Westmoreland County Airport Authority Seeks $5M For Arnold Palmer Growth

Speaking to Westmoreland County Airport Authority members on Tuesday, state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, recalled an event during which she ran into a representative of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, who said the region doesn’t have room for two major airports.

“I told him, ‘Go ahead and close down,’ ” she said, laughing.

She and her chief of staff, Rob Ritson, attended a meeting at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity because the authority wrote her office a letter in October requesting $5 million as a line item in the state transportation budget.

The authority wants the funding to aid a large-scale, $7 million project to expand the terminal building and a $15 million project to strengthen and widen the runway, said board member Don Rossi, finance committee chairman.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/westmoreland/7335287-74/airport-authority-million#ixzz3LYhY67Xl
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Tax Baseline Set For Lancaster CRIZ Program

After gathering tax information from business owners this summer, Lancaster now has a starting point for for a program it hopes will jump-start downtown development.

Known as the CRIZ for short, the City Revitalization & Improvement Zone program will allow Lancaster to redirect some state and local tax money toward redevelopment within the zone’s boundaries.

Lancaster identified 736 businesses in its CRIZ. All of them were required to file CRIZ tax reports by June 15.

Just under half did so: 366, to be exact, according to the state Department of Revenue.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/tax-baseline-set-for-lancaster-criz-program/article_adf6ae9c-80c2-11e4-a79f-97b4bba5b725.html

Labor Department: Marcellus Shale Contractors Owe $4.5 Million In Back Wages

Contractors involved in natural gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania and West Virginia must pay nearly $4.5 million in back wages to more than 5,000 workers, following a two-year U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

“An ongoing multi-year enforcement initiative conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division offices in Wilkes-Barre and Pittsburgh from 2012 to 2014 found significant violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which resulted in employers agreeing to pay $4,498,547 in back wages to 5,310 employees,” read a Labor Department statement released on Tuesday.

“It’s part of an ongoing initiative, a multi-year initiative,” said Labor Department spokeswoman Leni Fortson of the Philadelphia office. “These are the findings from the first three years.”

A list of the violating companies can be found attached to this story at http://www.timesleader.com.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news-news/50834414/Labor-Department:-Contractors-owe-millions-in-back-wages

Cupcake Bowl Saturday, December 27 At SteelStacks

Cupcake Bowl

Saturday, December 27 · view days & times
Venue: ArtsQuest Center
Price: AQ Members $25 / Public $30 on sale · buy tickets

Sample sensational cupcakes prepared by the region’s finest bakeries!

Local bakeries and caterers will serve up scrumptious homemade cupcakes in an effort to win the title of Best Cupcake!

Attendees will sample all the delicious confections and then cast their vote to determine the People’s Choice winner, while a panel of judges will determine the winners for Best Frosting, Best Cake, Best Decoration and Best Overall Taste.

All proceeds from the event support ArtsQuest’s Arts Education Programming Fund which provides quality arts and educational programs and experiences for students from throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Participating Bakeries

• Iron Lakes Country Club
• Lehigh Catering
• Trixie’s Treats
• Kyms Creations Bakery
• Amy’s Sweets and Treats
• The Pirate Cupcake Truck
• Delightful Designs, LLC
• Erika’s Delicious Sweets
• The Bakery Nook

If your restaurant/catering business is interested in participating in the event contact Samantha Kulp at skulp@artsquest.org or 610-332-1365.

SCHEDULE

Saturday, December 27, 2014 @ 12:30 PM

VENUE INFORMATION

ArtsQuest Center
Musikfest Café presented by Yuengling
101 Founders Way
Bethlehem, PA 18015
610-297-7100
map & directions

• View the full calendar of events