STATE
PITTSBURGH — Robert Morris University is ensuring qualified veterans will get free tuition.
Under the GI Bill, veterans and other qualified military personnel are entitled to a benefit equal to the most expensive public campus tuition.
That's about $13,000 at Penn State University. Tuition at Robert Morris is $19,190.
To cover the rest, Robert Morris said it will take part in the federal government's Yellow Ribbon Program, which allows schools and the government to split the tuition beyond the public cap.
School President Greg Dell'Omo estimates the university will pay about $3,000 a year per veteran.
HARRISBURG — The public has a new way to submit tips about the improper or unsafe use of Pennsylvania's state-owned vehicles.The Department of General Services on Friday announced the new complaint system. It said tips should provide specific detail.Complaints should describe the type of misuse as well as when and where it occurs. The state is also asking for license plate numbers and descriptions of the vehicles.The phone number is 877-347-9966. People using the Web site should go to www.dgs.state.pa.us and then click on the link to report unsafe driving and improper use of a state vehicle.
IMPERIAL — The authority that runs the Pittsburgh International Airport wants to borrow up to $20 million to further reduce airline fees to stay competitive.The Allegheny County Airport Authority is arranging to borrow the money from PNC Bank Association and repay it with state gambling proceeds within the next five years.The authority already reduced airline fees once this year, and CFO Jim Gill said further reductions will help the airport stay competitive in tough economic times.He said the airport's average cost per passenger of $15.80 is high for medium-sized airports. The authority wants to reduce that to $13.40.
HARRISBURG — The number of Pennsylvania homeowners falling behind on mortgages dropped nearly 11 percent from December to January.RealtyTrac said efforts by lenders and government agencies to stem foreclosures appear to be keeping the numbers down.However, the figures from RealtyTrac show more than twice as many homes were going into foreclosure last month compared to January 2008.Nationally, the foreclosure rate number dropped nearly 10 percent from December to January.The foreclosure rate in Pennsylvania remains about one-third the national rate, with about one in nearly 1,500 households receiving a foreclosure filing in January.
PITTSBURGH — Surgeons at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh said they successfully separated conjoined twins from Cleveland.The surgery was in December and numerous procedures have been done since. The hospital said the twins are doing fine.The hospital scheduled a news conference Monday to discuss further details. The twins and their mother will be on hand.
