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The Weekly Roundup
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The latest news from the State Capitol
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Do You Have Concerns about Beltzville State Park?
The operation of Beltzville State Park on high-visitation days will be the focus of a public meeting hosted by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of State Parks on Thursday, Jan. 17.
The informational session will take place from 4-8 p.m. at the Towamensing Volunteer Fire Company, 105 Firehouse Road in Palmerton. The meeting was original scheduled in November but had to be postponed due to inclement weather.
My office received numerous calls last summer from concerned residents related to overcrowding and parking at the park. During the upcoming meeting, state officials will provide us with an update on the Beltzville use and impact study that has been undertaken to identify and address these problems. I encourage anyone interested in the future of Beltzville State Park to attend.
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PA Farm Show Wraps Up this Weekend
There’s still time to stop by if you haven’t yet visited the 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, which comes to a close on Saturday.
I visited the Farm Show and had the chance to videotape several interviews on issues impacting the Commonwealth’s agriculture industry, including the Spotted Lanternfly, the dairy crisis and avian flu. The segment below will be included in the program, so watch for it soon!
Learn more about the Farm Show here. The website includes lots of photos and information on local winners.
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Preparing Students for High Growth Jobs
The Pocono Counties Workforce Development Board received a $90,900 state grant this week to help connect businesses and schools to create job training opportunities for students in our area. The program provides career-related experiences, internships, workplace shadowing and career mentoring, all with the goal of engaging more students in acquiring the technical skills needed by employers in high growth industries.
More than $2.6 million in Business-Education Partnership grants were awarded to 22 local workforce development boards statewide. The grants are federally funded.
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Economic Update
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s General Fund revenue collections for December were $2.9 billion. So far this fiscal year, those revenues are more than $400 million higher than expected. Learn more here.
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PennDOT Accepting Applications for Student Summer Work Program
PennDOT is currently accepting applications from college students interested in working on a summer maintenance crew or in a variety of other positions. All candidates – both new hires and re-hires – must apply online here. You can find the application link in the “Open Jobs” section. Candidates should also notify my office about their application submission by Friday, Feb. 15.
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Veterans Should Review Benefits
As the New Year starts, the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) suggests veterans review the benefits they have earned through their service.
Veterans should check with a veterans service officer to see if a change in their circumstances or in benefit policies could make them eligible for different programs.
Veterans are encouraged to apply for federal health care and state benefits by visiting their local county director of veterans affairs or area accredited service organizations. County directors can be found by clicking here.
DMVA officials stress that veterans and their dependents should never pay for help to apply for benefits. There are about 200 veterans service officers in Pennsylvania who work with organizations such as the DMVA, county veterans affairs offices, and several veterans service organizations available to provide assistance at no cost.
To get timely information about state benefits, programs and services, veterans are urged to sign up for DMVA’s Veterans Registry at www.register.dmva.pa.gov.
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Happy Anniversary!
It was my honor to present a House citation to William and Louise Schneider in recognition of their 65th wedding anniversary. Congratulations!
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| Office Locations |
| 110 North Third Street, 2nd Floor, Lehighton, PA 18235 | (610) 377-6363 |
| 2681 State Route 903, Unit 3, Albrightsville, PA 18210 | (570) 722-8700 |
| Room 420 Irvis Office Building, PO Box 202122, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2122 | (717) 260-6139 |
| Email: dheffley@pahousegop.com |
| TTY: 855-282-0614 |
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