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THURSDAY

Copyright 2015

October 8, 2015

House shoots down Wolf tax plan

All Republicans,
nine Democrats
voted against
governors proposal
BY MARK SCOLFORO
The Associated Press

HARRISBURG Gov. Tom

Wolfs
hopes
of
ending
Pennsylvanias 99-day-old state
budget impasse were dashed
Wednesday when nine of his fellow
Democrats joined all House
Republicans to vote against his
revised plan to raise billions in

income and gas drilling taxes.

The House voted 127-73 against
Wolfs plan to increase the states
personal income tax rate by a half
percentage point and create a new
extraction tax on Marcellus Shale
natural gas production.
Democrats needed more than a
dozen Republican votes, but were
unable to keep on board some moderate members of their own caucus
from western Pennsylvania. Wolf
told reporters he was encouraged
that so many Democrats voted yes.
There is a bipartisan recognition that we have a big problem in
Pennsylvania, Wolf said.
See Budget/Page A8

Frank Burns, D-Johnstown, nay

Retirement System falls

short of returns target

Scott Conklin, D-State College,

yea

BY CHRIS COMISAC

How they voted

How area state representatives
voted Wednesday on Gov. Tom
Wolfs tax plan:

Rich Irvin, R-Huntingdon, nay

John McGinnis, R-Altoona, nay
Tommy Sankey, R-Clearfield,
nay
Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, nay
Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, nay

Capitolwire

HARRISBURG Lost in all the

budget plan hubbub in the state
Capitol was the announcement
Tuesday by the Public School
Employees Retirement System
that it came up significantly
short
of
its
targeted
investment return for the last

CUBS SPOIL BUCS POSTSEASON

fiscal year.
Most of PSERS funding is generated by the returns it realizes
each year from the investment of
the systems assets.
Historically, from 1996 to 2015,
68.6 percent of PSERS total funding comes from investment
returns.
See Target/Page A8

Cambria
petitions
court for
$12M loan
Commissioners
requesting money
to prevent govt
shutdown
BY KELLY CERNETICH
kcernetich@altoonamirror.com

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

edro Alvarez throws his bat in frustration after striking out during the Pirates and Cubs wild
card game on Wednesday in Pittsburgh. The Cubs shut out the Pirates, 4-0, ending the Bucs
season. See coverage of the game starting on Page B1.

The Cambria County commissioners have petitioned its

Common Pleas Court for approval
to take out a six-month $12 million
loan to stave off a government
shutdown.
A copy of the petition filed
Wednesday, obtained by the
Mirror, states that the county has
an unfunded debt in the amount
greater than $12 million caused
by the lack of a state budget.
Without the loan, the county
would be facing an unreasonable
curtailment of services to an
extent endangering the public
health and safety, or the levy of an
excessive tax, the petition states.
See Loan/Page A8

Holocaust survivor shares his story with AAHS students

BY RUSS OREILLY
roreilly@altoonamirror.com

Holocaust survivor David Tuck

shared his experience of surviving in the Auschwitz concentration
camp
with
Altoona
Area High School students
Wednesday.
Tuck added a message to students who are bullied.
He expressed sorrow over news
of youth suicides because of it.
The most important thing is
life, said Tuck, who is in his 90s.
Stay in school, and get an education. With an education, you can
do what you want to do.
See Tuck/Page A6

Left: David Tuck, a

Holocaust survivor, talks
about his experiences during his time in the
Auschwitz concentration
camp in Poland to a group
of Altoona Area High
School students on
Wednesday. Right: Rachael
Piotti, an Altoona Area
sophomore, and other students listen to Tuck during
the presentation in the high
schools auditorium.
Mirror photos by Gary M. Baranec

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