Join us for apples and pomegranates at Shofar in the Park – Swissvale on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 5:30 p.m. at the Church Street Parklet, located at S. Braddock Avenue and Church Street. People of all backgrounds and faith traditions are welcome to celebrate this New Year event! For more information, please call (412) 708-2734. 

Also on Tuesday, join community members for an informational event hosted by the Greater Valley Coalition for Peace and Justice. The event—taking place at 6:30 p.m. at 300 Holland Ave. in Braddock—will feature guest speakers, community and school district updates, and resource providers. For questions, contact: greatervalleycav@gmail.com.

Duquesne Light showed up at last Wednesday’s meeting at the county courthouse to outline the company’s plans to improve its storm response in the wake of the April 29 storm that left residents without power for days. After listening, I told the company that I believe it needs to be more responsive to customers who are older, have mobility problems, or are medically frail. Click on the link or image above to hear my comments from the meeting.

Restoring power quickly can be a matter of life or death for some residents. Click on the image above or visit this page to hear more from the meeting. You can also read more here. E-mail the office at RepSalisbury@pahouse.net for the apple pie recipe featured in the news stories. ?? 

If you work or volunteer for a nonprofit organization, you won’t want to miss my third annual Nonprofit Symposium. This event will feature expert-led sessions on maximizing funding, developing a small-donor program, accessing state grants, and other key topics. The symposium will take place on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers PA Local 9, located at 100 Kingston Drive in Wilkins Township.

Registration is required and can be completed here. If you have questions or need help registering, call the office at (412) 273-3400 or email RepSalisbury@pahouse.net.

I have arranged for a second round of scholarships to help eligible District 34 residents in low-income census tracts sharpen their grant-writing and nonprofit management skills. To determine whether you qualify, visit this page and use the search tool to enter your address. If it falls within a green zone designated as a low-income census tract, you are eligible to apply. Contact Krishna Patel, at patelk.hea@gmail.com to apply by the Oct. 15 deadline.

Please join me, Humane Action Pennsylvania, and other community members for the next Swissvale Pollinator Garden Volunteer Day on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. to noon. The park is located at 7702 Edgewood Ave. in Swissvale (between Lucci’s Collision Center and Arby’s). I hope to see you there!

We look forward to being part of the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf’s annual Community Block Party on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 1 to 4 p.m. We will have a table with resources and publications for seniors, veterans, and children. The event will be held at 300 E. Swissvale Ave. in Edgewood.

Residents of the Edgewood Retirement Residence: Stop by our mobile office on Thursday, Sept. 25, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. for assistance with filing a Property Tax/Rent Rebate application, obtaining a senior bus pass, and accessing other state services!

Congratulations to longtime resident Darrell Rapp, who was selected for a seat on the WPJWA’s Community Advisory Council. An experienced mechanical engineer and former member of the Swissvale Borough Council, Darrell is pictured above with CAC member Chavaysha Chaney of Upstream Pittsburgh.

Our staffer Leslie Smith read to students at Penn Hills Elementary School during America250PA’s Keystone Classroom Initiative. This storytelling and visitation program for pre-K through fourth grade classrooms, children’s hospitals, and youth camps educates kids about our shared Pennsylvania story. You can learn more about America250PA here.

In related news, America250PA will be awarding $250,000 in scholarships to Pennsylvania students attending Pennsylvania colleges and universities in the 2026-27 academic school year.  You can read more and apply here.

Help the young people in your life learn more about the historic Tuskegee Airmen at Aim High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen, an interactive exhibit that recently opened at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Created with Hosanna House, the exhibit offers hands-on displays, including the Cockpit Flight Trainer, a Land the Plane Maze game, and more.

Help the young people in your life learn more about the historic Tuskegee Airmen at Aim High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen, an interactive exhibit that recently opened at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Created with Hosanna House, the exhibit offers hands-on displays, including the Cockpit Flight Trainer, a Land the Plane Maze game, and more.

Our office met with Sen. Pisciottano’s office, Friends of the Riverfront, and Braddock Borough Manager Lou Ransom to tour the Braddock Launch (also known as “Braddock Beach”) and learn about plans to make the area more accessible for the community, providing improved access to the Mon at the end of 11th Street for fishing, boating, and other activities.

I was delighted to congratulate Forest Hills Mayor Frank Porco on receiving the Pennsylvania State Mayors’ Association ‘Mayor of the Year’ award. It’s a well-deserved honor for a local official who does so much to improve life in his community and across the region. Great job, Mayor!

Sen. Jay Costa and I were excited to join other local elected officials, librarians,  community partners, and school district representatives for the groundbreaking ceremony for major renovations to the Swissvale Library. You can hear more here.

Our district officer director, Aaron, attended C.C. Mellor Memorial Library’s Adopt a Book, which brought the community out to support this wonderful community resource.

Pennie – Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace – is warning that costs are expected to rise significantly for enrollees in 2026 unless Congress votes to extend certain health insurance tax credits that are scheduled to expire. Visit this page to read more and this page for a calculator that can estimate your 2026 payments.

Pennie will provide more information in the weeks leading up to Open Enrollment, which begins Nov. 1 and offers an opportunity to switch to a different plan that may better fit your budget.