WASHINGTON, July 29, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today issued a comprehensive proposed rule and determination to more effectively reduce Salmonella contamination and illnesses associated with raw poultry products. This is the culmination of FSIS’ three-year effort to reevaluate their strategy for controlling Salmonella rates in poultry and protect American consumers from foodborne illness linked to consumption of poultry products.
Salmonella bacteria cause over 1 million human infections in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Food is the leading source of Salmonella infections and poultry is among the leading sources of foodborne Salmonella illnesses. FSIS estimates that there are 125,000 chicken-associated and almost 43,000 turkey-associated foodborne Salmonella illnesses per year. Despite FSIS data indicating that Salmonella contamination in poultry products has been decreasing, there has not been an observed reduction in Salmonella illnesses.
“Far too many consumers become sick from poultry contaminated with Salmonella, and today’s announcement marks a historic step forward to combat this threat,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This proposed framework is a systematic approach to addressing Salmonella contamination at poultry slaughter and processing, which includes enforceable standards that will result in safer food for consumers and fewer illnesses.”
At a hearing of the House Republican Policy Committee on Thursday, July 25, two township supervisors from McKean County – Jim Trussell of Hamlin Township (left) and David McClain of Keating Township (right) – offered testimony in support of permitting local governments the ability to use conventional brine water to suppress dust on dirt and gravel roads, as well as treating paved roads in advance of winter storms. They are pictured with state Reps. Kathy Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest) and Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), who participated in the hearing as members of the committee. The hearing was held at the Drake Well Museum in Titusville.
Bigfoot holds a can of birch beer, a favorite beverage of the Totally Ninja Raccoons and Bigfoot. Find the raccoon brothers and the bonus Bigfoot at From My Shelf Books & Gifts.
For the fifth year in a row, From My Shelf Books & Gifts at 7 East Avenue in Wellsboro, the local bookstore owned by author Kevin Coolidge, is hosting the “Where Are the Totally Ninja Raccoons Hunt?”
The raccoons will be hiding in 25 area businesses during the month of August.
The hunt is based on Coolidge’s “Totally Ninja Raccoons” action series for 7- to 10-year-old, reluctant readers. The series is about three raccoon brothers who become ninjas.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (July 19) — The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has awarded $203,527 in grant funding to support 19 education projects in 17 counties that foster interest in fishing and boating in Pennsylvania through the R3 (recruitment, retention, and reactivation) Education Grant Program. One statewide project was also awarded. The R3 grants are awarded to recipients to help increase the number of anglers and boaters in Pennsylvania. Efforts include recruiting new participants, retaining existing participants, and reactivating former participants in fishing and boating recreation.
Last year, the PFBC awarded $187,625 in grant funding to support 15 education projects in 11 counties and 2 statewide efforts.
“Providing the people of Pennsylvania with education and outreach opportunities for fishing and boating is paramount to the work of the Fish and Boat Commission. Having trusted partners who carry out and believe in the work, too, means more people will experience all Pennsylvania’s waterways have to offer,” said Kim Garris, PFBC Director of Outreach, Education and Marketing. “This grant program supports our partners’ work to get and keep people involved in fishing and boating, promoting healthier lifestyles and a love and appreciation of the natural world.”
Recipients of the PFBC R3 Education Grant successfully applied for and demonstrated ways in which their new or expanded projects progress R3 initiatives and connect Pennsylvanians with Commonwealth waterways. Funds awarded through the grant program will be used to purchase equipment and educational resources, provide transportation, and cover other costs associated with the development and delivery of R3 education programs.
All projects funded for this round of grants must be completed by June 30, 2025.
The 2024 R3 Education Grants include (by county):
Allegheny: Steel City Rowing Club, Paddling Fleet Revitalization
Blair: Claysburg-Kimmel School District, Female-Friendly Fly-Fishing Trip
Butler: Seneca Valley School District, SV Fishery
Centre: Bellefonte Area School District, Back to Nature Fly Fishing and Fly Tying
Chester: Stroud Water Research Center, Inc., Connecting Youth and Families to Boating and Angling Opportunities in Local Public Parks
Clarion: Clarion Conservation District, The Wonderful World of Fishes
Crawford: Conneaut School District, CAMS Fishing for Fun
Fayette: Mountain Watershed Association Inc., Expanding Access to Outdoor Recreation: Engaging Youth and Families in Fishing & Boating Activities in the Youghiogheny River Watershed
Forest: Forest Area School District, Forest Area School District Stream and River Exploration
Lancaster: Glossbrenner United Methodist Church, Glossbrenner Experiential, Adventure and Responsible Unique Pursuits – Department of Experiential Education & Programming (GEAR-UP/DEEP)
Lawrence: Ellwood City Area School District, Reel Adventures: Hands-On Fishing Seminar for Ellwood City Students
Montgomery: College Settlement of Philadelphia, Second Century of Fishing on Friendship Lake- Teaching Thousands of Underserved Youth and Girls How to Fish
Montgomery: Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, Floating Classroom Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program 2.0
Montour: Danville Area School District, Danville High School Fly Fishing Club
Potter: Northern Potter School District, Northern Potter Fly Fishing Club: Casting Connections – Exploring Fly Fishing and Tying Together
Statewide: Pennsylvania Trout, Inc., Supporting & Expanding Trout in the Classroom
Westmoreland: Forbes Trail Trout Unlimited, Forbes Trail Trout Unlimited Education and Outreach Programs for Schools, Scouts, Adults, Military Veterans and First Responders
At 7 p.m. this Sunday, July 28 at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center at 134 Main Street in Wellsboro is “Sweet Sounds of Violin and Piano,” a chamber concert featuring Noelle Tretick Gosling on violin and Érico Freire Bezerra at the piano. They will perform Michael Schelle’s “Endless Mountain Music;” selections from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story;” Henry Mancini’s “Sunflower” and “Two for the Road;” George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm;” and Astor Piazzolla’s “Oblivion” and “Libertango.” Gosling will also play one movement of “Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major” written by her father Sidney Tretick who performed it during its premiere in January of 1962 and died five weeks later when his daughter was two years old
At 7 p.m. Monday, July 29 at the Tioga County Courthouse at 118 Main Street in Wellsboro, the Endless Mountain Music Festival String Quartet will play “Toccata” by Sidney Tretick; “Strum” by Jessie Montgomery, “The Bullfighter’s Prayer” by Joaquin Turina and “String Quartet in C Minor, Opus 18, No. 4” by Ludwig van Beethoven. Performing are: Jennifer Farquhar and Linda Yu Picard on violin, Lauren Strachan on viola and Gita Ladd on cello.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 30 at the Grand Community Room at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro will be a performance by Trina Gross on clarinet, Érico Freire Bezerra at the piano and Melanie Mashner on harp. They will play “Cantilène for Clarinet and Piano” by Louis Cahuzac, “Pagina d’Album” by Michele Mangani; “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano” by Amanda Harberg and “Suite from The Victorian Kitchen Garden for Clarinet and Harp” by Paul Reade.
At 7 p.m.. Wednesday, July 31 will be a show by jazz pianist Ron Stabinsky and Friends at the Penn Wells Hotel Dining Room, 62 Main Street, Wellsboro. Stabinsky performs throughout the United States and Europe. Dinner will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; for reservations, call 570-724-2111.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 1 will be a performance by the Dave Stahl Jazz Sextet featuring lead trumpet legend Dave Stahl at the Coolidge Theatre in the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. The concert is BYOB with audience members encouraged to reserve a table, bring their own favorite beverages and snacks and sit with family and friends to enjoy the music.
Youth, 20 and under, are admitted free to all festival concerts.
There is a fee for the Friday and Saturday orchestra concerts on July 26 and 27 and Aug. 2 and 3 and for the chamber concerts.
To purchase tickets or flex or season passes or for more information about the Pennsylvania and New York concerts being offered now through Sunday, Aug. 4, call the Endless Mountain Music Festival Box Office at 570-787-7800 or visit www.endlessmountain.net.
Description: Did you know that the Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has rainbows? Stop by the ELC for a short talk on rainbows and go on a rainbow scavenger hunt through the park after. Feel free to bring binoculars, a water bottle, and comfy shoes to walk in!
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn today announced that Benn Carlson has been appointed to serve as the district forester for Tioga State Forest, which covers 161,890 acres in Bradford and Tioga counties.
“We are excited Benn’s knowledge of the area and commitment to sustainable forestry leading Tioga State Forest,” Dunn said. “He is a proven leader and someone who is dedicated to managing forests to protect valuable habitat and to provide opportunities to educate the public on the incredible work of district staff.”
Carlson manages the forest, which includes the majestic Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, and the popular Pine Creek Rail Trail.
Tioga State Forest features awe-inspiring views and miles of clean, cool streams, like Cedar Run and Babbs Creek, and is one of eight state forests located in the Pennsylvania WildsOpens In A New Window.
“I’ve lived here and recreated in this forest my entire life, so this is a great feeling to lead the Tioga as the district manager,” Carlson said. “We have an amazing team and are doing a lot of great work. I’m very thankful for what we have in this district.”
Carlson is a Galeton native and lives in the borough with his wife, Kristy, daughter, Zoey, and son, Daxon.
OLEAN, N.Y., July 26 – Six recent Olean High School graduates have received scholarship awards stewarded by the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.
Allie Stayer, Faith Schreiber, Isaac Moses and Lily Todd all received the Mary Elizabeth Smith Scholarship.
Stayer and Schreiber received $1,000. Moses and Todd received $650.
Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced the following schedule of maintenance activities in McKean County the week of July 29. PennDOT performs year-round maintenance in its mission to provide a safe, efficient transportation system, and the scope of work in McKean County for the coming week is as follows:
Bridge Maintenance & Cleaning
Route 346 bridge spanning Willow Creek at the Willow Creek ATV trail in Corydon Township. Monday, July 29, through Friday, August 2. This work takes place off the roadway with little to now traffic impact.
Pennsylvania has some of the oldest bridges in the country, with an age of more than 50 years on average. Preventive maintenance is vital in extending the life of the structures. As such, PennDOT maintenance crews perform some bridge deck patching and structural repairs.
OLEAN, N.Y., July 16 – The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation will hold its second Nonprofit Link and Learn Seminar of the year, “Essentials of Graphic Design and Branding for Nonprofits,” to be led by digital marketing expert Mark Fischer on August 16.
This session will cover the fundamentals of good graphic design, including key principles of layout, color theory and typography.
OLEAN, N.Y., July 16 – Thirteen recent area graduates recently received the Gregory D. Spring Perseverance Scholarship, an annual scholarship managed by the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.
Colton Boser, Gracie Amore, Kevin Edwards-Hardy and Robert Casey, all of Allegany-Limestone Central School, as well as Portville’s Shaela Spring, Hailey Studley and Dayton Shaw all received awards this year.
BRADFORD, Pa. — Dr. Jonathan Chitiyo, associate professor of education at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, has published a new book about teaching children with special needs in Africa.
Chitiyo, who is from Zimbabwe, studied three countries: Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, where he investigated how teachers are taught to support students with special needs.
Brooke Butler, Keelin Finn, Morgan Krotz, William Benatovich
OLEAN, N.Y., July 24 – Four Ellicottville students received scholarship awards managed by the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.
Brooke Butler and Keelin Finn received the Kristen Hintz Memorial Scholarship for $1,500 each.
This scholarship, which came under the Foundation’s management in 2017, is named in memory of Kristen Nicole Hintz, who was a senior at Ellicottville Central School and at the top of her class when a tragic auto accident cut her life short in 2000. A leader in her class, she was a multi-sport athlete who always gave her best and persevered through difficult situations.
Marley, a 13-year-old Yorkie, is in a foster-to-adopt home through Second Chance Animal Sanctuaries. His care is covered by a grant from The Grey Muzzle Organization. To foster or adopt a senior dog like Marley, contact Second Chance at 570-376-3646 or secondchanceas@yahoo.com.
There’s good news for old dogs this summer as The Grey Muzzle Organization announces the recipients of its annual grants, and dogs at Second Chance Animal Sanctuaries are among the winners.
Second Chance in Tioga is one of 100 animal welfare groups chosen from nearly 400 applicants to receive a grant to help local senior dogs and the people who love them. The winning groups are sharing more than $1 million in grants to help save and improve the lives of at-risk old dogs in their communities.
Description: Environmental Health & Safety violation issued on 7/25/2024 to EQT ARO LLC in Plunketts Creek Township, Lycoming county. 78a56(a) – TEMPORARY STORAGE – Operator failed to contain regulated substances and wastes used at or generated at a well site in a tank, series of tanks or other storage structures approved by the Department.
