web1_JACK-MONICK.jpg

Monick epitomizes the volunteer spirit of the Keystone State Games

web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-.jpg

Beyond the Byline: Should we storm the DPW?

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Gov. Tom Wolf was joined last week by Office of Broadband Initiatives Acting Executive Director Sheri Collins and representatives from Pennsylvania&#8217;s business, education, and municipal sectors at a news conference at the Capitol to discuss their individual challenges with broadband access and how the bipartisan Restore Pennsylvania proposal will help close the digital divide.</p><p>&#8220;One of the biggest challenges holding back Pennsylvania&#8217;s economy is lack of universal broadband access,&#8221; Wolf said in an emailed news release. &#8220;Everyone told us about how the negative effects of not having access are numerous and far-reaching. Thankfully, we have a plan in Restore Pennsylvania that can provide the funds necessary to expand access to high-speed internet to everyone.&#8221;</p><p>Restore Pennsylvania, the $4.5 billion bipartisan proposal funded through a commonsense severance tax, will provide funding to completely bridge the digital divide in every community in Pennsylvania. Funding will be available to support installation of infrastructure to bring high speed internet to every corner of the commonwealth.</p><p>Nearly a million Pennsylvanians today lack access to robust, reliable, high-speed internet, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Lack of broadband access affects almost every sector. In education, lack of broadband access hurts students&#8217; ability to learn and teachers&#8217; ability to teach.</p><p>In business, companies have difficulty recruiting premier talent in areas where broadband isn&#8217;t readily available for the employee and their family at home. In health care, broadband is needed for effective telemedicine and ensuring emergency medical services personnel can provide the fastest, best care possible.</p><p>&#8220;As educators, we know how important it is for our students to have broadband internet access beyond the school walls,&#8221; said Dr. Brian Griffith, superintendent of Penns Valley Area School District.</p><p>&#8220;Fast-growth, digitally native businesses like ours are extremely dependent on broadband internet,&#8221; said Todd Wolfenberg, CEO of Yoga International based in Honesdale, Wayne County.</p><p>The problem also disproportionately affects rural areas. According to a report published last month from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, internet connectivity speeds are substantially slower in rural counties than in urban ones. Due to the cost of broadband infrastructure, local municipalities cannot fund the purchase and installation of that infrastructure themselves.</p><p>&#8220;One of the main goals of Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative and Tri-Co Connections is to deliver high-speed fiber optic internet services to the unserved and under-served homes, farms and businesses across rural Northcentral Pennsylvania,&#8221; said Craig Eccher, president and CEO of Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative. &#8220;We expect the availability of broadband internet service to spur economic development in our region, creating opportunities in areas such as telemedicine, education, teleworking and opening doors for future business ventures.&#8221;</p><p><strong>PennDOT provides mid-year update</strong></p><p><strong>on road, bridge construction progress</strong></p><p>Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Leslie S. Richards last week announced that hundreds of construction contracts for highway, bridge, and other improvement projects have been issued this year.</p><p>Through June 30, PennDOT crews have improved more than 800 miles of roadway and rehabilitated or replaced 27 bridges statewide this year. In the same time-frame, 372 construction contracts for highway, bridge, and other improvement projects were issued statewide to PennDOT&#8217;s private-sector partners.</p><p>&#8220;We and our partners are making improvements to our large, old system in every corner of the state,&#8221; Richards said. &#8220;We work year-round to move people and goods as safely and efficiently as possible.&#8221;</p><p>Progress also continues on the department&#8217;s public-private partnership for bridges, the Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. All of the initiative&#8217;s 558 bridges have started construction, are under construction, or have finished, with 548 replaced so far over roughly six years. Located largely in rural areas, the bridges would have taken eight to 12 years to address through the department&#8217;s overall program.</p><p>PennDOT anticipates putting out for bid $2.2 billion total in projects in 2019. For more information on projects occurring or being bid this year, visit <a href="http://www.projects.penndot.gov" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.projects.penndot.gov</a>. The public is also encouraged to view <a href="http://www.penndot.gov/results" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.penndot.gov/results</a>, a page dedicated to reporting PennDOT&#8217;s progress in delivering for the state. Customers can also view the department&#8217;s 2018 Annual Report, which for the first time is viewable as a document and also a responsive website.</p><p><strong>PA is making historic</strong></p><p><strong>investments in education</strong></p><p>Gov. Tom Wolf joined parents, teachers and school administrators last week at the Capitol to celebrate historic investments in education during the governor&#8217;s tenure. Over the past five years the governor has secured a $1.4 billion increase in education funding from pre-kindergarten through college, including nearly $800 million for basic education, $140 million for special education, and $40 million for career and technical education provided by school districts.</p><p>&#8220;Pennsylvania&#8217;s children and their future are my top priority,&#8221; Wolf said. &#8220;Increasing funding for public schools is investing in the lives of our children. Every Pennsylvania child deserves a great education whether they live in a big city, a growing suburb or a small rural town. Strong public schools create a well-educated and skilled workforce that will continue to attract jobs to Pennsylvania and grow the economy for everyone.&#8221;</p><p>The recently enacted state budget includes increases of $160 million for basic education, which will be distributed through a formula created in 2015 to more fairly fund school districts that need it the most. The budget also increases special education by $50 million and career and technical education by $10 million. The governor&#8217;s proposal to raise the dropout age to 18 and lower the requirement to start school to age 6 was also enacted.</p><p>&#8220;Governor Wolf has been leading the charge to increase investments in our schools and he deserves our thanks on behalf of every student throughout the state,&#8221; said Dr. Richard W. Fry, Big Spring School District Superintendent and Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators President.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m proud to stand here today with Gov. Wolf and my fellow education advocates to talk about the great progress we&#8217;ve made in funding Pennsylvania&#8217;s public schools,&#8221; said Rich Askey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.</p><p>The budget also included the vast majority of the governor&#8217;s comprehensive plan to make Pennsylvania&#8217;s workforce the best in the nation, such as a $10 million increase to expand the innovative PAsmart initiative to $40 million. PAsmart will provide $20 million in science and technology education, $10 million for career and technology learning and $10 million for job training.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m the parent of a child who receives special education services,&#8221; said Sally Canazaro, a parent from the South Middleton School District. &#8220;Over the years, the state&#8217;s share of funding for their education has fallen to 25 percent. That leaves many schools struggling to make sure every child who requires special education gets what they need to thrive, and school districts must find the dollars somewhere else in the budget. The historic $50 million increase in special education funding is critical and I am thankful for Gov. Wolf&#8217;s leadership.&#8221;</p><p><strong>PA Republicans elect</strong></p><p><strong>Tabas as new chairman</strong></p><p>HERSHEY &#8212; Republican State Committee members on July 13 elected Lawrence Tabas chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania as he promised to deliver the state for Donald Trump in 2020.</p><p>The election of Tabas came by a voice vote after the only other candidate, state party vice chair Bernadette &#8220;Bernie&#8221; Comfort, withdrew from the race.</p><p>Tabas succeeds Val DiGiorgio, who stepped down last month.</p><p>Tabas added that it was now time for the party to coalesce around its 2019 judicial and municipal candidates and prepare for next year&#8217;s general elections.</p><p>A resident of Philadelphia, Tabas is a well-known expert in election law and has served as the state committee&#8217;s legal counsel in years past. He and his wife, Libby, have three children. Tabas graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received a law degree from Georgetown University.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_Capitol-logo-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_Capitol-logo-3.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_Leslie-Richards.cmyk_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Richards</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_Leslie-Richards.cmyk_.jpg</photo1><caption1>Richards</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_PA-GOP-LAWRENCE-TABAS.jpeg">
<div class="neCaption">Tabas </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_PA-GOP-LAWRENCE-TABAS.jpeg</photo2><caption2>Tabas </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Leaders statewide join Wolf to call for statewide broadband access