Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities is partnering with the Penn State Extension to launch a free, online program to help farmers with retirement planning. Farmers can learn about investment strategies, fraud awareness, planning, budgeting, and saving for the future.

“Future financial planning is important for all Pennsylvanians,” said Katrina Boyer, Investor Education Coordinator, Department of Banking and Securities. “Regardless of your livelihood, ensuring you have adequately saved to support you and your family can help ensure stress-free days throughout your retirement.”

The two sessions are:

• Farmers Can Retire Too: Budgeting, Planning, and Saving      
  August 19 – 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
  Learn the best practices on the beginning stages of retirement so that you can set yourself up for success. Register: https://extension.psu.edu/farmers-can-retire-too-budgeting-planning-and-saving
• Farmers Can Retire Too: Retirement Planning
  September 16 – 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
  What does it take to retire? How much do I need? How will medical cost figure into my plans? We will answer all these questions, and more. Register: https://extension.psu.edu/farmers-can-retire-too-retirement-planning

“If Pennsylvania’s farmers don’t have a retirement or transition plan, Pennsylvania doesn’t have a reliable food system,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “This is an invaluable opportunity that will help to ensure the continued success of Pennsylvania’s farms, and therefore success for all of Pennsylvania.”

The program is free and open to the public. Registration is required. A third presentation will be offered by an estate planning professional.

“As Extension Educators, Sam Gehrett and I saw the need for farmers to plan their retirement as early as possible,” Annie Miller of the Penn State Extension said. “Farmers can take advantage of all the resources available to them, and we are delighted to work with the Commonwealth of PA to bring all available resources to their attention.”

Penn State Extension is a modern educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities. They make a difference locally through focused engagement, and more widely to customers connecting in the digital landscape.

To further support the business, transition, and succession planning needs of Pennsylvania agriculture, the Department of Agriculture encourages farmers to take advantage of the $1 million Farm Vitality Grant Program through the Pennsylvania Farm Bill. The program funds professional services aimed at enhancing the long-term health and vitality of Pennsylvania’s farms through sound business planning, efficient transitions of farm ownership, strategic farm expansion, diversification, and financial and technical expertise. Grants are available up to $7,500, which can cover up to 75% of a project.

DoBS Investor Education and Consumer Outreach staff work with state and local government agencies, service providers, community and trade organizations, the General Assembly, the military community, schools, and other partners to help Pennsylvanians across the commonwealth become well-informed about the financial marketplace.

Learn more about the free programs and presentations available or contact us to request a program tailored to your specific needs.

Visit the department’s calendar of events to find an event near you. Consumers and community groups can call 1-800-PA-BANKS or email informed@pa.gov for more information.

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf is reminding Pennsylvanians to be aware that widespread rain and potential flooding Wednesday could have impacts across much of Pennsylvania.

Rainfall totals of 2 to 3 inches with locally higher amounts are possible between now and Thursday morning from the remnants of Tropical Depression Fred. While rounds of rain will be widespread, some areas may see heavy downpours, which could lead to rapid onset of locally flooded roadways along with small creeks and streams.

“We know that heavy rain events can quickly become hazardous, especially in areas that are prone to flooding,” Gov. Wolf said. “I urge Pennsylvanians to keep an eye on the forecast and local conditions before traveling or recreating.”

Anyone with properties along rivers and other waterways should keep an eye out for rising water levels from Friday morning into the weekend. Major flooding is not expected at this time, but conditions can change quickly.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) will be in contact with county emergency management personnel to monitor any unmet local needs.

Motorists should watch for ponding on roadways and flooding in poor drainage areas while traveling.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) warns motorists not to drive across roads covered with water because even shallow, swiftly flowing water can wash a car from a roadway. Also, the roadbed may not be intact under the water. Never drive around barricades or signs on closed roads – Turn Around, Don’t Drown.

Anyone planning to travel should closely monitor weather conditions along travel routes. Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) encourages boaters to use added caution on and around the water this week and throughout the hurricane season and wear a life jacket. Because of the potential for several inches of heavy rainfall in a short period of time, water levels are expected to rise rapidly on streams, resulting in dangerous conditions for boating.

In addition to areas experiencing severe weather, boaters should be aware that storm impacts can also carry downstream to waterways that did not experience any precipitation. Boaters, especially paddlers in canoes and kayaks, should refrain from entering high, fast-moving, and muddy water that offers low visibility and can prevent operators from seeing submerged obstacles like large rocks, downed tree limbs, and other debris.

Boaters who are considering heading out onto the water should familiarize themselves with the waterway in advance. Map out the trip and create a float plan that includes several places to stop along the way for a break, check the local forecast, and if needed, ride out a passing storm. Heavy winds can make paddling more difficult when trying to get off the water.

For more information on hurricane and tropical storm preparedness, visit www.ready.pa.gov.

Aliquippa Police Chief John Lane said officers received a call to Eleanor Roosevelt Apartments at 2:54 p.m. concerning 4 black males with guns outside the complex. Upon the arrival of police, the 4 males fled, one of them Shawnquez Redd, who is in his 20’s who is wanted on multiple felony warrants.  He was captured, handcuffed and placed in an Ambridge police car, he fled, stole a police van from the police department fleeing down Route 51 southbound, crashing into another police vehicle and an embankment.  Redd fled on foot, Beaver County sent out an alert for all residents to stay indoors at 7:10 p.m., describing Redd.  He was captured in South Heights after a short foot chase, according to Chief Lane.  At 7:54 p.m. Beaver County 9-1-1  announced that the search was over.

New Castle City Police Department reported that officers responded to a car jacking at a Dollar General store on Center Avenue in West Pittsburg on Monday. The responding officers spoke to the 82 year old female victim. The woman stated that a man threw her out of her vehicle and drove away. Detectives and officers were able to identify the man as 34 year old Andrew Mercado from Ellwood City. The vehicle registered on a license plate reader yesterday in Chippewa Twp. and Chippewa Twp. Police, Darlington Twp. Police, and Beaver State Police did a search for the vehicle ultimately locating it at the Walmart in Chippewa. Officers arrested Mercado as he exited Walmart with a buggy full of stolen merchandise. Mercado was placed into the Lawrence County Jail on a previous bench warrant for aggravated assault. New charges are being filed in reference to the car jacking, including robbery of a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property, and assault and harassment.

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh)

The Commissioners of Beaver County have made a deal with Fennell Brothers Baseball LLC to improve the ballfields at Brush Creek Park. Fennell Brothers will pay the cost of $41,900 to make the improvements, under the agreement that they will be able to use the fields at no cost through 2029 for games and tournaments.

The Beaver County Chief of Tourism and Recreation,Tony Caltury,told Beaver County Radio that improvements to the Brush Creek Park ballfields will create improved access for sports recreation. A total of 25,500 sq/ft is presumed to be stripped for infield area enhancements to one little league/softball field (7,500 sq/ft) and one high school field (18,000 sq/ft). Drainage and trench work will be completed to both fields to protect from flooding and drainage issues. Infield mix will be installed and spread and all disturbed lawn areas will be re-graded with sifted topsoil and hydro-seeded. He says they are proud to announce this partnership to transform these fields into a more welcoming and playable asset for the park and community. They are also excited for the potential of additional improvements and opportunities being opened through this project and look forward to exploring them further.

The current state of the fields at Brush Creek is rough. Two of the fields are merely nothing but a catchers box surrounded by grass. The other field contains bases pulled out of the ground in what’s left of a flooded infield.

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced the opening of the 2021-22 PA Farm Bill’s $500,000 Farm to School Grant Program to improve access to healthy, local foods and increase agriculture education opportunities for children pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

“Our Farm to School Program works to improve health and nutrition for young children, provide hands on ag education opportunities, and support local farmers by fostering connections between schools and farms,” said Redding. “Through this program, Pennsylvania schools have the opportunity to address our workforce needs of the future by encouraging agricultural interests in young students while simultaneously improving their access to fresh, local foods.”

Over the past two years, the Wolf Administration has invested nearly $800,000 in farm to school programming in Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Farm Bill. (2019 awards, 2020 awards)

The Farm to School Grant Program aims to enrich the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and early childhood education sites.

Any school district, charter school, or private school with pre-kindergarten classes, kindergarten, or elementary through fifth grade – regardless of offering in-person, virtual, or hybrid instruction models – is eligible to apply for up to $15,000. Eligible applications should include:

• A list of Pennsylvania farmers who have agreed to supply products from their farms;
• Nutrition and agriculture education, including integration into regular classroom subjects;
• Training of teachers and other educational staff on nutrition and agriculture education;
• Inclusion of parents, caregivers, and community groups in educational activities; and
• Field trips to Pennsylvania farms or other direct agricultural experiences which teach children about sources of food and Pennsylvania agriculture.

The 2021-22 Farm to School program opened for applications on August 16 and the deadline to apply is October 1, 2021.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is calling the violent chaos at Kabul’s airport “gut-wrenching,” but he’s standing by America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden spoke from the White House on Monday in his first in-person remarks since the Taliban over the weekend rolled over an Afghan military and government that American forces had spent two decades building. Despite it all, Biden said he stands squarely behind his decision to end the United States’ longest war. He faulted leaders of the Afghan government and military for its swift collapse, saying he had warned President Ashraf Ghani to prepare to fight a civil war with the Taliban after American troops left.