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Slot Machine Revenue Down, Superstorm a Factor

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Slot machine gross revenue for the month of October was more than $188-million dollars across the state’s 11 casinos.  That’s down 4.4% when compared to October 2011 figures.  When comparing just those ten casinos operating year-to-year, the drop becomes even sharper; 6.5%. 

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) cites both the severe weather that marked the final week of the month and the fact that October 2012 had just four Saturdays, compared to five of the prime gambling days in October of last year.

Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem was the only casino to post gains in October (2.55%).  Presque Isle in Erie saw the sharpest declines (-21.89%). 

The state’s 11th casino, the Valley Forge Casino Resort, opened in March of 2012.

RadioPA Roundtable

Radio PA Roundtable 11.02.12

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On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman and Matt Paul sum up the impact of “Superstorm” Sandy and bring you details on the indictment of former Penn State University President Graham Spanier. Matt will also bring you an interview with incumbent state Treasurer Rob McCord after last week profiling his Republican challenger.

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/Roundtable11-02-12.mp3]

Former Penn State President Graham Spanier Charged

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Graham Spanier, who served as Penn State University’s president from 1995 through 2001, is the latest big name to face criminal charges in the ongoing Jerry Sandusky child sex case. Sandusky, the former assistant football coach, is in state prison serving a 30-60 year sentence for the molestation of young boys. He was convicted on 45 counts over the summer and was transferred to the state prison in Greene County this week.

Two other university officials, former Athletic Director Tim Curley and former Senior Vice-President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz, were charged perjury and failure to report the alleged abuse shortly after the Sandusky story broke. Curley is currently on paid leave, while Schultz retired in 2009. Both are awaiting trial in January.

Spanier was fired the same night as the late Head Coach Joe Paterno, and it has been widely speculated that the former president would face criminal charges himself after the release of the Freeh Report last summer. That report included a series of notes and emails dating back to 1998 showing that Spanier was informed of the Sandusky allegations. The Freeh Report findings listed Spanier as one of four people (along with Curley, Schultz and Paterno) who failed to protect children from a sexual predator, and the report stated that Spanier had failed in his role as university president.

Perhaps the most incriminating entry from the Freeh Report quotes Spanier in a written exchange with Curley in 2001. The two had just decided to deviate from a previously agreed-to plan to notify state officials about an alleged encounter between Sandusky and a young boy in the Lasch Hall showers, an incident infamously witnessed by then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary. Instead of reporting the incident to the Department of Public Welfare and the chair of Sandusky’s Second Mile charity, Spanier and Curley decide to approach Sandusky himself and urge him to seek professional help. Spanier writes in a February 2001 email: “The only downside for us is if the message isn’t ‘heard’ and acted upon, and then we become vulnerable for not having reported it.”

Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly and Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan announced the charges against Spanier Monday from the Media Center at the state capitol.  According to court documents, Spanier faces eight counts, including three charges for conspiracy, 2 for endangering the welfare of children, and one count each for perjury, obstruction and failure to report suspected child abuse.

Additional charges were also filed against Curley and Schultz on Thursday. In addition to the previous charges, each will now also be charged with conspiracy, obstruction and endangering the welfare of children.

The announcement comes just 4 days shy of the first anniversary of Sandusky’s arrest on child rape charges and 8 days from the anniversary of the firings of Spanier and Paterno on November 9th, 2011.

 

 

Jerry Sandusky is currently locked up in the Centre County Correctional Facility. He will appeal the conviction.

Sandusky Assigned “Home” Prison

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Jerry Sandusky will serve out his 30 – 60 year sentence in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, at the State Correctional Institution at Greene.  Located in Waynesburg, SCI Greene houses nearly 1,800 inmates, but state corrections officials say Sandusky will be placed in protective custody to ensure his safety. 

It means Sandusky will have no bunkmate, additional supervision and an escort every time he leaves his cell.  He’ll get three showers a week, and one hour of individual exercise five days a week.  All meals will be served in his cell.  All visits will be non-contact.     

The once-famed assistant football coach was convicted on 45 of 48 counts of child sex abuse in June.  He received his sentence earlier this month and has spent the past few weeks at a suburban Harrisburg prison where he was undergoing evaluations.

New Voter ID Requirements?

One-on-One with Diana Irey Vaughan, Republican for Treasurer

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Diana Irey Vaughan

The top of the ticket may be getting all the attention in the buildup to the November 6th election, but Pennsylvania voters will be electing a US Senator, Attorney General, Auditor General and Treasurer too.

The Treasurer candidates include Democratic incumbent Rob McCord, Republican Diana Irey Vaughan and Libertarian Patricia Fryaman.  Radio PA’s Matt Paul recently caught up with Diana Irey Vaughan.  You can hear their conversation below.RT-IREYVAUGHAN

New Voter ID Requirements?

One-on-One with Rob McCord, Democrat for Treasurer

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Rob McCord

All three statewide row offices will be on the ballot next week, including Pennsylvania State Treasurer.  The three names to appear on your ballot are: Democratic incumbent Rob McCord, Republican Diana Irey Vaughan and Libertarian Patricia Fryman. 

Radio PA’s Matt Paul caught up with Rob McCord this week.  You can listen to their entire conversation by clicking below. RT-MCCORD

PennDOT Assessing Road, Bridge Damage from Sandy

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As of Tuesday morning, more than 400 roads and bridges were still closed across the state in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  PennDOT is still assessing the amount of damage.

Crews started damage assessments where it safe to do so, but some bridge inspections will have to wait until the water recedes PennDOT spokeswoman Erin Waters says some roads were closed due to wires and trees down but others were affected by flooding. Most of the closures were in the southeastern quadrant of the state, the Lehigh Valley and parts of the Capital Region.

Waters reminds drivers that a new Pennsylvania law sets fines for those who do not obey road closure signs and barricades. The fine goes up if the person has to be rescued.  She adds people should not drive around just to see the damage or take photos of it; that could impede utility and road crews from doing the work needed to reopen roads and restore power.

For the latest on road conditions, go to 511PA.com

Worst is Over, PA to Assist Neighboring States

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State emergency management officials cited significantly diminished winds as, as the storm that used to be Hurricane Sandy slowly moved through western Pennsylvania and into New York. 

There are reports of minor flooding across the state’s southern counties and 1.25-million Pennsylvania households were without power as of the midday briefing.  900-people have also sought aid in 57-shelters that have been established across the state. 

But the problems are much worse in neighboring New York and New Jersey.  “There are two mega-shelters being established to house people coming in from out-of-state,” Governor Tom Corbett explained.  One, at West Chester University, will house up to 1,300 displaced New Jersey residents.  Another, at East Stroudsburg University, will house up to 500 displaced New Yorkers. 

Pennsylvania is also sending those states 35- ambulances and a variety of incident management teams, according to PEMA director Glenn Cannon. 

A state of major disaster has already been declared in New York and New Jersey.  Pennsylvania’s would-be major disaster declaration will have to wait until the damages are tallied, but Governor Corbett says the state will at least receive federal assistance for its storm prep.  “Frankly I believe our preparation for the storm, in many respects, kept much of the damage in check, particularly when it comes to life and injuries.”

At least three Pennsylvania deaths have been confirmed in connection with the storm. Two of them involve falling trees, the third was the result of a traffic accident.  That number may rise in the hours ahead.      

Gov. Corbett has been working out of the PEMA headquarters since Sunday.

Corbett will be at Ft. Indiantown Gap, this afternoon, to visit with some of the 2,000 National Guard troops that have been activated for the disaster response.  Then it’s back to the PEMA emergency operations center for an evening briefing on the storm, and Corbett plans to tour some of the hardest-hit areas of the state on Wednesday and Thursday.

Sandy Arrives: More Than a Million Without Power

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Hurricane Sandy was reclassified as a post-tropical cyclone after making landfall in New Jersey Monday night and by midnight, the system was making its way over Philadelphia and farther into Pennsylvania. By sunrise, the center of the system was spinning in south-central PA, in and around Franklin County.

The storm is expected to turn north and move on into New York state and New England tomorrow. The remnants of Sandy still pack some strong wind gusts, but much of the torrential rain has ended. Light-to-moderate rain will continue for those in the path of the storm. Rainfall totals associated with Sandy were highest along the southern border with Maryland in eastern Pennsylvania where 6-8 inches of rain fell on Monday. A portion of central Pennsylvania southeast of Altoona also checked in with 6-8 inches according to the National Weather Service.

More than a million power customers were without service as the sun came up on Tuesday. PPL reported nearly 400,000 customers in the dark early this morning, while PECO was scrambling to restore power to hundreds of thousands in the five-county Philadelphia region. The First Energy companies (West Penn, Met-Ed, Penelec & Penn Power) also reported widespread outages which were most heavily concentrated in Berks and Northampton counties.

 

Turnpike, PennDOT Officials Ask Pennsylvanians to Avoid Travel

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Officials at PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike are asking people from the state capital region eastward to avoid unnecessary travel if possible.

Speed limits have been lowered to 45 miles an hour on the Turnpike from Carlisle east and on a number of major highways and interstates in the eastern half of the state.  Certain trucks, trailers, RVs and motorcycles have been restricted from those roads that have the reduced speed limit.

Officials say the high winds from Sandy are the reason for the restrictions.  To get a full list of roads and travel conditions, go to 511PA, PennDOT’s website or the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s website.