Ag Department to Spray for Spotted Lanternfly Along Transportation Rights-of-Way Prioritizing Human Health, Environmental Safety

Harrisburg, PA – As Spotted Lanternflies hatch across much of the state, PA Department of Agriculture crews have begun to spray an insecticide that kills the insects on contact along railways, interstates and other transportation rights-of-way. Contact spraying is a new element of strategic efforts to slow the spread of the invasive pest, which moves primarily by hitching a ride on vehicles traveling out of infested areas.

The insecticide has been thoroughly researched and found to be safe for use in the areas being treated. However, Pennsylvanians on the hyper-sensitivity registry will be notified prior to spraying in their areas.

“Spotted Lanternflies threaten our quality of life outdoors and destroy valuable products that feed our economy,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “We are working diligently and strategically to control this pest in ways that are safe for the people, pollinators, plants and animals that share the environment it threatens.”

Spraying reaches peak effectiveness when between 75 and 100% of insects are hatched. Spraying has begun in southeast and southcentral PA, where the insect’s hatch is farther along and will be scheduled elsewhere as hatching progresses in areas of the state with known insect populations. The invasive pest will be active and will reproduce and spread until fall frosts.

Contact pesticides containing the active ingredient bifenthrin are being applied using backpack sprayers and truck-mounted spray equipment. These products are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and are applied by highly trained, licensed department personnel and contractors strictly following all product label requirements.

Product use will be limited by several factors, including weather, location and the safety of surrounding natural ecosystems. Bifenthrin is known to be toxic to fish, so no spray will be applied near water. Applicators will also avoid spraying flowering plants to protect pollinators.

Research teams and applicator crews are conducting regular environmental sampling throughout the treatment process to monitor impacts on water, soil and sensitive populations to limit any unintended consequences.

Pesticides containing bifenthrin are also available in several brand-name products for purchase by homeowners.  Learn more about controlling Spotted Lanternfly on your property on the Penn State Extension website.

There are 34 Pennsylvania counties quarantined to control the spread of the invasive insect. Recently quarantined counties have isolated insect populations, rather than widespread infestations.

Quick, aggressive treatment of newly identified lanternfly populations has been funded through the Rapid Response Disaster Readiness line of Governor Wolf’s Pennsylvania Farm Bill for the past two years. The 2021-22 PA Farm Bill proposes another $3 million to combat Spotted Lanternfly and other invasive species.

Since 2015, the department has received more than $34 million to combat Spotted Lanternfly in Pennsylvania, including $20 million in federal funds and another $14 million in state investment. The department also awarded more than $260,000 in January for four priority research projects.

For more information on Spotted Lanternfly, visit agriculture.pa.gov/spottedlanternfly. For more about Governor Tom Wolf’s PA Farm Bill and its investments in a sustainable agriculture industry visit agriculture.pa.gov/pafarmbill.

 

(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that they initiated a traffic stop on Interstate 376 East bound near the Aliquippa exit on Tuesday May 25, 2021 at approximately 7:11 AM. During the traffic stop it was discovered that 28 -year-old Jonathan Mills, a passenger in the vehicle who is a felon was found violating the law by possessing a firearm. Mills was carrying a 22-caliber revolver and approximately 10 grams of marijuana. Mills was charged by State Police and taken to the Beaver County Jail.

(Greene Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reported Monday, May 31, 2021, that they were dispatched to the scene of a fatal accident on
Route 30 in Greene Twp. Beaver County at 10:55 PM May 21, 2021.

Troopers said via release that upon arriving on the scene and investigating they were able to determine that 82-year-old Steve Vierik from Brunswick Ohio was killed when the 2015 Chrysler he was driving west on Route 30 crossed the double yellow line and struck 2007 International Harvester 9900 IX being driven east bound by 47-year-old Leonard Bragg from Chester West Virginia head on. Vierik was pronounced dead at the scene and Bragg was not injured according to the release.

(Vanport Twp., Pa.)  Milling and paving operations will begin today on Route 68 (Third Street) in Vanport weather permitting.

A traffic shift will occur on Route 68 between I-376 and Buffalo Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day through Friday, June 11. Bi-directional traffic will be maintained on Route 68. Crews from Allison Park Contractors will conduct the milling and paving work.

Milling and paving operations will begin today on Route 68 (Third Street) in Vanport weather permitting.

A traffic shift will occur on Route 68 between I-376 and Buffalo Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day through Friday, June 11. Bi-directional traffic will be maintained on Route 68. Crews from Allison Park Contractors will conduct the milling and paving work.

New Vatican law criminalizes abuse of adults, even by laity
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests who abuse their authority. It also says laypeople who hold church office can be sanctioned for sex abuse crimes. The new provisions, released Tuesday after 14 years of study, were contained in the revised criminal law section of the Vatican’s Code of Canon Law, the in-house legal system that covers the 1.3-billion strong Catholic Church. The most significant changes aim to address major problems and shortcomings in the church’s handling of sexual abuse. The law recognizes that adults, too, can be victimized by priests who abuse their authority, and said that laypeople in church offices can be punished for abusing minors as well as adults.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says time is running short for a bipartisan deal on infrastructure and that President Joe Biden will look to act without Republican support if there’s no “clear direction” when Congress returns from its Memorial Day break. Buttigieg says in a series of Sunday TV interviews that Biden believes “inaction is not an option” and that there needs to be clarity by June 7. Biden plans to meet with the lead Republican negotiator, West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, this coming week and remains open to hearing from other Republican senators. Buttigieg acknowledges there remains “a lot of daylight” between the two sides, including how to pay for the investments.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says the U.S. allowing South Korea to build more powerful missiles was an example of the U.S.’s hostile policy against the North and could lead to instability. It’s North Korea’s first response to the summit between President Joe Biden and South Korea’s leader. At the summit, the U.S. ended decades-long restrictions that capped South Korea’s missile development. The accusation that U.S. policy is hostile to North Korea matters because it said it won’t return to talks as long as U.S. hostility persists. But the latest statement was still attributed to a commentator, not a government body, suggesting North Korea may still want to leave room for potential diplomacy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Johnson & Johnson is asking for Supreme Court review of a $2 billion verdict in favor of women who claim they developed ovarian cancer from using the company’s talc products. The case features an array of high-profile attorneys, some in unusual alliances, including former independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who is representing the women who sued Johnson & Johnson. The nation’s largest business groups are backing the company, and a justice’s father also makes an appearance because of his long association with the trade group for cosmetics and personal care products. The court could say as soon as Tuesday whether it will get involved.

A new study has calculated that more than one-third of global heat deaths can directly be attributed to human-caused climate change. Monday’s study is one of the first to do a global accounting of the toll of climate change, and it only looks at a fraction of the deaths from warming. More people die each year from storms, flooding and droughts stoked by climate change. Researchers calculate precise numbers for 732 cities across the globe and say in those cities nearly 10,000 people a year die from heat stoked by climate change. The study’s author says it is likely much more worldwide.

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Joe Biden has laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery to honor America’s war dead on Memorial Day, and he extolled their sacrifices for the pursuit of democracy. The president was joined on Monday by first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff in a somber ceremony at the Virginia cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In an address, he called on Americans to remember that the country was built on the idea of liberty and opportunity for all. He said, “All those we honor today gave their lives for the country, but they live forever in our hearts.”