Game Commission Announces Pheasant Stocking Plans

/in /by

Despite Tropical Storm Lee, and thanks to Marcellus Shale leasing money, Pennsylvania’s pheasant stocking level this year will be the healthiest in almost a decade.

The state game commission plans to stock some 200 thousand pheasants for the upcoming small game seasons for the first time since 2004,  after being at a reduced level of 100 thousand in recent years due to budget constraints.

15 thousand birds are being stocked for junior only hunting season and another 15 hundred are intended for clubs holding mentored hunts for juniors in October.

Bob Boyd of the Bureau of Wildlife Management Services at the Pennsylvania Game Commission says they’ve recovered from damage at two farms caused by Tropical Storm Lee due to the dedication and perseverance of staff at the Lycoming County facilities.

Some changes have been made to protect from future storms by relocating some of the fields most prone to flooding. But he adds that the core infrastructure was not damaged during the storm.

***Photo of Ring Necked Pheasant by Joe Kosack/PGC Photo

New Flu Strain Turns Up Again In Pennsylvania

/in /by

More than 200 cases of a pig-related flu have been confirmed in several states and Pennsylvania is now among them.   The State health department has four confirmed cases and 6 probable cases of the H3N2v flu. The cases occurred among youth participants in the Huntingdon County Fair and were mild.

Cases in other states have been linked to recent contact with pigs, mostly at agricultural fairs. Acting state Physician General Dr. Stephen Ostroff says Pennsylvania was already watching for it  after the rise in cases in Indiana and Ohio. Last year, there were only 13 cases of H3N2v flu in the United States.

Health officials say people attending agriculture fairs are advised to wash their hands after visiting areas with live animals and avoid taking food or drink into animal exhibit areas.  People at high risk for flu complications should consider avoiding live pig displays.  Although the flu has been linked to live pigs, health officials say that handling or eating pork products presents no risk of exposure.

Pennsylvania had three cases last year.  Currently, there is no vaccine for this strain of flu.

RadioPA Roundtable

Radio PA Roundtable 08.17.12

/in , , , /by

On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman and Matt Paul update you on Pennsylvania’s Voter ID law, now that the Commonwealth Court has issued a key ruling; Matt talks to a state lawmaker about property tax reform; and we have new poll numbers on the presidential race in Pennsylvania.

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/Roundtable08-17-12.mp3]
Houses, Housing, Property Taxes, Street

Select Committee on Property Taxes to Meet on Monday

/in /by

State House leaders have tapped a select committee to study property taxes, under a resolution that passed with broad bipartisan support before lawmakers’ summer break.  Monday marks the group’s inaugural meeting, but its final report and recommendations won’t be due until the end of November.

“We really look at that report as a way to set the table for the 2013-14 legislative session, as a way to move forward to try to address this issue,” says Rep. John Quigley (R-Montgomery), who sponsored the legislation and sits on the new select committee.

Quigley introduced the resolution in early June, after the Property Tax Elimination Act was tabled in the House Finance Committee. His district office was soon swamped with calls.  “It certainly has been quite a buzz in the Berks, northern Montgomery, northern Chester County area,” Quigley says.

The 13-member panel is comprised of seven Republicans and six Democrats.  It will be investigating local and county property taxes in addition to the school district property taxes, which make up the bulk of the burden.

Details won’t be hammered out until Monday, but Quigley estimates that the select committee may call three to five public hearings.

Reactions Abound to Voter ID Ruling

/in /by

Stakeholders are weighing in now that a Commonwealth Court judge has rejected critics’ call for an injunction against Pennsylvania’s new Voter ID law.  Here’s a sampling:

 

ACLU of Pennsylvania legal director Vic Walczak:  “Given clear evidence that impersonation fraud is not a problem, we had hoped that the court would show greater concern for the hundreds of thousands of voters who will be disenfranchised by this law.”

Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele: “I am pleased Judge Simpson affirmed the constitutionality of the Voter ID law.  This law will reinforce the principle of one person, one vote.  By giving us a reliable way to verify the identity of each voter, the voter ID law will enhance confidence in our elections.”

State House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny):  “Today’s ruling is a travesty not just for those Pennsylvanians whose right to vote will be stripped away by this law but for all Pennsylvanians and all American citizens.  A threat to one person’s right to vote is a threat to us all.  I sincerely hope the Supreme Court will right this terrible wrong and will overturn this decision in time for the November elections.  The commonwealth’s highest court should see what the rest of the nation so plainly does – that this law is a scam.”

Governor Tom Corbett: “Now that the court has upheld the constitutionality of the law, we can continue to focus our attention on ensuring that every Pennsylvania citizen who wants to vote has the identification necessary to make sure their vote counts.”

 

As Rep. Dermody alluded to in his statement, the case will surely be appealed to the state Supreme Court ahead of the November 6th General Election.  In the meantime, implementation and outreach efforts continue.  Interested voters can find a full list of acceptable forms of identification online.

Drivers License, PennDOT

Preliminary Injunction Denied for Voter ID Law

/in /by

A Commonwealth Court judge has denied opponents’ request for a preliminary injunction against Pennsylvania’s new Voter ID law.  In his 70-page opinion, Judge Robert Simpson says the petitioners did an excellent job of “putting a face” to those burdened by the photo ID requirement.  However, he writes that he cannot decide the issue based on sympathy for the witnesses.

Judge Simpson also indicated that he’s convinced the law is being implemented in a non-partisan, evenhanded manner so that no qualified voter should be disenfranchised.

The plaintiffs have previously indicated that they would take the case to the state Supreme Court if necessary.

More Human Cases of West Nile Virus Confirmed in Pennsylvania

/in /by

The state’s West Nile Virus count stands at five with three more confirmed cases added this week.   The new cases involve two men in Delaware County and a woman in Centre County.  The earlier cases were in Franklin and Lancaster Counties.  Both were women.

Amanda Witman, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, says more than 18 hundred mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus, which is a very high infection rate.  She says Pennsylvania is on track to exceed the highest year ever.

DEP is asking people to eliminate standing water around their homes to reduce mosquito breeding grounds. Witman says it only takes a teaspoon of water for a mosquito to begin breeding and some areas that collect water are not as easy to detect. Those include flower pots, cracks in sidewalks, recycle bins, dips in the driveway and partially clogged gutters.

Witman says if you have an area of poor drainage where eliminating standing water is difficult, BTI tablets can be placed in the water to eliminate mosquito larvae. She says BTI is safe for home use and has a low toxicity profile for humans and animals.  She says it’s actually made from a soil bacterium.

Witman adds that the web site, www.westnile.state.pa.us, is a good resource for information on the virus, from the latest statistics for tips on reducing mosquito bite risk.

For point of comparison, Texas has already had 381 confirmed human cases of West Nile Virus this year and Mississippi and Louisiana have reported at least 60 cases each.

“Keystone Works” to Launch This Fall

/in /by

Guidelines are being drafted for a new program called Keystone Works, which could help unemployed Pennsylvanians find a job more quickly.  “Keystone Works will provide an opportunity for the unemployed worker to receive training with a business while continuing to receive their UC benefits, at the same time incentivizing the employers to hopefully hire these unemployed individuals,” says Michelle Staton, deputy secretary for workforce development with the state Department of Labor & Industry.

The worker benefits by staying connected to the workforce, obtaining new skills and receiving job-specific training in a high-priority occupation.  Even if they are not hired at the end of the eight-week program, Staton tells us the new skills will make it easier to find work elsewhere.

The employer benefits because the program helps off-set the cost of training, and offers incentives of up to $1,500 for every trainee they hire.

The new state budget includes $2.5-million dollars to cover the cost of those incentives.  Staton says their goal is to train 2,000 workers in the first year of “Keystone Works.”  The Department of Labor and Industry will be developing a website specifically for individuals and companies interested in Keystone Works.

The statewide jobless rate currently stands at 7.5%.  July’s numbers are expected to be released later this week.