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WILKES-BARRE — The first legal Video Gaming Terminals in Western Pennsylvania opened to the public last week at Emlenton Truck Plaza in Emlenton.
The Pennsylvania legislature approved truck stop gaming in 2017. Emlenton Truck Plaza will be among the very first in the state to operate the games. Operational for 47 years, Emlenton Truck Plaza provides Pilot-branded diesel and was approved by the PA Gaming Control Board after an arduous background check and facility review.
This will be the first truck stop in Pennsylvania to go live with Video Gaming Terminals with a Vegas style gaming room designed by Commonwealth Gaming.
Video Gaming Terminals are low stake slot machines closely regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Carol Burns, part owner of the facility, said she chose to install Video Gaming Terminals as part of her upgrade and renovation program.
“The travel plaza business is a very capital intensive business and the gaming proceeds will help offset some of the costs while providing new entertainment options to patrons,” Burns explained. Burns and her brother Ed Yasechko recently took ownership of the truck stop that was built by their father, Mr. Yasechko, in 1972.
The owners of Emlenton Truck Plaza partnered with Commonwealth Gaming as their terminal operator due to their knowledge and experience in the video gaming industry, their design capabilities, and their ability to professionally service the gaming area. Commonwealth Gaming is based in the Harrisburg area and actively fought for the gaming expansion in Pennsylvania since 2015.
Travelers of the I-80 corridor hoping to see the new Video Gaming Terminals in Pennsylvania can locate the plaza off of Exit 42 at 6406 Emlenton Clintonville Road in Emlenton.
Sens. Toomey, Casey look to
improve safety at federal prisons
U.S. Senators Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, and Bob Casey, D-Scranton, this week led several members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation in asking the Federal Bureau of Prisons to curb the flow of dangerous drugs into federal prisons through the mail.
In July and August, multiple correctional officers at U.S. Penitentiary Canaan in Wayne County, were temporarily hospitalized after being exposed to synthetic drugs smuggled into the prison.
In a letter to BOP Director Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, the delegation urges the BOP to enact new procedures for processing mail sent to federal prisons, including implementing a pilot program to process mail at an off-site facility like the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections does.
“As the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has acknowledged, these drugs pose a threat to the safety of BOP staff and inmates. They have harmed staff exposed to them, incited prison violence, and caused inmate overdoses. We urge you to adopt new measures to prevent the introduction of synthetic drugs into federal prisons through the mail in order to protect BOP staff and inmates,” the delegation wrote in a letter to BOP Director Kathleen Hawk Sawyer.
U.S. Reps. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, Fred Keller, R-Middleburg, and Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, joined Toomey and Casey in sending the letter. All of these congressmen have federal prisons in their districts. Pennsylvania is home to seven federally operated prison facilities and thousands of federal correctional officers.
White Haven public hearing a charade,
should be canceled, Rep. Mullery says
State Rep. Gerald Mullery this week said the Sept. 12 public hearing regarding the state closure of the White Haven Center should be canceled because it’s nothing more than a charade.
“During a conference call with a top official at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, I was advised that the decision to close the White Haven and Polk facilities is final,” said Mullery, D-Newport Township. “No testimony offered at the hearing will have any impact on the closure process. The only reason DHS is holding a public hearing is because they are required to by state law.”
Mullery called the hearing “nothing more than a sham.”
“It’s unnecessary and should be canceled,” he said. “By holding this hearing, the department is providing White Haven residents, families, workers and the affected communities with false hope that whatever testimony they provide will have an impact, when in fact it will not. I don’t want to be part of this farce and I don’t want to put all of these people through a gut-wrenching hearing that will result in no change to this misguided decision to close these facilities.”
Continuing his efforts to stop the White Haven Center from being closed by the state, Mullery delivered a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf’s office requesting he visit the residents, families and workers at the facility. Mullery said he feels it’s imperative that the governor meet those who will be deeply affected by the decision to shutter the White Haven Center.
“I want him to look in the eyes of those who call it home and tell them that it’s going to be taken away from them so the state can save money,” Mullery said. “It’s the very least he can do for the 112 residents who will need to be relocated and the more than 400 employees who will be displaced.”
Mullery went on to tell the governor, “I believe you owe it to the residents, their families, the employees and the greater White Haven community to visit the campus. I would like to formally invite you to visit White Haven Center. I invite you to meet with the residents and their families. I invite you to observe the care provided by the staff. I think it is very important for you to see, first-hand, those you are affecting with your decision.”
Governor invites students
to combat roadway litter
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced today that students in grades 9-12 are invited to participate in the third PennDOT Innovations Challenge which encourages students to use their problem-solving, creative and strategic-thinking abilities to solve real-world transportation challenges in a competition among their peers.
This year’s Innovations Challenge asks students to look at cost-effective technologies and innovative solutions – aside from laws, programs and educational campaigns – that can be developed in the next five to 10 years to help PennDOT more efficiently, effectively and safely control litter along roadways.
The Innovations Challenge aims to not only help students explore real transportation challenges that PennDOT is facing, but also open their minds to the very real possibility of working for PennDOT after graduation.
For complete Innovations Challenge details, visit www.penndot.gov/innovation. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 20.
Suicide Prevention Task Force
announces statewide listening tour
The Wolf Administration’s Suicide Prevention Task Force last week convened a session at the Pennsylvania Mental Health Planning Council meeting to discuss suicide prevention efforts around Pennsylvania, a statewide listening tour, and an increased focus on suicide and gun violence following Gov. Tom Wolf’s executive order.
“Suicide by firearms account for 52 percent of all suicide attempts, and 85 percent are fatal – higher than nearly every other method of attempt,” said Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller. “We cannot have a meaningful discussion about preventing suicide without also discussing how people are attempting. We are committed to looking closely at this issue so state and local governments, treatment systems, and support networks are informed and prepared to help people who are at risk.”
The meeting was held in conjunction with the Department of Human Services’ Mental Health Planning Council meeting to gain their insights and perspective on the task force’s work and what is needed for a comprehensive suicide prevention plan.
The meeting brought together representatives from more than 10 state agencies, legislative co-chair Rep. Mike Schlossberg, members of the General Assembly, and Prevent Suicide PA to discuss progress and receive feedback on a comprehensive state plan to reduce suicide, suicide prevention efforts occurring around the commonwealth, data needs to better inform prevention efforts, and strategies to reduce stigma associated with mental health, suicide, and suicide attempts.
The task force also began its focus on addressing the prevalence of suicide by firearms. Earlier this month, Gov. Wolf announced an executive order taking unprecedented action to reduce gun violence around Pennsylvania.
