As we recognize Earth Day this week, Veena and I joined our neighbors in Franklin Park for the annual roadside litter cleanup organized by the Environmental Advisory Council. Thank you to the Council members, borough elected leaders and staff, the Franklin Park Police, and all the volunteers for a great event that enhanced the beauty and safety of our community.

Our intern for the spring, Pranjal, did a great job portraying me in a mock committee meeting as part of her class with the Institute of Politics at the University of Pittsburgh. Thank you, Pranjal, for your hard work this semester—I look forward to seeing what you do next!

As we show off Pittsburgh this week for tourists visiting for the NFL Draft, it was great to see Arts Landing open as a new outdoor civic space for our region.

Veena and I had a wonderful time at The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh Gala, supporting this institution’s important work to help medically fragile children and their families. Thank you to the leaders, staff, and volunteers of The Children’s Home for their critical efforts every day to improve the health and well-being of our community.

Several of our local students have recently had major successes in academics, sports, and extracurriculars.

At the International Public Policy Forum in New York, the speech and debate team from the North Allegheny School District placed first out of 332 teams from 39 countries, with junior Sanjeev Arora also receiving the John E. Sexton Award for exceptional performance during the final debate.

Three students from North Allegheny—Connor Chen, Ethan Kuang, and Eric Zhao—ranked first for their respective grades on the MathCon Online Test and will now head to the MathCon National Finals in Chicago.

Over 60 students from North Allegheny placed in the top 10 of their events at the PA Technology Student Association State Conference, including first-place finishes by Arjun Dhaka, Ashish Balaji, and Arjun Sukul in VEX Robotics. You can find the rest of the placing students here.

Ashwin Sudhakar and Matt Kampi from North Allegheny recently won their championship match in WPIAL 3A Boys’ Tennis Doubles, marking the first title for the Tigers since 2016.

Three seniors from North Allegheny’s flag football program—Danika Hogan, Maddie Williams, and Luci Zagacki—have been selected to compete in the PA Big 33 Classic, a premier all-star event to be held in May at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg.

Four North Allegheny students from A.W. Beattie Career Center were recently recognized for their excellence at the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America PA State Conference.

Aaradhya and Pragya Sharma from Marshall Middle School were named winners of the Presidential AI Challenge in the Northeast region and will now travel to Washington, DC, to present their projects. Out of more than 2,500 entries, they are one of only five groups in their age group and division to receive this honor.

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is reminding all students and families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

This allows you to be considered for federal student aid. In addition, states and colleges use FAFSA information to award their own grants, scholarships, and loans.

For first time applicants to a community college, business school, trade or technical school, hospital school of nursing, designated Pennsylvania open-admission institution, or nontransferable two-year program, applications are due by August 1. All other applicants must apply by May 1. You can learn more about FAFSA here.

McCandless will be holding a Community Clean-Up Day on April 25 at 8:30 a.m. at the McCandless Department of Public Works Garage. Supplies, including gloves, bags, safety vests, and snacks, will be provided.

You can RSVP here or by emailing eac@townofmccandless.org. There will be a rain date scheduled for May 9 at 8:30 AM.

Primary Election Day is rapidly approaching! The election is on May 19, and it is important that everyone can have their voices heard at the ballot box. You can register to vote here by May 4, check your registration here, and request a mail-in ballot here by May 12.

Under current Pennsylvania law, you must be a registered Democrat or Republican to vote in that respective party’s primary election. I am proud to support legislation that would let all eligible voters, even those who are not affiliated with a political party, have a say in their government by voting in the primary.

The Governor’s Advisory Commission on Women has launched a new digital survey to gather input from women across Pennsylvania. This survey is part of the Shapiro Administration’s upcoming State of the Woman Report, a comprehensive, data-driven effort to assess the status of women throughout the state.

The survey, which can be found here, will be open through May 30 and will collect insight from Pennsylvania women on their experiences and priorities to better inform the Administration’s policies that impact women. The survey is also available in Spanish and Chinese.

There will also be a statewide listening tour to further engage with the women of Pennsylvania, including a stop in Pittsburgh on May 14.

Finally, please remember that my talented staff can help you with a variety of state-related matters – from filing an application for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program to obtaining a disability placard or senior bus pass, just to name a few. Contact us or stop by to see how we can help!

You can read my e-newsletter in a way that’s most convenient for you by visiting my legislative website here and clicking on the accessibility icon in the lower right corner.

District Office

9800B McKnight Road, Suite 130
Pittsburgh, PA 15237

(412) 348-8028

Pennsylvania State Capitol

101 B East Wing

PO Box 202030

Harrisburg, PA 17120

(717) 772-2363

Unsubscribe from future updates