Senator Booker\’s Marijuana Provisions Pass House Judiciary Committee

2017 Booker bill provided framework for MORE Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. –

Three key

marijuana provisions designed to reverse decades of failed drug policy and first introduced by

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) passed the House Judiciary

Committee today: record expungement, reinvestment in the communities most harmed by the War on Drugs, and removing marijuana from the list of deportable offenses.

Booker’s

Marijuana Justice Act

, originally introduced in 2017, was the first congressional bill to incorporate record expungement and community reinvestment with marijuana legalization. This legislation along with a

Booker provision

to remove marijuana from list of deportable offenses provided the framework for the

Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019

(MORE) passed by the House today.

“This is a significant tipping point. The Committee passage of this bill is an important step towards reversing decades of failed drug policy that has disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income individuals. These draconian laws have sacrificed critical resources, violated our values, destroyed families and communities, and failed to make us safer,”

Senator Booker said. “

This legislation continues us down the path towards justice and I’m excited to see momentum growing around the movement to fix our nation’s broken drug laws.”

Background on Booker’s leadership on issues of marijuana and criminal justice:

Booker has seen the effects of our broken marijuana laws first-hand, dating back to his time as a tenant lawyer, City Council member, and Mayor of Newark, where he created the city’s first office of prisoner re-entry to help formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate into their communities. He is the author of the landmark

Marijuana Justice Act

, which would end the federal prohibition on marijuana, automatically expunge the records of those convicted of federal marijuana use and possession crimes, and reinvest resources into the communities most impacted by the failed War on Drugs through a community fund. Since

introducing the bill in 2017

, Booker has garnered support from Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Ed Markey (D-MA).

In the Senate, Booker was an outspoken

critic of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ effort to revive the failed War on Drugs

. More recently, he pressed Attorney General William Barr on his stance on marijuana legalization and the rescission of the Cole memo, winning a

commitment

from Barr to leave states alone that have legalized marijuana.

In addition to the Marijuana Justice Act, Booker is the co-author of the

bipartisan CARERS Act

, which would allow patients to access medical marijuana in states where it’s legal without fear of federal prosecution, and the

bipartisan REDEEM Act

, which would allow nonviolent drug offenders to petition a court to seal and expunge their drug offenses, while automatically sealing, and in some cases

expunging criminal records

, the nonviolent records of juveniles. These reforms would reduce a major barrier that formerly incarcerated individuals face when attempting to rejoin society. He is also a co-sponsor of the

Fair Chance Act

, which prohibits the federal government and federal contractors from asking about the criminal history of a job applicant prior to a conditional offer of employment. Earlier this year, the Fair Chance Act

passed

out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Oversight and Government and Reform Committee. In June, Booker

introduced

legislation to remove marijuana from list of deportable offenses.

Three Dogs Found Dead in Toms River, Owner Allegedly Abandon The Animals

LACEY TOWNSHIP—Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Lacey Township Police Chief Michael DiBella announced today that Allissa DeStefano, 29, (photo)of Toms River, has been arrested and charged with three counts of Animal Cruelty in violation of

N.J.S.A. 4:22-17c(2).

During the evening hours of November 11, 2019, the Lacey Township Police Department responded to a residence in Lacey Township for a report tha

t dogs had possibly been abandoned in the residence. Upon arrival, the officers determined that the house was indeed abandoned, and the remains of three dogs were discovered. An investigation by Detectives from the Lacey Township Police Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that DeStefano was responsible for the care of the dogs and had abandonded them in the residence, which resulted in their deaths. DeStefano was arrested without incident, and processed at the Lacey Township Police Department. She was released on a Summons pending a future court date.

Prosecutor Billhimer and Chief DiBella extend their gratitude to the Lacey Township Police Department and Detective Bureau as well as Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for their fine cooperative work in connection with this investigation.

The public and the media are reminded that all defendants are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Miguel Angel Villegas Wanted for Shooting at Tuckerton Cop Arrested in NY

TUCKERTON NJ (Nov. 22, 2019)—Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Miguel Angel Villegas, 29, (photo) of New Haven, Connecticut was taken in to custody at Penn Station in New York, NY shortly after 8pm this evening by the United States Marshals Service and the New York City Police Department. “A

massive manhunt began earlier today after Villegas exchanged gunfire with a Tuckerton Borough Police Officer earlier this mo

rning in Tuckerton,” Prosecutor Billhimer said. Villegas was taken into custody this evening without incident.

At approximately 10:22 a.m. this morning, a Tuckerton Borough Police Officer exchanged gunfire with Villegas after the vehicle he was a passenger in fled a lawful motor vehicle stop near the intersection of Route 9 and North Green Street and caused a subsequent collision with another vehicle. The Officer was not injured in the exchange of gunfire. Villegas fled on foot and a massive manhunt ensued ending in New York City this evening.

“Villegas will be charged with Attempted Murder, Kidnapping, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose,” Prosecutor Billhimer stated. “It is my understanding that Villegas is wanted out of Connecticut. We will be seeking extradition from New York to bring him back here to Ocean County to face these charges,” Prosecutor Billhimer added.

“I’d like to thank the collaborative efforts of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, United States Marshals Service, New York City Police Department, Tuckerton Borough Police Department, Little Egg Harbor Police Department, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center, New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit, New Jersey Transit Police, Ocean County Regional SWAT, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office K-9, New Haven Police (Connecticut), Port Authority Police, Tuckerton Fire Department and Tuckerton Public Works Department. This was truly a team effort. The public can rest easy tonight knowing the men & women of law enforcement worked through the day into tonight to bring Villegas into custody peacefully,” Prosecutor Billhimer added.

“Even though Villegas is in custody, this remain an ongoing investigation. More details will be released as they become available,” Prosecutor Billhimer concluded.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Director Touts the Advantage of Sunday Hunting

By Kim Jarrett |

The Center Square

After years of debate, Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania appears to be on a path for approval. The bill passed by the House of Representatives last month will allow hunting on three Sundays.

The Senate is expected to take up the bill as soon as Monday, and reports indicate that Gov. Tom Wolf is inclined to sign it.

The bill is a “positive step in the right direction,” said Bryan Burhans, executive director of the Pennsylvania Game and Fish Commission. He has worked in several states where Sunday hunting passed and fought off the same arguments.

“There’s religious groups that would say, ‘Hey, Sundays are for worship,’” Burhans said this week on the PCN Call-in show, noting also that some people enjoy having a day to be in the woods without having to worry about hunters.

But no one should have to be worried about hunters because the sport is extremely safe and the state’s safety record is “second-to-none,” Burhans said.

Sunday hunting may also bring an economic boost to Pennsylvania. Burhans said he knows several people who hunt on Sunday in surrounding states, where it is legal.

Burhans also addressed chronic wasting disease (CWD), which affects the state’s deer population. While some deer infected with the disease may have a drooping head, be salivating and not be afraid of humans, some deer will show no signs for up to two year after they are infected. The disease has not been reported in humans.

The state has set up disease management areas where infected deer have been found. The numbers of infected deer are growing but remains below 5 percent, Burhans said.

The Game Commission offers free testing of deer heads, Burnham said. The testing is completed in two to three weeks, Burhans said.

Public comments are being accepted until February 2020 on a comprehensive plan to address CWD. Some of the possible solutions include extending deer season and allowing hunters to take additional antlered deer in an isolated area where an infected deer was found.

Burhans reiterated what he said earlier about the importance of hunters.

“Without the effort they put in hunting and harvesting deer, and submitting samples from the deer they harvest in CWD areas, our collective fight to slow CWDs spread and limit the disease where it exists in Pennsylvania would be all the more an uphill battle,” he said.

published with permission of

The Center Square

CNB Hunting/Fishing NJ: Rainbow Trout Being Stocked

This coming Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 25 and 26, approximately 4,800 two-year old Rainbow Trout averaging 14-18 inches will be stocked in 20 ponds and lakes across the state. There are no closures so these large fish are immediately available. Don\’t miss out on the last trout stocking of 2019!

Trout Stocking Schedule

Stocking Map

Winter Trout Fishing in NJ

Trout Fishing Access

Trout Regulations

(pdf)

Get out and enjoy uncrowded waters, great fall weather and plenty of large trout!

Hacktivist Sentenced, Man Took Down Government Websites

For a few days in 2017, visitors to the websites for the city of Akron, Ohio, and its police department received error messages instead of the municipal webpages. A hacker had overwhelmed the sites with traffic.

City officials spent about four days in a game of whack-a-mole with the hacker, restoring the sites only to have them attacked again. In this type of attack, known as distributed denial of service (DDoS), bots or other computers overwhelm a single website with traffic until the site shuts down from lack of bandwidth. In addition to denying the public access to the websites, other city services were limited by the outage. After the initial four-day attack, hacking attempts directed at local and state government continued off and on for months.

The city quickly notified the FBI, which opened an investigation.

“When you have a persistent attacker going after a single site, the organizations have to spend a lot of time and effort handling it. There are also often effects on other systems besides the website,” said the special agent who investigated the case out of the FBI’s Cleveland Field Office.

This hacker was a “hacktivist” who liked to brag about his work, helping investigators quickly find him. James Robinson, then 32, posted screenshots of the sites he’d taken down and of the tools he had used. When questioned by investigators, Robinson admitted to these attacks and to several previous DDOS attacks on more prominent websites, such as the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and the Department of the Treasury.

Robinson told investigators he had grudges against the city’s police department. He was also involved in a hacking group and participated in hacks directed by that group.

“He was very vocal about what he was doing. He wanted to bring attention to his opinions,” the agent said of the hacktivist.

With the availability of “stressor” sites online that will cheaply conduct a DDOS attack on your behalf, Robinson didn’t require any special technical skills to take down these sites. He was adept at using these tools.

“When you have a persistent attacker going after a single site, the organizations have to spend a lot of time and effort handling it.”

Special agent, FBI Cleveland

Robinson pleaded guilty to damaging protected computers and was sentenced in October to six years in prison.

The FBI case agent stressed the importance of organizations protecting their websites and other online infrastructure as much as possible. Quickly notifying authorities of an intrusion or attack is also critical.

“The Internet is based on trust, and it’s like a network of roads. When you’re driving, you trust other drivers will stop at stop signs. Occasionally, a driver doesn’t stop, and someone gets hurt,” the agent said. “When someone acts maliciously on the Internet, bad things happen, and there are real-world impacts. That’s why we have to pursue these types of cases.”

Resources

Akron Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Launching Denial of Service Attacks That Shut Down Websites for the City of Akron and the Akron Police Department

source Department of Justice

Musical Mean Girls Playing at the Kimmel Center

FEATURING PHILADELPHIA NATIVE,

MARY KATE MORRISSEY

(Philadelphia, PA, November 19, 2019) ––

Mean Girls

– the record-breaking new musical comedy produced by Lorne Michaels, Stuart Thompson, Sonia Friedman, and Paramount

Pictures based on the hit film – is now playing at the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus at the Academy of Music running through December 1. The

Mean Girls

First National Tour features Philadelphia native, Mary Kate Morrissey.

Mean Girls

features a book by nine-time Emmy Award winner Tina Fey, based on her screenplay for the film; music by three-time Emmy Award winner Jeff Richmond; and lyrics by two-time Tony Award nominee Nell Benjamin. Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw directs and choreographs.

The tour cast features

Danielle Wade

as Cady Heron,

Mariah Rose Faith

as Regina George,

Megan Masako Haley

as Gretchen Wieners,

Jonalyn Saxer

as Karen Smith,

Mary Kate Morrissey

as Janis Sarkisian,

Eric Huffman

as Damian Hubbard,

Gaelen Gilliland

as Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George,

Adante Carter

as Aaron Samuels,

Kabir Bery

as Kevin Gnapoor and

Lawrence E. Street

as Mr. Duvall.

The cast also includes

English Bernhardt

DeShawn Bowens

Will Branner

Morgan Bryant

Sarah Crane

Ixchel Cuellar

Mary Beth Donahoe

Niani Feelings

Sky Flaherty

Samuel Gerber

Fernell Hogan II

Asia Marie Kreitz

Olivia Renteria

Grace Romanello

Sydney Mei Ruf-Wong

Marcus Shane

Kaitlyn Louise

Smith

David Wright Jr.

and

Blake Zelesnikar

Mary Kate Morrissey who plays Janis Sarkisian in the

Mean Girls

tour, attended Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown, PA. She was a member of the Philadelphia All Catholic Chorus and most notably was a former Kimmel Center Programming intern. Her family has resided in South Philly and Upper Darby, now living primarily in Downingtown.

New York Magazine calls

Mean Girls

“HILARIOUS! A smart, splashy new musical that delivers with immense energy, a wicked sense of humor and joyful inside-jokery.”

Chicago Tribune

said “Tina Fey writes FUNNIER, SMARTER, SHARPER satire than anyone else in the business.”

People Magazine

calls the show “FRESH, FUN AND INFECTIOUS – Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin’s songs keep the laughs coming!”

The New York Daily News

said

Mean Girls

“TICKLES THE EARS, EYES AND FUNNY BONE – the direction by Casey Nicholaw packs style, invention and red bull-force energy.” And,

Entertainment Weekly

calls it “A MARVEL: DAZZLING & HILARIOUS!”

Mean Girls

opened on Broadway in April 2018 to rave reviews at the August Wilson Theatre, where it continues playing to packed houses. The show had its world premiere at the National Theatre in Washington D.C., in the fall of 2017.

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on The Plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

The creative team includes Scott Pask (Set Design), Gregg Barnes (Costume Design), Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design), Brian Ronan (Sound Design), Finn Ross & Adam Young (Video Design), Josh Marquette (Hair Design), Milagros Medina-Cerdeira (Make-Up Design), Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Music Director), John Clancy (Orchestrations), Glen Kelly (Dance and Incidental Music Arrangements), Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Jeff Richmond, and Natalie Tenenbaum (Vocal Arrangements), Howard Joines (Music Coordinator), and Telsey + Co / Bethany Knox, CSA (Casting).

Mean Girls (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

, produced by

Atlantic Records

, is now available.

This season, the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus is pairing its 2019-20 Broadway shows with charities, and

Mean Girls

’ charity partner is Susan G. Komen Philadelphia. Use code PINK and $1 from every

Mean Girls

tickets sold with the code will be donated to Susan G. Komen Philadelphia.

MEAN GIRLS

Kimmel Center Cultural Campus’ Academy of Music

Tuesday, November 19, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 21, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, November 22, 2019, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 23, 2019, 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 23, 2019, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 24, 2019, 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 24, 2019, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019, 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, November 29, 2019, 2:00 p.m.

Friday, November 29, 2019, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 30, 2019, 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 30, 2019, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 1, 2019, 1:00 p.m.

Recommended for ages 12 and older.

The listed age is a recommendation, but please use your own discretion when making a decision for your young-theatergoer. Ultimately, the recommended ages are guidelines. Only you will know how your child will respond to the live theater experience. Please consider the following factors when making your decision: the content in the show, age recommendations, the age and personal development of your child, and previous experiences. All patrons regardless of age require a ticket, including babes in arms.

Tickets

Tickets are on sale now and start at $20.00. Tickets can be purchased by calling (215) 893-1999, visiting

www.kimmelcenter.org

, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling (215) 790-5883. More information at

www.kimmelcenter.org

5 Key Upgrades For Your Business

Gloucestercitynews.net (Nov. 21, 2019)–A smart business owner will always be looking for upgrades to boost their brand. Things can change quickly in the business world, and being able to update and stay current is critical for staying ahead of the competition and satisfying your customers. Even a minor upgrade could have a big impact on the success of your brand, so it is always worth considering any kind of positive change, no matter how big or small. With this in mind, here are a few upgrades to consider, which could help your business and keep you ahead of the curve.

Chat

It needs to be easy for your target customer to get in touch with you so that they can get questions answered. If it is hard to contact your team and/or it takes too long to receive a response, then they will simply take their business elsewhere, which is why having a

live chat function

is so valuable and a simple upgrade that you can easily make.

2. Web Hosting Company

Upgrading your web hosting company to a reliable provider like

Krystal

is a simple yet highly effective move to make. Modern-day consumers will not wait around for pages to load, and you need to have a website that you can rely on; an experienced and trusted web hosting company is the best way to achieve this.

3. Technology

There is constantly new technology being developed, which means that it can be hard to stay current. Upgrading your tech that you use in the office can streamline the business operation, reduce workload for your staff, increase productivity, boost morale, and much more. New tech can be a huge expense, but you could always look to lease new technology, which also gives you the ability to upgrade again once the lease expires.

4. Marketing

Marketing is another area that is constantly changing and developing, so making a slight change to your strategy could be a fruitful upgrade. Marketing strategies like SEO and PPC remain hugely important, but you could look into another method to revamp your marketing strategy and attract new business. Influencer marketing is a good option to try and is a form of marketing that is on the rise.

5. Cybersecurity

Cybercrime is on the rise and is the biggest threat affecting businesses. It will only become a bigger problem in the coming years, which is why it is so important for businesses to be aware of these threats and to have high-quality

cybersecurity

in place. Upgrading to industry-leading antivirus software, VPN, and a firewall will be vital for protecting your business and customers and will provide peace of mind during what can be worrying times, especially when you hear of so many horror stories of businesses being affected by cybercrime.

These upgrades could help your business to grow and find greater success. You do not always have to make huge changes and formulate complex growth strategies to boost your business, as even a small upgrade could have a big impact on your business.

Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrest Harrington man for Unlawful Weapons Possession

DOVER (Nov. 19, 2019) – A DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police investigation ended on Nov. 17 with the arrest of a Harrington man for multiple charges of illegal possession of

firearms and ammunition.

Charles M. Bright Jr., 58, was charged with three total counts of possession, purchase, ownership, or control of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited. Bright was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 7 in Dover and released on his own recognizance, pending a future court appearance.

Upon completion of the investigation, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers approached the suspect while he was deer hunting and in possession of a .50-caliber CVA muzzleloader. In addition to the muzzleloader confiscated at the scene, a Ten Point crossbow, 20-gauge Remington shotgun, and numerous rounds of shotgun ammunition were seized from Bright’s residence.

Delaware law prohibits a person from owning or possessing any type of deadly weapon whose criminal history includes prior felony convictions; misdemeanor convictions associated with violent crimes, drug convictions, or mental conditions as defined under the law; or court-issued protection from abuse orders. Deadly weapons consist of all types of firearms, as well as ammunition and any type of bow to include compound, recurve, or crossbow.

PASBDC Business Owners Optimistic about 2020 Economy

KUTZTOWN, PA (11/20/2019) The annual Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center (PASBDC) Entrepreneur Economic survey results are in and it looks like small-business owners across the Commonwealth are optimistic for the coming year.

As of the date of this release, 660 small-business owners out of more than 9,000 clients served by the PASBDC over the past three years responded to the PASBDC annual survey. The aggregate results indicate that 25% expect the economy in 2020 to get better and 40% expect it to be the same. Small-business owners are even more positive about their own firm\’s growth with more than 65% expecting their revenue to increase and 60% expect profitability to improve.

When it comes to their intentions to hire more workers, the results indicate that 37% expect to hire additional staff with hiring happening either primarily in the second quarter of 2020, or steadily throughout the year. Please see the charts in the link below for more details:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/stories/SM-3MJ9WXR7/

The PASBDC network of 16 centers and more than 90 outreach offices serves pre-venture and established business owners throughout the Commonwealth with no cost, confidential professional consulting services. These consulting services include help with strategic planning, market or sales strategies, financial analysis and loan packaging, export marketing reports, cybersecurity, government procurement and certifications. This past year, more than 7,000 small-business owners sought help from their local SBDC as a proactive step toward working on their business to either start or to grow their business.

With such a positive 2020 economic outlook from existing clients and increasing request from growth entrepreneurs for strategic planning, the PASBDC projects the demand for consulting services to remain very high. Professional full-time consultants at 16 premier Pennsylvania higher education institutions deliver world class consulting help to early stage and growth entrepreneurs. Unlike many other programs, PASBDC consultants can work with any for-profit entrepreneur in the Commonwealth that meets the SBA definition of a small business (typically less than 500 employees). To be able to meet these entrepreneurs\’ increasing needs, the PASBDC is seeking additional funding of $2 million from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to support the 3E (Empowering Entrepreneurs through Engagement) program for growing the Commonwealth\’s entrepreneurial economy. The 3E program leverages the PASBDC\’s unique placement and affiliation with Pennsylvania higher education and its federal partner, the Small Business Administration.

\”By engaging our existing entrepreneurs, our alumni and our student entrepreneurs, we will expand Pennsylvania\’s position as an excellent state in which to start and grow a business,\” said PASBDC State Director Ernie Post.

Empowering Entrepreneurial Skill Trades Sector Growth

First, PASBDC will use a portion of the DCED 3E investment to apply for other federal grants such as POWER and EDA. The DCED investment will enhance entrepreneurial engagement with skilled trades workers such as electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, masonry and HVAC to increase new business startups within the trade skill workforce. Leveraging existing institutional relationships with community colleges, trade schools and apprenticeship programs will help fuel the launch of new business startups within the skilled trades sector.

Empowering Student Entrepreneur\’s

Building on this program, PASBDC will work with more than 7,000 existing entrepreneurs to offer growth assessments, strategies and tactics to help them remain on a growth trajectory. Leveraging PASBDC\’s place at universities, internship programs will connect students with small growing businesses that desperately need an educated workforce for continued growth.

Using the highly-successful University of Scranton SBDC internship program as a model, the PASBDC will replicate this model in every region of the Commonwealth. This will achieve several economic development objectives including linking college students with existing entrepreneurs, providing experiential learning for students that will lead to them considering entrepreneurship as a career pathway and helping existing entrepreneurs with their current workforce need for continued growth. PASBDC\’s host institutions recruit a considerable number of students to come to Pennsylvania for their education. This program will help students consider staying in Pennsylvania after graduation for job opportunities or to launch a small business.

Engaging Alumni

The 16 universities in the PASBDC network graduate more than 25,000 students each year. This presents an opportunity to launch an alumni event campaign promoting the benefits and resources available in Pennsylvania to help them start a business or to purchase an existing business. This will help to create potential buyers of Pennsylvania existing businesses that having owners seeking to exit their businesses in the future. Pennsylvania has a high percentage of business owners over the age of 55. Their exit will cause a major disruption to the Commonwealth\’s economy if new business owners are not recruited and connected with aging entrepreneurs. The PASBDC is uniquely positioned to run alumni campaigns to recruit potential business buyers. As part of this campaign, the PASBDC will create a webpage that is specifically designed to allow potential business buyers to connect with businesses that are available for sale in the Commonwealth. To help facilitate the successful transition of the Commonwealth\’s aging entrepreneurs, the PASBDC will develop a business valuation and succession planning programs to guide business sellers to a successful transition to a new owner.

Engaging the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Finally, PASBDC\’s host institutions connect the network\’s centers with accelerators, incubators and makerspaces that have been launched across the Commonwealth. A portion of this $2 million DCED investment will be used to connect these accelerators, incubators and makerspaces with PASBDC technical assistance, business consulting and educational programs within these locations.

For more information about the funding request or the PASBDC, contact 1-877-4PA-SBDC.

About Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)

The Pennsylvania SBDC network is the only statewide, nationally accredited program that provides high quality one-on-one consulting, training and information resources to empower new and existing businesses. SBDC consultants work with entrepreneurs in confidential, individualized sessions to help them with a range of business issues including testing a new business proposition, shaping a business plan, investigating funding opportunities and much more. The SBDC program is a public/private partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and 16 universities and colleges across the Commonwealth. For more information on the Pennsylvania SBDC services and impact, please visit

www.pasbdc.org

About Kutztown University Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (PASBDCs) work with small firms to help them compete and grow in today\’s highly competitive global economy. Combining the expertise of a professional staff with the resources of the state\’s best colleges and universities, the SBDCs provide high quality business management consulting, information, and educational programs that build small firms\’ capacities to compete in domestic and international markets. Funding support and resources for the Kutztown University SBDC program are provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Department of Community and Economic Development, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and through support from Kutztown University. All services are extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Special arrangements for persons with disabilities can be made. The KUSBDC is also funded under a cooperative agreement from the Defense Logistics Agency.