PITTSBURGH — Energy companies and barge operators are asking to be taxed to help make much needed improvements to the area's locks and dams.

Officials say government funding to make improvements along the upper Ohio, Monongahela and Allegheny rivers is running out. But companies say making the improvements would help their business by enabling longer tow barges and more efficient movement of resources.

That's why the companies are offering to pay more taxes. But they also want the federal government to handle cost-overruns of infrastructure improvements and all the costs of smaller lock-and-dam projects.

PITTSBURGH — Several school nurses are banding together in Allegheny County to spread the word about the job they do.The Allegheny Certified School Nurse Association began enrolling members at the start of this school year. Members say the group will provide a forum for school nurses to discuss local issues.The group's president, Charity Istone, said the group will be invaluable when issues such as the H1N1 virus come up or other health issues that affect a large group. The nurses also hope to educate people about what school nurses do.

PITTSBURGH — The owner of a troubled downtown Pittsburgh hotel filed for bankruptcy.The former Pittsburgh Hilton Hotel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday in Pittsburgh. The hotel owned by Shubh Hotels Pittsburgh LLC of Boca Raton, Fla., claims in the court filing it has between $10 million and $50 million in assets and between $50 million and $100 million in debts.The high-profile hotel that sits across from the city's iconic Point State Park had been a Hilton until the hotel chain pulled its name from the building last week.