 |
|
|
|
|
Please do not reply directly to this email, as it returns to an unmanned account.
You are welcome to contact me through this link. |
While We Focus on Flood Recovery, We Must Also Demand Flood Prevention Tools
The community is continuing to show up for one another with donations, help with cleanup and more. The road to recovery is a long one, and we need to continue to support our friends and neighbors who lost so much.
For those looking to donate or in need of these supplies, donations are being accepted and distributed at the Westfield Borough Office/Crary Hose Company. As of late last week, the donation center at the Cowanesque Valley High School has been CLOSED. Donations are also being accepted and are available at the Knoxville/Deerfield Fire Department.
As of late last week, needed items included trash cans, totes, fans, tarps, push brooms, toilet paper, paper towels, new towels, new bedsheets, gift cards and rubber boots. No furniture or clothing is being accepted at either location at this time.
While we continue to focus on recovery, we are also putting the pressure on state officials to empower our communities so we can do what we need to do to prevent this level of catastrophic flooding in the future.
We had a great visit with Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and PA Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director Tim Schaeffer last week. They got to see firsthand the damage from this past storm and the need for comprehensive reforms and cutting red tape. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then seeing the damage in person is worth a million.
I’d like to extend special thanks to Sen. Gene Yaw for helping set up the meeting and our agricultural community for speaking their mind openly with them. We will need their advocacy and participation as we work together. Having their boots on the ground is key.
We also welcomed Randy Padfield, executive director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), to tour the damage. He encouraged those impacted by the flood in need of recovery assistance to contact the Pennsylvania Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (PAVOAD), a coalition of local, state, and national volunteer organizations providing aid during disaster recovery, including clean up assistance. PAVOAD has established a Debby-specific website and crisis hotline 1-844-965-1386. For other disaster assistance available, survivors can contact PA 211 by dialing 2-1-1, or 1-855-567-5341.
Finally, I want to again thank everyone who has donated supplies, time or even a shoulder to cry on over the last nearly two weeks. Every act of service is a blessing!
For updates on donations and other flood-related issues, I’ll list these helpful sources again:
|
Game Commission Night: White-Tailed Deer and Habitat
You won’t want to miss this year’s Game Commission Night! This is a great opportunity to learn more about our deer herd and ask questions of PGC staff. This event typically fills up fast, so be sure to reserve your seat by clicking here.
|
Safe Churches Seminars Set
An emergency in your church. It’s not something any of us wants to think about, but now more than ever, it is important to be prepared.
To that end, Northern Pennsylvania Regional College announced it is offering two “Keeping Our Churches Safe” seminars. The events will include tips on how to manage critical incidents and emergencies in our church communities, including “Stop the Bleed” training.
The events are scheduled as follows:
| |
• |
Saturday, Sept. 28, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Tri-Town Volunteer Fire Department, 810 State Route 49, Ulysses. |
| |
• |
Saturday, Nov. 2, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Christ Church Wellsboro, 12880 U.S. Route 6, Wellsboro. |
For additional information, or to register, visit www.NPRCevents.org.
|
PA Vehicle Inspection Rules Unchanged
Rumors have been going around about the Commonwealth doing away with the annual inspection requirement for personal vehicles. These rumors are untrue and likely stem from a recent change to inspection laws in Texas.
That being said, Pennsylvania Sen. Marty Flynn did circulate a co-sponsorship memo in that chamber for a proposal to do away with annual inspections, instead requiring them only when the vehicle is sold or the title is transferred. However, that legislation has never been formally introduced.
Click here to learn more about vehicles inspections in the Commonwealth.
|
Keeping Kids Safe in School
This year’s state budget continues to invest in school safety with $100 million allocated for school safety and mental health grants, as well as $20.7 million for targeted school safety grants, which are provided to nonpublic schools and to municipalities and law enforcement agencies to fund programs to address school violence.
Under the law, each school district that submits an application for a school security and mental health grant will receive a noncompetitive grant of $100,000, plus a proportional amount based on the school district’s percentage of the adjusted average daily membership for all school districts for the most recent year available. Each intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school, regional charter school, or cyber charter school that submits an application will receive a noncompetitive grant of $70,000.
To further boost safety, starting in the upcoming 2024-25 school year, each school entity is required to have one full-time school security personnel with firearms training on duty during the school day.
These initiatives will help ensure our children can focus on learning when they are at school.
|
Slow Down for School Buses
Students are or soon will be returning to class, and that means we will be seeing school buses back on our roads. Motorists, parents and children are encouraged to refresh their memories about how to share the road safely.
Pennsylvania law requires motorists to stop at least 10 feet away from school buses when their red lights are flashing and their stop arm is activated. This applies to motorists when they are behind or traveling alongside a school bus, as well as when meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus has stopped.
Vehicles should remain stopped until the red lights have stopped flashing and the stop arm is withdrawn. Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.
Penalties for failure to obey school bus safety laws can result in a $250 fine, five points on a driving record and a 60-day license suspension. Violators will also be assessed a $35 surcharge to be deposited into the School Bus Safety Grant Program Account.
Parents are reminded to ensure their children are at the bus stop early to avoid rushing. Students should stay where the bus driver can see them while boarding or exiting the bus.
Click here for more information and tips on school bus safety.
|
Attention Hunters: DMAP Permits Now Available
Pennsylvania hunters may now purchase Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits on an array of public and private lands.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is offering 7,000 DMAP permits on 41 game lands encompassing more than 360,000 acres. View PGC’s available DMAP areas here.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is offering 30,328 permits in 101 units totaling more than 1.3 million acres. View DCNR’s available DMAP areas here.
Permits are also available on participating private lands. The goal of the program is to help landowners better manage the deer population and habitat on their properties.
DMAP permits cost $10.97 for Pennsylvania residents and $35.97 for nonresidents. They can be purchased from any license issuing agent or online at www.huntfish.pa.gov. Hunters must identify the DMAP unit number when purchasing a permit.
|
|
|