Virtual 2021 PA Farm Show Offers Competitive Opportunities, Exhibitor Rules and Regulations Modified Amid COVID-19 Pandemic 

Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Agriculture today expanded on competitive event opportunities for the virtual 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show. More than 20 opportunities are available, with every competition having modified rules and regulations to effectively mitigate against COVID-19.

“Many Pennsylvanians look forward to exhibiting in the PA Farm Show all year long,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Although this year’s competitive events look different, what remains is a showcase of the quality and breadth of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry and those who make it thrive.”

The virtual Farm Show will hold the following competitive events:

• Agriculture Education
• Apiary
• Beer
• Christmas trees
• Corn and small grains
• Family Living
• Jr. Market Cattle
• Maple syrup
• Mushrooms
• Potatoes
• Vegetables
• Wine
• Wool

In additional to these Farm Show staple competitions, new opportunities include a Coloring Contest, Educational Video Contest, Public Speaking Contest, and additional Skill-a-thon contests.

Competitors are encouraged to review the rules and regulations prior to entering, as they feature changes to classes, registration requirements, entry deadline, and method of getting items to the Farm Show Complex.

The virtual 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show is scheduled to take place from Saturday, January 9-Saturday, January 16, 2021. Virtual events will be focused on education and awareness for both the general public and the agriculture industry.

The week of October 18 is recognized as National Teen Driver Safety Week, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The awareness week serves as a time to remind parents across America to have conversations with their teens about the dangers they face on the nation’s roadways, what they can do to stay safe behind the wheel, and to reflect on their own driving behaviors.

According to the latest data available from NHTSA, more than 3,200 teens were involved in fatal crashes in 2017. Moreover, 2,526 were killed in crashes that year, and of that, 229 were killed in distraction-affected crashes.

“Motor vehicle crashes remain as the leading cause of deaths for teens,” says Theresa Podguski, director of legislative affairs, AAA East Central. “It is our hope that this week serves as a reminder to parents everywhere to talk openly and honestly with their young drivers about the steps they need to take behind the wheel.”

Recent AAA research has found that for every mile driven, new teen drivers ages 16-17 years old are three times more likely to be involved in a deadly crash compared to adults. This is largely due to their inexperience, and their likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors. According to the new AAA Foundation Traffic Safety Culture Index, about 72% of teen drivers aged 16-18 admitted to having engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors in the past 30 days:

• Driving 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street (47%)
• Driving 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway (40%)
• Texting (35%)
• Red-light running (32%)
• Aggressive driving (31%)
• Drowsy driving (25%)
• Driving without a seatbelt (17%)

AAA encourages parents to:

• Talk with your teens. Have open and honest conversations early and often about safe driving habits. Set a time each week to discuss avoiding dangerous behavior behind the wheel, such as speeding, impairment and distracted driving. Discuss any concerns, review the teen’s driving performance, and chart progression towards established goals and benchmarks.
• Lead by example. Your teens are watching how you drive, so be a positive and responsible role model. Teach by example, and minimize risky behavior when driving.
• Establish ground rules. Establish a parent-teen driving agreement that sets family rules for teen drivers.
• Practice makes perfect. Conduct at least 50 hours of supervised practice driving with their teen.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 76 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

FBI probing if Russia involved in Hunter Biden email story
By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is investigating whether emails that were published by the New York Post related to Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, are connected to a possible Russian influence operation. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The newspaper said that it had obtained a hard drive from Rudy Giuliani containing the emails, and that the messages were found on a laptop that had been left at a Delaware computer repair shop but never retrieved. The unlikely account raised immediate questions about Russian involvement.