[naviga:h3]Tourism board announces new rep[/naviga:h3]

Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau has announced Christopher Cole as the new Conference Meeting and Banquet Facilities board representative.

Cole is the director of Student Center & Conference Services at Slippery Rock University. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in Virginia with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology. He went no to the University of Tennessee, where he received a master of science degree in college student personnel, followed by his doctorate in higher education through Nova Southeastern University.

While at SRU, Cole worked in a number of areas, including judicial affairs, fraternity and sorority advising, student organization services, leadership development programs, student life assessment, and the development of a new Student Union. Jack Cohen, the bureau’s president, said Cole’s addition to the group would bring “a wealth of knowledge and experience” to the board.

[naviga:h3]Attendants oppose unrestricted Airmall[/naviga:h3]

IMPERIAL — The Association of Professional Flight Attendants opposes a plan to allow non-flyers to shop at the Airmall at Pittsburgh International Airport. The collection of shops and restaurants, has been off-limits to all but ticketed passengers since extra security was installed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The union wants the Transportation Security Administration to stop the Airmall plan — set to begin Tuesday — calling it “a bad idea.” The attendants say the airport relies on “layered” security and opening the Airmall dangerously removes one layer.

The Allegheny County Airport Authority says Airmall shoppers will have to go through security just like passengers and be checked against the same federal no-fly list.

Having the Airmall accessible to everyone was a major selling point when the airport opened in 1992

[naviga:h3]Light bulb maker to switch to LEDs[/naviga:h3]

ST. MARYS — A Pennsylvania company that’s been making Sylvania light bulbs for 110 years is retaining 200 jobs and adding 20 more by adding state-of-the-art robotics technology to fuel its switch to LED light manufacturing.

Ledvance, based in St. Marys, says LED bulbs are the future of lighting even had the federal government not mandated the switch from incandescent bulbs.

Chief Executive Officer Jes Hansen says LED bulbs “can last up to 22 years and only use a tenth of the electricity old light bulbs used.”

Hansen says the plant about 110 miles northeast of Pittsburgh is “the first to manufacture LEDs in this volume in the United States.”

[naviga:h3]Driller, state drop methane litigation[/naviga:h3]

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania environmental regulators and the state’s most active gas driller have reached a settlement on claims the Texas-based company failed to repair a natural gas well that contaminated groundwater and a stream.

The Department of Environmental Protection had initially pursued a record $8.9 million fine against Range Resources over a methane contamination in Lycoming County.

Settlement documents filed this week do not require Range to pay a penalty, but give the department the right to pursue one in the future. The settlement says Range and the state agency dropped litigation to “focus their limited resources on a technical resolution of the matter.”

The agency said the colorless, odorless gas was detected in private water supplies and a stream following drilling and hydraulic fracturing at a Lycoming County site in 2011.

[naviga:h3]Drilling allowed near national monument[/naviga:h3]

SALT LAKE CITY — Federal land managers said Friday they will allow drilling for publicly owned oil and gas near Dinosaur National Monument in northeastern Utah despite concerns about disrupting the area.

The Bureau of Land Management announced plans to offer drilling rights on about 145 square miles in a December online auction.

The agency cited President Donald Trump’s goal of increasing domestic energy production.

In a news release, officials said energy companies would be required to take steps to protect air and water quality.