Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

WILKES-BARRE — Gov. Tom Wolf this week outlined his plans for PAsmart — a new workforce development initiative that helps connect Pennsylvanians with resources for working and training.

“I am investing in the people of Pennsylvania by launching the PAsmart initiative, which will help Pennsylvanians get the skills they need to get good, middle class jobs,” Wolf said in a news release. “Pennsylvanians have never shied away from hard work, pursuing education opportunities, and seeking out training. Through this initiative, Pennsylvania will have the most prepared, talented, and able workforce in the country. We’re not working harder — we’re working smarter.”

Wolf’s 2018-19 budget proposal will include $50 million for PAsmart:

• A $25 million increase in STEM and computer science education at all levels. Nearly 300,000 jobs in the commonwealth require skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Over the next decade, more than 70 percent of new jobs will require these skills, the release states.

• A $7 million increase in apprenticeships with a goal of doubling the number of registered apprentices by 2025.

• A $3 million boost for industry partnerships, which bring together workers and multiple employers in the same industry in a public-private partnership to provide job training.

• A $10 million increase to develop career and technical education and STEM career pathways to help students learn about career options and earn an associate degree at a lower cost and in less time.

• A $5 million increase to encourage employers to partner with colleges and universities to develop educational programs that prepare students for high-demand jobs that local employers need.

The workforce development initiatives support the governor’s goal to increase the number of workers with post-secondary training from 47 percent today to 60 percent by 2025.

Vietnam veterans invited to

Luzerne County ceremony

In an effort to honor all area Vietnam-era veterans, Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, and U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s state director, Col. Robert DeSousa, will co-host a ceremony to commemorate National Vietnam Veterans Day, which falls on March 29 annually.

The event will take place Wednesday, March 28, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Butler Township Community Center, 411 W. Butler Drive, Drums. Toohil and DeSousa will offer remarks and present commemorative pins to eligible Vietnam-era veterans during the ceremony.

Retired Maj. Gen. James Joseph, former adjutant general of the Pennsylvania National Guard, will also assist with the pinning.

Veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time between Nov. 1, 1955, and May 15, 1975, regardless of location, will be eligible to receive a lapel pin at this ceremony. Family members are invited to attend the ceremony with veterans.

Vietnam veterans who wish to attend should contact Toohil’s office in Hazleton at 570-453-1344 or Toomey’s office in Wilkes-Barre at 570-820-4088 to RSVP by Friday, March 23.

Bill would cut regulations on

coal refuse-to-energy plants

The U.S. House of Representatives this week passed legislation to ensure Pennsylvania’s environmentally beneficial coal refuse-to-energy facilities continue to operate.

H.R. 1119 — the Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment (SENSE) Act — provides targeted modifications to EPA regulations to allow for coal refuse-to-energy power plants to maintain operations. The House passed the bill by a bipartisan vote of 215-189. U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, an original cosponsor of the SENSE Act, voted in favor of the legislation.

“Coal refuse-to-energy power plants benefit hundreds of communities across Pennsylvania,” Barletta said in a press release. “These facilities provide more than 4,300 jobs and contribute $30 million in state and local tax revenues annually, while reclaiming hazardous abandoned mine land and coal waste piles.”

On Feb. 8, Barletta introduced legislation aimed at helping coal refuse-to-energy facilities maintain their economic viability. The bill, H.R. 4977, the Coal Refuse Remediation Act, would provide a per-ton production tax credit (PTC) of $12 per ton to help support such plants.

Dog owners urged to

get license for Fido

State Department of Agriculture Executive Deputy Secretary Michael Smith this week reminded Pennsylvanians about the benefits of, and need to, license their dogs.

Having a dog license is not only the best way to bring home a lost pet more quickly, but the proceeds of license sales also ensure dogs and the public are kept safe.

“We want to remind Pennsylvanians about the importance of licensing their dogs because we love our pets; they’re members of our families,” Smith said in a news release. “Having a dog license is the surest way to have your four-footed friend reunited with you if he or she gets lost or goes missing.”

Smith noted that approximately 5,000 lost dogs end up in shelters each year.

According to Smith, licensing your dog is quick and easy. Licenses are available through county treasurers’ offices, and many counties offer licenses through sub-agents like veterinarian offices or online.

The fee for an annual dog license is $6.50, or $8.50 if the animal is not spayed or neutered. Lifetime licenses are available for dogs that have permanent identification like a microchip or tattoo. Older adults and persons with disabilities may be eligible for discounts.

The dog license application requests only owner contact information and details about the dog being licensed, such as name, age, breed and color.

Pennsylvania law requires a current license for all dogs at least three months old, but according to estimates from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, fewer than half of all dogs in the commonwealth are licensed. Owners who fail to license their dogs could face a fine of up to $300 for each unlicensed dog.

In 2017, the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement issued 3,198 summary citations and 115 misdemeanor complaints related to Dog Law violations, including failure to license a dog; unlicensed kennels; dangerous dogs; dogs running at large or abandoned; and others. This was a 6.7 percent increase over 2016.

The bureau also refused or revoked 11 kennel licenses or applications in 2017, an increase of 37.5 percent.

Toohil
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Toohil_Tarah-cmyk-1.jpg.optimal.jpgToohil

Barletta
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Barletta_Lou-CMYK-1.jpg.optimal.jpgBarletta

Smith
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Michael-Smith-1.jpg.optimal.jpgSmith

Wolf
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Wolf_Tom-07-24-14-cmyk-3.jpg.optimal.jpgWolf

By Bill O’Boyle

[email protected]

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.