Pennsylvania Ag Republicans say debate over milk shows depth of partisan divide

By Kim Jarrett |

The Center Square

January 2020

HARRISBURG, PA–The proof that politics affects the agriculture industry is in the milk, said members of the Pennsylvania Ag Republicans at their meeting during the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

During the Obama administration, whole and two percent milks were removed from school lunchrooms across the nation. The Trump administration added some back to school lunchrooms, but whole milk is still banned.

The move has hurt the dairy industry, members of the Ag Republicans said, and it might not recover until whole milk is allowed back into the schools.

U.S. Rep. G.T. Thompson has introduced a measure called “Whole Milk for Healthy Kids” that would bring whole milk back to the schools. But unfortunately, he said, the issue is not in the House Agriculture Committee but in the Education and Labor Committee.

The Food and Drug Administration is still considering changes to what can be labeled as milk, Thompson said, calling products labeled as almond milk “juice.”

Thompson and Lawrence Tabas, chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, emphasized the importance of the 2020 election on agriculture. Tabas said some of the Democratic candidates want to “completely change what it means to be an American.”

“If they don’t like whole milk, if they don’t like some of the crops you are growing, if they don’t like red meat, they can tell you that you can’t raise, produce it or sell it,” Tabas said.

Thompson and Tabas also praised the recent U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. A large portion of the exported milk from Pennsylvania goes to Mexico, said Mike Firestine, chairman of the Ag Republicans.

Thompson said a portion of a trade agreement with China could come in the next few weeks. That agreement is expected to include hardwoods, one of Pennsylvania’s leading products.

President Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by a slim margin in 2016, and Tabas predicted Trump would win again. He said Republican losses in the 2018 election were because Trump was not on the ballot.

The focus of the Ag Republicans is to get Trump reelected even though agriculture is going through a tough time right now, Firestine said. The economy, overall, is doing well, he said.

“Our stock market has been going up, even with the impeachment trials,” Firestine said.

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser said agriculture is important to the nation’s economy and to the upcoming elections.

“What’s good for farmers is good for our country,” he said.

Tabas encouraged the group to place signs on their property. The state Republican Party is focusing on about 1.5 million Pennsylvanians that are not registered to vote. The goal is to get 150,000 to register, Tabas said.

published here with permission of The Center Square

Philadelphia CBP K9 Proves Practice Makes Perfect with Outbound Marijuana Seizure during Training

Release Date:

January , 2020

PHILADELPHIA

– Coaches always preach that practice makes perfect and that the more you train, the better you perform.

CBP narcotics K9 Dasha

This axiom was clearly on display Tuesday when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) narcotics detector dog team in Philadelphia discovered nearly 500 grams of marijuana being shipped from San Francisco to Barcelona, Spain while practice detection skills in an air cargo hangar.

K9 Dasha caught the marijuana scent in a postal parcel manifested as “Zoomingos Monkey with Banan” that was packaged in an outbound mail container. The CBP K9 officer opened the package and noticed a silver pouch that contained a single bag with 468.4 grams, or about one pound, of marijuana.

The CBP K9 team seized the marijuana, which has a street value of about $800.

“Customs and Border Protection officers remains steadfast in our commitment to disrupt narcotics smuggling attempts, and our highly-skilled narcotics detector dog teams are on the frontline of this effort,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Director of Field Operations in Baltimore. “Illicit narcotics interdictions is one way in which CBP contributes to the safety and safety of our communities.”

Nearly 500 grams

of marijuana destined for

Barcelona, Spain.

CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.

CBP seized an average of 4,657 pounds of illicit narcotics every day during 2018 across the United States. Learn about what CBP accomplished during \”

A Typical Day

\” in 2018.

Learn more about CBP at

CBP.gov

NJ American Water to Spend $300,000 in Audubon to Improve Town\’s Infrastructure

CAMDEN CITY, N.J. – JAN. 10, 2020 –

New Jersey American Water

will replace approximately 1,300 feet of aging 4-inch water main in Audubon beginning next week. The company will upgrade the aging water lines, installed in the 1900s, with new, 8-inch ductile iron main along

Cedarcroft Avenue

from Mansion Avenue to Walnut Street. The project also includes replacing two fire hydrants and 40 utility-owned service lines along the pipeline route.

This $300,000 investment will continue to advance water service reliability and increase water flows for household consumption and fire protection in this community. This improvement is part of New Jersey American Water’s multimillion-dollar initiative to accelerate the

renewal of water infrastructure

that has reached the end of its useful life in more than 100 communities across the state.

New Jersey American Water’s local, qualified contractor, Pioneer Pipe Contractors, Inc., will begin work on or about January 16 and expects to finish by the end of March 2020, weather permitting. Work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Work outside of these hours is not anticipated unless required to maintain project schedule. Final street restorations will be completed by Audubon Borough.

For the public’s and workers’ safety, traffic restrictions and/or alternating traffic patterns are likely to occur during work hours. All emergency vehicles and local traffic will be allowed access during construction. New Jersey American Water values the safety of its workers and advises drivers and pedestrians to take caution in the vicinity of work sites.

About New Jersey American Water

New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.7 million people. For more information, visit

www.newjerseyamwater.com

and follow New Jersey American Water on

Twitter

and

Facebook

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit

amwater.com

and follow American Water on

Twitter

Facebook

and

DNREC Fish & Wildlife Police Blotter: Dec. 30 – Jan. 5

Reminder for the week: Hunting guides require guide license

DOVER (Jan. 10, 2020) – To achieve public compliance with laws and regulations through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, DNREC’s Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers between Dec. 30 – Jan. 5 made 1,169 contacts with hunters, anglers, boaters, and the general public, issuing 23 citations. Officers responded to 48 complaints regarding possible violations of laws and regulations or requests to assist the public. A Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police presence continued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area and Michael N. Castle Trail.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions

On Jan. 4, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers arrested Zachary Dittmar, 35, of Felton, for one count each of hunting antlered deer during closed shotgun season, failure to purchase a hunter choice tag prior to killing an antlered deer, failure to tag antlered deer, and failure to consume or utilize game animal near Harrington. Dittmar was arraigned through Kent County Justice of the Peace Court 7 and released on his own recognizance, pending a future court appearance.

Citations issued by category, with the number of charges in parentheses, included:

Wildlife Conservation:

Hunting antlered deer during closed shotgun season (1), failure to purchase a hunter choice tag prior to killing an antlered deer (1), failure to tag antlered deer (1), failure to consume or utilize game animal (1), failure to check antlerless deer within 24 hours (1), removing antlerless deer parts prior to checking (1), failure to tag antlerless deer (1), failure to display required hunter orange during a firearms deer season (1), providing hunting guide services without a guide license (1), trespass to hunt (1), and hunting migratory waterfowl without required HIP number (1).

Boating & Boating Safety:

No fire extinguisher on board (1).

Public Safety:

Operating a motor vehicle without proof of insurance (1), and possession of marijuana – civil (1).

Other:

Trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area (4), trespassing after hours on a state forest (1), license forgery (1), operating an unregistered motor vehicle (1), andoperating a motor vehicle off an established roadway on a state wildlife area (2).

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters, and boaters who comply with and support Delaware’s fishing, hunting, and boating laws and regulations. The Public are encouraged to report fish, wildlife, and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580 or through the DENRP Tip app on a smartphone, which can be downloaded free of charge by searching “DENRP Tip” via the Google Play Store or the iTunes App Store. Wildlife violations may also be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030, going online to

http://de.gov/ogt

, or using the DENRP Tip app. Verizon customers can connect to Operation Game Theft directly by dialing #OGT.

Are you AWARE?

All individuals receiving a monetary fee or other compensation for providing personal hunting guide services to hunters are required to have a Delaware hunting guide license. Hunting guide license holders must be 18 years of age or older. Persons acquiring a hunting guide license must not have been convicted of any wildlife or fisheries violations within the last three years prior to applying for the license.

All persons possessing a Delaware hunting guide license are required to complete and submit an annual report to the Division within seven days after the close of the hunting season to include the following information, which must be readily available for inspection by Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers: full name of each hunter; address of each hunter in the party; hunting license number for each hunter; date, number, and species of each animal harvested; location of hunts; and the name and license number of the guide. The guide must retain hunting field records for three years.

ETC Northeast Pipeline has been Issued a $30.6 Million Fine

By Dave Fidlin |

The Center Square

Jan, 2020

ETC Northeast Pipeline has been issued a $30.6 million fine for an explosion and fire that occurred nearly 16 months ago and resulted in widespread damage and contamination in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced that it was issuing the civic penalty as part of an agreement with ETC that will give the operator the ability to resume work and correct unlawful conduct.

The fine, described by state DEP officials as “historic” because of its sizable monetary amount, is linked to an incident that occurred Sept. 10, 2018, in Center Township in Beaver County. A landslide along ETC’s Revolution Pipeline resulted in portions of the pipeline separating, which caused gas to escape the infrastructure.

On the day of the incident, the gas ultimately ignited, which resulted in a fire that burned multiple acres of forested areas.

A single-family home, a barn and numerous vehicles within the impacted area were destroyed. Six high-voltage electric transmission towers also collapsed. There were no injuries or deaths reported from the incident.

In a statement, Patrick McDonnell, secretary of the state DEP, said the amount of the fine was reflective of ETC’s failure to comply with the agency’s regulations and lack of adequately monitoring the Revolution Pipeline while it was under construction.

“DEP is committed to holding permittees accountable for permit compliance and will continue to provide active and stringent oversight over the construction of their projects,” McDonnell said in the statement. “Permittees are obligated to ensure that their projects are constructed without incident and in full compliance with permits. If a permittee fails to do so, they will be held accountable.”

The state agency’s recent news release also revealed a subsequent investigation conducted after the pipeline fire and explosion revealed ETC had not stabilized the Revolution Pipeline in multiple areas during construction and “illegally impacted” streams and wetlands in its vicinity because of inadequate stormwater runoff.

ETC, an affiliate of Energy Transfer Partners, has agreed to a number of conditions moving forward, according to state environment officials, including a provision $28.6 million of the fine go toward funds devoted to clean water and a designated oil and gas program.

The earmarked funds, according to the DEP, will help fortify some of the state’s natural areas.

Officials with ETC have not issued a formal statement on the DEP’s ruling, and an attempt to reach Energy Transfer Partners for comment this week was unsuccessful.

Moving forward, DEP officials said they will be stringently monitoring ETC’s pipeline work to ensure terms and conditions in the agreement are satisfied.

“The conditions imposed by this agreement seek to ensure that ETC will get this right,” McDonell said in the statement. “Anything less is unacceptable.”

At least one organization, the Better Path Coalition, has gone on record in opposition to the DEP’s decision. The environmental advocacy group took aim at the ETC’s track record of monitoring compliance across the state.

“Pennsylvanians jaded by the Department of Environmental Protection’s poor track record for holding polluters to account will be unmoved by the agency’s historic fine on ETC,” according to the statement from Better Path Coalition. “Instead, they will shudder at the thought that the company will be able once again to get permits for its projects.”

published here with permission of The Center Squarei

NIAAA Study: Alcohol-related deaths increasing in the United States

An analysis of U.S. death certificate data by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National

Institutes of Health, found that nearly 1 million people died from alcohol-related causes between 1999 and 2017. The number of death certificates mentioning alcohol more than doubled from 35,914 in 1999 to 72,558 in 2017, the year in which alcohol played a role in 2.6% of all deaths in the United States. The increase in alcohol-related deaths is consistent with reports of increases in alcohol consumption and alcohol-involved emergency department visits and hospitalizations during the same period. The new findings are reported online in the journal

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research

“Alcohol is not a benign substance and there are many ways it can contribute to mortality,” said NIAAA Director Dr. George F. Koob. “The current findings suggest that alcohol-related deaths involving injuries, overdoses, and chronic diseases are increasing across a wide swath of the population. The report is a wakeup call to the growing threat alcohol poses to public health.”

In the new study, Aaron White, Ph.D., senior scientific advisor to the NIAAA director, and colleagues analyzed data from all U.S. death certificates filed from 1999 to 2017. A death was identified as alcohol-related if an alcohol-induced cause was listed as the underlying cause or as a contributing cause of death. The researchers found that, in 2017, nearly half of alcohol-related deaths resulted from liver disease (31%; 22,245) or overdoses on alcohol alone or with other drugs (18%; 12,954). People aged 45-74 had the highest rates of deaths related to alcohol, but the biggest increases over time were among people age 25-34. High rates among middle-aged adults are consistent with recent reports of increases in “deaths of despair,” generally defined as deaths related to overdoses, alcohol-associated liver cirrhosis, and suicides, primarily among non-Hispanic whites. However, the authors report that, by the end of the study period, alcohol-related deaths were increasing among people in almost all age and racial and ethnic group.

As with increases in alcohol consumption and related medical emergencies, rates of death involving alcohol increased more for women (85%) than men (35%) over the study period, further narrowing once large differences in alcohol use and harms between males and females. The findings come at a time of growing evidence that even one drink per day of alcohol can contribute to an increase in the risk of breast cancer for women. Women also appear to be at a greater risk than men for alcohol-related cardiovascular diseases, liver disease, alcohol use disorder, and other consequences.

“Alcohol is a growing women’s health issue,” said Dr. Koob. “The rapid increase in deaths involving alcohol among women is troubling and parallels the increases in alcohol consumption among women over the past few decades.”

The authors note that previous studies have shown that the role of alcohol in deaths is vastly underreported. Since the present study examined death certificates only, the actual number of alcohol-related deaths in 2017 may far exceed the 72,558 determined by the authors.

“Taken together,” said Dr. Koob, “the findings of this study and others suggests that alcohol-related harms are increasing at multiple levels – from ED visits and hospitalizations to deaths. We know that the contribution of alcohol often fails to make it onto death certificates. Better surveillance of alcohol involvement in mortality is essential in order to better understand and address the impact of alcohol on public health.”

About the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA):

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary U.S. agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use disorder. NIAAA also disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at

www.niaaa.nih.gov

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):

NIH, the nation\’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit

www.nih.gov

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health

Reference

Aaron White, PhD, I-Jen P. Castle, PhD, Ralph Hingson, ScD, Patricia Powell, PhD. Using death certificates to explore changes in alcohol-related mortality in the United States, 1999–2017

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Published online January 8, 2020.

Happenings and Events in Gloucester City and Surrounding Communities

The Neighbors United Designer Bag Bingo & Basket Auction

will be Saturday, February 1 from 6 to 10 p.m. Doors will open at 5 p.m. at the Pine Grove Civic Association hall on Jersey Avenue, Gloucester City.

Bring family and friends for a great night out. Grab snacks and beverages. Complimentary desserts and coffee. Ice will be provided.

Tickets are $30 but are on sale for $25 through January 15. All bingo games will be regular bingo or four corners except for the two special games, which will be a pattern.

For information go to the Neighbors United Facebook page.

*****

The Borough of Westville would like to wish

residents a “Happy January,” and reminds everyone to register their pets.

Dog and cat registrations can be done at Borough Hall during working hours-Monday thru Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

******

The Gateway Regional High School Community

will sponsor an American Red Cross Blood Drive Friday, January 10, from 3 to 8 p.m., at the Health Rooms, 775 Tanyard Road, Woodbury Heights.

To schedule an appointment call 800-733-2767.

*****

Gloucester City and St. Mary’s Parish have announced

that the fifth annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be Sunday afternoon, March 1.

*****

The Borough of Bellmawr has announced

has announced that the new Florence Korostynski Memorial Dog Park is now open.

The park is located at Bergen Avenue and Market Street and has plenty of open space and exercise structures for dogs to run and play.

The park is named for the late Mrs. Florence Korostynski, who served the residents of Bellmawr in the tax office and volunteered her time in many capacities on several committees. The annual 4th of July Baby Parade was created by Florence and was her most adoring commitment.

*****

The Gloucester City Mayor’s Community Prayer Breakfast

will be Saturday, January 18, at 9 a.m. in Elizabeth’s Ballroom.

There will be a full, hot buffet breakfast, an ecumenical Prayer Service and Mayor Dan Spencer’s “State of the City” address.

Tickets are $12 and may be purchased at any church in town or by calling the mayor’s office at 856-456-0079. All are welcome to attend.

*****

Gloucester Catholic High School

is gearing up for its 16th annual Maroon & Golds Basket Auction, which is slated for April 30. The fundraiser solely benefits GCHS students.

The auction success depends on the support of the school community and no gift or contribution is too small. All donations are asked to be made by the end of January.

Donations can be mailed to Gloucester Catholic Junior Senior High School, ℅ Heather Mondel, 33 Ridgeway Street, Gloucester City, NJ 08030. Donations can be made through Sign Up Genius at www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C48AAA828A4F58-gloucester1.

To make a donation or for more information, reach out to Heather Mondel at

heathermondel@yahoo.com

*****

Mt. Ephraim Borough has a contingent of dedicated volunteers

working to trap, neuter/spay and return feral cats. They can always use more help. For animal lovers who would like to get involved – call the borough at 856-931-1546 and ask for Terry or email

boroclerk@mountephraim-nj.com

The TNR program is also in need of food and monetary donations, which can be dropped off at Borough Hall, 121 S. Black Horse Pike.

*****

Sanctuary choirs “makes” exciting sound

at the Gloucester City First Baptist Church, Sussex and Monmouth streets, Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

Come and hear this beautiful music. Always welcoming new choir members. For information call 456-8526.

*****

The Gloucester City High School Class of 1965

will hold its 55th year reunion at The Kove in Audubon on Saturday, April 25. The cost will be $50 per person, including a buffet dinner and entertainment, and a cash bar will be available. A meet and greet will be held at The Tap Room in Haddon Township on Friday, April 24. Discounted rooms have been made available for Friday and/or Saturday night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill. For details please contact Frank Carrick at

fcarrick@comcast.net

or 856-241-9483,

*****

The VFW Post 9563 Hall

at 52 Essex Ave., Bellmawr, offers rentals for up to 120 people. It is ideal for weddings, birthday parties, showers, etc.

Call Jeff at 609-313-3135 or the post at 856-931-9724.

*****

The American Legion Post 72 Hall,

9 Railroad Avenue, Brooklawn, is available to rent for weddings, showers, birthday parties, etc. Call the post at 856-456-9847.

*****

The VFW Post 8714 Hall,

70 11th Street Avenue, Glendora is available to rent for weddings, birthday parties, etc. Call Bob Barker at 856-534-9381.

NOTE: If you have an event you would like listed send it to CNBNews1@gmail.com

Paterson Police Sergeant Arrested for Conspiracy Charges and Filing a False Police Report

NEWARK, N.J. – A sergeant with the Paterson Police Department was arrested today and charged with conspiring to violate the civil rights of an individual in Paterson and with falsifying a corresponding police report, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Police Officer Michael Cheff, 49, of Paterson, was arrested by the FBI this morning and charged by complaint with conspiring to deprive an individual of civil rights under color of law and with falsifying a police report. Cheff is scheduled to have his initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this and other cases and statements made in court:

Certain Paterson police officers stopped and searched motor vehicles, without any justification, and stole cash and other items from the occupants of the motor vehicles. These officers also illegally stopped and searched individuals in buildings or on the streets of Paterson and seized cash from them. Cheff routinely received a portion of these stolen monies from some of these officers and signed off on corresponding false police reports about the underlying incidents. In 2016, Cheff told one of the officers to start “tagging,” or logging into evidence, some of the money that the officer was stealing, because effecting narcotics arrests without logging money into evidence would otherwise raise questions.

On Nov. 14, 2017, three officers stopped and arrested an individual and one of the officers stole a few hundred dollars from that individual. The officers then went to the individual’s apartment, and Cheff joined them. One officer stayed behind to guard the arrested individual, who was handcuffed in a police car, while the others, including Cheff, obtained consent to search the apartment by lying to the individual’s mother.

Cheff and the other two officers then searched the individual’s room. Cheff located a safe inside a closet in the room and took money and narcotics from the safe. He handed a small portion of the money to one of the officers and told the officer to log it into evidence. Cheff put the rest of the money in his pocket. At the Paterson police station, in a bathroom, Cheff gave the officer who had stayed behind to guard the individual a portion of the stolen money and gave a portion of the stolen money to one of the officers who had searched the apartment with him.

Cheff also approved a police report that falsely stated that the officers had recovered $319 from a shelf in the individual’s room. In fact, Cheff knew that he had stolen a substantial sum of money from a safe in the room.

Later that day, one of the officers sent text messages to another officer discussing Cheff’s theft of money. The officer said, among other things, that Cheff “got us for over a stack today,” that “there was a safe” and that Cheff “grabbed the cash.” According to the individual whose apartment was searched, the safe contained approximately $2,700, and all of it was missing after the search was completed.

The conspiracy to violate civil rights charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The false records charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The maximum fine for each count is $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest. He also thanked the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale and Police Chief Troy Oswald, and the Paterson Police Department Office of Internal Affairs, for their assistance in the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Gloucester Township Introduces Recycle Coach App

Gloucester Township, NJ – Gloucester Township is excited to introduce Recycle Coach, a user- friendly application designed to provide residents with important recycling information customized to their specific address. The app features a personalized garbage and recycling calendar, a database that explains what is and is NOT recyclable, as well as local disposal information for thousands of household items.

“As a community that is committed to recycling and sustainability, I am thrilled to announce that we now provide a resource that helps our residents recycle smarter,” says Mayor David R. Mayer. “Citizens are often unsure of exactly what can and cannot be put in their recycling carts, however, with Recycle Coach the answers will be right at their fingertips. It takes the speculation out of recycling allowing us to make more informed decisions about the disposal of household waste. For Gloucester Township, this can help increase recycling rates and decrease contamination in the community’s recycling stream.”

With Recycle Coach, residents can:

• Stay organized with the custom events calendar

• Receive collection reminders and real-time updates on service disruptions

• Become recycling experts with a comprehensive “What Goes Where?” search tool, including local disposal information and collection requirements for common and uncommon items

• Take the “What Type of Recycler Are You?” quiz for useful recycling tips and tricks

• Use the problem-reporting tool, equipped with geolocation, to notify municipal customer services about issues like missed collections

Residents will have access to Recycle Coach from their desktop computers, mobile devices, or through digital assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Become a better recycler today by downloading the Recycle Coach app for FREE from the App Store or Google Play.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania continue to dominate the sports betting market

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(January 9, 2020)–A year and a half ago, the US Senate decided to legalize online sports betting at a national level. It was a decision that shook the global betting industry – the world\’s largest market had just opened the floodgates… or so it seemed.

What followed has been a protracted, confusing state-by-state process that has left all of US\’ states at different stages of the legalization process. The federal setup in the US has led to a patchwork effect across the country with each state deciding on whether or not to allow sports betting as well as setting their unique restrictions, fees and tax rates.

At the time of writing, there are two frontrunners in this current situation; New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It was the former that set the standards early on by creating an attractive environment for sportsbooks and customers alike. Low tax rates and an easy licensing setup which involved partnering with existing casinos meant that sportsbooks flooded into the Garden state. The most crucial decision may have been to allow full and unrestricted access online. This decision stood in stark contrast to Nevada, which requires an in-person sign-up deposit and withdrawal. Many expect the Garden State to overtake Nevada in gambling revenue soon. You can now enjoy the largest selection of

sportsbooks in New Jersey

Pennsylvania took a little longer to get off the ground. The 36% tax rate, and license fee of $10 million, proved an initial stumbling block for sportsbooks. However, the lure of 13 million potential customers soon attracted the likes of Sugarhouse and eventually Fanduel, DraftKings and other followed suit. It expected that the number of

PA sportsbooks in 2020

would grow to compete with NJ.

Both states boast a vast number of sports teams which will have attracted sportsbooks. PA alone is home to the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburg Pirates in the MLB; the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Steelers in the NFL; the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburg Penguins as well as the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. NJ is home to the New York Jets and New York Giants in the NFL and the New Jersey Devils in the NHL.

The only state that could compete with both NJ and PA online in 2020 will be Indiana. There are currently only three IN sports books; FanDuel, DraftKings and BetRivers. It is expected that 2020 will be the year that Hoosier State begins to compete with NJ and PA.

NJ is expected to retain the crown for best state for sports betting in 2020. The gaming commission is considering to legalize esports, which could lead to even more growth. Currently, 80% of sports bets in NJ are placed via mobile betting, a trend that is set to continue as sports books continue to pump investment into their apps. New Jersians also love their basketball – in the first year, there were $200,000,000 more wagers placed on basketball than the second most popular – football.

Pennsylvania is still set to reach its full potential. There have been murmurs of a reduced tax on sports books setting up shop in the Keystone state. This would increase the state\’s competitiveness, especially concerning newcomers like Indiana and West Virginia.

images courtesy of unsplash.com