web1_casale_edit.jpg

Dr. Casale: Vaping is not a healthy alternative

web1_123536133-b8773080b2704b25b65097f8fb0dc344.jpg

Jags lose Foles with broken collarbone

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Acting Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar last week launched the third year of the Governor&#8217;s Civic Engagement Award program for high schools.</p><p>The announcement comes as September is National Voter Registration Month.</p><p>The program promotes student-led voter registration efforts at high schools and recognizes schools that register at least 65 percent of their eligible students.</p><p>&#8220;This innovative, nonpartisan program teaches young people civics and encourages them to get involved as active citizens and voters in our democratic process,&#8221; Boockvar said. &#8220;I urge educators to enroll their schools in the program as soon as possible so they can get the voter registration toolkit early and receive valuable updates throughout the school year.&#8221;</p><p>Information on the four regional recognition events for award winners &#8212; in Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia &#8212; will be posted soon on the GCEA web page so schools can plan ahead.</p><p>The GCEA program is growing in popularity and success. In its first year, 2,955 eligible students registered to vote, and 16 schools won awards. Last year, 3,109 eligible students registered to vote, 23 schools won awards and eight outstanding students earned individual recognition for working to register their peers and also serving as poll workers.</p><p>Schools that register at least 85 percent of their eligible students earn a Gold Level Award, while schools that register 65 percent or more of their eligible students earn a Silver Level Award. To be eligible to register to vote, students must be 18 years of age, or turn 18 on or before the date of the next primary, special, municipal or general election.</p><p>The program, initiated at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, is a cooperative effort by the Departments of State and Education. It offers student leaders resources on voter registration and educates them about the electoral process and the importance of civic engagement.</p><p>&#8220;Voting is a fundamental right in our country and registering to vote is the first step students need to take to participate in this democratic process,&#8221; said Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera. &#8220;We encourage all students 18 and older to register through this initiative so that their votes can be counted, and we applaud our students who are helping their peers learn about and act on their civic responsibilities.&#8221;</p><p><strong>National Voter Registration Month</strong></p><p>In 2002, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) established National Voter Registration Month in September as a nonpartisan means of encouraging voter participation and increasing awareness of state voting requirements and deadlines.</p><p>National Voter Registration Day, launched in 2012 by a coalition of nonprofit and voter advocacy organizations and supported by NASS, will be held this year on Tuesday, Sept. 24.</p><p>Pennsylvanians wishing to register to vote must be:</p><p>&#8226; A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the election.</p><p>&#8226; A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which the individual desires to register and vote for at least 30 days before the election.</p><p>&#8226; At least 18 years of age on or before the date of the election.</p><p>Oct. 7 is Pennsylvania&#8217;s deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 election.</p><p>The Department of State&#8217;s <a href="http://votesPA.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">votesPA.com</a> website offers:</p><p>&#8226; A polling place locator.</p><p>&#8226; Contact information for county boards of election.</p><p>&#8226; Tips for first-time voters and members of the military.</p><p>&#8226; Video demonstrations of the voting systems in use in each county.</p><p>&#8226; A Voter Guide and the &#8220;Top 5 Things Every Voter Should Know About Pennsylvania Elections.&#8221;</p><p>For more information on voter registration, call the Department of State&#8217;s toll-free hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or visit votesPA.com. Printer-friendly Pennsylvania voter education materials can be found at votesPa.com.</p><p>Wolf thanks<strong> Pennsylvania National</strong></p><p><strong> Guard</strong>, <strong>families at deployment ceremony</strong></p><p>Last week, 53 Pennsylvania National Guard members assigned to Bravo Company and Delta Company, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion, 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, participated in a send-off ceremony in Annville as they prepare to mobilize for deployment to the Middle East as part of Operation Freedom&#8217;s Sentinel.</p><p>Gov. Tom Wolf and Adj. Gen. Tony Carrelli thanked the troops and their families.</p><p>&#8220;Pennsylvania is fortunate to have such dedicated men and women like those here today who are willing to greatly sacrifice while serving thousands of miles from home to preserve our liberties and freedom,&#8221; Wolf said. &#8220;The entire commonwealth is grateful for your critical role in this nation&#8217;s safety and security. We thank you and your families and will continue to support you all throughout this difficult next year.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;The nation and commonwealth have asked much of you and your families during your service in the National Guard,&#8221; said Carrelli, who also heads the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. &#8220;We are proud of you all and ask once again that you put family and careers aside to defend freedom for America and her allies. We are here to support your families while you are gone and anxiously wait for your safe return next year.&#8221;</p><p>The units support aviation operations that will be conducted within the Middle East. The soldiers are based out of Fort Indiantown Gap and Johnstown but come from all over the commonwealth and some even reside in neighboring states. They will first travel to Texas to prepare for movement overseas.</p><p>Operation Freedom&#8217;s Sentinel is part of the Global War on Terrorism and is the official name for the mission succeeding Operation Enduring Freedom. Terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda still function in the OFS area of operations and remain a threat to international stability, peace and safety.</p><p>Bravo Company soldiers operate CH-47 Chinook helicopters and Delta Company soldiers provide aviation maintenance. They will work with partner units to prevent these terrorist groups from launching attacks against Americans or our allies around the world.</p><p>Founded in 1747, the Pennsylvania National Guard is the second largest National Guard in the nation and is comprised of more than 18,000 soldiers and airmen, who reside in every county across the commonwealth. The Pennsylvania National Guard is part of the DMVA&#8217;s dual mission, which also includes supporting Pennsylvania&#8217;s nearly 800,000 veterans.</p><p>For more information about the DMVA, visit us online at <a href="http://www.dmva.pa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.dmva.pa.gov</a> or follow at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/padmva" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.facebook.com/padmva</a> or www.twitter.com/padmva.</p><p><strong>Critical need for high-speed</strong></p><p><strong>internet in health care discussed</strong></p><p>Speaking in front of a packed room at the Monroe County Safety Center, Sally Kozak, Deputy Secretary with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, last week testified that broadband access is critical for the delivery of high-quality health care.</p><p>&#8220;Lack of broadband prevents health care and emergency medical service providers from delivering the best treatment possible,&#8221; Kozak said. &#8220;When it comes to medical services, providers need access to robust, reliable broadband to ensure they are able to communicate with patients and hospitals effectively, transmit and receive crucial data, and implement the latest technology.&#8221;</p><p>The Monroe County Safety Center was where a Senate Communications and Technology Committee public hearing took place on Tuesday afternoon.</p><p>The hearing, held at the request of Sen. Mario Scavello, R-Scotrun, featured experts who outlined the challenges of emergency response and health care options for local residents when high-speed internet access is nonexistent.</p><p>&#8220;In the 40th Senate District, we have made headway in several cases with getting increased broadband access to specific communities and institutions,&#8221; Scavello said. &#8220;However, we need to replicate that success across the state and make it the norm, not the exception.&#8221;</p><p>The hearing, chaired by Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York, is the second in a series of four hearings on how lack of high-speed internet can affect various key industries in Pennsylvania.</p><p>In addition to the Department of Human Services, the hearing featured three panels, including AT&amp;T, the Public Utility Commission, the Broadband Cable Association, Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative, the Pennsylvania State Police, Motorola, Mansfield University on behalf of the Fund for the Northern Tier, the Department of Human Services, the Pennsylvania Medical Society and St. Luke&#8217;s University Health Network.</p><p>The committee went to Fayette County for a public hearing on Sept. 5 to review how high-speed broadband internet access impacts agriculture and education.</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/2019/09/web1_Capitol-logo.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_Capitol-logo.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_Acting-Secretary-of-State-Kathy-Boockvar.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Boockvar </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_Acting-Secretary-of-State-Kathy-Boockvar.jpg</photo1><caption1>Boockvar </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_Wolf_Tom-07-24-14-cmyk.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wolf </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_Wolf_Tom-07-24-14-cmyk.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wolf </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_PA-Adjutant-General-Tony-Carrelli.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Carrelli </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_PA-Adjutant-General-Tony-Carrelli.jpg</photo3><caption3>Carrelli </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_Sen.-Mario-Scavullo.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Scavello </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_Sen.-Mario-Scavullo.jpg</photo4><caption4>Scavello </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></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>

State launches student-led voter registration program