News
Highway Deaths Hit 62 Year Low Nationally, but Some Categories Increase
Nationally, traffic deaths dropped almost 2% in 2011 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but the number of deaths involving bicyclists rose nearly 9 percent and there was a 20% jump in deaths of occupants of large trucks. Erin Waters of PennDOT says Pennsylvania did not follow those trends. Deaths of drivers and […]
Sen. Casey Pushes for Gift Card Protections
Gift cards may be popular holiday presents, but – if you’re not careful – you could be stuck with nothing more than a lump of coal. With that in mind, US Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is pushing for action on the Gift Card Consumer Protection Act, which would ban all gift card expiration dates and […]
Auditor General Blasts Turnpike’s “Free Rides”
Auditor General Jack Wagner wants the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to stop giving employees and vendors toll-free personal travel. “They can utilize the Turnpike at will, both for work-related purposes and for free personal use,” Wagner told a crowd of reporters gathered in a Finance Building conference room. “In our first finding, we basically state that […]
PA Coal Mines to Install Defibrillators
A new regulation, which will take effect next March, will require automated external defibrillators at all underground coal mines in Pennsylvania. It calls for one near the mine’s entry, and one in each of the mine’s underground working sections. Defibrillators are used to stabilize heart rhythms in the event of a heart attack. Department of […]
PUC Received More Complaints About Pennsylvania Utilities Last Year
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has released its 2011 Utility Consumer Activities Report and Evaluation. Both requests for payment agreements and overall complaints about utilities increased last year. The complaints come to the PUC after customers are unable to resolve an issue with a utility, and there was an 8% increase in customer contacts that […]
Housing Market is Recovering
With consumer confidence up and mortgage rates down, the housing market is making a slow but steady recovery. “Right now, I think, is a good time to buy because house values are still low,” says Kate Newton, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) Director of Homeownership Programs. “Especially in Pennsylvania there really aren’t any more signs […]
Radio PA Roundtable 12.07.12
On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman and Matt Paul bring you the Corbett Administration’s mid-year budget analysis as the 2012-13 fiscal year reaches the midway point; Democrats tell you their priorities for the new year; and we bring you information on a new way to make a difference to Pennsylvania’s children’s hospitals. Radio […]
Give Miracles this Holiday Season
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals want you to check out a new holiday catalog full of electronics and toys. I know what you’re thinking… But these electronics include heart monitors to check the vital signs of sick babies, and these toys are used to brighten a child’s day during a long stay at the hospital. The […]
Dairy Farmers in Pennsylvania Say They Still Need Some Breathing Room
Dairy farmers are still dealing with tight margins and they’re asking the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board to continue the current Class I over-order premium price for milk for another six months, starting January 1st. Feed prices are the main issue, due to a combination of local and national issues. This year’s Midwest drought coupled with […]
Prepping for another Tough Budget Season
The Corbett administration’s third budget season may be its most difficult yet, according to Budget Secretary Charles Zogby. The 2012-13 Mid-Year Budget Briefing projects the state will end the current fiscal year $85-million dollars in the black, but $1.3-billion in mandatory cost drivers await in the new fiscal year. For instance: pension obligations ($511-million), Medical Assistance […]