Public Comment Period Extended on Cleanup Plan for the Sherwin-Williams/Hilliards Creek Superfund Site

Gibbsboro

, N.J.

– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the public comment period for its proposed cleanup plan that includes a combination of technologies and methods to address the former paint manufacturing plant and adjoining areas of the Sherwin-Williams/Hilliards Creek Superfund Site in Gibbsboro to

January 29, 2020

. EPA’s study of these areas shows that soil and sediment are contaminated with arsenic and lead, and soil in other areas are contaminated with paint solvents.

EPA’s cleanup plan addresses a nearly 20-acre area where the former manufacturing plant operated, the headwaters of Hilliards Creek and adjoining areas, which include approximately six residential properties. At the former manufacturing plant area, the plan includes removing and disposing of approximately 67,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the site and backfilling with clean soil, groundwater monitoring, and institutional controls in the form of deed notices.

Floodplain soil and sediment within Upper Hilliards Creek would be excavated and disposed of off-site. Surface water will be monitored. The wetland areas will be restored with vegetation and soil similar in nature to previously existing wetlands.

In areas where paint solvents are present, the EPA is calling for the treatment of harmful chemicals through subsurface treatment. Certain areas containing soil contaminated with paint solvents may also be treated at the site by injecting non-hazardous additives to the subsurface soil to promote the biological breakdown of contaminants. The specific types of additives to be used will be determined by the EPA as part of the design of the cleanup. Soil gas collection systems will also be installed to collect and treat any harmful vapors.

Throughout the cleanup, EPA will monitor and further study the cleanup progress to ensure the effectiveness of the remedy. EPA will conduct a review of the cleanup every 5 years to ensure its effectiveness. Under the proposed plan, the estimated cost of cleanup is approximately $36 million.

Written comments on the proposed plan, postmarked no later than close of business January 29, 2020, may be mailed or emailed to: Ray Klimcsak, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway – 19

Floor, New York, NY 10007, Email:

klimcsak.raymond@epa.gov

To view the EPA’s proposed plan for the site, please visit

www.epa.gov/superfund/sherwin-williams

Pick-6 Rolls to $5.2 Million for Dec. 30 Drawing

TRENTON (Dec. 27, 2019)

– The Pick-6 drawing on December 26 produced

four

winners of

$6,041

for matching five out of six white balls drawn. The $5.2 million drawing will be held Monday, December 30, 2019.

The

winning numbers

for the

Thursday, December 26

, drawing were:

13, 16, 26, 30, 35 and 37

. The XTRA

Multiplier

was:

. 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 483,331 tickets purchased for the drawing and of those sold, thousands were prizewinners! For correctly matching four numbers, 323 ticketholders won $72 each and 45 others won $216 each with the addition of XTRA. Moreover, for correctly matching three numbers 6,773 ticketholders won $3.00 each and 997 others won $9 each with the addition of XTRA. Lastly 7,941 ticketholders each won $2.00 for correctly matching two numbers with the addition of XTRA on their purchase.

STUDY: Fiscal Conditions Improving in Pennsylvania

By Todd DeFeo |

The Center Square

Pennsylvania’s revenue growth was slightly above average, and the state has improved its overall financial stability by increasing the size of its rainy day fund, a new report revealed.

Pennsylvania, like Illinois, New York and Texas, experienced slower revenue growth in fiscal 2019 after rapid growth a year earlier, which lowered the aggregate growth rate,

according to

the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO).

“Pennsylvania’s spending and revenue figures reported in the survey for FY2019 and FY2020 indicate stable growth somewhat more modest than national averages,” said Kathryn Vesey White, NASBO’s director of budget process studies.

In February, Gov. Tom Wolf introduced a $34.1 billion general fund spending plan, a 2.79 percent increase from a year earlier. State lawmakers subsequently passed a general fund budget of slightly less than $34 billion, an increase of 1.8 percent over the previous year’s budget.

“Fiscal conditions continue to vary by state due to differing demographic trends, regional economic performance, revenue structures and other factors,” White said. “Like the vast majority of states, Pennsylvania saw its general fund revenues come in ahead of budget projections in FY 2019, as reported in the survey.

“Pennsylvania does have a rainy day fund, known as the Budget Stabilization Reserve Fund,” White added. “Like many states, Pennsylvania depleted its rainy day fund during the Great Recession. However, after achieving greater fiscal stability recently, Pennsylvania took action this year to make a $317 million deposit into the commonwealth’s rainy day fund, bringing the balance in FY 2020 to $340 million.”

Earlier this year, Republican leaders in the state legislature

touted

their conservative fiscal policies for helping increase the state’s revenues.

Pennsylvania was one of six states that reported on changes to their budget processes or authorities in the 2020 fiscal year. The Keystone State now develops performance-based budget plans for each agency.

Under the budget, most state employees received a 3 percent salary increase effective in July. The state is also giving a 2.25 percent step increase in April 2020 for those employed by the commonwealth as of April 2019.

On the tax front, an additional 2 percent state tax on casino table games was extended until Aug. 1, 2021. Also, the state, as of Dec. 13, eliminated the inheritance tax for property transferred to a child 21 years old or younger.

In another tax move, starting July 19, vendors who do not have a physical presence in Pennsylvania but whose sales attributed to the state exceed $100,000 must register to collect and remit state sales tax.

Separately,

Truth in Accounting gave

Pennsylvania score of 85 (B) for financial transparency, and overall, the Keystone State ranked No. 16.

More recently, an “underlying structural imbalance” in Pennsylvania’s budget could have long-lasting ramifications for the state, the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) said in a recent report. The state could experience an “imbalance” of $409 million in the current fiscal year, a shortcoming that could increase to more than $1.3 billion in 2022-23.

PUBLISHED HERE WITH PERMISSION OF THE CENTER SQUARE

Exposure to Ozone Pollution or Wood Smoke Worsens Lung Health of Smokers/Former Smokers

Newswise — Over many years, exposure to the levels of ozone and other forms of pollution found in most U.S. cities and some rural communities can take a toll on a person’s health. Two studies led by Johns Hopkins researchers describe the impact of pollution on lung disease, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in the U.S.

In one study, published Dec. 9 in

JAMA Internal Medicine

, Johns Hopkins researchers found that, among other effects, long-term ozone exposure increases the risk of lung disease — and the severity of that disease — among both former and current smokers. In another study, published Oct. 23 in

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

, Johns Hopkins researchers also found that increased neighborhood use of wood as a primary heating source — which releases fine particles into the air — is associated with higher prevalence of lung disease among never-smokers in the community.

“Even if you spend very little time outside, the cumulative effect of pollution over many years seems adequate to have a negative impact on respiratory health,” says

Nadia Hansel, M.D., M.P.H.,

director of the pulmonary and critical care division, professor of medicine and associate dean for research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and author of both studies.

Ground-level, or tropospheric, ozone is formed when industrial pollutants interact with sunlight, and it is the main ingredient in the smog found around major cities. Ozone is known to irritate the lungs by increasing inflammation, and spikes of very high ozone levels — such as those that occur on hot, sunny days with heavy traffic — can exacerbate lung diseases such as asthma.

Former and current smokers are at high risk of chronic lung diseases and are particularly susceptible to environmental triggers for lung disease flare-ups. Smokers are particularly prone to COPD, a group of diseases including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, characterized by chronic and progressive lung inflammation that leads to shortness of breath and coughing.

In the new

JAMA Internal Medicine

study, Hansel and her collaborators around the country used data collected from people in several U.S. cities as part of the SPIROMICS (Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study) air pollution study. Participants in SPIROMICS were former and current smokers ages 40–80. The new analysis included a subset of SPIROMICS participants for whom there was available data on the previous 10 years of ozone exposure — based on where people lived. These 1,874 participants were 54% male, 79% white, 37% current smokers and had smoked an average of 50 pack-years — the equivalent of 25 cigarettes a day for two years, or five cigarettes a day for 10 years.

After adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors as well as smoking status and pack-years, the researchers found that people who had been exposed to higher levels of ozone over the previous 10 years were more likely to have COPD. For every 5-parts-per-billion increase in a person’s 10-year ozone exposure, they were 16% more likely to have COPD and 37% more likely to have had a severe exacerbation of the disease in the year prior to study enrollment. The same 5-parts-per-billion increase in ozone exposure was also associated with an increase in the percentage of people with emphysema and a worsening score of the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, which reflects health impairment affecting quality of life.

“What really stood out was that the effect was apparent even among current heavy smokers,” says Hansel. “This means that active smoking doesn’t outweigh this effect of ozone.”

In other words, even people already at the highest risk of COPD had an increased risk with ozone exposure. Moreover, Hansel says, the effect of increasing ozone was apparent even when ozone exposure was at the low end of the spectrum, such as among people living in northeastern cities where dark winters lead to an annual ozone exposure that’s relatively low compared with that of many southwestern locales.

“I think this adds to increasing evidence that there is probably no healthy level of ozone,” she says. “There are policies that suggest we just need to reach certain targets and everything will be OK, but in my mind that is probably not enough.” Policymakers must develop ways to get ozone as low as possible, she adds, rather than aiming for a particular target number.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that COPD costs the U.S. health care system more than $32 billion, and that there are approximately 7 million COPD-related emergency room visits in the U.S. each year. Hansel and her colleagues calculated that a 5-parts-per-billion decrease in 10-year ozone levels could reduce emergency room visits by 27%, saving a substantial amount of money on COPD care.

While the

JAMA Internal Medicine

study only measured lung health, previous research has suggested that high levels of ozone can affect cardiovascular health. So Hansel hypothesizes that long-term exposure to ambient levels of ozone may have similar effects on heart disease as it does to lung disease.

“The adverse health effects of ozone likely go beyond what we’ve identified here,” says Hansel. “And we need to keep building evidence of these effects so that it’s not debatable anymore that we need to do more to clean the air.”

In the second paper, researchers including Hansel, associate professor of medicine Meredith McCormack, M.D., M.H.S., and pulmonary and critical care medicine fellow Sarath Raju, M.D., studied data on 8,500 adults enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), 2007–2012. Of the participants, 19.5% resided in rural areas and 29.6% in urban areas. Rural areas, with a 12.0% prevalence of COPD, had more than double the disease burden seen in urban communities, with a 5.9% prevalence.

By analyzing differences between urban and rural communities that might affect COPD risk, the team discovered that communities with a high rate of solid fuel use — either coal or wood for primary heating — were associated with COPD prevalence. A 1% increase in the number of homes using wood as the primary heating source was linked to 12% higher odds of COPD among people who have never smoked. In rural areas, 4.1% of people used wood as their primary heating source, as opposed to 0.6% in urban areas.

“Wood smoke is a household source of pollution that is associated with high levels of particulate matter and toxic gases,” says Raju, first author of the

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

paper. “We hope that this paper raises awareness of the growing epidemic of rural COPD.”

The researchers are now launching further studies that aim to collect individual level — rather than community level — data on environmental exposures that might contribute to COPD. They’re also partnering with other institutions to study COPD rates and risks in rural Appalachia.

Other authors on the

JAMA Internal Medicine

paper were Han Woo, Roger Peng, Ashraf Fawzy, Nirupama Putcha and Patrick Breysse of Johns Hopkins; Laura Paulin of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; Amanda Gassett, Kipruto Kirwa and Joel Kaufman of University of Washington; Neil Alexis of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Richard Kanner, Robert Paine III and Cheryl Pirozzi of University of Utah; Stephen Peters of Wake Forest University; Jerry Krishnan of University of Illinois at Chicago; Mark Dransfield of University of Alabama, Birmingham; Prescott Woodruff of University of California, San Francisco; Christopher Cooper of University of California, Los Angeles; Graham Barr of Columbia University Medical Center; Alejandro Comellas and Eric Hoffman of University of Iowa; MeiLan Han of University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and Fernando Martinez of Weill Cornell Medicine.

The work described in the

JAMA Internal Medicine paper

, part of the broader SPIROMICS study, was supported by the National Institutes of Health (HHSN268200900013C, HHSN268200900014C, HHSN268200900015C, HHSN268200900016C, HHSN268200900017C, HHSN268200900018C, HHSN268200900019C, HHSN268200900020C, U01 HL137880, R01ES023500, K23ES025781), AstraZeneca/MedImmune, Bayer, Bellerophon Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Chiesi Farmaceutici S.P.A., Forest Research Institute Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, Grifols Therapeutics Inc., Inkaria Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Nycomed GmbH, ProterixBio, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sanofi, Sunovion, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Theravance Biopharma, and Mylan.

Other authors of the

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

paper are Emily Brigham, Nirupama Putcha and Aparna Balasubramanian of Johns Hopkins and Laura Paulin of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. The

AJRCCM

paper was supported by the National Institutes of Health (P50MD010431, F32 ES029786-01, R21ES025840, T32 HL007534-36) and the Environmental Protection Agency (R836150).

Video: How Did Political Boss George Norcross Acquire Waterfront Land in Camden City at Such Low Prices?

The tower, located on the Camden City waterfront, is owned by George Norcross and two other partners who received a $245 million tax break

(image courtesy of David L. Lewis/WNYC)

CNBNews.net

CAMDEN CITY, NJ (December 26, 2019)–

NJTV NEWS interviewed a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer who wrote an investigating article about South Jersey Political Boss George Norcross and his quest to buy up properties along the Camden City waterfront. How did George Norcross obtain acres of land along this prime section of waterfront at prices under the appraised value?

What is known is Norcross and his friends used tens of million in state-approved incentives to obtain the properties. The

Delaware River Port Authority and Camden Redevelopment Agency held interests in one of the properties, which was

appraised at $2.3 million in 2015

. Public officials

agreed to sell it to Liberty for $800,000

. After the sale, Liberty gave Norcross and his business partners an option to buy the property — which they eventually did, for $350,000 — or 15 cents on the dollar of the appraised value when it was held by public agencies.

The \”Inky\” confirmed hearsay that federal prosecutors in Philadelphia are carrying out their own investigation into the controversial New Jersey program.

Michael Hill,

NJTVonline.org

News correspondent talks with Catherine Dunn, one of the lead reporters on the story in the video below.

video source

https://www.njtvonline.org/

How power broker George Norcross and friends got waterfront land for cheap

Both the Delaware River Port Authority and Camden Redevelopment Agency held interests in the land, which was

appraised at $2.3 million in 2015

. Public officials

agreed to sell it to Liberty for $800,000

And while Norcross and his partners aren’t allowed to build on the parking lot for five years, they could develop it by 2023 if they choose.

The series of transactions also underscores the influence and reach of the Mount Laurel-based law firm Parker McCay, led by George Norcross’ brother Philip.

CONTINUE

Taking Down The South Jersey Political Mafia

You may think we live in a state run by democratically-elected officials, but the reality is closer to a system of political corruption that would surprise most Americans. The truth is, the mafia is alive and well in New Jersey and it controls the political machine in the state. This isn’t the Cosa Nostra of the old days, but an even more sinister cabal of powerful men working to consolidate power and enrich themselves at the cost of the taxpayers.

George Norcross has been called the most powerful unelected person in New Jersey. He controls nearly every elected Democrat in South Jersey including party chairs, state senators and assemblymen. Even if you get elected outside of his control, you will get nowhere in the party. Norcross and his team have done a masterful job of consolidating power in a relatively short period of time; only a few decades. They have insured that you can’t get elected without his support, and if you do, and you don’t play ball, you will be sidelined to political Siberia. Without his endorsement and the cooperation of Senate President Steve Sweeney, you won’t get on any committees. You won’t get resources. You won’t get money for staff. You will be irrelevant.

Consequently, the candidates you find on your ballot have been hand-chosen by Norcross and his political organization. The Democratic Party is beholden to his

CONTINUE

How The Norcross Political Machine Muscled In On Camden City\’s Prime Real Estate, NJ\’s Poorest Community

But the Norcross brothers had other ideas.

The most powerful political family in the state had spent months helping to engineer the tax break law. George E. Norcross III, a prolific Democratic fundraiser and power broker, had championed the idea among lawmakers; his brother Philip Norcross, a lawyer and lobbyist with deep ties to local and state government, wrote parts of the legislation; and a third brother, Donald Norcross, then a state senator and now a member of Congress, had co-sponsored it. Once the law passed,

the Norcrosses’ allies, business partners and clients

took advantage.

published

Gloucestercitynews.net

December 26, 2019

Lawmakers in Harrisburg Take Aim at Special Funds

By Dave Lemery |

The Center Square

HARRISBURG, PA–To Eileen Norcross, special funds in state budgets have the effect of disguising spending, concealing from the public what state government is actually doing with public dollars, which she calls “fiscal evasion.”

Norcross is vice president of policy research at the Mercatus Center, a free-market oriented public policy research center at George Mason University. She spoke late last week at a news conference in Harrisburg focused on a package of legislation designed to rein in spending.

“The proliferation of special funds are not unique to Pennsylvania, but their growth may be a sign of weak spending discipline,” she said. “The effect is to diminish budget transparency and to give both policymakers and the public a false sense of the true amount of spending, public policy priorities and the taxes necessary to support those programs.”

She noted that Pennsylvania’s total budget spending has grown from $56 billion in 2006 to $84 billion today, a rate of growth that she blamed on special funds.

“The practice of off-budget accounting or the creation of special funds can be problematic, effectively creating a shadow budget that isn\’t subject to the same legislative oversight, debate or rules that apply to the general fund,” she said. “The outcome is a two track general fund budget in which the general fund appears to be flat or declining, while the overall budget grows.”

Rep. Dawn Keefer, R-Dillsburg, is introducing a piece of legislation that would begin to address Norcross’s concerns. House Bill 1991 would ban the creation of new special funds within the budget, which Keefer said is timely because there are currently efforts ongoing to continue creating new special funds.

“The way we have our budget layered with all of these different shenanigans of how to shift money around from one fund to another, or from the general fund to offline spending, is a false sense of our financial picture, and we have completely evaded any kind of accountability that our taxpayers deserve,” Keefer said. “We need to get our fiscal house in order.”

Also introduced at the news conference was Rep. Andrew Lewis’s House Bill 1990, which would establish a Council on State Finances made up of administration officials and lawmakers of both parties to work on the annual state budget process in the open, instead of the current process that takes place behind close doors.

Rep. Tim O’Neal’s House Bill 1989, meanwhile, would dictate that surplus funds at the end of each fiscal year would automatically be deposited into the state’s rainy day fund. O’Neal noted that Pennsylvania lawmakers have received praise for adding $300 million to the rainy day fund this year, but he said that amount was nowhere near sufficient.

“The reality is, with the current budget in the rainy day fund, the Commonwealth can only operate for 3½ days,” O’Neal said. “We are on the verge of financial peril. And this is in one of the best economies that any of us have seen in our lifetime.”

Acting as emcee at the news conference was Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, the chairman of the House’s new Government Oversight Committee. He introduced House Bill 1988 to return 17 special funds with $2.08 billion back to the general fund, and he said that the four bills were key to the state becoming more responsible with taxpayer dollars.

“This financial reform package of legislation will reduce the state borrowing, improve our credit rating and strengthen the commonwealth rainy day fund,” he said. “These four common sense reforms are smart and innovative solutions House Republicans have been championing.”

published here with permission of The Center Square

Norcross, Booker, Hayes Introduce Legislation to Support Childcare for Student-Parents

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) this week joined Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) to introduce H.R. 5475, the Preparing and Resourcing Our Student Parents and Early Childhood Teachers

(PROSPECT) Act. This important legislation would invest heavily in federal grants supporting childcare for student-parents at community colleges and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI’s).

There are over 4 million college students in the United States who are raising children while attending school. Although the number of student parents has been on the rise, the share of community colleges and four-year institutions with campus child care has been in decline. In New Jersey, 46 percent of all residents live in a child care desert, according to the

Center for American Progress

. The PROSPECT Act would help New Jersey students enrolled in community colleges fight costly barriers to degree completion and make sure more young people have the tools they need to learn and succeed.

“Today, many student-parents are forced to choose work over their education because they cannot afford child care,”

said Congressman Norcross, a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

“Access to quality, affordable child care for college students impacts the strength of our economy and the diversity of our workforce. The PROSPECT Act will help provide student-parents with a level playing field. South Jersey is a leader in higher education, and this legislation will ensure that parents, their children and educators are afforded the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.”

“I was a student-parent while I pursued my bachelor’s, master’s, and graduate degrees. I know first hand the struggles of being a young parent, while trying to study and earn a degree,”

said Congresswoman Hayes,

a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor

. “The PROSPECT Act would provide student-parents with much-needed assistance, which removes one more barrier to success. I thank Senator Booker and Congressman Norcross for joining me in this effort to support student-parents.”

“Today’s college students are faced with realities that are very different than the idyllic assumptions we have of them,”

said Senator Booker.

“Millions are raising kids and have enrolled in college to improve their life circumstances for their children, but too many are forced to drop out because quality child care is unavailable or unaffordable, leaving them without a degree and saddled with student debt. This legislation will address this crisis by investing in campus child care and infant-toddler educator preparation programs, making our college campuses better equipped to help today’s students succeed.”

The PROSPECT Act is endorsed by the following organizations: American Federation of Teachers (AFT), CLASP, Education Reform Now – Advocacy, Generation Hope, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), National Black Child Development Institute, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Public Advocacy for Kids, UNCF, UnidosUS and Zero to Three.

“Representative Jahana Hayes’ bill addresses two essential family needs – the cost of child care, and the need to meet the appetite children have to learn and thrive,”

said

Randi Weingarten, President of American Federation of Teachers.

“Children are always learning, particularly in the months and first few years of life, which means finding ways to help nurture this learning will help the children who receive that. At the same time child care costs pose an undue burden for working parents that immediately hamstring kids whose parents work to earn a living. Child care for infants and toddlers costs parents roughly 60 percent more than child care for a 3- or 4-year-old. Finding and affording child care is even harder for parents who are in college themselves. Rep. Hayes’ Preparing and Resourcing Our Student Parents and Early Childhood Teachers Act takes bold steps to address the reality that in today’s economy, most parents are working parents, and many are also in school. It will make infant and toddler child care more affordable and accessible on college campuses, enabling student parents to finish their degrees and access a better a better life for their families. By funding high-quality child care programs with well prepared and compensated early childhood educators, this bill helps parents and educators address take care of themselves, and their families.”

“In 1999, I started as a full time freshman and teen mother at the College of William & Mary, struggling to find childcare for my three-month-old daughter while adapting to the new world of college and the academic rigor of a prestigious school,”

said

Nicole Lynn Lewis, Founder and CEO of Generation Hope. “

I founded Generation Hope in 2010 to ensure young, parenting college students have all of the supports that I lacked, and the PROSPECT Act builds upon this work in an innovative way by providing childcare and opportunities for students across the country who are working incredibly hard to become college graduates.”

“Every student deserves a fair chance at completing a college degree and pursuing their American Dream,”

said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, President and CEO of UNCF.

“This is something that HBCUs know all too well given their unique mission and continued efforts to ensure that our neediest of students are not ignored. The PROSPECT Act builds on the invaluable approach lead by HBCUs to make sure students with children are also taken care of and able to achieve their dreams. UNCF is proud to support such common-sense legislation and urges Congress to act swiftly and pass the PROSPECT Act.”

“Latinos are enrolling in college in record numbers. But support services are needed to help them finish on time, such as expanded access to quality early childhood education for student-parents,”

said

Eric Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS.

“The PROSPECT Act will lift up entire families by expanding child care at college campuses, helping with college completion and providing young children a strong start in early education and life.”

Pennsylvania senators call for more information about Gov\’s judicial nominations

By Steve Bittenbender |

The Center Square

HARRISBURG, PA–Four Pennsylvania Senators say they are pushing for legislation to reform the state’s judicial nominating process, calling for more information about the individuals the governor picks to fill vacant seats to be made public.

A news conference this week to announce Senate Bill 978 came just hours before the state Senate voted 42-7 to affirm the nomination of Drew Crompton to fill an opening on the Commonwealth Court, an appellate-level court that hears cases involving state and local governments.

Nominated by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, Crompton served for nearly three decades as a legislative counsel, currently working as the chief counsel for state Sen. Joe Scarnati, the Senate President Pro Tempore.

While his name was mentioned in the news conference, state Sen. Anthony Williams, the Democratic whip in the state Senate, said he didn’t want to make it “the Drew Crompton Show.” While saying it was fair to call into question Crompton’s credentials, Williams – who voted for Crompton – said his issues with the process began well before that particular nomination.

“I don\’t want to draw to just one singular personality because I think that frankly, it underwhelms the argument for change,” the Philadelphia senator said. “It makes it more difficult for people to digest that. It could be a Democrat. It could be a Republican. If they don\’t qualify, they don\’t qualify.”

However, his colleagues at the presser certainly didn’t have qualms speaking out against a candidate they felt was unqualified. State Sen. Katie Muth, D-Royersford, said she wasn’t in Harrisburg to “appease the governor.” State Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Pittsburgh, spoke out against a process that she said allowed nominations to be made in backrooms.

State Sen. Maria Collett, D-Lower Gwynedd, said she came away concerned about Crompton’s qualifications after questioning him in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday morning.

“He has never practiced law outside of these walls, and that\’s problematic when we\’re putting someone on the court that doesn\’t have a varied level of experience and a varied level of experiences dealing with people from different walks of life,” she said.

Muth, Collett and Lindsey Williams were among those who voted against Crompton.

The senators’ bill does have the support of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. Maida Milone, the group’s president and CEO, said the organization has pushed for a merit-based process to fill vacancies for 30 years.

“I do see this legislation as a step in that direction by making the nomination process much more open and transparent to everyone and allowing for more public participation in the process,” she said.

published here with permission of The Center Square

Visit Philly Overnight Hotel Package: Key To Fun In Philly This Holiday Season

Winter-Only Package Includes Free Hotel Parking & A Free Philadelphia Sightseeing Pass™ For Two

Want visiting friends and relatives to enjoy a comfortable, relaxing, enjoyable holiday season in Philadelphia? Encourage them to book the

Visit Philly Overnight Hotel Package,

a perks-packed deal that enables visitors to choose their own city adventure thanks to the inclusion of two free Philadelphia Sightseeing Passes — a first-time package perk. The hotel offer is available December 1, 2019 through February 29, 2020.

“The Visit Philly Overnight Hotel Package wraps the city up into one big gift and gives visiting friends and relatives a relaxing place to stay, as well as tickets for the Philadelphia activities that most appeal to them,” said Jeff Guaracino, president and CEO, VISIT PHILADELPHIA. “We wanted to give guests the freedom to choose, so we added the Philadelphia Sightseeing Pass into the package. This is a first-of-its-kind partnership for the tour company, which operates in 15 cities globally, and we’re glad to give package buyers the ability to select tickets for two attractions from a list of more than 30 options.”

The package includes:

Free hotel parking

, up to a $100 value for a two-night stay at a Center City hotel

Two free

Philadelphia Sightseeing Passes

, each valid for general admission tickets for two attractions (a $90 value)

Two free tickets for admission to and ice skate rental at

Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest

(a $28 value)

$25 restaurant card for

Garces Group Philadelphia restaurants

(Amada, Distrito, JG Domestic, The Olde Bar, Tinto, Village Whiskey, Volvér)

$10

Lyft credit

for new and existing customers

Well known for its overnight hotel parking, the package (valued at up to $253) is available at 44 hotels for one- or two-night stays. Visitors can book the Visit Philly Overnight Hotel Package or see redemption details anytime at

visitphilly.com/overnight

. At hotel check-in, guests will also receive redemption details for all perks.

Philadelphia Sightseeing Passes

Upon check-in, guests receive two Philadelphia Sightseeing flex passes. Each pass is good for use at two select Philadelphia attractions or tours (see list below). Each pass automatically activates at the first attraction visited. Passes must be redeemed at the ticket booth of the selected attraction. Passes expire March 2, 2020. More info at

sightseeingpass.com/en/philadelphia/attractions

76 Carriage Company – Franklin Footsteps Walking Tour,

phillytour.com

Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University,

ansp.org

Adventure Aquarium (Camden, NJ),

adventureaquarium.com

African American Museum in Philadelphia,

aampmuseum.org

Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial,

battleshipnewjerseyorg

Betsy Ross House,

historicphiladelphia.org

Campo’s Combo: cheesesteak, beverage, chips and bite-sized dessert,

camposdeli.com

City Hall Tower Tour,

phlvisitorcenter.com/CityHallTowerTour

The Constitutional

Walking Tour,

theconstitutional.com

Eastern State Penitentiary,

easternstate.org

Franklin’s Grave and Christ Church Burial Ground,

christchurchphila.org

Ghost Tour of Philadelphia Candlelight Walking Tour,

ghosttour.com

Grim Philly Twilight Tours – Vampires, Sex & Ghost Tour,

grimphilly.com

Grim Philly Twilight Tours – Witches and Ghosts,

grimphilly.com

Independence Seaport Museum,

phillyseaport.org

Independence Tour – Walking Tour,

bowtietours.com

Museum of the American Revolution,

amrevmuseum.org

National Constitution Center,

constitutioncenter.org

National Liberty Museum,

libertymuseum.org

National Museum of American Jewish History,

nmajh.org

One Liberty Observation Deck,

phillyfromthetop.com

Penn Museum,

penn.museum

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA),

pafa.org

Philadelphia Museum of Art,

philamuseum.org

Philadelphia Sightseeing Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Tour,

philadelphiasightseeingtours.com

Philly Tour Hub – Center City Holiday Tour,

phillytourhub.com

Philly Tour Hub – History in HD Walking Tour,

phillytourhub.com

Philly Tour Hub – Italian Market Immersion Walking Tour,

phillytourhub.com

Scavenger Hunts – Philadelphia,

sightseeingpass.com/en/philadelphia/attractions

Spirits of ’76 Ghost Tour,

spiritsof76.com

The Franklin Institute,

fi.edu

The Mütter Museum,

muttermuseum.org

Wharton Esherick Museum (Malvern, PA),

whartonesherickmuseum.org

VISIT PHILADELPHIA

is our name and our mission. As the region’s official tourism marketing agency, we build Greater Philadelphia’s image, drive visitation and boost the economy.

On Greater Philadelphia’s official visitor website and blog,

visitphilly.com

and

uwishunu.com

, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages. Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the sites effective trip-planning tools. Along with Visit Philly social media channels, the online platforms communicate directly with consumers. Travelers can also call and stop into the Independence Visitor Center for additional information and tickets.

Avalon Receives $177,000 NJDOT Grant for Reconstruction of Portion of 69th Street

AVALON, NJ–The Borough of Avalon is receiving a $177,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The grant will be used for the Borough’s reconstruction of a portion of 69

Street between Dune Drive and Ocean Drive. The project is expected to begin in 2020.

“We are very appreciative of the Department taking a close look at this project and providing funding to help defray costs for municipal taxpayers”, said Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi. “Avalon has been fortunate to submit competitive grant applications in prior years. These grants allow the Borough to repair and replace necessary infrastructure”.

Since 1997, the Borough of Avalon has secured approximately $2.9 million from the New Jersey Department of Transportation for various street projects. Last year, the Borough received a $150,000 grant from the program for the reconstruction of a portion of 68

Street.

In 2019, the Department received 661 applications that requested more than $368 million for projects. Funding comes from the Transportation Trust Fund which is supported by the State gasoline tax. $161.25 million was allocated to projects throughout the State of New Jersey for the NJDOT’s Fiscal Year 2020 Municipal Aid Program. The application for the grant was made by Avalon municipal engineer Thomas Thornton of Mott MacDonald and previously authorized by the Avalon Borough Council.