At Councilwoman Darlene Harris’ (D-District 1) request on Tuesday,  Pittsburgh City Council heard from a panel of gun advocates, legal experts, and elected officials for added perspective on their much debated gun control legislation. However, after almost three hours that evoked high emotions and little reconciliation, the only thing clear was that both sides of the gun debate in the Steele City feel that they’re under attack.

For Louis Lepley, superintendent of the North Star School District, attracting and retaining teachers in his rural Somerset County district can be a tall task.

“You can’t blame them, we’re not one of the higher paying districts in the state, and when [teachers] get that experience then we see a lot of them leave,” Lepley said. “And hats off to them--unless they have local ties, there’s a good chance they’re leaving.”

The Office of the Philadelphia City Commissioners announced Tuesday night that they will not decide on a new vendor for voting machines system during their scheduled meeting Wednesday. Instead they will continue negotiations with prospective partners.

All counties in Pennsylvania must procure new voting machines for the 2020 primary elections, following an executive order from Governor Tom Wolf (D), who cited security concerns when issuing the mandate. Philadelphia County set their bid deadline for the end of 2018 to ensure ample time to decide on a vendor and acquire hundreds of new machines.

State Representatives Pam Snyder (D-Greene) and Carl Metzgar (R-Somerset) hope that a series of bills introduced in January will help better protect state corrections officers from inmate violence — and potentially save lives in the process. 

Snyder unveiled three pieces of legislation at the end of January with the goal of protecting corrections officers from violent interactions with inmates. Metzgar also re-introduced a seven-bill package that would place harsher penalties on inmates who assault prison staff.  

Philadelphia City Council’s Committee on Finance passed an amended ordinance Tuesday altering tax exemption eligibility. The measure seeks to offer more homeowners the opportunity to save money by applying to the Longtime Owners Occupant Program by extending deadlines and increasing the cap on total exemptions.