Heart Attack Blamed for Bishop’s Death

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The Diocese of Harrisburg confirms that it was a heart attack that took the life of Harrisburg Bishop Joseph McFadden last week. McFadden was attending a conference of the Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia when he died suddenly Thursday morning at the age of 65.

Additional details about the final moments of Bishop mcFadden’s life were detailed over the weekend on the CatholicPhilly.com website. The article reveals that the Bishop, aware that his life was fading, asked for a prayer of absolution from Monsignor Joseph Garvin as they were speeding to the hospital. McFadden slumped over moments later and roadside efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Funeral services are planned over the next several days in Harrisburg. Two viewings and a mass are planned both Monday and Tuesday at St. Patrick Cathedral. On Wednesday, there will be a final viewing at the Holy Name of Jesus Church, followed by the closing of the casket at 10:00am and a funeral mass at 10:30am. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery on Wednesday.

All services are open to the public.

Slots Revenue Slips Again in April in Pennsylvania

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April was another “off” month for slot machine revenue in Pennsylvania.  Revenue from slots play at the state’s 11 casinos was down 4% compared to the same month last year.

The only bright spot in the April report was the Valley Forge Resort Casino, which posted a nearly 34% increase. Its first full month of operation was in April of 2012.

Doug Harbach of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says the state is seeing the impact of additional competition from Ohio and Maryland.  But he adds that Pennsylvania still has room for expansion.  Lady Luck at Nemacolin, a resort casino, is scheduled to open this summer

Pennsylvania is second only to Nevada in total gaming revenues.

Harbach says Presque Isle Downs and Casino in Erie has been feeling the pressure from Cleveland, Ohio and posted another double-digit decline.   Slots play at Presque Isle was off by nearly 16% compared to April of last year.

Harbach adds that despite the decline in revenue,  the board’s primary responsibility is to regulate the industry.

Revenue Report Predicts Big Budget Hole

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The $230-million dollar year-end surplus that was projected when Governor Tom Corbett delivered his February budget address isn’t likely to materialize in the final two months of the fiscal year.  “At the end of the day we think we’ll be back at the original estimate from last June,” explains Independent Fiscal Office director Matthew Knittel.

Pennsylvania’s General Fund collections may be running $67-million above last June’s estimates, as of today, but they’re actually falling short of February’s revised expectations.   

Compounding the problem, the IFO is now projecting 1.2% growth in state revenues in the new fiscal year.  It may only be a slight downgrade from the 1.3% projection used to crunch the numbers in the governor’s budget plan, but it adds up to another $278-million dollar shortfall. 

Combined, it’s a more than $500-million dollar hole in next year’s state budget.  What’s changed since February?  Knittel says sales and use tax collections are lagging. 

“What we think is happening is that consumers are taking a hit,” Knittel explains.  “We had some federal tax increases to start the year – the payroll tax cut expiration, some tax increases on high income individuals, and we think that’s restraining spending currently.  But when we move into fall and winter, the consumers will have absorbed that hit and we think the spending will return.”

Meanwhile, the state budget season just got more difficult as state policymakers will have to find the cuts and/or revenues to fill a potential half-billion dollar hole.

Radio PA Roundtable 05.03.13

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On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman and Matt Paul review a week that put Radio PA’s “Ask the Governor” program in the national spotlight following comments by Governor Tom Corbett regarding the unemployed and drug testing. As always, video clips from that show are also available here on PAMatters.com.

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/Roundtable05-03-13.mp3]

Bishop Joseph McFadden of Harrisburg Dies at 65

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A stunning announcement from the Harrisburg Diocese, which is reporting the death of Bishop Joseph McFadden. A release sent out this morning says McFadden died unexpectedly while attending a meeting of the Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

“While staying at a rectory he awoke feeling ill and was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 7:40 a.m. A cause of death has not yet been announced,” the release stated.

McFadden was the tenth Bishop of Harrisburg, appointed by then-Pope Benedict XVI in June of 2010. He was installed in August of that same year.  Governance of the Diocese now passes to a “College of Consultors” which has eight days to elect a new administrator who will run the diocese until a new Bishop is appointed by Pope Francis.

A Philadelphia native, McFadden graduated from Saint Joseph university and went into teaching. He was named the first President of Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield in 1993. His rise continued as Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia and finally Bishop of Harrisburg.

 

Behind the Numbers of the Jobs Debate

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Statistics ultimately led to Governor Tom Corbett’s now-infamous drug test comments.  The launching point for the entire conversation on this month’s edition of “Ask the Governor” was a statistic ranking Pennsylvania 49th among states when it comes to job growth.

Democrats and other Corbett critics are harping on the figure, but the governor says there’s more to the story.  “There’s an old saying that Mark Twain said.  There’s three types of lies: lies, damn lies and statistics,” Corbett quipped early on in the “Ask the Governor” conversation. “It’s a matter of when you look at the number, at what point in time you look at the number.” 

But what about that job growth ranking as it stands today?  Corbett’s Labor & Industry Secretary Julia Hearthway tells Radio PA that it’s being taken out of context:HEARTHWAY

Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Hanger says it’s a spin game the Corbett administration can’t win.  “I don’t think if you talk with most Pennsylvanians that they have found… that their job prospects have improved over the past year.” 

The longer Governor Corbett has been in office, Hanger says, the worse the jobs crisis gets.  “His best year was his first year, his worst year has been the last 12-months,” he says.  “We’ve literally, essentially, had no job growth with this governor in the last 12-months.  Zero.”    

The March jobs report from the Department of Labor & Industry includes two data sets.  The numbers used to calculate the 7.9% unemployment rate in March indicate a 0.5% year-to-year increase in employment.  The seasonally adjusted non-farm job numbers indicate regression to the tune of -0.1% from March 2012 – March 2013.

Christman Blog: The Overlooked Answer

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Yes, that was “Ask the Governor” you saw on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews last night, and the Huffington Post, and the Philly and Pittsburgh news sites.

The video from Monday’s taping of Ask the Governor is now viral.

While critics of Governor Tom Corbett bask in the glow of his comments about job applicants and drug use, it should be noted that when asked about Pennsylvania’s slide from 7th to 49th in job growth since 2011, there was a better, more cogent answer proffered.

Job growth measures the rate of increases in hiring, a figure that can fluctuate wildly depending on how a state fared through the “Great Recession.” Now, make no mistake, the economic woes of the past 5 years have affected us all, and there are many Pennsylvanians still feeling the serious burn of the near-depression. That being said, Pennsylvania did fare better than many other states and that was the main focus of Governor Corbett’s answer Monday:

“The statistic of 49 percent (sic) is really an indication of year-to-year, the rate of growth, how fast you are growing and we have been doing better in Pennsylvania than other states , but other states were so far down that they grew – percentage wise – in their area, fast. It looks like it’s fast…they had more ground to make up than we did,” Corbett said.

Of course, the reference to drug-abusing job applicants that followed this answer is now the headline, and likely will be for several more days, but it’s important that the governor’s broader answer not get lost in the revelry of backlash since Monday. As always, the real story is bigger than the headline.

(Brad Christman is the News Director of Radio Pennsylvania and co-hosts “Ask the Governor”)

 

 

 

“Ask the Governor” Comments Spark Firestorm

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While discussing the state’s 7.9% unemployment rate on Radio PA’s “Ask the Governor” program, Governor Tom Corbett expressed concern that many employers can’t find qualified employees who can pass a drug test.  The comments went viral in a matter of hours, with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party asserting that it’s just the latest example of Corbett blaming Pennsylvanians for the state of the economy. 

Out-of-touch and insulting were just two of the words Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord used to describe the comments in a statement released on Tuesday.  “I talk with hundreds of business owners and business leaders every year and this has not been brought up to me,” McCord later told Radio PA of the drug test issue.  “So I’m not sure that that’s a real issue, and it sounds like it’s a blame-the-victim distraction game.” 

But Labor & Industry Secretary Julia Hearthway says employers across the state are sharing drug test concerns with her too.  “It’s very difficult to quantify, but it’s certainly an issue that identifies one employment barrier that exists out there,” she explains. 

For safety and insurance reasons zero-tolerance drug policies are often imposed in various industries, including manufacturing.  “This issue is very real.  The governor is absolutely right, and if anything I hope that this is a teachable moment for the public,” says Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association executive director David N. Taylor, “because I don’t think a lot of people – especially younger people – realize that by being recreational drug users they, in many instances, are rendering themselves unemployable.”

Taylor says there are 6,000 – 7,000 good manufacturing jobs for which employers can’t find qualified employees.  While there are numerous factors driving that figure, he contends that failure to pass a drug test is absolutely one of them.

Testifiers Urge Panel to Consider Social Harms of Privatization

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A litany of testifiers foreshadowed the potential unintended consequences of liquor privatization during the first of three hearings to be held before the Senate Law & Justice Committee.  “We cannot look at expansion without first exploring how increased alcohol use may affect citizens of our state,” committee Chairman Charles McIlhinney (R-Bucks) explained at the onset. 

While McIlhinney says he wants to ensure ‘smart privatization,’ most testifiers on Tuesday seemed to think the smart move would be to retain state control of retail liquor and wine sales.  “What is the problem we’re trying to solve here?” asked Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of PA president Deb Beck.  “We’re lowest on deaths and number two on revenue produced.  What’s the problem?”  Beck’s written testimony included a long list of sources for the numbers she pointed out to the committee. 

But by the start of the 9:30am capitol hearing many in the room had already received an open letter from the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association that questioned the slanted lineup of testifiers, and pointed to other statistics that show Pennsylvania performing worse than privatized states. 

When questioned by one committee member, Fraternal Order of Police Pennsylvania State Lodge president Les Neri noted that everyone can find a study that justifies their position, but he can speak from experience.  “I’m telling you as a street cop, the guy who’s done the job for 38-years, that the increase in licenses and outlets for alcohol will increase crime.  I just can’t tell you by what statistic.” Neri explained. 

While the FOP opposes the liquor privatization bill that passed the House (HB 790), others on the law enforcement panel did not take a position; they merely pointed to the need for additional resources for manpower and investigations should lawmakers vote to privatize. 

The hearing concluded with a handful of middle and high school students from the Council Rock Coalition for Healthy Youth, who asked the panel to prevent privatization in order to protect Pennsylvania’s future.

Despite the onslaught of criticism his privatization plan received, Governor Tom Corbett released a statement thanking the committee for the hearing and asserting that public safety must be the number one focus of state government.  “The Senate took a first step in bringing Pennsylvania consumers choice and convenience,” Corbett said in the statement.  While the House amended his original plan, Corbett’s been taking a lead role in this year’s privatization debate. 

A second hearing is planned for May 14th and Sen. McIlhinney says a third will be scheduled for early June.  He says all sides of the issue will be heard.

Prom, Graduation Season a Dangerous Time of Year for Teen Drivers

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It’s prom and graduation season, marking the beginning of a dangerous time of year for teen drivers.   A new study raises more concerns in regard to underage drinking and substance abuse.

One in four teens admits to driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or other drugs and many believe it does not impact their safety according to Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destruction Decisions (SADD). While prom and graduation are listed as times this is more likely to happen, Fourth of July and summer driving in general are ranked as higher risk times by those teens surveyed.

Stephen Wallace is a senior advisor for SADD and an associate research professor at Susquehanna University, where he is the director of the Center for Adolescent Research and Education. He says the new study shows some disturbing trends.

Wallace  says with more than 13 million licensed teen drivers in the United States and almost one-quarter admitting to driving under the influence, it means as many as three million impaired teenagers may be taking to the road.

Wallace says there’s a need to refocus attention on the issue of impaired driving among teens. He says while more effort has been focused on prom and graduation, we can’t ignore the risks that exist once school lets out for summer and teens may have less supervision.

SADD is urging parents to have conversations with their teens about the dangers not only of drinking and driving, but underage drinking. Wallace says you can find resources at Libertymutual.com/teendriving.