STATE
Wolf will push for minimum wage hike
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday that passage of a higher minimum wage in Pennsylvania is one of his priorities in the current legislative session.
Wolf said he backs a bill sponsored by Rep. Patty Kim, a Dauphin County Democrat, to boost the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour over two years. He made the comment at an impromptu news briefing at a downtown hotel where he spoke during a closed-door meeting of union leaders sponsored by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.
“A floor on compensation is an important macroeconomic thing,” the Democratic governor said. “It makes the market stronger, makes the free market work better.”
The federal minimum wage has stood at $7.25 an hour since 2009, and President Obama is leading the drive to increase the hourly standard to $10.10.
Babies ‘R’ Us store, company being sued
BEAVER — An attorney is suing a Babies “R” Us store and the New Jersey company that built a dresser which toppled onto two toddlers, killing them in their Western Pennsylvania home last year.
The lawsuit has been filed in Beaver County on behalf of 3-year-old Ryeley Beatty and her 2-year-old sister, Brooklyn.
The lawsuit claims their mother bought the dresser built by Baby Cache Inc. of Piscataway, N.J. from a store in Cranberry in early 2010. The dresser fell on the girls in their Aliquippa home on July 4. Brooklyn died that day and Ryeley two days later.
Poll: Restore statue of Paterno at PSU
HARRISBURG — A poll says Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly want Penn State to put back a statue of ex-football coach Joe Paterno that was removed after Jerry Sandusky’s child molestation conviction.
The Quinnipiac University poll released today said 59 percent to 25 percent favored restoring the statue to a prominent place on campus.
Pennsylvanians also strongly support a recent deal between Penn State and the NCAA that restored 112 wins from Paterno’s later years.
Paterno’s statue outside Beaver Stadium was removed in July 2012.
