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Governor Corbett Returns to “Ask the Governor” January 25th

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You’ve seen the video clips here on PAMatters.com and you’ve heard the show on radio stations statewide. Now, you can be a part of our next “Ask the Governor” program coming up on January 25th.

Simply look to the top of this page and click on the link for Ask the Governor. Fill out the form to submit your question or comment for our January 25th show. Video clips of the governor answering your emails will be posted on PAMatters.com immediately following our taping.

Have advice for the governor on his upcoming state budget address? Need help in dealing with a state agency? Have a question about the laws of the Commonwealth? PAMatters.com can take you to the top with Governor Tom Corbett each and every month.

 

Survey Shows Knowledge Gap About Pennsylvania’s Teen Driving Law

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Pennsylvania’s update of its graduated driver licensing law for teens marked its one year anniversary last month.    A new survey shows there’s still a knowledge gap about some of the provisions.

The changes increased the number of supervised driving hours and limited passengers for junior license holders for the first six months of driving, while making  seatbelt use a primary offense for  all junior drivers and passengers under age 18.  But a survey conducted for Allstate Insurance finds only 36% of parents and 56% of teens claim to be confident   in their knowledge of the law.

Chris Conner of Allstate says there’s also a gap between parents and teens when it comes to enforcement.  Nearly half the teens said they’d broken at least one requirement and only 19% said their parents were aware of the infraction.

Conner says the survey shows parents can influence their teen’s behavior behind the wheel. About 73% of the teens surveyed said they considered conversations they had with their parents about the graduated driver licensing law to be very valuable.  He says the increased time of behind-the-wheel instruction required by the law gives parents an opportunity to have those conversations.

Conner says parents and teens should become familiar with the law before the teen even applies for a learner’s permit. There is information about the law on PennDOT’s website and also at the Allstate newsroom.

Heard it Through the Grapevine… at the Farm Show

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The Farm Show celebrates agriculture.  It’s Pennsylvania’s biggest industry, and wine production is widely considered one of its fastest growing segments.  “The number of wineries has more than doubled within the past decade,” explains Pennsylvania Wineries Association Director Jennifer Eckinger.  “At this point we have more than 150-wineries throughout the state of Pennsylvania.  They’re located in every portion of the state.” 

Eckinger helped to award three of those wineries with the 17th annual Governor’s Cups this week.  The large trophies that represent ‘Best of Show’ wines went to Karamoor Estate Vineyards (Montgomery Co.), Greendance Winery (Westmoreland Co.) and Crossing Vineyard & Winery (Bucks Co.).

Crossing Vineyard & Winery vintner Tom Carroll Jr. knew he wanted to make wine from the time he was 10-years old.  After mastering the craft in California, he moved back to southeastern Pennsylvania to start his own winery on his parents’ farm. 

Carroll’s Best of Show Fruit Wine is called Wild Berry.  The concoction started out as a blueberry wine, but Carroll added some blackberries and raspberries to find just the right flavor.  “I remember the first time my dad tasted it he said, wow this is wild,” Carroll says of how the wine got its name. 

Carroll and all of PA’s winemakers are working every day to convince people that good wine doesn’t have to come from Europe or California.  Based on the crowds at the new wine tasting display in the Farm Show’s Main Hall… it would seem they’re converting hundreds of people this week alone.

Long Lines are Worth the Wait in the Farm Show Food Court

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If you can fry it, you’ll find it at the 97th Pennsylvania Farm Show.  While this reporter can vouch for the tastiness of the fried cheese, mushrooms and blooming onions… you don’t have to prefer your food battered and dipped in hot oil to enjoy the Farm Show food court. 

For instance, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with some honey-sweetened waffles, topped with honey-sweetened ice cream.  Aaron Fisher of Mifflin County, a member of the PA Beekeepers Association, says the honey replaces the corn syrup and sugars of traditional ice cream.

“I’ve got a truck outside that door that’s full of ice cream, and we hope by the end of the week it’s all gone,” Fisher says, looking forward to a week of mild weather.  Last year they went through 750-gallons of honey ice cream. 

Across the room, you’ll find a bevy of maple syrup products, including cotton candy, which is a best seller for the PA Maple Syrup Producers Council.  “There’s no comparison… the imitation compared to the real maple syrup,” says Laura Dengler of Crawford County, who was offering up free samples.  Pure maple syrup is all natural with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, and Dengler says you can taste the difference.    

Both of these food court stands are prepped to dish out their goodies as fast as possible, but there will inevitably be food court backlogs.  To avoid the long lines, Fisher suggests snacking at off-peak hours and Dengler reminds us to be patient – because the Farm Show food court is worth the wait.

Pennsylvania PUC to Discuss Utility Response to Superstorm Sandy

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The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission will hold a special electric reliability forum to hear from utilities that were affected by Superstorm Sandy.  It’s similar to the process that took place after Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and the October snowstorm of 2011.

In addition to reviewing how the utilities handled damage from Sandy, it will also give the PUC a chance to see how changes made since the storms of 2011 worked during last year’s hurricane turned superstorm.

PUC spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher says the forum will also bring all affected utilities together, so they can   hear from each other and share information about their successes.

The forum will be held at 1:30 pm, on January 10th in hearing room 1 at the Commonwealth Keystone Building on North Street in Harrisburg.

Kocher says Sandy caused double the damage to infrastructure such as poles, cross arms and wires compared to Irene. It was either the top or one of the top storms faced by the utilities. The storm caused 1.8 million Pennsylvanians to lose power. The storm hit the state on October 29th.  90% of those who lost service had their power back on by November 3rd.

Kocher says details from the forum will be made available on line at the PUC web site after the session.

RadioPA Roundtable

Radio PA Roundtable 01.04.13

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On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman and Matt Paul bring you Governor Tom Corbett’s take on his lawsuit against the NCAA; we review the fiscal cliff deal in Washington and its impact on PA; and we have a preview of the 97th Pennsylvania Farm Show which begins Saturday.

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/Roundtable01-04-13.mp3]

2013 Pennsylvania Farm Show Butter Sculpture Unveiled

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The 97th Pennsylvania Farm Show officially begins this weekend, but the annual farmfest received its unofficial start Thursday evening as officials unveiled the butter sculpture that will be on display for the duration of the show.

The nearly half-ton of butter depicts various Pennsylvania agricultural products, including milk and cheeses from the dairy industry, grapes and wine, as well as Christmas trees, fruits and vegetables.

The 8-day Farm Show and its famous food court opens to the public on Saturday with the theme “Made in PA. It makes a difference.”

After the conclusion of the exposition, the butter used for the sculpture will be donated to a Juniata County farm, where it will be converted to about 65 kilowatt hours of electricity.

 

Slots Revenue Increases in Pennsylvania for a Sixth Straight Year

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Slot machine revenue rose in Pennsylvania last year for a sixth consecutive year.   There was a 2.7% increase in gross revenue from slot machine gaming in 2012. The numbers were boosted in part by the opening of the Valley Forge Resort Casino.   Six of the existing casinos posted increases for the year, while four saw declines in slots play.

SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia posted the biggest gain, increasing slots play by more than 11% over the previous year. Presque Isle Downs and Casino saw the biggest decline at more than 9%.

Doug Harbach, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says fluctuations are expected, especially as gaming expands in neighboring states.    Gaming is expanding in Ohio and Maryland. But Pennsylvania’s newest resort casino is expected to open later this year in Fayette County.

Tax revenue generated by the play of slots topped 1.3 billion dollars last year. Pennsylvania’s first casino opened in November of 2006.

The Board also posted monthly slot machine revenue for December. There was a decrease of 2% for the month compared to December of 2011.

The casino industry in Pennsylvania employs more than 16 thousand people, while providing funds for property tax relief, the horse racing industry, economic development and community-based projects.

Numbers for table games won’t be out until later this month.

cows, dairy

97th Pennsylvania Farm Show Opens Saturday

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The weather forecast is fair, and officials expect more than 400,000 visitors over the eight-day Pennsylvania Farm Show.  “We’re dealing with about 24-acres under roof, just about a million square feet under roof, and that includes three arenas and eight major halls,” explains Farm Show Complex Executive Director Pat Kerwin.  It’s considered the largest indoor agricultural event in the country. 

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary George Greig is double-booked all week long as the Farm Show’s unofficial host.  “I want to represent each faction of agriculture and in Pennsylvania we have a very diverse agriculture group,” Greig tells Radio PA.  Greig is a dairy farmer from Crawford County and says the Farm Show is also a good time to reconnect with old friends from western PA. 

The famed Farm Show Food court churned out 140,000 milkshakes last year, and more than 22,500 dozen potato doughnuts.  New fare for this year’s show includes bacon on a stick, pumpkin funnel cakes and apple cider slushies, but you can’t go wrong with the old standards.  “I like the fried cheese, milkshakes and roast beef sandwiches with horseradish.  I’m a big horseradish person,” says Greig. 

Some of the new attractions for the 2013 show include the Great Grape Stomp, a new wine tasting area and a polo demonstration.  “But the thing that seems to be getting a lot of attention – which is somewhat odd in my opinion – is cow patty bingo,” Kerwin explains.  Just picture a giant bingo card on the large arena floor with roaming bovines providing their own special markers.

The 97th PA Farm Show runs from this Saturday through Saturday January 12th at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.  Admission is free; parking will cost you ten dollars.

Governor Corbett Announces Lawsuit Against NCAA Over Penn State Penalties

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Governor Corbett is suing the NCAA in an effort to have the sanctions against Penn State thrown out.  He announced the federal anti-trust suit in State College.

The Governor is calling the sanctions against Penn State in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal arbitrary and illegal.  He said after months of research, he has concluded the sanctions were overreaching. He says they didn’t punish those charged, they punished past, present and future students of the University. Corbett believes the NCAA had no authority to punish the school.

Governor Corbett says Penn State had no practical alternative but to accept the sanctions.  He says the NCAA seized upon the opportunity for publicity for their own benefit to make a showing of aggressive discipline on the backs of the citizens of the Commonwealth and Penn State University.

The Governor consulted with Attorney General Linda Kelly before proceeding with the legal action, but did not consult with incoming Attorney General Kathleen Kane.  He says the suit is not a political case, it’s being filed on behalf of the citizens of Pennsylvania, the businesses in State College and Centre County and throughout Pennsylvania that are being harmed by this.

The sanctions banned the school from bowl games for four years. They also stripped the school of  a number of scholarships and removed 112 victories from the record books.

The NCAA issued a statement calling the legal action without merit, saying  it’s an affront to all of the victims in this tragedy. The University issued a statement saying it’s not a party to the suit and has not been involved in its preparation.