View on mobile device | View in browser
|
||
|
In an effort to keep you informed about state and local issues, I have developed this e-newsletter which I will be sending out to residents of the 23rd District. I think it is a fast, convenient and affordable way to get news out to area residents. I hope you find this e-newsletter useful and informative – and if you know of someone else who would like to receive it, please feel free to forward this email. Ag Progress Days Just Around the Corner Pennsylvania's largest outdoor agricultural exposition - Ag Progress Days - will take place Tuesday, August 17 through Thursday, August 19 at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, which is nine miles southwest of State College, Pennsylvania, on Route 45.
With over 400 exhibitors from 31 states and 4 provinces of Canada, Ag Progress Days has something for everyone. Each year, farming families from across Pennsylvania and surrounding states attend this three-day event. Of the 45,000 expected attendees, over 60 percent are actively engaged in agriculture or related professions. I attended Ag Progress Days last year to learn about the latest innovations in the agricultural industry and spent the day with Penn State Extension educators. It was a great learning experience and fun as well. If you are interested in attending, click here to learn more about the activities and exhibits. You May Have Unclaimed Property – Here's How to Find Out Each year, the Pennsylvania Department of Treasury receives millions of dollars in unclaimed property – forgotten stocks, uncashed checks, insurance policies, to name a few – and works to return them to the rightful owners. Currently, Pennsylvania is holding $1.5 billion in unclaimed property. It is estimated that approximately one in ten Pennsylvanians has unclaimed property. I would encourage district residents to take a few moments to check the Unclaimed Property Database to ensure that any money being held by the Treasury will ultimately be returned to the citizens. Individuals can access the Unclaimed Property Database online or by calling 1-800-222-2046. Emerald Ash Borer Beetle Study If you have driven on any of our roads recently, you have most undoubtedly seen one of those strange purple wooden boxes hanging on a roadside tree. These traps are designed specifically to attract and trap the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle to determine whether this invasive species has migrated to our area. The Emerald Ash Borer Beetle is attracted to the color purple, so when the boxes are hung in a specific manner and baited, it will attract any existing beetles in the area to see if corrective action must be taken. These beetles threaten our forest habitats by destroying ash stands, some of which are threatened or endangered species of trees. The best thing to do when you see these boxes is to leave them alone. If you need to have the box removed for any reason, please contact your local Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry so they can properly relocate and monitor the boxes. To help prevent the spread of this invasive species of beetle, there are steps everyone can take, such as not bringing firewood from one area to the other, especially for camping. Importing firewood is the prime way the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle is introduced to a new area, so simply purchasing firewood once you arrive at a location is a great way of limiting the spread of the beetle. For more information, contact the Bureau of Forestry, or you can visit the DCNR informational website. 2010 Fair Schedule
In the northern reaches of the 23rd Senatorial District, you can attend the Harford Fair in New Milford any time from August 16th to August 21st. Finally, the last large fair in our area is held at the Sullivan County Fairgrounds outside of World's End State Park. It is the 159th Sullivan County Fair and it runs from September 1st until September 6th. Senator Yaw joins 2010 Troy Fair Queen Hannah Bush, left, and 2010 Fair Queen Casey Hall above. So, get out there with your friends and neighbors and enjoy the funnel cakes, hot sausages and summer weather as each of these Fairs have something special to offer. Also, be on the lookout for the smaller carnivals and special events that seem to pop up everywhere around the area. There are also large events just outside the district where many local exhibitors and vendors take their wares on the road. These include the famous 156th Bloomsburg Fair in late September and the 44th Tioga County Fair in mid-August being held in Whitneyville. You can click here for a more complete fair guide. Spotlight on Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield Universities To continue highlighting colleges in Pennsylvania, I While not physically located in the 23rd Senatorial District, each year many residents from the district attend one of the three universities that are a part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). PASSHE, with 14 universities and nearly 117,000 students, is the largest higher education provider in Pennsylvania. According to its website, PASSHE's mission is to increase the intellectual wealth of the Commonwealth, to prepare students at all levels for personal and professional success in their lives, and to contribute to the economic, social, and cultural development of Pennsylvania's communities, the Commonwealth, and the nation. Located just to the south and east of our Senate District in Columbia County is Bloomsburg University. Students attending "Bloom" can choose from 56 undergraduate degree programs, 44 undergraduate minors, several health care programs involving clinical study, and 19 graduate degree programs, including a doctorate in clinical audiology. If you are interested in learning more about Bloomsburg University, please visit their website. Branding itself as "Small College Lifestyle, Big University Education" is Lock Haven University. The college is located just west of our Senate District in Clinton County. LHU offers students more than 60 undergraduate majors from which to choose. In addition to the Clinton County location, where more than 4,600 students attend, LHU has a branch campus in Clearfield County with almost 500 students. If you would like more information on LHU, please visit their website. Students have been traversing the hills at Mansfield University for more than 150 years. Located in Tioga County, Mansfield is home to several thousand students majoring in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. According to the President of Mansfield University, Dr. Maravene Loeschke, the university is dedicated to "Developing Tomorrow's Leaders." She said, "Effective leadership is about using your education, your talents and your lives to guide positive change. It is about preparing yourself to help make the world better than you found it. Dedication to your personal and professional leadership is service - service to your profession, your community and to your own personal excellence." If you would like more information on Mansfield University, please visit their website. As you can see, all three schools provide students with a wide variety of educational opportunities, student activities, clubs and organizations as well as athletics. Each school plays an integral role in their communities. An Inside Look at Memorial Hospital Last month, I had the opportunity to meet in Towanda with Gary Baker, President of Memorial Hospital, and some members of their Finance Committee. In our discussions, I was made aware of not only the accomplishments and improvements at the hospital but also some of the effects they are seeing as a result of the Marcellus Shale activity. I was told that Memorial Hospital is responsible for providing basic and advanced life support in a service area representing approximately two counties and covering over 856 square miles. Last year, their fleet traveled 162,000 miles to fulfill this mission. The increase, they felt, was due to the population increase directly related to the gas drilling companies and their employees and families. In order to keep up with the growing demand of 911 calls that are occurring and the anticipated increase, the hospital is in need of obtaining and maintaining their fleet. Because of their fundraising efforts, they were able to purchase a new ambulance and a new wheelchair van. However, Memorial Hospital is still in need of another new ambulance and another wheelchair van to meet the needs of the community. Currently, they are conducting a drive to obtain $200,000 in the next two years to meet this obligation and are hoping they can count on donations by area individuals and businesses. After our meeting, Linda Berry, Vice President of Human Resources, took me on a tour of the hospital and highlighted the various improvements made over the years. To learn more of what Memorial Hospital has to offer, you can go to their website. Out and About In the District Last month, I had the opportunity of touring Bassler Pattern Works. For the past forty years, Lou, his wife Emily and their sons, Argus and Aaron, have owned and operated this business in Montoursville. They manufacture patterns and prototypes for businesses both locally and nationally. Bassler has designed patterns for a wide range of businesses from safety bars for amusement park rides to products for a defense contractor. They have done work for Textron, Construction Specialties, Shop Vac, Williamsport Foundry, NuWeld of Trout Run and the Ralph Alberts Co. Lou was especially proud of his contribution to the James V. Brown Library. There, a shark and an octopus are perched on top of the library's colorful Get Hooked on Books van, a mobile unit for the children's summer reading program. Both creatures were made possible courtesy of Lou and his family. In addition to his business, Lou is a founding member of the Inventors Club of Lycoming County and works very closely with the Keystone Innovation Zone Program, which often refers clients to Lou for his assistance and guidance. It was a privilege touring this business and to learn about the positive impacts that Lou and his family are having on our local economy. Keeping History Alive This is the goal of the Sones Farm and Home Museum near Muncy. Recently, I toured this museum with Oliver and Mary Sones. The museum is housed in an early 1868 Overshot, hand hewed timber and wooden pinned bank barn. It is open May through October, Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10-5 and Sundays 11-5. If you enjoy history, this museum has a fascinating range of historical items on display. For further information, you can contact the Museum or call 570-546-6334. In the next few months, I will be showcasing the Sones Farm and Home Museum on my monthly cable show. Watch your future newsletters for further details. Historical Triple Feature in Mifflinburg You may have seen the first of several shows featuring Historical Mifflinburg that has been airing on my monthly cable show. Earlier this year, I had an opportunity of sitting down with local historian and long time resident Bob Lynch and Main Street Manager, Becky Hagenbaugh. They provided me with an update on the status and a tour of several projects that are ongoing in the borough. I was very impressed by the work of these individuals and others, who are doing a first-class job of preserving an important part of Pennsylvania history. Because of this, I thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase their work by producing a cable show to highlight their accomplishments. After filming was complete, we found we had enough footage to produce three shows. The first show featured the historic Gutelius House where Frederick and Anna Gutelius raised a family of 13 children in the log home. The current show airing features the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum and the William Heiss Coach Works. The next show will feature the restored Elias Church. I want to personally thank Mayor Dave Cooney for his hospitality and I would like to thank everyone who contributed their time and energies into producing these shows. A Conversation With Senator Gene Yaw is designed to keep residents of the 23rd Senatorial District informed about state and local issues and showcase the people, places and communities that make this area so unique. The program airs various times during the month on the following cable outlets:
The program can also be viewed on the Senator Yaw's website, under A Conversation With Senator Gene Yaw.
|
Harrisburg Office District Offices 1-800-443-5772
1 Elizabeth Street
| |
|
Privacy Policy |
||
Ag
Progress Days features the latest technology and research exhibits, educational
programs, and guided tours. In its 34th year at this established site, it is one
of only three agricultural exhibitions in the country sponsored by a major university. Its exhibits showcase the latest in Penn State research as well as
information on best management practices and changing regulations in the
agricultural industry. The show uses about 55 acres for events, 35 acres for
parking, and more than 80 acres for crops.
The 2010 Fair Season is well underway. Many people enjoyed the delicious
food, booths, games and other attractions at the
decided to focus on
three universities of significant importance to students in my Senatorial
District – Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield.