Category: LegacyImport2

Philadelphia\’s Financial Health Given Failing Grade

By Alan Krawitz |

The Center Square

The Philadelphia skyline. Sean Pavone | Shutterstock.com

HARRISBURG PA (January 2020)–A new report by government finance watchdog Truth in Accounting (TIA) has named Philadelphia as one of four cities to receive an F for its poor financial health.The TIA report \”

Financial State of the Cities

,\” which found widespread debt in city halls across the nation, cited Philadelphia as having the fourth largest taxpayer burden at $25,500, behind Honolulu at $26,400, Chicago with $37,100 and New York City with the largest taxpayer burden in the nation at $63,100.

Pittsburgh wasn\’t dramatically better, finishing 12th worst with a taxpayer burden of $15,600.

The taxpayer burden, according to TIA, is the amount that each local taxpayer would have to contribute for their city government to pay off all its bills.

TIA notes that the study sheds new light on exactly how much debt will fall into future taxpayers’ laps.

The report looked at the 75 most populous U.S. cities and found that Philadelphia was one of four that accumulated taxpayer burdens more than $20,000.

Calling the findings a \”catastrophic challenge for city lawmakers,\” TIA analysts took their data from the fiscal 2018 audited Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, which are on file in city halls across the country, and TIA says \”are not analyzed on this scale by any other organization.\”

“Taxpayer Burdens occur when politicians decide to make promises on paper without fully funding the programs,” said TIA founder and CEO Sheila Weinberg. “We need to fix the wording of balanced budget requirements so civil servants can count on their retirement programs, and future generations are not forced to pay for our bills.”

The report says that Philadelphia’s substantial taxpayer burden is related to poor budgeting practices that have allowed the elected officials to claim they are meeting the city’s balanced budget requirement while putting the city more than $14 billion in debt.

Billions of dollars of earned and incurred compensation costs, TIA explains, were related to pension and retiree health care and have not been included in the budget calculation. In essence, benefits were promised, but elected officials have chosen to use money that could have been used to fund these benefits for other purposes.

Pittsburgh came under similar criticism from TIA.

\”Pittsburgh’s financial problems stem mostly from unfunded retirement obligations that have accumulated over the years,\” the report stated. \”Of the $1.8 billion in retirement benefits promised, the city has not funded $915.2 million in pension and $408.6 million in retiree health care benefits.\”

Weinberg added that all \”75 cities studied have balance budget requirements for very good reasons … They are intended to avoid the crushing debt Philadelphia now has and to promote accountability by not allowing elected officials to push current costs onto future taxpayers.”

As a result, Weinberg says, some 63 cities, including Philadelphia, have used misleading budgeting practices to circumvent the intentions of its balanced budget requirement and the result is a per taxpayer burden of $25,500, which future taxpayers will shoulder unless government services and benefits are cut.

Moreover, a consequence of the city\’s shoddy budgeting means that citizens have not had the \”information needed to be knowledgeable participants in Philadelphia\’s financial decision-making processes,\” she added.

However, TIA says that it\’s not all gloom and doom in Pennsylvania\’s two largest cities.

\”The good news,\” Weinberg says, \”is that Philadelphia and the other cities studied are now reporting all of their retirement debt on their balance sheets.\”

New government accounting standards required state and local governments to start reporting their pension liabilities on their balance sheets three years ago and their retiree health care liabilities last year.

Weinberg concludes, “This is a huge step for government transparency, because elected officials and citizens can now go to their Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and get a more accurate picture of their government’s finances.”

published here by the GLOUCESTERCITYNEWS.NET WITH PERMISSION

Muhlenberg College Students from NJ Named to Dean\’s List

ALLENTOWN, PA (01/28/2020)– Congratulations to the following local students named to the Dean\’s List at Muhlenberg College for the Fall 2019 semester:

Alexandria Bak of Pennsville, NJ (08070)

Shannon Beachem of Wall Township, NJ (07719)

Matthew Borrelli of Cherry Hill, NJ (08034)

Zaire Carter of Delran, NJ (08075)

Frank Caterina of Shamong, NJ (08088)

Madison Cornelius of Browns Mills, NJ (08015)

Hannah DeFrates of Haddonfield, NJ (08033)

Olivia Deutsch of Cherry Hill, NJ (08003)

Quinn Dougherty of Cape May, NJ (08204)

Carina Filemyr of Cape May, NJ (08204)

Laura Frye of Woodstown, NJ (08098)

Christopher Grahn of Riverton, NJ (08077)

Brooke Greenberg of Cherry Hill, NJ (08003)

Jenna Greenwald of Voorhees, NJ (08043)

Lauren Greenwald of Voorhees, NJ (08043)

Isabel Kaufman of Collingswood, NJ (08108)

Emily Kirchner of Maple Shade, NJ (08052)

Sarah Krsnak of Medford, NJ (08055)

Emma Mueller of Moorestown, NJ (08057)

Aitan Netz of Cherry Hill, NJ (08003)

Grace Nyberg of Haddonfield, NJ (08033)

Grace Oddo of Lumberton, NJ (08048)

Kristen Paige of Tabernacle, NJ (08088)

Frances Parker of Haddon Township, NJ (08108)

Jason Richwall of Medford, NJ (08055)

Kaley Ryan of Mount Laurel, NJ (08054)

Isabel Schwartz of Cherry Hill, NJ (08003)

Kayleigh Scott of Haddonfield, NJ (08033)

Chloe Selover of Woodbine, NJ (08270)

Raivat Shah of Mount Laurel, NJ (08054)

Samantha Shera of Voorhees, NJ (08043)

Kelly Steltz of Haddonfield, NJ (08033)

Desire Suarez of Elmer, NJ (08318)

Jake Swerdloff of Cherry Hill, NJ (08003)

Jessica Szasz of Mount Laurel, NJ (08054)

Sarah Vetesi of Cherry Hill, NJ (08003)

Ashling Wahner of Bordentown, NJ (08505)

Cameron Wasson of Mount Laurel, NJ (08054)

Julia Weikart of Haddon Heights, NJ (08035)

Gwendolyn Wilkie of Moorestown, NJ (08057)

Matthew Borrelli of Cherry Hill, NJ (08003)

Olivia Deutsch of Cherry Hill, NJ (08057)

Julia Weikart of Haddon Heights, NJ (08002)

Students with a term GPA of 3.50 or higher were recognized for this academic achievement.

About Muhlenberg College

Founded in 1848,

Muhlenberg

is a highly selective, private, four-year residential, liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, approximately 90 miles west of New York City. With an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences as well as selected pre-professional programs, including accounting, business, education and public health. The College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

A member of the Centennial Conference, Muhlenberg competes in 22 varsity sports.

About Muhlenberg College\’s School of Continuing Studies

For more than 100 years,

Muhlenberg College\’s School of Continuing Studies

has provided lifelong learners the opportunity to continue and enhance their education in ways that recognize their experience, maturity, motivation, life circumstances and capacity for independent scholarship. Through a rich variety of certificates and baccalaureate degrees, the School of Continuing Studies aligns a rigorous, high-quality and student-centric curriculum with the needs and trends of our regional economy.

JEROME BY DAVE WOLFE

Related:

ARTIST Dave Wolfe

Vol. 6 No. 31 (February 2, 2020)

Editor\’s Note: Each Sunday morning we post a weekly comic strip provided by cartoonist Dave Wolfe.  (click image to enlarge)

*Dance Theatre of Harlem in residence at Kutztown University

KUTZTOWN, PA — KU Presents! welcomes the Dance Theatre of Harlem, a singular presence in the ballet world celebrating its 50th anniversary season, for a multi-day residency at Kutztown University.

Dance Theatre of Harlem will take the stage at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5, in Schaeffer Auditorium on the Kutztown University campus.

Tickets are $42; $38 for students and seniors and can be purchased at

www.KutztownPresents.org

, or by calling the KU Presents! Box Office 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, at 610-683-4092.

In addition to the public performance, the Dance Theatre of Harlem will be offering a lecture/demonstration for K-12 schools at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5. In this assembly performance, the company will speak about their history, how they started as a revolutionary, multi-ethnic dance company and perform excerpts of their new works that highlight female choreographers, women of color and African American themes. The KU Arts Society is offering grants to cover bussing to and from KU for this free educational event. Interested teachers or school administrators, should contact Elaine Bonfitto at

bonfitto@kutztown.edu

or 610-683-1523.

Founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, the company tours internationally presenting a powerful vision for ballet in the 21st century. The 18-member, multi-ethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that includes treasured classics, neoclassical works by George Balanchine and resident choreographer Robert Garland, as well as innovative contemporary works that use the language of ballet to celebrate African American culture. Through performances, community engagement and arts education, the company carries forward Dance Theatre of Harlem\’s message of empowerment through the arts for all.

Established to be the center of cultural life at Kutztown University, KU Presents! serves the campus and community by bringing world-class live arts that entertain, educate and enrich.

The KU Presents! season will continue Feb. 25, with Grammy Award-winning baroque chamber orchestra Apollo\’s Fire under the baton of Jeannette Sorrell. Ireland\’s most exciting young tenor, Celtic Thunder\’s Emmet Cahill, will be joined by the all-female Emerald String Quartet March 18. As part of the Berks Jazz Fest, The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra will bring their New Orleans big band style April 2. The season comes to a close April 15, with Tony Award-winner, Laura Benanti bringing her Tales from Soprano Isle to the Schaeffer stage. Benanti replaces the previously-announced Lea Salonga.

Tickets and other event information for KU Presents! is available at

www.KutztownPresents.org

.

View Online:

http://kutztown.meritpages.com/news/Dance-Theatre-of-Harlem-in-residence-at-Kutztown-University/13414

*Albert Carino Boys Basketball Club Feb. Theme Will Be Unsung Heroes

Ben Cerrato (Haddonfield), Gavin Gibson (Cherokee), Giamarco Arletti (Holy Cross), MJ Iraldi (West Deptford), Josh Randle (GCIT) and Tyrese Myrick (Westampton Tech) to be honored.

University of Delaware Coach Martin Ingelsby featured speaker.

Martin Ingelsby University of Delaware

The Albert Carino Boys Basketball Club has announced that Unsung Heroes will be the theme of the next meeting Wednesday, FEBRUARY 5

th

at the Crowne Plaza, Route 70 and Cuthbert Blvd., Cherry Hill starting at 11:30 A.M.  RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED and may be made by calling

Jason Lewer

(609-706-7063) or Jack Mongulla (856-461-8800), or emailing the Club at

Martin Ingelsby is currently in his fourth season as University of Delaware men’s basketball head coach. On June 20, Ingelsby signed a two-year extension through the 2023-24 season.

After spending the previous 13 years on the Notre Dame coaching staff from 2003-16, Ingelsby led the Blue Hens to 13 victories during his first season in Newark, including a win over Hofstra in the CAA Tournament.

Last season the Blue Hens finished 17-16 and were fifth in the CAA standings, posting their highest win total and highest CAA finish in five years. UD increased its win total for the third straight season, and advanced to the CAA Tournament Semifinals for the first since since 2013-14. Delaware erased a 14-point halftime deficit in the 85-79 win over William & Mary in the quarterfinals, the largest halftime comeback in CAA Tournament history.

Ingelsby, the 24th head coach in UD men’s basketball history, is a native of Berwyn, Pa., and was a standout point guard for Notre Dame from 1997-2001. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Wagner College during the 2002-03 campaign before returning t

Robert T. Coyle of Florida, formerly of Gloucester City

Robert T. Coyle

On January 30, 2020. Age 89. Of Haines City, FL. Formerly of Gloucester City. Loving husband of 61 years to Margaret M. Coyle (née Cunning). Beloved father of Thomas Coyle (Ann), Margaret Knezich (Stephen), Ellen Tomasco (Charlie), Patricia Blake (Andrew), Robert Coyle (Tara), Joann Lay (Mark), Barbara Madiraca (Vincent) and Mary Louise Kwasizur (Mitchell). Devoted grandfather to Michael, Melanie, Amanda, Lisa, Kelly, Andrew, Julie, Mark, Danny, Sarah, Colleen, John, David, Chris, Sammy, Liz, Shane and Cooper. Great Grandfather to Kayla, Tommy, Logan, Nora, and two more on the way.

Robert was born on April 23, 1930 in Sharon Hill, PA to the late Thomas J. and Una Margaret (nee Convery) Coyle. Robert proudly served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He worked for many years as a bookkeeper for Lasermation in Philadelphia and then retiring from CraftBuilt Manufacturing in PA.

Relatives and friends are invited to his visitation on Tuesday, February 4th from 9:30 to 10:30 AM at St. Mary’s Church, 426 Monmouth St., Gloucester City. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:30 AM. Interment in Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon, PA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Knights of Gloucester City Columbus Council #674, 605 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City, NJ 08030. Please write Robert Coyle in the memo.

Condolences and Memories may be shared at www.mccannhealey.com under the obituary of Robert T. Coyle. Funeral Arrangements and Inquiries through: McCANN-HEALEY FUNERAL HOME, Gloucester City Ph: 856-456-1142

DNREC Fish & Wildlife Police Blotter: Jan. 20-26

Reminder for the week: Deer, duck, and dove hunting seasons ending

DOVER (Jan. 31, 2020) – DNREC’s Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources, promote boating safety, and protect the public through outreach, education, and law enforcement. To help achieve public compliance with laws and regulations, officers from Jan. 20-26 made 1,177 public contacts and responded to 67 complaints regarding possible violations of laws and regulations or requests to assist the public.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions

Officers issued a total of 54 citations for the following listed violations related to:

Wildlife Conservation:

Unlawful to provide a guided hunt on division lands, unlicensed hunting, hunting license forgery, hunting migratory waterfowl without required HIP number, hunting migratory waterfowl without required federal waterfowl stamp, hunting migratory waterfowl without required state waterfowl stamp, possession of unlawfully taken waterfowl, failure to check antlered deer within 24 hours, failure to purchase a hunter choice tag prior to killing an antlered deer, failure to tag antlered deer, possess/transport an unlawfully taken antlered deer, failure to tag antlerless deer, failure to check antlerless deer within 24 hours, unlawful to purchase, sell, attempt to sell antlerless deer or antlerless deer parts, hunting deer with a firearm during archery season, unlawful use of dog training area*, and trespass to hunt.

Boating & Boating Safety:

No boating safety certificate and no throwable preserver aboard as required for vessels 16 feet long or longer.

Public Safety:

Failure to display required hunter orange during a firearms deer season, possession, purchase, ownership, or control of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited, possession of heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Other:

Impede a lawful hunt, trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area, operating an unregistered motor vehicle on a state wildlife area, fictitious motor vehicle tags, driving with a suspended or revoked license, loitering, and criminal impersonation.

*

Includes citation(s) issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters, and boaters who comply with Delaware’s fishing, hunting, and boating laws and regulations. The public can report fish, wildlife, and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580 or using the free smartphone DENRP Tip app downloaded from the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store. Wildlife violations can 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?

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police remind hunters that deer, duck, and dove hunting seasons are coming to an end:

Duck season ends Friday, Jan. 31

Dove season ends Friday, Jan. 31

Deer Archery and Crossbow seasons end Sunday, Feb.2

Deer Muzzleloader season ends Sunday, Feb. 2 (archery equipment and crossbows can be used during muzzleloader season)

Although many hunting seasons are ending, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police encourage the public to report game law violations as soon as possible. Some illegal activities that should be reported include:

The use of an artificial light to illuminate wildlife, also known as spotlighting, in any manner, including from a motor vehicle, for the purpose of hunting or observing

Target shooting on state wildlife areas (target shooting on private property is allowed seven days a week, within the parameters of local, county, and state ordinances)

Shots fired from or across a public road or right-of-way, or within 15 yards of a public roadway

Carrying a loaded weapon in a vehicle or vessel in association with hunting

For more information on hunting – including hunter education, licensing, hunting and trapping seasons, limits, regulations, wildlife area information, and more, with sections devoted to deer, small game, turkey, and migratory birds – click on

2019-2020 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide

. Wildlife area maps with area-specific regulations are available online at

Wildlife Area Maps

.

NJ Pick-6 Rises to $2.4 Million for Feb. 3. Drawing

TRENTON (Jan. 31, 2020) – The Pick-6 drawing on January 30 produced seven winners of $2,957 for matching five out of six white balls drawn. The $2.4 million drawing will be held Monday, February 3, 2020.

The winning numbers for the Thursday, January 30, drawing were: 01, 06, 12, 19, 26 and 49. The XTRA Multiplier was: 05. By adding XTRA for an additional $1.00 per play, winners are able to multiply their non-jackpot prizes by the XTRA number drawn.

Acting Executive Director James Carey announced that there were 414,039 tickets purchased for the drawing and of those sold, thousands were prizewinners! For correctly matching four numbers, 467 ticketholders won $41 each and 81 others won $205 each with the addition of XTRA. Moreover, for correctly matching three numbers 7,969 ticketholders won $3.00 each and 1,297 others won $15 each with the addition of XTRA. 8,647 ticketholders each won $2.00 for correctly matching two numbers with the addition of XTRA on their purchase.

NJ Religious Leaders Guilty of Conspiracy To Evade Paying Millions in Taxes

NEWARK, N.J. – The leader and the main treasurer of the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ were sentenced to federal prison today for their respective roles in a scheme in which both men caused the church to pay millions of dollars in personal expenses for the leader that the leader then omitted from his personal tax returns, U.S Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Jermaine Grant, 44, of Burlington Township, New Jersey, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and Lincoln Warrington, 49, of Bergen County, New Jersey, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison. Both men previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martini to Count One of the indictment against them, charging them with conspiring to defraud the United States. Judge Martini imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:

Grant and Warrington used their leadership positions in the church to divert to Grant millions of dollars belonging to the church and its members for Grant’s personal use and benefit. The defendants used a variety of methods to carry out the scheme. For example, Grant and Warrington created a purported entertainment company that portrayed Grant as an industry mogul whose wealth was derived from his success in the industry, thereby concealing from church members that his lifestyle was supported entirely by the church and donations from its members. Grant and Warrington also used the church’s money to pay Grant’s other personal expenses, including payments for rental real estate properties, vacations, high-end luxury items, and private school tuition for Grant’s minor children. Grant, with Warrington’s assistance, then omitted these benefits from his individual income tax returns, resulting in the evasion of a substantial amount of tax due and owing to the United States. In total, Grant and Warrington concealed millions of dollars in income from the IRS, and failed to pay at least $250,000 in taxes.

The plea agreements in this matter include a requirement that the church will develop and present to the United States a plan designed to ensure the church’s compliance with applicable federal income tax laws going forward. Before the United States returns to the church certain cash and property seized during execution of the search warrants in this case, the compliance plan must address the disposition of that cash and property and ensure that they are returned for the benefit of the church rather than for the personal benefit of Jermaine Grant or any other individual.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martini sentenced Grant and Warrington to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI’s Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie, and IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencings.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret A. Mahoney, Senior Trial Counsel for the National Security Unit in Newark, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig.

Defense counsel:

Grant: Gerald Lefcourt Esq., New York

Warrington: Richard Levitt Esq., New York

Pennsylvania\’s House Republicans Unveiled Bills to Help Human Trafficking Victims

Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler speaks during a news conference Jan. 22, 2020, in Harrisburg. Image courtesy of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

By Steve Bittenbender |

The Center Square

HARRISBURG, PA–Pennsylvania’s House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a series of bills they say will help victims of human trafficking in the state.

With more than 1,200 reported cases of trafficking in the state over the last 13 years, state Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, told a crowd gathered at the Ryan Rotunda in the Capitol Complex that it’s a crisis issue for the state.

According to Insider Monkey, Pennsylvania ranked 10th nationally with 127 cases reported in 2017. The site also noted that Pittsburgh ranked 10th as well among all U.S. cities. In most cases, victims of human trafficking endure sexual violence and exploitation.

“This package of legislation addresses many issues,” said Cutler, the House majority leader. “We must see the urgent need to step up efforts to combat trafficking as part of the wider battle for human rights. We need to create a culture where people no longer stay silent about the abuse they are suffering and where the legal systems take such violence seriously.”

In all, the package includes six House bills, a Senate bill and a House resolution, the latter of which would recognize January as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

In addition to aiding victims of trafficking, some of the bills also stiffen penalties for those convicted of trafficking. For example, state Rep. Barry Jozwiak, R-Berks, sponsors House Bill 161, which would make the trafficking of infants a first-degree felony. State Sen. Kristen Phillips-Hill sponsors Senate Bill 60, which would increase penalties for those convicted of trafficking and patronizing a victim of sexual servitude. Those offenses, too, would become first-degree felonies.

Another bill, House Bill 2175 sponsored by state Rep. Meghan Schroeder, R-Bucks, would expand the list of offenses where prosecutors could call an expert witness to inform juries about sexual violence and how trafficking victims may respond to violent acts. Meanwhile, House Bill 2174 sponsored by state Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Allegheny, would keep defendants from using a trafficking victim’s past as evidence in their defense from prosecution.

Mary Quinn, the president and CEO of the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, said her agency has helped nearly 300 trafficking victims over the last five-plus years. Through that work, she said, she’s realized those victims suffered from complex trauma and need special resources. By pushing these bills through the Legislature, she hopes it can help bring more resources to the victims.

In some cases, the victims themselves find themselves being prosecuted. York County District Attorney Dave Sunday noted a drug death case where his office initially prosecuted a young woman who handed the victim the lethal dose. However, in working with the defense attorney and advocates, they soon realized the defendant in the case was being exploited and kept from her family in New Jersey.

Jennifer Storm, the state’s victims advocate, said cases like the one Sunday discussed show that previous efforts have worked in helping identify victims. However, more work remains to be done.

“We’re here to craft a more trauma-informed justice system,” she said.

published here with permission of The Center Square