Public Administration

Park ranger: Supervisors pushed sequester cuts that visitors would see | Fox News

Tennessee police chief uses polygraph test to weed out racist applicants | Fox News

8 school buses stolen, sold for scrap in Chicago | Fox News

Maryland lawmaker introduces bill after pastry 'gun' suspension | Fox News

Is There a Catch in Receiver Plan? :   The Duquesne School District is about to move into the next step of school district financial recovery under state law as the Secretary of Education has just asked the County Common Pleas Court to appoint the person who has been acting as chief recovery officer to become a receiver under Act 141 as the Duquesne School Board opted to reject the plan to send the remaining students of the District (all of elementary age) to neighboring districts.  That request has been made on a voluntary basis (several have already said they won't) so there is a possibility that a state mandate would come to pass.

Has the Rivers Casino Hit Its Stride? : Much rides on the success of the Rivers casino-a new hockey arena, community projects, and payments to the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. In past Policy Briefs , we have documented the progress of the casino from its tumultuous start.  In its first full year, 2010, we noted that revenues from slot machines fell very short of both the Gaming Board's and the casino's own projections.  Then in 2011, after two full years of slots and one full year of table games, the casino posted stronger gains, although still short of the initial projections.  This Brief looks at the casino's performance in 2012 to see whether it has at long last achieved its original projections.

High Taxed Cities Shows One Surprise :   The website 24/7 Wall Street took a report done by Washington, DC's Office of Revenue Analysis that examined the property, sales, and automobile taxes paid by a hypothetical family of three earning one of two levels of income ($25,000 or $150,000) to see which city had the highest tax burden. 

Big Decision Day for Philly Schools :   While the closing and reuse of Schenley High School has grabbed attention, the school district across the state is going to vote tonight on closing 27 public schools , an action that, if taken, is being described as one of the largest school closing plans in recent history. 

Super Predicts Pension Calamity : 

Big Tax Hike in the Eastern ‘Burbs : Taxpayers in Monroeville, a suburb in the eastern part of Allegheny County and one of the County's largest communities with more than 28,000 residents, are seeing firsthand the change in post-reassessment tax policy established by Act 71, a law passed by the General Assembly in 2005.

Belief in the End of Assessments :   Four years after the state's highest court had the issue of base year assessments before them they said that the base year idea in and of itself was not bad, just that the way Allegheny County applied it violated the uniformity clause of the PA Constitution.  Problems with a base year would arise across the state, but that would happen at different times for different counties.

Bloomberg Worried About Private Jet Owners Using New York City Homeless Shelters | The Weekly Standard

Wilkinsburg settles lawsuits brought by two police officers : Wilkinsburg has agreed to settle, for $35,375, a claim filed by two police officers who sought payment for time spent caring for their dogs.

Pittsburgh officer's January memo alerted police command of fund diversion : Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson ordered a secret credit union account to be shut down after learning of its existence.

Pittsburgh Police Bureau's finance chief claims Harper told her to divert funds : The attorney for Sandra Ganster said his client was instructed to divert tens of thousands of dollars meant for the city.

Allegheny County drafts team to lead courthouse restoration : A team of former officials will oversee the historic courthouse's restoration, a long-deferred project that could cost tens of millions.

Monroeville manager McKinney to recommend hiring Pascarella as permanent police chief : Acting Chief Steven Pascarella was named assistant chief in 2011. He was promoted temporarily following the demotion of Chief Doug Cole.

Allegheny County's airport gas drilling pact with Consol a great deal, lawyer says : An attorney at the Pittsburgh firm Bernstein-Burkley compared the terms of the lease with area standards, and examined council's concerns.

City fire officials settle overtime suit : A lawsuit filed by Pittsburgh Fire Bureau brass against the city which sought more than three years of overtime pay has been settled.

Interim Pittsburgh police chief reassigns units : A detective unit that reported directly to former police Chief Nate Harper has been disbanded and other employees have been reassigned.

Pittsburgh police department: What's next? : Nate Harper was admired as a "cop's cop" when he became chief. But his tenure reveals an operating method that might have led him to doom.

Paramedics set to meet with officials on contract impasse : The head of the medics union said though the union is authorized to strike, it has chosen to proceed with day-to-day operations.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's bodyguards defend debit card use : Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's bodyguards said they followed former police Chief Nate Harper's orders on debit cards and time cards.

Lawyer: Police chief ordered finance manager to divert money : An attorney for the Pittsburgh Police Bureau's finance manager says former Chief Nate Harper told her to divert thousands of dollars into a credit union account. She's talking with federal investigators.

Monroeville votes on new police chief : By a slim margin, Monroeville leaders approve a promotion for the acting chief on a permanent basis. But it remains a point of controversy -- especially their plan to pay for his college education.

Township police chief charged with animal cruelty : The Washington Area Humane Society has seen several cases over the years of animal cruelty, but they say what sets this latest case apart is that the cruelty allegedly came at the hands of a local police chief.

PennDOT takes on storms with football mentality : PennDOT says it has a game plan for snowstorms, just as the Steelers have a game plan for game day.

How will Ravenstahl's decision not to seek re-election affect mayoral race? : How will Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's decision not to seek re-election affect the mayoral race? One political expert says the two remaining candidates must now focus on each other.

Proposed bill will take aim at Port Authority : Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati says the Port Authority needs to be reformed, and he'll bring new legislation to take sole oversight of the public transit agency away from Allegheny County.

Lawmaker seeks Pittsburgh transit agency changes : The top-ranking Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate said Friday he will be pushing to overhaul the governance structure for the mass transit system that serves Pittsburgh and its suburbs.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Could Run Out Of Money In 2015 : PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh Public School officials are concerned about the district’s financial future. Even though the district ended last year with a smaller deficit than expected, it is projected to run out of money in 2015. To cut costs, Superintendent Dr. Linda Lane says they’re reviewing the teachers’ pension plan and looking at other changes. “Pension costs, as you know for school districts around the state, are rising pretty significantly year over year. I know the governor has proposed a possible way of getting to address that,” said Dr. Lane. “We don’t know if that’s going to be successful or not. But that is one of the cost drivers certainly in our budget, as well as that of others.” Gov. Tom Corbett’s pension reform plan calls for a mandatory contribution, similar to a 401K, for new employees and reductions in future benefits for current employees. The plan is controversial, but even if it passes, t...

Parking Enforcement, Permits Could Push Out South Side Businesses

Delmont Mayor Connects With Constituents While Bagging Groceries

Acting City Police Chief Talks Changes, Scandal

Investigators Tipped Off To Possible Misuse Of Funds By Deputy Chief’s Memo « CBS Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Huss steered FBI to police, attorney says | TribLIVE

South Dakota Passes Law to Let School Employees Carry Guns - NYTimes.com

Wozniak’s email tax: Good sense or nonsense? | Berkeleyside

Penn State sues insurer over Sandusky coverage

Ex-PSU counsel’s pension criticized

30 cops' off-duty jobs top $100K each | TribLIVE

Pittsburgh Settles FLSA Overtime Suit By Officers

Calif. City Rolls Out 'Smart911' System - News - POLICE Magazine

Fed Cops Slam 'Dangerous' TSA Knife Policy - News - POLICE Magazine

Can Kevin James Save Los Angeles?

The LAPD Remade

New Anne Arundel Co. Executive Probes Suspicious Cameras In County Council Offices « CBS Baltimore

The Great Ammunition Myth - Charles C. W. Cooke - National Review Online

More sequester pain: White House cancels tours - Washington Times

DHS plans to release 5,000 illegal immigrants due to sequestration | WashingtonExaminer.com

Army Spokesman Reminds Employees and Civilians Not to Criticize Commander in Chief | The Weekly Standard

Airports contradict Janet Napolitano's sequester claim - Telegraph

Obama Issues Order Implementing Sequester - Management - GovExec.com