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Ask the Governor – September 15, 2014
Ask the Governor is a monthly presentation of Radio PA and PAMatters.com featuring Governor Tom Corbett. This is the program for September, taped on 9/15/14. Topics include the governor’s reaction to the assassination-style shootings of a State Police Corporal & Trooper over the weekend, the federal approval of his Healthy-PA plan, his desire to call a special legislative session on public pension reform in January if he’s re-elected, Common Core, his “Penn State problem” and much more, including some campaign-related questions as this is the governor’s final appearance on Ask the Governor before the November 4th vote.
We are working on securing First Lady Susan Corbett for our October show, and Governor Corbett returns, post-election in November. Check back regularly with PAMatters.com for updated program information. Submit your questions or comments for the governor today by clicking the Ask the Governor link at the top of this page.
Click the player below to listen to the entire program.
Radio PA Roundtable – March 14, 2014
On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, the Public Utility Commission is looking into customer experiences with power companies during last month’s massive ice storm power outage; the State Police say NCAA March Madness pools are still illegal in charitable and volunteer clubs despite the state’s new small games of chance laws; and a Pittsburgh man is the brain behind a new doll that is really catching on – a doll that he says promotes “average beauty.”
Radio PA Roundtable is a 30-minute program featuring in-depth reporting, commentary and analysis on the top news stories of the week.
Click the audio player below to hear the full broadcast:
13 Killed in Crashed Investigated by Pennsylvania State Police Over Holiday Weekend
State police investigated fewer crashes than last year, but the same amount of fatalities this Memorial Day weekend.
Thirteen people were killed in crashes handled by state police over the four day holiday weekend. Troopers were called out to 760 crashes this year compared to 817 the previous Memorial Day weekend.
85 of the crashes this year were alcohol-related, including five involving fatalities. Troopers cited 438 people for driving under the influence.
Nearly 13 hundred people got tickets for not wearing seat belts and another 146 were cited for not securing children in safety seats. Troopers wrote over 97 hundred speeding tickets during the holiday weekend.
The numbers do not include crashes handled by local police departments over the holiday weekend.
Shootings Leave Gunman, Three Dead in Blair County Pennsylvania
Four people are dead after a multiple shooting Friday morning in Blair County near Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Police got the first call of gunshots fired around 9 am.
Trooper David McGarvey of the Hollidaysburg Barracks says as troopers headed to the scene, a man in a truck opened fire on the marked patrol cars as they passed. He then crashed head on into one of the patrol cars. He got out of his truck and began to fire into the marked police car. The troopers returned fire, striking and killing the man.
Trooper McGarvey says police then discovered there were three people dead at separate locations. The dead are two men and one woman. The State Police Major Case Team and Blair County District Attorney’s office are investigating the crime scenes.
One State Trooper was hit twice by bullets. One bullet struck his body armor, but the other hit his wrist. A second trooper was injured by shattered glass from the gunfire and a third was hurt in the crash with the suspect’s truck.
State Police Start Holiday Enforcement
The national Click it or Ticket campaign is underway through December 2nd. It focuses on proper seatbelt and child safety seat usage. But Pennsylvania State Police spokesman Trooper Adam Reed says that’s not all troopers will be looking for over the holiday. He says they will also focus on aggressive driving and other violations.
Trooper Reed reminds drivers the seatbelt law is a primary offense for drivers and passengers under age 18, meaning they must be properly restrained while riding in a motor vehicle, or you could be pulled over. He encourages drivers to slow down and take their time over the busy holiday travel period.
As part of the campaign, State police will offer free child safety seat inspections. To get a list of sites, go to www.psp.state.pa.us.
Click It or Ticket is part of Pennsylvania’s “Operation Safe Holiday.” PennDOT and police departments across the state are joining forces to increase enforcement through the New Year holiday. Those efforts will include sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols and regular safety patrols.
The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that 40% of the fatalities over the holiday weekend are related to driving under the influence of alcohol.
13 Die in Memorial Day Weekend Accidents Investigated by State Police
Thirteen people died in crashes investigated by Pennsylvania State Police over the four day Memorial Day weekend. The statistics are about the same as last year; 13 deaths in just over 800 crashes. One thing that is frustrating to police is that 9 of those who died were not wearing seatbelts.
State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan says ” the tragic message from these statistics is very clear: everyone needs to buckle up for every trip on the road.”
Troopers cited more than 11 hundred people for not wearing seatbelts and issued over 100 citations for not securing children in safety seats over the four day weekend. They also issued over 92 hundred speeding citations and arrested 404 people for driving under the influence. 66 of the crashes, including three of the fatalities, were alcohol-related.
A “Click it or Ticket” seatbelt enforcement campaign continues through June 10th. Pennsylvania has a primary seatbelt law for drivers and passengers under age 18. The law is a secondary offense for older drivers and front seat passengers.
The numbers only include crashes handled by state police and do not include accidents covered by other law enforcement agencies.
Five People Killed in Crashes Investigated by Pennsylvania State Police Over Holiday Weekend
Not one of the five people killed in the Christmas weekend traffic crashes that Pennsylvania State Police investigated wore a seat belt, according to Sergeant Anthony Manetta. He adds that two of the crashes were alcohol related. Although the toll was not as high as last Christmas when 7 people died, this year’s holiday weekend was a three day enforcement period, rather than four days as it was in 2010.
Troopers arrested 202 people who were suspected of driving under the influence. They handed out nearly 13 hundred speeding citations and cited 174 people for not buckling up and 17 for not having children properly restrained.
The statistics only include cases handled by Pennsylvania State Police, and not by local departments.
State Police plan extra enforcement for the coming weekend as people mark the New Year holiday. They will be focusing on driving under the influence. It’s a weekend when police tend to see a lot of alcohol-related crashes. They will be using roving patrols and DUI checkpoints to discourage drinking and driving.
State Police Plan Holiday Enforcement
Pennsylvania State Police are stepping up enforcement for the Christmas holiday, with extra patrols on the roads.
Troopers will focus on seatbelt and child safety seat use as well as driving under the influence enforcement. Spokesman Sgt. Anthony Manetta says drivers are asked to drive defensively, courteously and avoid distractions behind the wheel.
Sgt. Manetta adds that statistics show seatbelt use saves lives-so please use buckle up.
The holiday travel period starts December 23rd.
Ten Killed in Crashes Investigated by State Police Over Thanksgiving Holiday
Pennsylvania State Police investigated fewer highway fatalities this Thanksgiving weekend than last year, but they were busy writing thousands of citations.
Ten people were killed over the five day holiday weekend in crashes State Police investigated. Half were not wearing seatbelts according to spokeswoman Maria Finn. Four of the fatal crashes were alcohol related. Last year, 17 people died in Thanksgiving weekend crashes. Six of the crashes over Thanksgiving 2010 were alcohol-related and 11 of the victims were not wearing seatbelts.
State troopers issued 8,647 speeding citations this year, compared to 7,393 last year. 484 people were arrested for driving under the influence, compared to 417 last year. 994 were cited for not wearing seatbelts, compared to 932 last year. 94 were cited for failing to properly restrain children, compared to 70 last year. There were 1,007 crashes with 10 deaths and 326 injuries this year. Last year there were 1,091 crashes with 17 deaths and 343 injuries.