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Thousands rally behind Trump, believing he won race he lost

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College hockey: Optimism fading for winter sports seasons

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined Hunger-Free Pennsylvania and Hunters Sharing the Harvest this week to encourage Pennsylvania&rsquo;s more than 850,000 licensed hunters to consider donating a deer to Pennsylvanians in need of food this hunting season.
				&ldquo;In a year of challenges, Hunters Sharing the Harvest is a reliable tradition that offers us some bright light,&rdquo; said Redding. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a shining example of the good that can happen when public sector support and private sector generosity work together to solve a problem.
				&ldquo;A well-stocked freezer is not universal; more than 2 million Pennsylvanians are at risk for hunger and the simple act of sharing can help to fight that hunger. If you&rsquo;ve got more than one tag, consider using your love for the sport to feed others.&rdquo;
				A non-profit organization, Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) coordinates the donation, processing, and distribution of venison to Pennsylvanians facing food insecurity.
				In 2019, HSH coordinated record donations for the program with more than 160,000 pounds of venison distributed to provide 822,000 meals to Pennsylvanians in need. On average, a single deer donated can provide up to 200 meals.
				In 2019, the Department of Agriculture renewed a five-year contract with HSH to provide funding to defray costs of processing the donated venison. Under the contract, the department pays up to $145,000 annually in processor costs.
				&ldquo;Now more than ever, we need the support of Pennsylvanians as we work to feed the growing number of people facing food insecurity,&rdquo; said Hunger-Free Pennsylvania Executive Director Sheila Christopher. &ldquo;This partnership with Hunters Sharing the Harvest is critical to maintaining a steady supply of lean, high-protein product that is often difficult for our member food banks to source.&rdquo;
				&#8226; In 2018, 1.4 million Pennsylvanians &mdash; nearly 10.9 percent of the population &mdash; didn&rsquo;t always know where their next meal was coming from.
				&#8226; In 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, that number increased by 41 percent to 2 million insecure Pennsylvanians.
				&#8226; Even more startling, of the 2 million food insecure, 630,900 are children &mdash; that&rsquo;s an increase of 57.6 percent since 2018.
				&ldquo;Our program is unique in maintaining its effectiveness and recognition of our Pennsylvania hunters&rsquo; compassion for others and since 1991,&rdquo; said Hunters Sharing the Harvest Executive Director John Plowman. &ldquo;With a 2019 record of more than 160,000 high-protein pounds distributed to statewide food banks, soup kitchens and families in need, we&rsquo;re shooting for comparably good results for 2020.&rdquo;
				Hunters interested in participating can take their deer to one of the participating deer processors throughout the state and donate any amount of their venison to the program.
				For more information on Hunters Sharing the Harvest, becoming a corporate sponsor, or donating through their Buck for the Pot initiative, visit &mdash; sharedeer.org.
				AAA Mid-Atlantic: Animal strikes
				spike in November, December
				We&rsquo;ve reached the middle of November and AAA Mid-Atlantic is warning drivers to be more cautious on the roads.
				November and December are the worst months of the year for motor vehicle collisions with animals due to deer mating season. A collision with a deer or other animal can put a serious dent in your vehicle, if not destroy it completely, and could result in serious injuries or fatalities.
				PennDOT reports show that Pennsylvania saw more than 4,300 crashes where a vehicle hit a deer in 2019.
				According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, there are more than 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions each year, resulting in 150 fatalities and tens of thousands of injuries.
				&ldquo;Across Pennsylvania, deer strikes are starting to increase,&rdquo; says Jana L. Tidwell, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. &ldquo;With that in mind, AAA is urging motorists to drive defensively and remain alert behind the wheel, especially at dawn and dusk, when deer are most active.&rdquo;
				Even those with the good fortune to walk away from a deer collision unharmed may still pay a steep price. According to AAA Insurance, the average claim for a deer strike in Pennsylvania is more than $4,300, and if you don&rsquo;t have proper coverage, that could be a painful, out-of-pocket expense.
				AAA tips:
				&#8226; Pay attention to road signs. Yellow, diamond-shaped signs with an image of a deer indicate areas with high levels of deer activity.
				&#8226; Keep your eyes moving back and forth. Continuously sweep your eyes across the road in front of you for signs of animals and movement. Animals may also be alongside the road, so make sure to look to the right and left. While the most likely crash is you hitting an animal, on occasion they might also hit you by running into the side of your car.
				&#8226; Be especially attentive in early morning and evening hours. Many animals, especially deer, are most active from 5-8 a.m. and 5-8 p.m., prime commuting times for many.
				&#8226; Use high beams when there&rsquo;s no oncoming traffic. You can spot animals sooner. Sometimes the light reflecting off their eyes will reveal their location.
				&#8226; Slow down, and watch for other deer to appear. Deer rarely travel alone, so if you see one, there are likely to be more nearby.
				&#8226; One long blast. A long blast on your horn may frighten animals away from your vehicle.
				&#8226; Resist the urge to swerve: Instead, stay in your lane with both hands firmly on the wheel. Swerving away from animals can confuse them so they don&rsquo;t know which way to run.
				&#8226; If the crash is imminent take your foot off the brake: during hard braking the front end of your vehicle is pulled downward which can cause the animal to travel up over the hood towards your windshield.
				To report a dead deer for removal from Pennsylvania state-maintained roads, motorists can call PennDOT at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.
				PennDOT to hold 2 virtual
				meetings on state rail plan
				The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) invites rail stakeholders and the public to provide input on the draft Pennsylvania State Rail Plan during two virtual public meetings on Nov. 16 and 17.
				Through this plan, the commonwealth will identify a clear vision for the future of rail transportation, set goals and objectives for achieving that vision, and document and evaluate passenger and freight rail needs over the course of the next 25 years to guide investments.
				&ldquo;Freight and passenger rail are vibrant components of our state&rsquo;s transportation network,&rdquo; said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. &ldquo;We invite residents and stakeholders to help us shape the plan by taking part in the virtual meetings.&rdquo;
				As part of this effort, virtual public meetings will be held on Nov. 16 from 4 p.m. to 5 5 p.m. and on Nov. 17 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
				To register, visit the Pennsylvania State Rail Plan website. Interested individuals will be able to view and comment on the draft plan through Dec. 2.
				The State Rail Plan is updated every four years to meet Federal Railroad Administration requirements, and the draft was created over the last year with stakeholder input through various outreach efforts.
				In accordance with Gov. Tom Wolf&rsquo;s COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the meeting will be held online only. Those unable to access the meeting or comment form, need translation/interpretation services, or have special needs that require individual attention, contact Angela Watson, PennDOT project manager, at &mdash; angelwatso@pa.gov &mdash; or call 717-705-1318.
				Rivera named to President-elect
				Joe Biden&rsquo;s agency review team
				Gov. Tom Wolf this week commended President-elect Joe Biden for selecting former Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Pedro Rivera to serve on the agency review team for the U.S. Department of Education.
				The review teams are comprised of experts who will help to ensure a smooth transition of power to the Biden Administration.
				&ldquo;Pedro Rivera was an excellent secretary of education for Pennsylvania and he is a tremendous choice by President-elect Biden to help prepare the education efforts of the next administration,&rdquo; said Gov. Wolf. &ldquo;Pedro&rsquo;s leadership was critical to rebuilding strong relationships to local school communities and improving the quality of education in our state.
				&ldquo;Under Pedro Rivera&rsquo;s leadership, Pennsylvania reduced the over-reliance on standardized testing, adopted a landmark basic education funding formula, created the innovative Future Ready PA Index and more. I am proud that Pedro served in my cabinet and I look forward to his efforts to help set the values and priorities of the incoming administration.&rdquo;
				After serving as Pennsylvania secretary of education since Gov. Wolf took office in 2015, Rivera became president of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology on Oct. 1. He was previously the superintendent of the School District of Lancaster.

Pennsylvania hunters can address local food insecurity by donating deer