PA Headlines | July 27 | Arts Funding Boosted in New State Budget

During the recent legislative session, House and Senate members failed to pass a statewide school cellphone ban in the recently enacted budget, but they are getting students off screens another way. Among the items that are included in the budget is a boost in funding for the arts in Pennsylvania. The additional one million dollars is the first increase in arts funding in 16 years.Dickinson College in Carlisle is offering undergraduate students the opportunity to study the nuances of artificial intelligence.  On a recent edition of WITF's The Spark, John McCormick, founder of Dickinson's New Deep Network Understanding Lab, gave an example of the types of detail students will study via the hands-on experience.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is abandoning its plan to use two rural Pennsylvania warehouses to hold thousands of detainees. Applications will soon be accepted for funding to help nonprofit and faith-based organizations in Pennsylvania strengthen security and prevent hate crimes. A total of ten million dollars is available through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Pennsylvanians can now nominate their favorite trail for the 2027 trail of the year, but the deadline is quickly approaching. The commonwealth is home to more than 14-thousand miles of trails. To be considered, a nomination form and supporting documentation must be submitted online by July 31st. In uncertain times, our community counts on facts, not noise. Support the journalism and programming that keep you informed. Donate now at www.witf.org/givenow. And thank you.