Monthly archive

September 2020

Four Lebanon County businesses ranked top 50 fastest-growing in central PA

Published on in Business

PRL, Inc. and subsidiaries, Bell & Evans, APR Supply Co., and Candoris Technologies were listed in Central Penn Business Journal’s ranking of the Top 50 Fastest-Growing Companies in Central PA.

PRL, Inc. and its three subsidiaries (Regal Cast, PRL Industries, and LTC Inc.) were ranked 25th in the list. These companies produce high specification components and castings for use in the defense and nuclear power industries.

Bell & Evans, which was ranked 26th, is a family-owned chicken company. Founded in 1894, it is considered the oldest branded chicken company in the United States.

Continue Reading on Lebtown

Central Pa. company must pay nearly $386K to settle minimum wage, overtime pay dispute with feds

Published on in People

A central Pennsylvania home care services firm must pay $385,972 to settle a minimum wage and overtime pay dispute under a consent judgment approved by a federal judge Tuesday.

The judgment sanctioned by U.S. Senior Judge Yvette Kane calls for Creative Home Care LLC of Harrisburg to pay the full wages the U.S. Department of Labor claims they were due to more than 100 employees for hours worked between July 2017 and October 2019.

Federal officials claim that the workers were at times paid less than the $7.25-an-hour minimum wage and often were not paid overtime when they worked more than 40 hours per week. The company didn’t keep required records of employee work hours, either, investigators contend.

Payments due those workers range from $24 to $13,794, court filings state.
Continue Reading on Pennlive

Much-needed rain moves in to Central Pennsylvania

Published on in weather

As a cold front approaches, the atmosphere is getting primed with some moisture. This set-up will bring some welcome rain to Central PA over the next day and a half.

Look for on and off rain showers on Tuesday so keep the umbrella handy.

The beneficial soaking rain will arrive Tuesday evening and linger into Wednesday. Not only some showers but an embedded thunderstorm could be mixed in as well.

Continue Reading on Local 21 News

Pa. launches the nation’s first substance use disorder stigma reduction campaign

Published on in Business

Harrisburg, Pa. – The launch of Life Unites Us, an evidence-based approach to stigma reduction of substance use disorders (SUD), specifically opioid use disorder (OUD) was announced today

The stigma reduction campaign is a result of the collaborative efforts of Governor Tom Wolf and Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jennifer Smith, in partnership with Penn State University’s Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research, public health nonprofit The Public Good Projects, and national nonprofit Shatterproof.

Life Unites Us will be utilizing social media platforms to spread real-life stories of individuals and their family members battling SUD, live and recorded webinars detailing tools and information necessary to effectively reduce stigma to more than 350 community-based organizations focused on SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery throughout Pennsylvania, and a web-based interactive data dashboard detailing the progress of the campaign.

Continue Reading on North Central PA

Leonard Harrison State Park’s Turkey Path reopens to the public

Published on in Environment

Wellsboro, Pa. – The Turkey Path at Leonard Harrison State Park, 10.7 miles from Wellsboro, reopened to the public last Friday for the first time since last Thanksgiving.

The popular hiking trail is located on a steep slope that descends 800 feet to the bottom of the gorge where Pine Creek flows and bikers, hikers, walkers, and runners can often be found on the rail trail.

The Turkey Path starts near the entrance to the overlook on the east rim of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and is described as “combining stunning views with several outstanding waterfalls.”

The path is closed each November due to ice buildup in the winter months, and it normally reopens in April. In January, though, a large, old-growth white pine tree fell, taking three small hemlocks and the structural integrity of some of the path’s wooden structures with it. The trees undermined a platform walkway, totally destroyed the upper waterfall viewing platform, and the stairs that connected the upper and lower portions of the trail.

Continue Reading on North Central PA

Central Pa. football: How to watch this week’s high school action

Published on in Sports

High school football is back across central Pennsylvania, with the Lancaster-Lebanon League entering its second week of play and the Mid-Penn Conference starting up its regular season.

But schools across the area are still limiting or prohibiting spectators from coming inside the stadiums to see the games in person, and have instead turned to streaming the games.

PennLive has put together a list of how to stream all the games on Friday and Saturday in the two leagues.

Continue Reading on Pennlive

Central PA Blood Bank’s supply is ‘historically low’; blood donors sought

Published on in Health

The Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank, the primary blood supplier to hospitals in central Pennsylvania, has put out a call for help due its supply falling to historically low levels.

The bank usually has more than 900 units of O Positive blood available for local hospitals. In a Thursday news release, the bank announced it had less then half its usual supply and is struggling to fill requests of 26 local hospitals.

Multiple factors have impacted the supply, including bloodmobiles, the bank’s primary method for blood drives, being taken off the road due to social distancing protocols; a nationwide blood shortage, which impedes its ability to call on another blood bank for help boosting the supply; and general concerns about the pandemic keeping potential donors from giving blood.

Continue Reading on Lancaster Online

Another central Pa. bank announces branch closings

Published on in Business

Another bank has announced it will be closing branches in the midstate.

Orrstown Bank announced on Thursday that it will consolidate six branches. One branch is in Cumberland County, two are in Lancaster County and three are in Maryland.

The branches that will be closing by the first quarter of 2021 include the following:

  • 22 S. Hanover St., Carlisle
  • 1400 Gilbert Way, Suite 101, Manheim Township
  • 2098 Spring Valley Rd, East Hempfield Township
  • 501 Fairmount Ave., Suite 200, Towson, Maryland
  • 5600 Harford Road, Baltimore, Maryland
  • 788 Washington Blvd., Baltimore, Maryland

The Carlisle branch is within about two miles of two other branches in the Carlisle area. The two branches in Lancaster are less than three miles from another Orrstown branch. And both the branch in Carlisle and the branch on Gilbert Way in Manheim Township do not have drive-thru access or capability, so these branches have operated by-appointment only throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The branch on Spring Valley Road was the first branch for the bank in Lancaster County when it opened in June 2015.

Continue Reading on Pennlive

Pennsylvania PBS pilots datacasting’s capabilities for at-home learning

Published on in School

A yawning chasm called the digital divide segregates American communities with high-speed internet access from those without, and educators are scrambling to keep the have-nots from falling behind in their studies as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into another academic year.

“We’re looking for whatever solutions we can to make sure that all kids can learn. Some of these students who are in these situations are already in poverty, and education becomes a pathway out of poverty,” said Ben Smith, who taught high-school physics for 27 years and now serves as assistant director of educational technology for 25 school districts across south-central Pennsylvania.

Continue Reading on Current

City of Lock Haven says no live music downtown, cancels all events for two weeks

Published on in Government

Lock Haven, Pa. – Due to an increase in cases of COVID-19, the City of Lock Haven issued a two-week moratorium on all events downtown, including live music and play in ball fields.

The moratorium began yesterday, after the city had 18 new cases of COVID-19 in one week, and will be in place for 14 days, according to the city’s announcement.

According to the announcement:

  • All public ball fields in city-owned parks will be closed.
  • A moratorium is in place on the use of any city-owned property for gatherings and events.
  • There will be no outdoor entertainment permitted in the Pedestrian Mall (the stage will not be placed).

Continue Reading on North Central PA

Pa. Elementary Schools receive grant funding for healthy school meals

Published on in School

Harrisburg, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Department of Education announced that over 230 elementary schools across the state, including many in our local counties, across the state received grants to provide students with fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the school day.

“Over the past several years Pennsylvania has strengthened its approach to student nutrition and throughout the commonwealth’s response to COVID-19 there has been intense focus on students’ access to food,” Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera said. “School meals are integral to student health, and these fresh food grants help our school communities provide nutritious food to fuel our students’ growth academically and physically.”

Continue North Central PA

Pa. Game Commission receives national awards for excellence

Published on in Sports

Harrisburg, Pa. – The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has recognized the Pennsylvania Game Commission for excellence.

The game commission received two national awards at the association’s annual meeting, which was held virtually this year.

The game commission and its grouse biologist Lisa Williams were named recipients of the 2020 Ernest Thompson Seton Award. The game commission’s new Wildlife on WiFi program was named winner of the 2020 Stephen Kellert Award.

“Extremely dedicated to the roles they play in wildlife conservation, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s staff, on a daily basis, exhibits excellence in innovation, work ethic and efficiency,” said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “The results are apparent and easy to appreciate, and it’s not surprising some of our hard-working employees have been recognized on a national level with prestigious awards from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.”

Continue Reading on North Central PA

10 Pa. counties listed as areas to watch for coronavirus; statewide, positive rate drops

Published on in Health

The percentage of positive coronavirus tests dropped in Pennsylvania over the past week, but Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said 10 counties bear watching due to COVID-19 cases.

The Wolf administration said 3.8% of those tested for COVID-19 in Pennsylvania were positive over the past week, down from 4.2% the previous week.

Wolf’s administration said a number of counties, including some in central Pennsylvania, are being monitored because at least 5% of those tested are positive for the virus. Each week, the state updates the list of counties being tracked for higher rates of positive results.

Continue Reading on Pennlive

Department of Aging calls for needed update to Older Adults Protective Services Act

Published on in Government

Harrisburg, Pa. – In response to Governor Wolf’s Executive Order on protecting vulnerable populations, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging released its study on the impact of financial exploitation of older adults.

The findings of this study reinforce the urgent need for the General Assembly to update the Older Adults Protective Services Act (OAPSA) to strengthen protections against financial exploitation of older adults.

The study included an independent audit of 446 case files from 10 Area Agencies on Aging covering 14 counties containing the largest number of substantiated financial exploitation cases during the fiscal year 2017-18. The audit examined the types of financial exploitation that occurred, the combined amount lost, and the financial impact of these losses on the victims, the economy and the commonwealth. The study also reviewed financial exploitation studies conducted by three other states, as well as academic literature published on the topic.

Continue Reading on North Central PA

Public meeting on I-81 improvements begins online

Published on in School

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Regional transportation leaders invite residents to attend a virtual public meeting on improving Interstate 81 in south central Pennsylvania.

The project website can be found at www.i81southcentralpa.com.

“We are approaching the end of the needs phase of the analysis and are pleased to share details on the 12 focus areas,” said Steve Deck, executive director of Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC).

The online public meeting will remain open for more than two weeks, giving residents plenty of time to visit the website and review the details through video and interactive mapping. All feedback on the needs and criteria is due by Sept. 30 and will be used to establish priorities.

The end product will be a playbook of candidate projects and initiatives that will be used to set priorities for funding as resources become available. The planning process is expected to be completed in spring 2021.

Continue Reading on Herald Mail Media

Clear but chilly weekend ahead in central Pa.

Published on in weather

Crisp fall weather in central Pennsylvania’s weekend forecast is likely to last through much of next week, according to the National Weather Service.

Saturday and Sunday are expected to be clear and sunny, but temperatures likely will not climb past the upper 60s, the NWS said.

Similar weather is predicted through early next week. However, central Pennsylvania goes from 60-degree highs to nearly 80 on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the NWS.

Meteorologists previously told PennLive Hurricane Sally’s air flow could be creating chillier temperatures late this week and into the weekend in Pennsylvania.

Continue Reading on Pennlive

Pennsylvanians can ask unemployment questions live during L&I Virtual Town Hall tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.

Published on in Government

Harrisburg, Pa. – Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Compensation (UC) experts will answer questions live from claimants during the Department of Labor & Industry’s (L&I) seventeenth virtual town hall from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. today. UC will provide information about the unemployment benefits programs administered by L&I.

How to Participate: 

A livestream will be online at https://access.live/PAlabor. Those without internet access can listen by calling 1-833-380-0719, however phone lines are limited so we ask that they be reserved for individuals who need them.

Continue Reading on North Central PA

The Giant Company donates $100,000 to Central Pennsylvania Food Bank

Published on in Business

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Giant Company is donating $100,000 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to help people struggling with food access because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several Giant employees volunteered Wednesday at the food bank’s packing facility at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.

“Supporting our purpose of hunger relief with Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, our aligned purpose is in bringing that to life together. It’s really what’s driving today and Hunger Action Month,” said Daren Russ, of Giant.

“Along with the volunteering, The Giant Company is giving us a gift today of $100,000, and that gift alone will provide another 600,000 meals worth of food,” said Joe Arthur, of the Central PA Food Bank.

Continue Reading on WGAL 8

$4 million in state grants available for direct care worker training

Published on in Health

Harrisburg, Pa. – Direct care workers will receive some help as $4 million in Direct Care Worker Training Grants (DCWTG) are available statewide.

The grants improve the quality of care provided by direct care workers. They will also create opportunities for workers to build new careers and earn family-sustaining wages.

“Direct care workers assist and support patients who are not able to look after themselves in long-term care facilities like nursing homes,” said Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jerry Oleksiak.
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