Jon Andreassi
Staff writer
Search efforts are ongoing for a Morris Township man who went missing Thursday.
Shane Allen Phillips, 65, went fishing at Wisecarver Reservoir in Franklin Township sometime between 4 and 5 p.m. Thursday. Rebecca Phillips, his daughter, said her father went fishing at the reservoir a few nights a week.
“My mother became alarmed whenever darkness fell and he had not returned home,” Rebecca Phillips said Monday. “So then she drove out to the Wisecarver dam and located his truck parked in the location that it often was, and then they found his kayak floating in the water, without him.”
State police have been assisting in search efforts. On Friday, she said a dive team used sonar to search the water, and police also brought in cadaver dogs.
The family organized a search party Sunday. Police were back out on Monday canvassing the area with drones and a helicopter.
“He has not been located at this time,” Rebecca said Monday afternoon.
According to Rebecca, they have also been unable to locate Shane’s cellphone, which she said he always kept on a belt loop.
“We believe his cellphone is with him. It went straight to voicemail. It has anytime we’ve tried to call his phone since then,” Rebecca said.
Rebecca said her father is healthy and not taking any medication. He is a lifetime resident of Greene County.
“He had a cattle farm. He enjoyed fishing, kayaking, hunting – anything outdoors,” Rebecca said. “We’re just constantly thinking of other ways to search for him. We just want to find my dad.”
Bands marching down main streets in big parades, burgers sizzling on the grill, a whiff of suntan lotion at the local pool – that’s Memorial Day weekend. This Memorial Day weekend, area pools welcome back swimmers, sunbathers and guests of all ages for sliding, swimming, diving (but no dunking!) and concessions. Grab a towel and double-check your local pool’s hours, or head to a new-to-you gem of entertainment.
Just don’t forget your sunblock!
Canonsburg Town Park Pool
1 VFW 191 Dr.
Canonsburg
Expect extra fun in the sun all summer long, as Canonsburg Town Park celebrates its 100th anniversary at the pool Memorial Day Weekend through end of summer.
The pool, which features two diving boards, an iconic fountain and baby pool, will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 27, through Monday, May 29. Veterans with proper photo ID swim free all Memorial Day weekend long.
Town Park Pool closes May 30 through June 1, but reopens for the last day of school June 2 from 1 to 7 p.m.
Regular pool hours begin Saturday, June 3. Folks are welcome to enjoy the pool and its amenities from noon to 6 p.m. daily through the end of the season.
Night swims – some featuring live music – will be held weekly from 7 to 9 p.m.
Daily admission is $8, and season passes are available for purchase.
To reach the pool during swimming hours, call 724-745-0963
For the latest on Town Park Pool and the surrounding park, visit https://www.facebook.com/people/Canonsburg-Park-Recreation/100063473174008/.
Washington Park Pool
283 Dunn Ave.
Washington
Water started filling the Washington Park Pool early this week, and as long as everything goes according to plan, the pool will be open for diving, sliding and general summer fun from noon to 6 p.m. Memorial Day, Monday, May 29.
The pool closes for the week and will reopen for the season Saturday, June 3. It will be open daily from noon to 6 p.m. starting June 3 through the rest of the season.
Daily admission for city residents is $6 or $7 for non-residents.
Season passes are available for purchase.
For park and pool updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/thewashingtonpark/. To reach the park office, dial 724-228-2812.
Carmichaels Pool
355 Ceylon Road
Carmichaels
Carmichaels Pool and its funky splash pad welcomes swimmers, sunbathers and guests of all ages beginning June 3. The pool is open daily from noon to 6 p.m. all summer long.
Daily admission for children ages 1 through 17 and seniors ages 62 and older is $8. Cost of daily admission for adults 18 and older is $10.
Family and individual season passes are available for purchase. Carmichaels Pool also offers a 10-punch pass, priced at $40 for children and seniors and $60 for adults.
Greene County Water Park
200 East Roy Furman Highway
Waynesburg
The splashing starts June 3, when the Greene County Water Park officially opens for the season. The pool will be open daily from noon to 6 p.m., when people are invited to twist their way down the red slide or enjoy concessions.
Daily admission is $8 for children ages 1 to 17. A daily ticket for adults 18 and older costs $10, and $8 for seniors aged 62 and older.
Individual and family season passes are available, along with a 10-punch pool pass. The 10-punch pass costs $60 for children and seniors and $80 for adults.
Mon View Pool
377 Stoney Hill Road
Greensboro
Sparkling water and the iconic big red slide invite guests to the Mon View Pool opening day, Saturday, June 3.
The pool will be open daily from noon to 6 p.m. through the end of the summer.
Children ages 1 through 17 and seniors 62 and older can purchase a day pass at the gate for $8. Daily admission for adults 18 and older is $10.
Ten-punch passes are available at $40 for children and seniors and $60 for adults. Individual and family season passes are also available for purchase.
For more information on any of the three above Greene County public pools, visit https://www.co.greene.pa.us/pools or call 724-852-5323.
Ryerson Station State Park Pool
361 Bristoria Road
Graysville
The recently renovated pool and splash pad opens on a limited schedule Saturday, May 27, when folks are invited to enjoy the water from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The spray park will remain open daily, weather permitting, through the summer, while the pool will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays until further notice. When the pool is open, hours are 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
For Ryerson Station State Park pool hours, or more information, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/ryersonstation.
Franklin Township Community Pool
115 Warchol Road
Vanderbilt
Beginning Saturday, May 27, the pool, which boasts a double slide and colorful water features, will be open for the season. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. daily excepting May 30 through June 2, when the pool is open limited hours of 4 to 8 p.m.
Starting June 3, regular hours resume and folks are welcome to swim from noon to 8 p.m. daily, weather permitting, through the end of the season.
Admission is $10 at the gate for patrons ages 5 and older. Kids 4 and under swim free.
Season passes are also available for purchase, at $110 per person for the season.
For the latest on the Franklin Township Community Pool, or for more information, visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/people/Franklin-Township-Community-Park/100057561395587/ or call 724-529-0318.
Community and Recreation Center at Boyce Mayview Park
1571 Mayview Road
Upper St. Clair
The indoor pool at Boyce Mayview Park is open year-round, but summer fun at the outdoor pool begins Memorial Day weekend, when the pool and splash pad open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 27.
The pool will remain open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through the end of summer, with the exception of holidays.
On holidays, including Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, the Fourth of July and Labor Day, outdoor pool hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Daily admission is open to C&RC members and their guests, with a limited number of daily passes available for non-members.
Non-members must reserve pool time in advance. The pool is open to non-members Monday through Friday only.
For more information on swimming at Boyce Mayview Park, visit https://www.twpusc.org/departments/recreation_and_leisure_services/community___recreation_center/about/plan_your_visit.php or call 412-221-1099.
Dormont Pool
1801 Dormont Ave.
Pittsburgh
The Dormont Pool opens Saturday, May 27, under new management: the borough itself.
Folks are invited to kick off the swimming season May 27 from noon to 8 p.m. Memorial Day hours are tentatively scheduled for noon to 5 p.m., and Keystone Oaks School District residents with proof of residency swim free.
This season’s pool hours are as follow:
Weekends/non school year: Noon to 8 p.m. daily
Weekdays May 30 through June 9 and Aug. 19 through Sept. 1: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Fourth of July: Noon to 5 p.m.
Labor Day: Noon to 3 p.m.
The pool will be closed Monday, June 5, July 10 and Aug. 7.
Admission is one flat rate of $8. Children 3 and under swim free.
Season passes are available for individuals and families.
For more information, visit http://boro.dormont.pa.us/dormont-pool/. You may also call the pool during pool hours at 412-341-7210 or the office, regarding pool passes, during office hours at 412-561-8900.
Mt. Lebanon Swim Center
900 Cedar Blvd.
Pittsburgh
Dive into summertime at Mt. Lebanon Swim Center on opening day Saturday, May 27, from noon to 7 p.m. The pool and its amenities, like the poolside rock climbing wall, is open from noon to 7 p.m. all long weekend long, including Memorial Day.
Hours vary until the school year ends; beginning June 8, the pool is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily, with lap swim open 11 to noon on select days.
Until June 8, pool hours are:
May 27-29: Noon to 7 p.m.
May 30 through June 2: 4 to 7 p.m.
June 3 and 4: Noon to 7 p.m.
June 5 through 7: 4 to 7 p.m.
Day passes are available for purchase at the gate for $9 for children ages 3 through 18. Daily admission is $10 for adults 19 and older, and $9 for seniors 62 and older. Kids 2 and under swim free.
Swim Center memberships (season passes) are still available for individuals and families, including non-residents.
For more on the Swim Center, go to https://www.mtlebanon.org/366/Swim-Center or dial either 412-343-3409 or 412-561-4363.
Scott Pool
Park Drive
Carnegie
Scott Township’s swim season starts Memorial Day weekend, with the pool open from noon to 6 p.m. May 27, 28 and 29.
Modified pool hours begin May 30. From May 30 to June 2, the pool is open from 4 to 8 p.m.
Regular hours are tentatively set to begin June 5, and are as follows:
Monday and Friday: 1 to 6 p.m.; family swim from 6 to 9 p.m. starting June 12
Tuesday through Thursday: Noon to 8 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and holidays: Noon to 6 p.m.
Senior swim/adult lap swim runs from Noon to 1 p.m. every Monday and Friday, and from 11 a.m. to noon every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
The pool offers special needs swim on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11 a.m. to noon.
Admission is open to all Scott Township, Bridgeville, Carnegie, Collier, Heidelberg, South Fayette and Upper St. Clair residents with proof of residency. Those who live in other communities are welcome to purchase daily admission to the pool, or come as a guest of a Scott Township resident.
Admission rates for the summer of 2023 are:
Scott Township Resident Adult: $9
Scott Township Children (under 18): $7
Scott Township Seniors: $5
Scott Township Military/Veteran: $5
Non-Scott Township Resident Adult: $14
Non-Scott Township Resident Children (under 18): $10
Non-Scott Township Seniors: $10
Non-Scott Township Military/Veteran: $10
Season pool passes are also available for purchase.
For more information, visit https://scott-twp.com/park-pool/pool/ or call the pool at 412-279-0633.
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy declared they had a productive debt ceiling discussion late Monday at the White House, but there was no agreement and neither side appeared to be giving ground as Washington strained to raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default.
It’s a crucial moment for the Democratic president and the Republican speaker, just 10 days before a looming deadline to raise the debt limit.
As soon as June 1, Treasury Secretary Janel Yellen, said in a letter to Congress, “it is highly likely” the government will be unable to pay all the nation’s bills. Such an unprecedented default would be financially damaging for many Americans and others around the world relying on U.S. stability, sending shockwaves through the global economy.
Both sides praised the other’s seriousness, but basic differences remained. A prime example is how to trim annual budget deficits. Biden wants to increase some taxes on the wealthiest Americans and some big companies, but McCarthy will have none of that.
The speaker said Republicans are determined to cut spending while Biden wants to increase it.
“That has got to stop, and it’s got to end now,” McCarthy after the Oval Office meeting.
In a brief post-meeting statement, Biden called the session productive but merely added that he, McCarthy and their lead negotiators “will continue to discuss the path forward.” McCarthy said their teams would work “through the night.”
Biden said all agreed that “default is not really on the table.”
Though there is no agreement on basic issues, the contours of a deal are seem within reach. Negotiations have narrowed on a 2024 budget year cap that would be key to resolving the standoff. Republicans have insisted next year’s spending cannot be more than 2023 levels, but the White House instead offered to hold spending flat at current numbers.
A budget deal would unlock a separate vote to lift the debt ceiling, now $31 trillion, to allow more borrowing.
Time is growing short. The House speaker promised lawmakers he will abide by the rule to post any bill for 72 hours before voting, making any action doubtful until the end of the week – just days before the potential deadline. The Senate would also have to pass the package before it could go to Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
After a weekend of start-stop talks, both Biden and McCarthy have declared a need to close out a compromise deal. U.S. financial markets turned down last week after negotiations paused amid a jittery economy.
Biden and McCarthy spoke by phone Sunday while the president was returning home on Air Force One after the Group of Seven summit in Japan.
Biden used his concluding news conference in Hiroshima, Japan, to say he had done his part by agreeing to spending cuts and to warn, “It’s time for Republicans to accept that there is no deal to be made solely, solely, on their partisan terms.”
“Now it’s time for the other side to move from their extreme position,” he said.
The call between the two revived talks, and negotiators met for 2 1/2 hours at the Capitol late Sunday evening, saying little as they left.
“We’ll keep working,” said Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president, as the White House team exited talks late Sunday.
Negotiators for the White House were back at it again for nearly three hours Monday morning with McCarthy’s team at the Capitol ahead of the session at the White House.
But McCarthy continued to blame Biden for having refused to engage earlier on annual federal spending, a separate issue but linked to the nation’s debt.
GOP lawmakers have been holding tight to demands for sharper spending cuts with caps on future spending, rejecting the alternatives proposed by the White House that call for reducing deficits in part with new revenue from taxes.
McCarthy has insisted personally in his conversations with Biden that tax hikes are off the table
Republicans want to roll back next year’s spending to 2022 levels, but the White House has proposed keeping 2024 the same as it is now, in the 2023 budget year. Republicans initially sought to impose spending caps for 10 years, though the latest proposal narrowed that to about six. The White House wants a two-year budget deal.
A compromise on those topline spending levels would enable McCarthy to deliver for conservatives, while not being so severe that it would chase off the Democratic votes that would be needed in the divided Congress to pass any bill.
Republicans also want work requirements on the Medicaid health care program, though the Biden administration has countered that millions of people could lose coverage. The GOP additionally introduced new cuts to food aid by restricting states’ ability to waive work requirements in places with high joblessness. But Democrats have said any changes to work requirements for government aid recipients are nonstarters.
GOP lawmakers are also seeking cuts in IRS money and, by sparing Defense and Veterans accounts from reductions, would shift the bulk of spending reductions to other federal programs.
The White House has countered by keeping defense and nondefense spending flat next year, which would save $90 billion in the 2024 budget year and $1 trillion over 10 years.
All sides have been eyeing the potential for the package to include a framework to ease federal regulations and speed energy project developments. They are all but certain to claw back some $30 billion in unspent COVID-19 funds now that the pandemic emergency has officially lifted.
For months, Biden had refused to engage in talks over the debt limit, contending that Republicans in Congress were trying to use the borrowing limit vote as leverage to extract administration concessions on other policy priorities.
But with June nearing and Republicans putting their own spending legislation on the table, the White House launched talks on a budget deal that could accompany an increase in the debt limit.
McCarthy faces a hard-right flank that is likely to reject any deal, which has led some Democrats encouraging Biden to resist any compromise with the Republicans and simply raise the debt ceiling on his own to avoid default.
The president, though, said he was ruling out the possibility, for now, of invoking the 14th Amendment as a solution, saying it’s an “unresolved” legal question that would become tied up in the courts.