.

State Announces Specific Stimulus Allocation

Secretary James Creedon, Chief Implementation Officer for the Pennsylvania Commission on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, addressed community leaders, nonprofit organizations, and foundation directors at a forum in the Heinz History Center today. He explained how $9.4 billion in stimulus package funding is being distributed and divided in Pennsylvania.

Creedon says the largest portion of stimulus money will go toward Medicaid. $4 billion dollars will go to this state program to free up money for other areas of governance. “It was a good, easy way to put money into an existing program, one that didn’t need to be created anew, one that the regulations were in place, the processes were in place, and the state could manage it very quickly and get that money and help them with the budget deficit we face in all 50 states,” says Creedon.

Education will receive $2.56 billion in stimulus cash, says Creedon. “Whether it’s Title 1, whether it’s Special Ed, or whether it’s idea funding, [the allocation] is also designed to help states stabilize their budgets a little bit,” says Creedon. “The governor’s proposal was to use that stabilization money to allow schools to do things differently, to invest in modernization, to invest in new curriculum, to invest in computer upgrades.” Creedon says Senate Republicans are opposed to this idea, preferring instead to cut state funding to education and use the stimulus dollars to fill in the gap.

Over $1 billion will go to state transportation projects, mainly highways and bridges. Creedon says mass transit and airports will be funded directly from the federal agencies, and rail investments will be done through a competitive grant program. Creedon says roadways and bridges are where the Rendell administration came more into play. “The governor said, ‘We’re not going to take that billion dollars and reduce what we would normally invest in highways by a billion dollars. We’re going to keep our investment at 1.8 [billion dollars] and we’re going to invest another billion dollars in highways and bridges,’” says Creedon. He says by Labor Day, every one of the transportation projects in the stimulus program will be under way.

Creedon says $258 million will be granted to the state over the next two years to work with 42 organizations to perform weatherization projects. “This isn’t redoing a bridge. This is putting new storm windows in a home,” says Creedon. In addition, $100 million will be used to invest in alternative energy sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energies. He says investment will probably begin in the summer, focusing mostly on wind energy.

Creedon adds that $23 million will be set aside for communities with under 35,000 people, for companies looking to make smaller investments. He says companies can be creative with their applications, but most are expected to address community “housekeeping” needs.

VP Biden Shows Off Stimulus Spending

A swarm of Democratic officials descended on Carlisle, Cumberland County yesterday to tout the success of President Obama’s federal stimulus package. Vice President Joe Biden cut the ribbon on a road project to cap off the event. In early February, a week before Congress approved the $787 billion measure, Vice President Biden visited a crumbling bridge along Route 34 to highlight the need for infrastructure investment. On the first day of stimulus-funded construction at the site, Biden returned with Governor Rendell, Senator Arlen Specter, and Obama Administration officials. Biden says the legislation is doing its job, and helping turn the economy around. He says in recent months the rate of job loss has slowed, “[B]ut it’s still unacceptably high. It was over 340-thousand jobs lost. It’s not the 600 that it was two months ago or three months ago, it’s not the 500-thousand that was projected, so it’s getting better. But less bad is not the definition of success.” Biden and Rendell both went out of their way to praise their newfound ally, Arlen Specter. The Vice President said without Specter’s “yes” vote, the stimulus wouldn’t have become law. Specter was one of just three Republicans to support the measure.

Duquesne Light Offers Free Energy Audits

Starting this month, Duquesne Light is offering a free energy conservation program to customers whose income falls between 150 and 250 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines, which are based on income and the number of people in the household.

To set up a free energy audit, call the company's Universal Services Department at 888-393-7600. Duquesne Light spokesman Joseph Vallarian says Conservation Consultants will walk through your home or apartment and point out ways to save money. Easy fixes may include plastic sheeting on windows to reduce drafts, adding insulation, or changing the furnace filter.

Vallarian says Duquesne Light also has programs for paying the bills, but it's very important to call at the first sign of a problem.

PA Cyber School Enrollment declines

For the first time since it's opening in 2001, cyber (online) school enrollment has decreased. Allegheny Intermediate Unit Spokesperson Sarah McCluan (which operates PA Learners Online Regional Cyber Charter School) says it is only a 5 percent decline, and the school will not have to change its business model at this time. While cyber school does not have any extras costs except for household expenses, she says the drop is due to the economic downturn, with parents having to send their children back to traditional public schools in order to find a job.

McCluan says there are many reasons why a student may decide to go back--- because of wanting to be more active, missing school friends, or getting better from an illness.

Layoffs at AK Steel

AK Steel has announced today that it is laying off some of its salaried workforce because of fewer sales after the economic crisis. The company said the layoffs will affect all plants, including the Butler plant. They plan for the layoffs to be temporary, however if sales or the economy do not improve, it may become permanent. AK Steel currently employs about 1,500 salaried employees.

In the meantime, there are more cutbacks at Spanish wind turbine company Gamesa in the eastern part of the state. However, Gamesa plans to expand its Cambria county plant near Ebensburg. Spokesman Michael Peck says the Ebensburg plant is easier to expand and was built with producing larger turbine blades in mind.

Macy's Closing Two Pittsburgh Stores

Macy's will close Natrona Heights Plaza and Century III Furniture and Clearance. They have been identified by the company as underperforming stores. The store in Natrona Heights opened in 1956 and currently has 124 employees. There are 3 workers at the West Mifflin center. Macy's officials says the workers will be considered for jobs at other locations. These stores are among 11 Macy's is closing across the country because they failed to meet sales expectations.

Terry Lundgren, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Macy's, says in a statement that the "decision to close stores is difficult, and often occurs when the market changes, new competing shopping centers are opened nearby to existing older ones, or when customers change shopping habits." He says "these closings are part of our normal-source process to prune underperforming locations each year in order to maintain a healthy portfolio of stores."

Final clearance sales at the stores will begin within the next week.

PA Expands Unemployment Services

At a time the state is looking to cut spending, one state agency is “staffing up.” The Department of Labor and Industry is expanding its call center hours for the second time in less than a month. The move comes in response to skyrocketing unemployment compensation claims. D-L-I spokesman Christopher Manlove says the spike has created the need to quickly grow the department's call center work force and hours of operation. The call centers have, for the first time ever, added Sunday hours from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and expanded week day hours that now run 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The agency now has around 11-hundred call center workers – nearly twice as many as it had just one month ago. Manlove notes claims can also be filed 24 hours a day on the agency's website.

Students to Take First-Hand Look at Urban Poverty

From today to January 7th, six Notre Dame students from the Pittsburgh region will participate in an “Urban Plunge” program to learn about poverty in the local community. Over the next 48 hours, the students will travel to some 14 different shelters and activism groups volunteering their time and speaking with leaders of local agencies and those individuals afflicted with poverty. Pittsburgh Plunge Coordinator Gretchen Jeserc says the variety of organizations the students will visit will demonstrate the different ways people can help. Nicole Gans, a participant in the program, says she hopes to learn about local problems and how people can help solve them. Nationally, 200 students will participate at 42 Urban Plunge sites in 38 cities. 2009 marks the 31st years for the Pittsburgh Plunge.