Category: SPORTS

NJ Residents Playing for Kutztown University 2020 Baseball Team

KUTZTOWN, PA (02/20/2020)– Kutztown University will have 26 student-athletes representing its baseball program for the 2020 season.

The Golden Bears opened their season last weekend, Feb. 15-16, with a four-game split against Chowan University (NC). The wins gave first-year head coach Eric Folmar his first win as a head man in his collegiate debut as a head coach.

Kutztown will next compete Saturday, Feb. 29, at Ohio Dominican for two games beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a game Sunday, March 1, at noon.

Baseball website

Collin Bishop of Clementon (08021)

Connor Teschko of Lumberton (08048)

About Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Founded in 1866, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a proud member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education located on 289 acres nestled in the beautiful East Penn Valley in Berks County, between Reading and Allentown, Pennsylvania. KU is just two hours from New York City; 90 minutes from Philadelphia.

As the region\’s center for excellence in academics, culture and public engagement, KU\’s programs and reputation for quality offer students the opportunity to discover lifelong avenues of learning and discovery. KU students select from more than 100 areas of study within four colleges in a diverse liberal arts academic environment. To complement their studies, KU\’s NCAA Division II athletics program with 21 varsity sports joins the more than 160 student clubs and organizations providing students with a variety of activities for learning and discovery.

Nondiscrimination Statement

Kutztown University does not discriminate in employment or educational opportunities on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status.

For more information, please visit us at

www.kutztown.edu

.

Football Icon Jerry Rice Makes Big Play for Kidney Health

Jerry Rice is working with the National Kidney Foundation to promote kidney health

(NAPSI)—Fans might think Jerry Rice, at 56, should be satisfied to sail silently into the sunset reflecting on his Pro Football Hall of Fame status, three Super Bowl rings, and two decades in the National Football League. Indeed, the iconic wide receiver retired his professional cleats years ago.

Yet, he still uses his youthful, seemingly boundless energy to keep carrying the ball for the cause closest to his heart: tackling chronic kidney disease (CKD). “My brother Tom has CKD,” Rice said. “I’ve watched him go to dialysis three days a week for years, which is really hard on the body. He’s a very positive individual. Still, sometimes I spend the long hours that he endures just sitting by his side. It was my brother, after all, who loved, encouraged and pushed me early on by telling me that I had to make it to the NFL.”

Getting The Word Out

To that end, in a new PSA series for the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) to be broadcast nationwide, Rice focuses on promoting kidney health and raising awareness of kidney disease. The NKF is the largest, most comprehensive and long-standing organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease.

Given Rice’s genuine concern about and personal connection to the disease, NKF enlisted the widely beloved sports legend to help to speak to the general public as well as kidney patients. He already has lots of practice doing so up close and personally whenever he joins his brother at a neighborhood dialysis center in Jackson, Miss.

“I’d go there to mainly be with my brother, of course, but I always walk around the room to say hello and socialize with the other dialysis patients,” Rice said. “You don’t realize it until you see for yourself in centers that there are lots of people on dialysis. It puts everything in perspective whenever I start complaining. When I visit the dialysis center, people often know who I am and are happy to see me, and if I can bring a smile to some faces and make them forget even for a second, that warms my heart. That’s how I felt playing football, seeing the smiles in the stands and helping people to forget problems for a little while.”

Rice is also part of NKF’s continuing and growing Heart Your Kidneys (#HeartYourKidneys) public campaign to help elevate awareness of the kidneys to the status of other vital organs such as the heart. He is amazed that most people know very little about their kidneys and that some don’t know the kidneys are located in the lower back below the rib cage—or that each person has two. Rice hopes his new PSAs with NKF will help change that.

“It’s important to me to keep working hard to get the word out with NKF, because you can see that this really hits home for me in more ways than one,” Rice said.

Kidney Facts And Jerry Rice’s Tips

• African Americans are three times more likely to experience kidney failure than are people of other races.

• Because kidney disease often has no symptoms, it can go unnoticed until it is very advanced.

• The kidneys’ major function is to filter out waste products and excess fluid from the body.

• Eat healthy and drink water instead of sugary drinks.

• Exercise regularly.

• Ask your doctor about your kidney health.

Learn More

For further information about kidney disease and how to tell whether you’re at risk, call (800) 622-9010 or visit

www.kidney.org

.

New Name for Philadelphia Union Stadium

Agreement is first of its kind globally for the automaker; Home of the Union and Union II to become Subaru Park

CHESTER, Pa. (February, 2020)

– Philadelphia Union and Subaru of America, Inc. today announced a multi-year stadium naming rights partnership in a global first for the automaker. As a part of the partnership, the home of the Union will be named Subaru Park, an 18,500-seat sports and events destination in the greater

Philadelphia area. Subaru will become the official and exclusive automotive partner of the Philadelphia Union. Additionally, the two companies have jointly made a commitment to the greater Philadelphia community that will produce a series of charitable programs as an extension of the Subaru Love Promise vision.

The agreement between the Union and Subaru marks the first time the leading automaker has entered into a partnership with a major league sports team, domestically and globally. Extending beyond a naming rights agreement, the core of the partnership is the development of community programs that enhance the greater Philadelphia community where both organizations are headquartered. The programs will benefit causes centered around youth soccer, pediatric cancer, pet adoption, and environmental sustainability.

\”Today is the start of a historic new chapter for the Philadelphia Union, both with the inauguration of our 2020 season at Subaru Park and in the official beginning of our relationship with Subaru of America, a partner that shares in our vision for a better future for our fans and surrounding community,” said Tim McDermott, Philadelphia Union President. “Subaru of America has consistently exemplified a passionate commitment to the community and bringing people together, which is a core value upon which our club was founded. We are committed to working hand-in-hand to give back and create a better world for our fans and the people of the Greater Philadelphia area.”

\”When organizations unite for the greater good, everyone wins, which is why we at Subaru of America are excited to come together with our local professional soccer team, the Philadelphia Union, under a shared goal to do good and strive for the betterment of our local communities,” said Thomas J. Doll, President and CEO, Subaru of America, Inc. “This partnership extends the reach of our commitments to improve the lives of people in our community. Subaru of America, along with our retailers and the Philadelphia Union, will develop community programs that will directly tie to our Subaru Love Promise initiatives.\”

At the center of the agreement is a commitment to the community through outreach programs as a part of the Subaru Love Promise company vision. Those initiatives include:

Subaru Loves the Earth

: A focus on creating a more sustainable environment for fans and the Philadelphia community through recycling efforts and a community garden to grow and donate fresh fruits and vegetables to local communities in need.

Subaru Loves to Help

: An effort to provide underserved communities the equipment and resources needed to become active and experience the game of soccer in and around the city.

Subaru Loves to Care

: A commitment to support children battling cancer, to highlight and recognize unsung heroes in our community, as well as a celebration of all walks of life regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.

Subaru Loves Pets

: A mission to unite pets with loving homes and to support pet adoption and animal welfare in the Greater Philadelphia community.

In addition to becoming Subaru Park and adding new dynamic signage, the Union’s home will receive numerous additional improvements ahead of the 2020 season, including:

State-of-the-art Videoboard

: Subaru Park will feature an all-new, high dynamic range (HDR) videoboard for the 2020 season. This will be the first HDR compatible videoboard in a Philadelphia sports venue and the first in any MLS soccer-specific venue. The board will be 109 ft. x 32 ft. with 3,440 sq. ft. of video surface, a 281% increase in surface, and feature a 200% increase in resolution. The stadium will also feature upgraded LED ribbons around the field and bowl as well as more than 200 new monitors throughout the stadium and concourse.

New Parking Lots

: Three new parking lots have been acquired by the Union during the off-season, providing more parking and improved ingress and egress for ticket holders. In addition, there will be more than 30 reserved spaces in Lot B, free of charge on a first-come, first-serve basis for fans who are Subaru owners.

Tunnel Club

: After a soft opening during the 2019 playoff game, the new premium VIP Tunnel Club is now open and offers special game day experiences to West Side Field Seat, Field Table, Manager’s Row and Presidential Row Season Ticket Members. The Tunnel Club provides exclusive benefits ranging from all-inclusive food and beverage to one-of-kind experiences such as behind the scenes, close-proximity to the players and their locker room throughout the game.

OVG Global Partnerships served as the naming rights agency for the Philadelphia Union and was instrumental in the creation of this partnership.

ABOUT SUBARU LOVE PROMISE

The Subaru Love Promise is just that. A promise. It is a promise to do right by our community by partnering with nonprofit education, health, community, environment, and animal organizations – to set Subaru apart through our deeds and the deeds of our partners. To be unlike any other car company by doing what is right and good, just for the sake of doing it.

ABOUT SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.

Subaru of America, Inc.

(SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of

Subaru Corporation

of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and

Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.

is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the

Subaru Love Promise

, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $165 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do.

For additional information visit

media.subaru.com

. Follow us on

Facebook

,

Twitter

, and

Instagram

.

ABOUT PHILADELPHIA UNION

The Philadelphia Union is an innovative, forward-thinking professional soccer club competing in Major League Soccer (MLS) and one of Philadelphia’s five major league sports teams. Driven by unprecedented fan support, MLS awarded the Philadelphia expansion franchise rights to Jay Sugarman in 2008 and the Union kicked off its inaugural season in 2010. The club has reached the finals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2014, 2015 and 2018, and has appeared in the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

The Philadelphia Union is part of parent company Keystone Sports & Entertainment, which also operates USL Championship side Philadelphia Union II, the Philadelphia Union Academy, Philadelphia Union Foundation and Philadelphia Union Youth Programs. With a commitment to developing talent from the Delaware Valley, the Union have signed nine local players from their academy to a first team contract.

The Union play at Subaru Park in Chester, PA on the banks of the Delaware River. The custom-built stadium is part of the Union’s unique waterfront campus, featuring an historic power plant rebuilt into a 500,000 sq. ft. creative office building, a state-of-the-art Training Complex, over 7 acres of professional grade practice pitches and multiple onsite parking fields. For more information about the Philadelphia Union, visit

www.philadelphiaunion.com

and follow the Union on

Twitter

or

Instagram

.

Attention Anglers! Forum at Batsto Saturday

BATSTO, NJ–Anglers have two great opportunities to learn, comment and ask questions about the Division\’s freshwater programs at the

South Jersey Fisheries Forum this Saturday

and the

Trout Meeting next Saturday

at

Pequest.

Saturday\’s forum at the Batsto Village Visitor\’s Center in

Wharton State Forest

will include presentations on

Harmful Algal Blooms

,

Largemouth Bass Virus Sampling

, and

Warmwater Fish Production

. Discussion topics will include the

Warmwater Fisheries Management Plan

(what do YOU want to see covered) and

Potential Regulation Changes for 2023

.The forum will begin at 10:00 a.m.

The annual

Trout Meeting at

Pequest

will be Saturday, February 29 at 10:00 a.m.

This year\’s meeting will cover:

2020 Hatchery Production

,

2020 Spring Trout Allocations

and a presentation on

Temperature Impacts on NJ\’s Wild Trout Populations

.

Batsto Forum Information and Directions

Trout Meeting Information

Pequest Directions

Montclair State Men Over Scarlet Raptors 75-72

CAMDEN CITY, N.J. (Feb. 19, 2020) – The Montclair State University men’s basketball team rallied from an early 19-3 deficit and went on to outlast Rutgers University-Camden, 75-72, in a thrilling New Jersey Athletic Conference game that was the final

contest of the season for both programs.

Despite their comeback win, the Red Hawks missed the six-team NJAC playoffs, finishing one game behind the three-way tie for seeds 4-6 between Rutgers-Newark, New Jersey City and Rowan, a trio of 10-8 teams. Montclair State finished 9-9 in the NJAC and 11-14 overall.

Rutgers-Camden closed its season with a 7-18 record and a 4-14 mark in the NJAC.

Montclair State leads the all-time series, 56-11, and has won 13 of its last 15 games against Rutgers-Camden, although the teams split their season series this year.

After the two teams split the first six points of the game, Rutgers-Camden rattled off 16 unanswered points, including 12 by junior guard

Arian Azemi.

Senior forward

Isaac Destin

added the other four points in the run as the Raptors took a 19-3 lead. By halftime, the Scarlet Raptors held a 48-34 lead, led by 21 points from Azemi and 16 from Destin.

Playing a must-win game, while hoping for outside help to make the playoffs, Montclair State came out with a purpose in the second half. After a layup by Destin gave the Raptors a 50-34 lead, the Red Hawks rattled off 17 straight points, including a pair of foul shots by senior forward/center Eddie Emedoh, to take a 51-50 lead.

The Scarlet Raptors regained the lead on a layup by junior guard

Keysean Simmonds,

setting the stage for a wild final 15 minutes, which featured five lead changes and five ties. With 4:49 remaining, a layup by Azemi gave the Scarlet Raptors their final lead, 66-65. Montclair State took the lead for good moments later on a three-pointer by junior forward Joseph Radi, making it a 68-66 game.

The Red Hawks’ lead fluctuated from 2-5 points the rest of the way. In the final minute, Montclair State held a 75-70 lead before the Raptors’ freshman forward

Dylan Trow

hit a late layup to make it a 75-72 game. After a turnover, the Raptors had one last chance to tie the game in the final 10 seconds, but missed a pair of treys.

Senior forward Jalen Parham finished with 17 points to lead three Red Hawks in double figures. Radi scored 16, and added a team-high nine rebounds, while senior guard Nate Nahirny tallied 14 points.

Azemi scored a game-high 27 points, while Destin finished with his 10th double-double of the season, scoring 26 points and adding 10 rebounds. Azemi also had a game-high six assists, while tying Montclair State junior guard Tim Algenio for game-high honors with four steals.

The Red Hawks shot 29-for-60 from the floor (48.3 percent), while the Raptors were 27-for-52 (51.9). Rutgers-Camden held a 34-32 edge off the boards, but also made two more turnovers (23-21).

Destin’s 26 points helped him edge past Cetshwayo Byrd (1,300 points from 1990-94) and finish in sixth place on the program’s career list with 1,302 points. He also finished fifth in career rebounds (604) and third in blocks (68).

Isaac Destin and Azemi finished 1-2 on the team in scoring with averages of 20.0 and 18.8, respectively. Azemi also set the program’s single-season record for steals with 81.

Big first half sparks MSU women past Raptors in season finale

CAMDEN CITY, N.J. (Feb. 19, 2020) – Freshman guard Nickie Carter scored 22 of her 32 points in the opening half as the Montclair State University women’s basketball team opened up a 20-point halftime lead and the Red Hawks went on to defeat Rutgers

University-Camden, 74-59, in the final regular-season game for both New Jersey Athletic Conference teams here Wednesday night.

Montclair State earned a first-round bye in the NJAC playoffs, which start Saturday, and will take a 20-5 overall record into the conference semifinals next week. The Red Hawks finished their regular season with a 15-3 NJAC record, earning the second seed in the six-team NJAC playoffs.

Rutgers-Camden closed its season at 12-13 overall and 5-13 in the NJAC.

MSU, which heads into the post-season having won 15 of its last 16 games, is 46-17 in its all-time series against the Scarlet Raptors. The Red Hawks have won 26 of their last 28 games against Rutgers-Camden.

Carter was on fire in the first half, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor, including 4-for-5 from three-point range, as her 22 points helped Montclair State take a 49-29 lead at the break. Junior guard Taylor Brown added 11 first-half points for MSU. Freshman guard/forward

Jalissa Pitts

notched 11 points in the first half for Rutgers-Camden, while senior guard

Fatimah Williams

added 10.

Rutgers-Camden opened up an early 13-7 lead, sparked by six points from Williams and five from junior guard

Shane Holmes,

but Montclair State answered with 15 straight points to take the lead for good. That run included 11 points from Brown, including three consecutive three-pointers, the first of which gave the Red Hawks the lead at 14-13. It was their first lead since opening the game with the first five points, and it was the last lead change of the night.

Montclair State led by as many as 26 points (55-29) in the second half.

Carter finished with 12-for-20 shooting from the floor, including 6-for-9 from three-point range, on her way to 32 points. Junior forward Kayla Bush added 15 points and nine rebounds for MSU, while Brown finished with 11 points. Senior guard Cerys MacLelland had game highs of 11 rebounds and four assists, while Bush notched a game-high four steals.

Williams caught fire in the second half to finish with 34 points as she finished her stellar career with 1,240 points, tying Ta-Wanda Preston (1989-92) for sixth place on the program’s career scoring list. She finished the season with 508 points, becoming only the 10th player in program history to score over 500 points in one season. Her 20.3 scoring average for the season was the 10th-highest single-season mark in program history.

Williams also had team-high totals of nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals.

Pitts finished with 11 points for the Scarlet Raptors, capping her stellar rookie season with an even 11.0 scoring average, second on the team to Williams. Pitts also led the Scarlet Raptors in rebounding during the season with an average of 7.5 per game.

Alyssa Donato of Cedarville, NJ Named to 2020 Kutztown University Softball Team

KUTZTOWN, PA (02/20/2020)– Kutztown University will have 21 student-athletes representing its softball program for the 2020 season, including Alyssa Donato of Cedarville, NJ (08311).

The Golden Bears opened their season with a 4-5 record across their first two tournaments. Head coach Judy Lawes is in her 33rd season at KU, 19 wins shy of 1,000 for her career.

KU will next hit the diamond for their spring break trip beginning Saturday, March 7, against Winston-Salem State in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Golden Bears will then play six days in Florida.

Softball website

About Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Founded in 1866, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a proud member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education located on 289 acres nestled in the beautiful East Penn Valley in Berks County, between Reading and Allentown, Pennsylvania. KU is just two hours from New York City; 90 minutes from Philadelphia.

As the region\’s center for excellence in academics, culture and public engagement, KU\’s programs and reputation for quality offer students the opportunity to discover lifelong avenues of learning and discovery. KU students select from more than 100 areas of study within four colleges in a diverse liberal arts academic environment. To complement their studies, KU\’s NCAA Division II athletics program with 21 varsity sports joins the more than 160 student clubs and organizations providing students with a variety of activities for learning and discovery.

Wolf\’s Plan to use Funds from Horse Racing for Scholarships Upsetting Horse Owners/Supporters

A horse and rider work during practice on the Penn National Race Course racetrack on a foggy morning Nov. 29, 2006, in Grantville, Pa. Carolyn Kaster / AP photo

By Steve Bittenbender |

The Center Square

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is feeling some heat from horsemen and their supporters after proposing to divert a significant portion of a fund used to support the state’s racing industry toward a college scholarship program instead.

The governor visited West Chester University on Thursday to promote the Nellie Bly Scholarship Program, an initiative he introduced in his budget proposal last week. The $204 million proposal would provide scholarship funding for students attending any of the 14 state-run colleges, filling the gap between grant funding students receive and the actual cost of tuition.

The scholarship is named after Bly, a Pennsylvania native who could not afford the cost of tuition. She became a famous journalist whose work in the 19th century brought about changes to mental health treatment in the U.S.

Wolf said the goals of the program are to alleviate students from college loan debts and retain the state’s best and brightest workers. If a recipient leaves the state, they must repay the money.

“With less college debt, graduates can buy a car and a home, start a family and save for retirement,” Wolf said. “The program also strengthens our public university system and creates a talented labor force that Pennsylvania needs to thrive.”

The program would be funded from money currently going to the state’s Race Horse Development Trust Fund. That money is generated from slot machine gaming revenue.

According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the fund received $240.4 million in 2018, with $152.6 million going to purses for races at the state’s thoroughbred and harness tracks.

Horsemen have attacked the plan since Wolf first announced it, saying the move would devastate the racing industry. Not only would tracks be affected, but breeders and those who raise thoroughbred and standardbred horses in the state.

“Instead of the governor destroying an industry and family farms to create a program that holds our young people hostage by forcing them to stay in Pennsylvania, why doesn’t the governor focus on creating a state that makes students want to stay?” asked Heather Hunter,

according to the Daily

Local

in Chester County.

Hunter, who works at her family’s horse farm, has a son who attends West Chester, the newspaper said.

Some lawmakers have expressed concerns as well, including state Rep. Sue Helm, R-Susquehanna Township. Helm’s district includes the Penn National Race Course near Harrisburg.

“If this account is raided for the furtherment of the governor’s budget priorities, it would essentially bankrupt the industry,” Helm said in a statement earlier this week. “It would mean the end of horseracing in Pennsylvania.”

Still, Wolf’s plan has supporters, and that includes an organization that often criticizes the governor’s policies.

While the Commonwealth Foundation still had several concerns about Wolf’s budget overall, it said the plan to move the funding to support higher education costs was one of the few positives the group saw in the spending plan.

“This is a revenue stream that should be brought into the General Fund, allowing lawmakers to prioritize spending and protect working families from tax increases,” the foundation said in a statement.

republished by Gloucestercitynews.net with permission of

The Center Square

Making The Knights of Columbus More Appealing

Written by Peter G. Sánchez/

The Camden Diocese

BRIDGETON, NJ–Don Olbrich is nothing if not persistent.

Wherever he goes, he carries with him Form 100s, which are membership documents for the Knights of Columbus. Which is not surprising, as he is Grand Knight of his council, Liberty Council 1910 out of Bridgeton’s Parish of the Holy Cross.

“I took a Form 100 to my doctor’s office,” he says, but it wasn’t blank.

“I had already filled out his name and phone number, all I needed was his address,” he continues.

And then there was the time he tried to get his son, D.J., to join the council.

“He kept telling me no, so I told some of my brother Knights that if they could get him to sign up, I’d give them $100. It worked,” he says, laughing.

Olbrich’s methods have no doubt rubbed off on his brother Knights. From July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, his council gained 40 new members, 800% of their recruitment goal. The effort made Liberty Council 1910 second in the country in recruitment for any Knight’s council.

Today, the 101-year-old council is 113 men strong, in ages ranging from 19 years old to the mid-80s, Olbrich says.

“We set monthly membership goals,” he says in explaining how the council achieved the milestone.

His doggedness and determination speak to his love of the church where he has been a Knight for 10 years.

“It’s all about helping the parish,” he says.

The Liberty Council Knights are a constant presence around the Holy Cross community, be it cooking for the annual fall parish festival, organizing a donation drive of baby wipes and diapers for single mothers and their children, or repainting lines in the church parking lot.

Olbrich was thankful for the leadership and guidance of Holy Cross pastor, Father Matthew Weber, who has shown “tremendous support” for the council.

“The Knights have been a wonderful blessing,” says Father Weber, himself a Fourth Degree Knight.

In addition to “stepping up” to help the parish in whatever needs to be done, such as helping out with maintenance issues or being extra hands at parish events, the Knights of Columbus are “leading men to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, and with each other,” he says.

As well, he is pleased that the council reflects the diverse nature of his Bridgeton parish — a bilingual community with a faithful and collaborative mix of Anglo-Saxon and Hispanic members.

“The Knights have been a beautiful bridge” between these communities, he says,

“I’m glad this council has blossomed. These men are pillars of charity, fraternity, unity, and patriotism,” Father Weber said, echoing the Knights of Columbus’ mission.

Following the call from Supreme Director Carl Anderson to make the Knights more appealing, the Bridgeton Knights will hold a public initiation ceremony after the 4:30 p.m. Mass at Saint Mary Church, Rosenhayn on Saturday, Feb. 22, with a spaghetti dinner afterward. All are welcome.

Home

Wolf\’s Plan to use Funds from Horse Racing for Scholarships Upsetting Horse Owners/Supporters

A horse and rider work during practice on the Penn National Race Course racetrack on a foggy morning Nov. 29, 2006, in Grantville, Pa. Carolyn Kaster / AP photo

By Steve Bittenbender |

The Center Square

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is feeling some heat from horsemen and their supporters after proposing to divert a significant portion of a fund used to support the state’s racing industry toward a college scholarship program instead.

The governor visited West Chester University on Thursday to promote the Nellie Bly Scholarship Program, an initiative he introduced in his budget proposal last week. The $204 million proposal would provide scholarship funding for students attending any of the 14 state-run colleges, filling the gap between grant funding students receive and the actual cost of tuition.

The scholarship is named after Bly, a Pennsylvania native who could not afford the cost of tuition. She became a famous journalist whose work in the 19th century brought about changes to mental health treatment in the U.S.

Wolf said the goals of the program are to alleviate students from college loan debts and retain the state’s best and brightest workers. If a recipient leaves the state, they must repay the money.

“With less college debt, graduates can buy a car and a home, start a family and save for retirement,” Wolf said. “The program also strengthens our public university system and creates a talented labor force that Pennsylvania needs to thrive.”

The program would be funded from money currently going to the state’s Race Horse Development Trust Fund. That money is generated from slot machine gaming revenue.

According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the fund received $240.4 million in 2018, with $152.6 million going to purses for races at the state’s thoroughbred and harness tracks.

Horsemen have attacked the plan since Wolf first announced it, saying the move would devastate the racing industry. Not only would tracks be affected, but breeders and those who raise thoroughbred and standardbred horses in the state.

“Instead of the governor destroying an industry and family farms to create a program that holds our young people hostage by forcing them to stay in Pennsylvania, why doesn’t the governor focus on creating a state that makes students want to stay?” asked Heather Hunter,

according to the Daily

Local

in Chester County.

Hunter, who works at her family’s horse farm, has a son who attends West Chester, the newspaper said.

Some lawmakers have expressed concerns as well, including state Rep. Sue Helm, R-Susquehanna Township. Helm’s district includes the Penn National Race Course near Harrisburg.

“If this account is raided for the furtherment of the governor’s budget priorities, it would essentially bankrupt the industry,” Helm said in a statement earlier this week. “It would mean the end of horseracing in Pennsylvania.”

Still, Wolf’s plan has supporters, and that includes an organization that often criticizes the governor’s policies.

While the Commonwealth Foundation still had several concerns about Wolf’s budget overall, it said the plan to move the funding to support higher education costs was one of the few positives the group saw in the spending plan.

“This is a revenue stream that should be brought into the General Fund, allowing lawmakers to prioritize spending and protect working families from tax increases,” the foundation said in a statement.

republished by Gloucestercitynews.net with permission of

The Center Square