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Addressing the Status of ASC-ES in Blossburg
Our region was presented with another challenge last week when ASC Engineered Solutions announced plans to move away from its facility in Blossburg, a move that would affect more than 300 employees and their families.
We are doing our best to turn this challenge into an opportunity by looking for another buyer for the facility as soon as possible. We are grateful the leadership at Ward has been accessible and is maintaining open lines of communication with community leaders since the announcement. And I especially want to thank Develop Tioga for its leadership in advocating for the workers and for the future of the business.
Our region has a lot going for it, including a skilled workforce with a strong work ethic. We’ve been through this before and will come together as a community once again to fight to keep good jobs here.
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Snowy Day Read-A-Thon
It is always a blast when I get to share my love of reading with kids. I was so happy to guest read at The Learning Tree of Wellsboro’s read-a-thon to help raise money for this awesome program that gives quality care to children from birth to fourth grade. Thanks to all the staff and teachers who are making a real difference in our students’ lives.
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Grant to Help Expand After-School Programs in Tioga County
I am pleased to announce a $250,000 grant has been awarded to the Tioga County Partnership for Community Health to help expand its after-school programs.
After-school programs are so valuable, especially to working families who need care for their children beyond the standard school day. I applaud the partnership for providing this resource and especially for making good use of this time to help students both academically and emotionally.
The grant will specifically allow the partnership to expand its Community Care Initiative to two additional school districts, serving an additional 120 youth in kindergarten through grade six over the next two years. Funds will be used to staff the program and purchase necessary supplies to serve the students.
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Make Your Voices Heard on Proposed Verizon/Frontier Merger
The fight to ensure reliable telephone and internet service in our region continues!
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has announced it will hold both in-person and telephonic public input hearings on the proposed merger between Frontier and Verizon Communications starting next month.
An in-person hearing is planned in Wellsboro on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. at the Fire Company Annex, 21 East Ave.
I encourage you to consider testifying at this hearing. After years of dealing with poor service from Frontier, it is important to specifically outline our expectations from Verizon for things like services provided, maintenance and enhancement of our communications infrastructure, timelines for repairs, and overall customer service accessibility and responsiveness. Together, we fought for improvements in these areas with Frontier and we do not want to lose that progress!
If you’re unable to participate in the in-person hearing, two telephonic public input hearings will be held on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Participants can call in, toll free, at 866-759-6860 and use PIN Number: 71568747. An additional hearing may be held in Bradford County or Wyoming County as well in March.
Registration to speak at the hearings is encouraged but not required. For information about how to register, click here.
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Continuing Our Human Trafficking Awareness Efforts
While National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month ended last week, our work to stop this horrendous crime will continue.
Thanks to WPEL 96.5 for its commitment to raising awareness among its listeners about the crime. Host Clint Gregory recently aired another segment of our conversation on the subject, focusing on the importance of education and training for the public, law enforcement officers and prosecutors. You can listen to it here.
If you missed the prior segments, you can listen to them here and here.
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Attention Bradford County! Join Us for Game Commission Night Next Month
We are looking forward to hosting our first Game Commission Night in Bradford County, cosponsored with Leroy Sportsman’s Association, on Tuesday, March 8, at the Peppers Auction Barn in Canton. Check out the flyer below for details and be sure to RSVP!
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Governor Outlines Budget Proposal Today
Gov. Josh Shapiro is delivering his 2025-26 state budget address this afternoon before a joint session of the General Assembly.
It’s important to remember the governor’s address is only a starting point for the budget process. After reviewing the budget, the House Appropriations Committee will hold three weeks of public hearings to review the budget line by line with agency leaders. This will be the first opportunity for House Republicans to provide feedback and develop a fiscally responsible plan. At the conclusion of the budget hearings the House will return to session and begin the work of crafting a budget for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Be sure to check out next week’s Community Connection for more information about the proposal.
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Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) is reminding older adults the annual Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs now through March 31. During this time, beneficiaries who currently have a Medicare Advantage plan can switch to a different plan or to original Medicare. Changes to their enrollment will take effect on the first of the month following the month in which they enroll.
Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight (PA MEDI) – the Commonwealth’s Medicare counseling program – is available through the 52 local Area Agencies on Aging to help beneficiaries with Medicare questions. Older adults can receive unbiased, no-cost Medicare assistance from trained PA MEDI counselors who can walk them through their options to assist in making informed health insurance decisions that optimize their cost savings and access to health care and benefits.
Medicare Advantage is a Medicare-approved plan from a private company that offers an alternative to original Medicare for health and drug coverage. These “bundled” plans include Part A Hospital Insurance, Part B Medical Insurance and usually Part D Drug Coverage.
PA MEDI counselors do not sell Medicare insurance products, nor do they endorse any insurance company, product or agent. Counselors will not recommend policies, companies or insurance agents but will provide free, confidential and unbiased personalized assistance.
Contact your local Area Agency on Aging to schedule a personalized counseling session. For more information, call the toll-free PA MEDI Helpline at 1-800-783-7067 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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Marking National School Choice Week
Every child learns differently, and no child should be trapped in a failing school due to his or her ZIP code.
As National School Choice Week draws to a close this Saturday, please know I am committed to ensuring we give every student the best chance for educational success. That means ensuring parents and students have the opportunity to explore tailored approaches to learning, accommodating individual strengths, preferences and pace.
While we continue to advocate for Lifeline Scholarships or similar programs that would direct more state funding to the child rather than to an institution, we also celebrate the $75 million increase in this year’s state budget for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs that have opened doors to educational choice for so many children and families.
School choice should not be an argument about funding. It is about putting students first and providing them with access and opportunities that work for them. When students come first, they flourish.
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Keystone Contractors Association Scholarship Program Accepting Applications
The Keystone Contractors Association Scholarship Program is committed to providing $40,000 in scholarships annually to Pennsylvania residents who are attending Pennsylvania colleges and seeking construction-related degrees.
This scholarship program is open to graduating high school seniors as well as current college students who plan to work in the construction industry.
The deadline to apply for this year’s scholarship program is March 1. For more information, click here.
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Is PA Money Match Heading Your Way?
The Pennsylvania Treasury Department is sending the first batch of PA Money Match letters this week, so keep an eye on your mailboxes to see if you’ll be receiving some unclaimed property!
PA Money Match is a new law, which passed the General Assembly unanimously last year with my support, allowing Treasury to automatically return certain unclaimed property. Eligible properties must be valued at $500 or less and belong to a single owner. Those with eligible properties will receive a letter in the mail to confirm their address, then about 45 days later they’ll receive a check for their property.
Treasurer Stacy Garrity said the first round of PA Money Match has the potential to return over $2 million to more than 8,000 Pennsylvanians.
In total, PA Treasury is working to return more than $4.5 billion in unclaimed property. This money includes things like dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, rebates, insurance payments and more.
Everyone is still encouraged to search PA Treasury’s website regularly for property that may belong to them. The average value of a claim is $1,600, and PA Money Match will not automatically return properties valued above $500 or those that may have more than one owner, such as a dormant joint checking or savings account.
Visit patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property to search anytime and contact my office if you need any help.
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