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Prison Closure Process Criticized

As the Department of Corrections moves forward with plans to close two prisons in western Pennsylvania, what many described as a “hasty” process was put under the microscope at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. 

“We were planning in-house to try to do it in the best manner, but there really isn’t a playbook, and the way that the staff found out – primarily by TV – is just inappropriate,” Corrections Secretary John Wetzel acknowledged to the committee.  “That’s my responsibility.” 

Earlier this month, Wetzel’s department announced that SCI Cresson and SCI Greensburg are scheduled to close by June 30th.  These aging facilities would be replaced by SCI Benner in Centre County. 

But the decision blindsided the 800 employees at those two facilities.  “You’re asking people to move their entire lives, and to make a big change, and you’re giving them – I don’t know – 11-days to make a decision,” lamented Senator Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), who believes the workers are being treated terribly.   

More than 560-positions will be available at SCI Benner.  Wetzel says the balance of interested employees will be given the opportunity to transfer elsewhere in the state prison system. 

“I suggest that we delay these shutdowns, for at least a year, until we can get everybody in position,” Senator Jim Brewster (D-Westmoreland) said to a rare smattering of applause in the Senate hearing room.   

But delays too would have their own negative consequences, according to Secretary Wetzel, who points out the decisions is scheduled to save the state $23-million dollars a year starting with the new state budget.

Christman Blog: The JoePa Legacy Question

Today marks one year since the death of Joe Paterno. At any other time in his tenure at Penn State, Paterno’s death and the subsequent anniversaries would be cause for overwhelming demonstrations of love, grief and a remembrance of Penn State football glory.

January of 2012, however, was like no other time in the history of Penn State University. Former Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky was in a prison cell awaiting trial on unspeakable crimes; Paterno had been unceremoniously fired two months prior; and school trustees and other officials were scrambling to save any scrap of their former reputations. It was against this backdrop that Joseph Vincent Paterno slipped away in a hospital room on January 22, 2012.

It will be argued for decades whether or not Paterno received a fair shake in the days after Sandusky was charged, and then in the subsequent Freeh Report which named him – along with Graham Spanier, Tim Curley & Gary Schultz – as a prime culprit in an alleged conspiracy to sweep the Sandusky matter under the rug. The three surviving members of that quartet have yet to see their day in court. For Joe Paterno, no such day will come.

The Freeh Report included email chains between Spanier, Curley and Schultz, but no such emails from Paterno were found among the evidence laid out by the former FBI Director and his team. That’s because Joe didn’t use email. He had no smart phone, didn’t text and didn’t utilize social media like Twitter, which he once irreverently referred to as “Tweetlety Doo.” As such, there’s no electronic trail of Paterno’s role – or lack thereof – in the discussions that did take place behind closed doors in the Penn State athletic department from 1998 through 2011. One basic fact is often overlooked though: in this Keystone Cops version of an administration under former President Graham Spanier, Joe Paterno is the one person who did report the Sandusky allegations through the proper university channels.

For Paterno fans, there is that much. To sustain credibility, however, those same fans will have to admit that Joe let many people down when he did not follow up after seeing that no action was taken against Sandusky following his reporting the matter to Tim Curley. Let down most of all, the children who Sandusky continued to exploit and abuse. Even Joe knew that he didn’t do enough, saying he wished he had “done more.” That is why the Paterno legacy will remain tainted and why the first anniversary of his passing is met with a confusing and controversial multi-level of sadness among objective followers.

In the coming year, we’ll see more trials, more testimony and more finger pointing. We’ll hear others tell us what Joe Paterno did or didn’t know, and what he did or didn’t do over the now-scrutinized final decade-and-a-half of his 61-year tenure at Penn State. Paterno himself, though, is not here to confirm or deny anything we’ll hear from the mouths of defendants and attorneys who will be trying any tactic they can muster to keep their clients out of prison. Joe cannot take the stand, and without his direct testimony, his place in history will be forever debated.

 

(Brad Christman is the News Director of Radio Pennsylvania)

 

Agencies Working to Keep Vaccine, Flu Meds Available

Influenza hospitalization rates have increased sharply for people age 65 and older this month according to CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden.  He says the elderly tend to be more vulnerable to complications.

The CDC is recommending older Americans and anyone with medical conditions that put them at a higher risk seek anti-viral medications within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Dr. Frieden says the drugs are effective is helping to avoid serious complications from the flu.

Dr. Frieden says people who have not been vaccinated should still consider a flu shot.  He says there have been spot shortages, but there is still vaccine available. He says the original projection was that 135 million doses would be needed for the season. Not all doses have been used and manufacturers have about 10 million more doses- a total of 145 million- for the season.  People who are having trouble finding a place to get vaccinated can check availability on line.

The rate of treatment with anti-viral medications has been lower than expected.  The Food and Drug Administration is working to make sure medicine is available for all who need it.

Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg says some temporary spot shortages have been reported of the liquid suspension of Tamiflu for children. The administration is taking steps to get more doses of a capsule for adults on the market.  It can also be reformulated for children if needed.  The manufacturer has been cleared to release it in outdated packaging and pharmacists are being notified that some instructions to not up to date.

Corbett to Unveil Transportation Plan Soon

As Governor Tom Corbett preps to unveil his transportation funding plan, House Democrats have already introduced a series of related bills.  They reflect the recommendations of the Governor’s Transportation Funding Advisory Committee, which released its report in August 2011.  Some of the funding streams it outlined as ways to help close the $3.5-billion dollar annual gap include: uncapping the oil company franchise tax and indexing vehicle & driver fees to inflation. 

House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny) tells Radio PA that Pennsylvanians are willing to invest in their transportation infrastructure.  “They’ll pay a little bit more knowing that it is going to improve roads and bridges and transit – make them safer – and put their families and neighbors to work again.”

Dermody says the governor needs to step up and lead on this issue, and lawmakers will get to work from there. 

One lawmaker that’s been working behind the scenes with the Corbett administration for weeks is State Senator John Rafferty (R-Montgomery), chairman of the Transportation Committee.  “The Senate will be very assertive this year in transportation funding,” Rafferty says, noting that he has legislation that’s almost ready to be introduced. 

Meanwhile, Governor Corbett has publicly said he will introduce a transportation funding plan before his February 5th budget address, meaning some much anticipated news will be made within the next two weeks.

State Food Purchase Program Turns 30

Created in 1983, and written into law ten years later, the State Food Purchase Program helps food banks feed the state’s hungriest families.  However, the 30-year anniversary is one that Hunger-Free Pennsylvania Executive Director Sheila Christopher would prefer not to mark.  “We would rather be standing her marking the end of SFPP, a sign that hunger is no longer a problem in Pennsylvania,” she told a crowd of anti-hunger advocates in the state capitol rotunda.  “Sadly that’s not the case.”

Amid the muted celebration, the group honored the four sitting lawmakers who were among the bill’s original co-sponsors 20-years ago: Sam Smith (R-Jefferson), David Argall (R-Schuylkill), Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster) and Tom Caltagirone (D-Berks). 

These cupcakes have since been delivered to state lawmakers and key members of the administration.

These cupcakes have since been delivered to state lawmakers and key members of the administration.

For the scores of younger lawmakers who don’t have such a long history with the SFPP, Christopher and others delivered each of them a cupcake and an information card.  “We certainly would hope they would recognize the importance of this program.  It’s not going away, unfortunately, so let’s get our people fed,” she tells us. 

SFPP funding has been slowly eroding. While demand for the program has increased over the past five years, support has been cut back from $18.75-million to $17.34-million.  Christopher says they’d need $24-million just to keep up with food inflation, let alone the additional requests for assistance.

“Nearly 1.4-million Pennsylvanians are at risk for hunger in one of the most productive agricultural states in the northeast,” state Agriculture Secretary George Greig explained at the commemoration.  While their struggle for funding continues, the participation of a Corbett cabinet member – in addition to bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers – gave the state’s anti-hunger advocates reason for optimism.

RadioPA Roundtable

Radio PA Roundtable 1.18.13

On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman brings you Governor Tom Corbett’s remarks this week on transportation funding, guns, selling the state’s liquor stores and the new contract for Pennsylvania Lottery Management. U.S. Senator Bob Casey also weighs in on the gun proposals being debated in Washington and nationwide and we review the swearing in ceremonies for Pennsylvania’s row officers.

Radio PA Roundtable is a 30-minute program featuring in-depth reporting on the top news stories of the week.

Click the audio player below to hear the full broadcast:

[audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/witfaudio/radiopa/Roundtable01-18-13.mp3]

Visit the Governor’s Residence…Without Leaving Home

The Governor’s residence sits along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, but not many Pennsylvanians get the chance to drop in for a visit. That’s why First Lady Susan Corbett is taking part in a virtual tour of the residence.

Mrs. Corbett says the online experience will ensure “that more Pennsylvanians will have an opportunity to see and learn about this important state treasure.” Viewers will learn about featured art and artifacts on display in the public areas of the residence. The tour is available at www.pa.gov/residence.

There are also a host of in-person open house events at the residence throughout the year.

Penn State Fine Money Staying Put…For Now

When Penn State was ordered to pay a $60 million fine among the NCAA sanctions announced last summer, 25% of that money was designated to be spent on programs within the state. That wasn’t good enough for Pennsylvania Senator Jake Corman, who filed a lawsuit demanding that all of the money go to child abuse prevention programs and educational organizations in the Keystone State.

That lawsuit has yet to be resolved, but in the meantime, Corman’s office has announced that the NCAA has agreed not to “disperse or otherwise dissipate” any of the $12 million paid so far by the university. It’s part of a preliminary injunction filed by Corman, who believes all of the fine money should stay in-state.

In a separate lawsuit, Governor Tom Corbett is seeking to overturn all of the NCAA sanctions handed down to Penn State.

Senator Bob Casey Talks Gun Legislation

President Obama’s call for new laws dealing with military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammo clips could be a difficult fight on Capitol hill, but Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey says the time is right to have a conversation on gun control.

Casey says in light of the massacre in Connecticut, the discussion is important. He expects votes on at least the two proposals addressing assault rifles and ammo clips. Casey does not know if the proposals would receive separate votes or be part of the same legislative package, but he says the efforts to curb gun violence do not end with these two ideas.

Casey believes the measures would not infringe on the rights of sportsmen and women or pose a threat to one’s right to self-defense.

The President also enacted several measures via executive order Wednesday, including those that would assist in the background check process for firearms purchases. The National Rifle Association responded in a statement, saying “Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation.  Only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy.”

 

 

State Capitol Packed as Row Officers Take Oaths

It seemed like around every corner at the state capitol complex, Tuesday, was a Democrat taking the oath of office.  Hundreds filled the rotunda and spilled into the hallways to catch a glimpse of Kathleen Kane being sworn-in as the first Democrat and the first woman elected Attorney General in PA. 

“I’m proud, I’m excited and I’m just thrilled that everyone came out to support us the way that they did,” Kane told reporters afterward.  “It wasn’t just the election, they’re here today too.”  Kane has vowed to launch an investigation of the way the Jerry Sandusky case was handled at the AG’s office, and says she’s close to naming a Special Deputy Attorney General whose sole job will be that probe.

Across the street at the Pennsylvania State Museum, Eugene DePasquale became the state’s independent fiscal watchdog when he took the oath of office as Auditor General.  He’ll start by reviewing internal operations to ensure everything is running efficiently.  “I think it is entirely wrong to go out and start banging away at other agencies, and saying they need to become more efficient, if we’re not going to look at ourselves as well,” DePasquale said in his inaugural address. 

While DePasquale is the first York County resident to hold statewide office since Governor George Leader in the 1950s, he’s downplaying any historical significance.  “That’s kind of some fun talk, but – at the end of the day – if you do your job people will remember you well, if you don’t do your job they won’t.” 

Both DePasquale and Kane are serving in new positions, but Treasurer Rob McCord took the oath of office for a second time on Tuesday.  Looking ahead to his second term, McCord says he will continue to find innovative ways to save and make money for the people of Pennsylvania.  Under his watch, McCord says, the Treasury has produced $1.6-billion dollars in investment returns and averted $300-million dollars in erroneous state payments.