Castle Doctrine
Self-Defense Measure Awaits Governor’s Signature, Causer Says
HARRISBURG – Legislation reinforcing a
person’s right to defend himself or herself in the face of an intruder is set to
become law, Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) said today.
House Bill 40, which passed the House back in April by a vote of 164-37, was
approved by the Senate Monday. It will become law when Gov. Tom Corbett signs
it.
“Law-abiding citizens have a right to defend themselves, and this new law
protects and reaffirms that right,” Causer said. “A person under attack should
not have to retreat before taking action to protect himself or herself. It could
mean the difference between life and death.”
The measure previously was passed by the House and Senate last October but was
vetoed by then-Gov. Ed Rendell. Corbett has indicated he supports the measure.
House Bill 40 creates a presumption in law that an attacker or intruder intends
to do great bodily harm and therefore force, including deadly force, may be used
to protect oneself, one’s family and others in the face of an attack while at
home or in an occupied vehicle. The presumption also applies if a person is
trying to unlawfully remove an occupant, against the occupant’s will, from a
home or vehicle.
The presumption would not apply if the person entering a home was:
•Another resident of the home.
•A law enforcement officer.
•A parent, grandparent or other
guardian removing a child from the home or vehicle.
In addition, the presumption would not apply if a person was using their home or
vehicle to further criminal activity. The bill also offers specific protection
against civil liability for the lawful use of force in self-defense.
Legislation Cosponsored
By Sen. Toomey To End Ethanol Subsidies Passes By Wide Bipartisan Margin
WASHINGTON, D.C.
-- Legislation cosponsored by U.S.
Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to end
ethanol subsidies passed the U.S. Senate
this afternoon by a wide bipartisan
margin, 73-27.
The
Ethanol Subsidy and Tariff Repeal Act
(S. 871) will repeal the Volumetric
Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, a subsidy
companies receive to blend ethanol with
gasoline. Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) offered this
bipartisan legislation as an amendment
to the Economic Development
Revitalization Act (S. 782) currently
being considered in the Senate.
"Today's vote is a victory for American
taxpayers, and I am pleased to have
joined this bipartisan effort,"
Sen.
Toomey said. "Ethanol subsidies
are another example of government
overreach and excess. They unfairly
drive up the cost of corn at a time when
many families, farmers and small
businesses are struggling to make ends
meet. I am proud that many of my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle
joined together today to put taxpayers
first."
in
Pennsylvania, many companies and
consumers support the repeal of ethanol
subsidies. The subsidy unfairly drives
up the cost of corn, which in turn,
drives up the costs of many end
products, from sausages and cheese
steaks to dairy products. The subsidy
also harms many of Pennsylvania's
farmers who have to pay more for
livestock feed.
"Ethanol subsidies cost the federal
government more than $6 billion dollars
a year. Our costs at Herr's have risen
dramatically over the past two years.
Pennsylvania employs thousands of people
in the snack food industry. I applaud
Sen. Toomey for standing up for these
jobs and our company,"
said Jim Herr, chief
executive officer and chairman of Herr's
Food Inc. in Lancaster.
"I
thank Sen. Toomey for his leadership on
this issue,"
said
Sergei Szortyka, president of Quaker
Maid Meats in Reading. "Raw
material costs at our facility in Berks
County have risen 39 percent, and that
entire increase I can attribute to the
feed costs of the cattle which in turn
is directly related to the ethanol
subsidies. Ethanol subsidies are putting
severe constraints on our ability to
expand and hire. It is time for this
misguided policy to end."
"Lebanon bologna is a staple of
Pennsylvania Dutch heritage.
Unfortunately, ethanol subsidies are
driving up the costs of production here
at our facility in Palmyra. I thank Sen.
Toomey for co-sponsoring this important
measure,"
said Ron Fouche,
spokesman for Palmyra Bologna Company in
Lebanon County.
"The
Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit is
a failed and wasteful policy that
unnecessarily causes price inflation in
food. The policy has strained consumers
who now must balance economic choices
between purchasing fuel to drive to work
or purchasing food to feed their
families. For those reasons, we at the
Philadelphia Cooked Steak Company
support Sen. Toomey in the full and
clean repeal of this policy,"
said Andreas Kalisperis,
chief operating officer for Philadelphia
Cooked Steak Company.
Following Casey Efforts
Senate Armed Services Approves Abrams Tanks
WASHINGTON, DC — Following
Senator Bob Casey’s (D-PA) urging, the Senate Armed Services
committee today approved the Abrams Tank.
“This is the right thing
to do. Suspending production of the Abrams tank would not be
in the best interest of our national security, industrial
base or local economy,” said Senator Casey. “We have a
specialized workforce that manufactures this tank. The
Army’s supply of this essential piece of equipment would be
threatened if production is shut down.”
“General Dynamics
appreciates the support that Senator Casey and the entire
Pennsylvania delegation have demonstrated for the Abrams
modernization program,” said Frank Fata, General Dynamics
Plant Manager for Scranton Operations. “Maintaining steady
production of the most technologically advanced and
survivable tank in the U.S. arsenal is good for the workers
of Pennsylvania, good for the Army and good for national
security.”
Senator Casey has written
a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl
Levin (D-MI) urging the committee to reconsider plans to
halt production of the tanks.
In the letter, he wrote:
“I am concerned that this proposal will deny our Army the
equipment necessary to prepare for and win our nation’s
wars,” Senator Casey wrote in his letter. “Additionally,
ceasing procurement of the Abrams tank is not in the best
interests of the taxpayer and will significantly impact a
key segment of our industrial base at a time when our
economy is in recovery.”
Senator Casey also toured
the facility in Eynon, PA this week to see firsthand the
specialized work that goes in to tank production. The plant
currently employs about 250 people, and the majority of the
work at the plant is connected to the production of the
Abrams tank.
Two Arrested For Murder Of Eldred Teen
COUDERSPORT
– Two men accused of murdering Samuel E. Miller, of Eldred, PA, have been
arraigned in District Judge Annette Easton’s courtroom.
Nineteen-year-old Jonothan ‘Jeep’ Prather, of Coudersport, and 25-year-old Avery
‘Bud’ Buckingham, of Austin, have been arraigned on first-degree murder charges
and remanded to the Potter County Jail without bail.
Potter County District Attorney Andy Watson said Miller, who was found dead in
the Prouty Run River two days ago, had been shot 8 times.
Authorities believe Miller may have been killed because Prather and Buckingham
thought he was a ‘snitch’. Coudy News
Photo
Read entire article at
CoudyNews.com
Can You Text Me Now?
By the time you
read this one of the country’s largest mobile communication providers will have
expanded. Verizon’s 4G service is set to cover 19 new “markets” with high-speed
mobile internet access.
70+ “markets” will
be covered with the 4G service, as stated in the latest from officials within
the company. The number is a bit misleading as a “market” such as NY, NY may
consist of other states in that area, including CT and NJ. More accurate counts
set the total coverage area at in excess of half the country. Several dozen
large cities are included in the planned expansion.
Among affected
states are AL, AZ, CA, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, LA, MA, MI, MO, NV, NY, NC, OH,
OK, PA, SC, SD, KY, TN, TX, UT, WA and WI.
A standard, known as Long Term
Evolution is being utilized by Verizon. LTE is becoming the industry standard,
encouraging many mobile companies now offering 4G to switching over to LTE.
High
Profile Prison Resident To Continue Residency In FCI-McKean
LEWIS RUN – Actor Wesley Snipes will remain in
the McKean County Federal Correctional Institution, after the Supreme Court
yesterday denied Snipe’s motion to appeal on misdemeanor charges of tax evasion.
The actor was
sentenced for never filing tax returns during the
years of 1999, 2000, and 2001, after being acquitted
on felony charges.
Snipes surrendered
himself on December 9, 2010 to FCI-McKean.
Power Outage Planned For
End Of Month
According to officials with
First Energy Corporation, known in this area as Penelec, a
power outage is scheduled for Thursday, June 30 for parts of
Port Allegany. Linda Routzahn, First Energy External Affairs Manager, tells Port
Allegany Online First Energy has scheduled the outage from
7:00pm until 12:00am. Should inclement weather occur, the
outage will be rescheduled for July 7 during the same hours,
and an announcement will be made by an automated message to
those customers’ phone numbers First Energy has on file. In
excess of 1,800 customers are expected to be affected by
this event. A release send to PAO by Routzahn, states that
the outage is necessary to upgrade facilities for enhanced
circuit reliability for First Energy customers.
CCMH Joins National Partnership For Patients Program
Charles Cole Memorial Hospital
has joined the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’
Partnership for Patients initiative to improve the quality,
safety and affordability of healthcare for its patients and
community members.
The patient safety partnership is a new national initiative
expected to help hospitals, employers, health plans, medical
providers and patient advocates save lives and healthcare
costs associated with preventable injuries and
complications.
“We’re proud to be the first hospital in our region to
participate in this important initiative,” said Cindi
Hardesty, vice president and chief nurse executive. “Not
only is this important for the safety of our patients but it
complements our strategic planning goal to provide error
free and coordinated care that is patient-centered, reliable
and accessible.”
The partnership strives to decrease preventable
hospital-acquired conditions by 40 percent and decrease
preventable complications during care transitions from one
setting to another, thereby reducing readmissions by 20
percent by the end of 2013. Over the next three years, these
achievements are expected to impact millions of Americans by
saving lives and preventing injuries while saving the
healthcare system some $35 billion, including $10 billion in
Medicare savings.
Ten areas of focus have been identified although reducing
all forms of harm will be addressed. They are: adverse drug
events, catheter-associated urinary tract infections,
central line-associated blood stream infections, injuries
from falls and immobility, obstetrical adverse events,
pressure ulcers, surgical site infections, venous
thromboembolism, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and other
hospital-acquired conditions.
CCMH has started participating in a series of educational
webinars and plans to educate staff, board members,
corporate advisors, wellness committee and the public about
the partnership. In addition, the hospital has started to
reach out to partner agencies to discuss how they can
improve care together. Hardesty noted that this partnership
also promotes the sharing of ideas. If an organization is
excelling in one of the focus areas, they can share success
stories with others so everyone can improve, she said.
The success of this initiative will reveal a joint effort by
everyone across the healthcare system including hospitals,
health plans, physicians, nurses, employers, unions,
patients and families, patient advocates, and federal and
state government. To join the partnership or to review a
list of existing participants, visit
http://www.healthcare.gov/center/programs/partnership/join/index.html.
“It’s about a commitment from everyone in the community and
we’re encouraging everyone to sign on and take the pledge,”
Hardesty said.
Goochee
Promises Another Exciting Event During Annual Festival
What began as a dream some 17 years ago became a
reality for a former Port Allegany resident in 2009 as the first Festival of
Choirs was held.
Jerry Goochee was raised among the hills
surrounding Port Allegany. Now married to Bonnie-Jean Goochee, a parent of four
and grandfather of two, Jerry spends some of his time spreading his vision of
restoring the choirs in churches.
His day job is as a general contractor. His
passion is music.
Now living in Virginia, Goochee tells Port
Allegany Online this year looks to be bigger and better than ever.
According to Goochee, registration runs until August 1st. Groups can register for a
$100 refundable registration fee, with your group consisting of a minimum of 7
members. Groups will be divided into 7-11, 12-16, and 17-21 members, with a
minimum of 1 soprano, 1 alto, 1 tenor and 1 bass in their choir.
Churches are asked to provide the festival with their song selection by August 1st,
as to not have the same song sung by another group. Groups larger than 21
members can be accommodated, with notice given to the Festival prior to August 1st.
Added to this year’s event are Comedian Bob
Stromberg Friday evening and Professor Nancy Borowski Recker Saturday
afternoon. Both are Port Allegany graduates. There will be
barbeques, games and a lot of fun for all ages. The Festival of Choirs is
free and open to the public.
Volunteers for this year’s event are also being
accepted. For information on how you can help, go to
www.festivalofchoirsusa.com and click on the Uncategorized link under the
countdown on the right side of the main page.
Laurel
Queen Finalist Already Hard At Work
By Martha Knight
SMETHPORT—Just weeks ago Tracy Woodring of Smethport was in high
school. Then the honor student received her diploma, and she has since started
her summer job as a PennDOT flag person at highway construction sites, earning
money toward her first semester at Penn State University, beginning in August.
Meanwhile she was “this close” to being Laurel Festival Queen.
The Smethport High School contestant finished right behind Miss
Mount Carmel, Brigid Demko, at the 70th annual Laurel festival at Wellsboro.
She wasn’t upset not to win, on June 18 when the week-long
festival’s queen contest results were announced, and she still has no sense of
disappointment.
Woodring says that during the festival and the contestants’
activities she had a chance to become “very close with a lot of the girls.” The
contestants were friendly and enjoyed the event together, with no indications of
fierce competition or jockeying for position.
As for Queen Demko, Woodring says, “I was very happy for her. She
was a very sweet and genuine girl.”
Being first runner up is fine with Woodring, and the $500
scholarship will come in handy.
This summer Woodring helps control traffic at construction sites in
one of the better summer work opportunities around, starting at 7 a.m. every day
there is construction. So far she has worked at several sites in McKean County.
She is acquainted with quite a few members of the regular PennDOT staff and has
found them and other summer workers to be very helpful.
Woodring finished high school with a 3.85 GPA, and also
participated in sports, music and organizations.
Track and running have been a main focus of the young athlete since
her dad, Smethport teacher and track coach Richard Woodring, started her on that
path at age 8 or so. Tracy also participated in cheerleading, soccer, basketball
and softball.
Musically, Woodring was in the marching band beginning in junior
high, and also participated in concert band, show choir and concert choir.
In academically connected activities, Woodring was on the Student
Council, and in the National Honor Society and the Spanish Club.
Woodring plans to prepare for a career in optometry. One reason for
that interest is that she has had some degree of visual challenge since primary
school, when she began wearing corrective lenses. Her athletic activities led to
her start wearing contacts to correct her severe myopia.
Achieving her goal of being an optometrist is likely to take eight
years of studies, Woodring says. Then she would hope to start practicing in that
profession.
And later, quite possibly, she would become an ophthalmologist,
after some additional study.
As to how she earned her high ranking at the Laurel Queen pageant,
Woodring says that after the other activities had identified the finalists,
those contestants were put through individual interviews, and then each was
asked to answer a randomly selected question.
Woodring was asked to state and explain her opinion as to whether
there should be year-round school in the United States, as there is in many
other countries.
Her reply was that this would be a good idea. Students would have
longer breaks at holiday times than now, instead of long summer breaks during
which some academic progress fades and needs to be renewed when school resumes.
Woodring says the farming-related purpose of freeing school-age children to help
with crops no longer applies.
Asked whether she had been involved in pageant competitions before,
Woodring recalls with a laugh that, as a matter of fact, she did enter and win a
Little Miss Santa Claus Lane contest in Olean. N.Y., when she was about eight.
June
Birthdays - There must have been a baby boom in a June several
decades ago. Or maybe these Senior Center attenders were born in different
Junes. They all showed up for noon dinner and June birthday cake Monday.
They are, from left, Ethlyn Ford, Sylvia Davenport, Bev Burford, Euretta Amell,
Felicia Culver, Hilda Schroll, Donna VanSickles, Jane Hultz and Nancy Daugherty.
Chuck Boller and Bob Thomas are standing in back.
Martha
Knight Photo
Turn,
Turn, Turn - Mahlon Davenport, president of the Allegheny
Mountain Carvers, demonstrates one of the woodworking skills that were
in evidence at the club's annual Woodworking Wonders festival on the
Port Allegany Square Saturday. Martha
Knight Photo
For
The Birds - Gary and Kathy Buck of
Rustic Birdhouses & More, Eldred, tend their display of bird real estate
offerings, at the Woodworking Wonders festival on the Port Allegany
Square Saturday.
Martha Knight Photo
Married
149 Years - The Senior Center's June birthday party also served as an
anniversary party Monday when it was discovered that three couples present were
celebrating anniversaries. Shown from left are Carl and JoAnne Campbell, 52
years; Chuck and JoAnn Boller, 42 years; and Ann and Bob Thomas, 55 years.
Martha Knight Photo
Those
Chapeaux - Rightfully proud of their winning
millinery are, from left, Darrel VanSickels, whose hat was judged most creative;
Dean Burford, most original; Roy Williams, most authentic; and Ron Amell,
dressiest. They were among an impressive field of hat-wearing males at the
Senior Center's Father's Day observance Monday. If VanSickles loses an
eat-my-hat wager, it will not be too unpleasant for him.
Martha Knight Photo
My
Grocer Scholarship - Port Allegany Jubilee has awarded its annual My
Grocer Scholarship to Bryanna Evens of Port Allegany. Through this scholarship
program, participating independent grocery stores recognize the commitment of
high school students to their education and communities. The My Grocer
Scholarship Program enables deserving high school seniors in our retail markets
to receive a $1000 scholarship to help defray the cost of their post-secondary
education.
The program is managed by My Grocer's
Scholarship Committee, which selected the winners. The applicants
represented a broad cross section of outstanding seniors from all the
markets served by participating stores, making final scholarship recipient
selections difficult. Selections were made based on a variety of
considerations, including academic standing, grade-point averages,
extra-curricular activities and individual student life challenges.
The independently owned and operated My
Grocer Scholarship stores actively support this program as a means to
strengthen commitments to the communities they serve. Our stores are
supplied by SUPERVALU, the nation's largest food wholesale distributor. SUPERVALU's
Eastern Region is headquartered in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Bryanna Evens is pictured with Jubilee
Representative Dave Hobbs. Hobbs presented her with the 2011 My Grocer
Scholarship of $1,000. Evens graduated from Port Allegany High School on June
5, 2011. She is the daughter of Carl Evens and Tammy Conway.
Pam Fischer Photo
PAHS
Art Show Winners - Three top winners at the annual PAHS Art
Show are pictured (left to right) Anna McJunkin, Julia Collver and
Bryana Baer with some of their winning art work. Port Allegany High
School Art Instructor is Meg Hutton.
Pam Fischer Photo
Put
A Lid On It - These Senior Center attenders accepted the challenge to
a hat contest and showed up wearing theirs for the Fathers Day celebration.
They are, from left, Darrel VanSickles, Mahlon Davenport, Roy Smith Sr., Dean
Burford, Ron "Satch" Amell, Chuck Boller, Denny Daugherty, Roy Williams and Bob
Thomas. Martha Knight Photo
Annual PAB - The annual
Performing Arts Banquet sponsored by the Port Allegany Music Boosters was held
recently at the high school. Senior Concert Band,
Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Show Choir, Jazz Band and Drama Club members and
their parents were guests of honor at the event. Awards were presented by
directors Brad Stewart and Kenneth Myers to students for each activity in which
they participated. Parents were recognized and received carnations from
their children. In the above photo, Frank Austin is receiving his band award
from Brad Stewart. This event was featured on last week's picture page.
Pam Fischer Photo
PAES
Art Show Winners - Seven students received first place ribbons at the
Port Allegany Elementary School Annual Art Show. They are (front row, left to
right) Kindergarten, Olivia Schott; First Grade, Blake Taylor; Second Grade,
Mallory Causer; (back row) Third Grade, Devon Smoker; Fourth Grade, Jenna Sprankle; Fifth Grade, Brianna Roys; and Sixth Grade, Mira Terrette. Earning
Best of Show went to Gabriella Goodwill who was missing from the photo.
Pam Fischer Photo
Masonic
Scholarship Awarded - The 2011 Masonic
Scholarship, sponsored
by Liberty Lodge 505, was presented by Ron Caskey PM, scholarship fund
coordinator, to recipient Carli Johnston. She is pictured here with her
parents, Lisa and Eric Johnston. Photo
Submitted
GSE Teams Visit Port Allegany - The Rotary
GSE Team from District 3271 in Pakistan, visited with the local Rotary Club in a
special luncheon held Tuesday at the Moose Family Center. Pictured are Group
Leader Ifram Quresi, Rotarian, Dr. Farah Khan, OB/GYN; Dr. M. Javed Akhtar,
visiting Rotarian from Bradford; Sehar Baloch, journalist; Rotarian Ki Bayline,
Dr. Nadia Ayub,
Psychology
Professor; Fatima Ajmal, IT Consultant; and Rotary President Jason Stake.
Visitors included Phyllis Preston, Kari Stake, Sue McCullen and Troy Herzog,
visiting Rotarians from Smethport and Sue DeMott. There were 21 Rotarians
present for a reportable attendance of 70 percent. The GSE team was introduced
by Ki Bayline who also introduced Dr. Akhtar who, at conference, was announced
the recipient of the International Service Award. Winner of the 5050 raffle was
Randy Headley. Pam Fischer Photo
Community
Soccer Sign-ups Scheduled -
Registration for the fall soccer season for players 4 - 14 will be on Wednesday,
June 29th from 9 - 4 at the Alliance Church soccer fields during British Soccer
Camp. Any questions can be directed to Matt Lawton at 642-2993. In this
photo, Adam Koehler goes after the ball during the spring soccer season.
Pam Fischer Photo
