Kathryn Carley – Keystone State News Connection
October 30, 2023

Advocates for locally controlled family farms in Pennsylvania say a proposed amendment to the 2023 Farm Bill would gut states’ ability to regulate their own farming practices.

The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act aims to counter Proposition 12, a California law which mandates better conditions for all farm animals raised or sold in that state.

Ben Buchanan – butcher and CEO of Unified Fields, a small-scale meat processor in Pittsburgh – said farmers who adopt humane practices could be pushed out of the market, forcing consumers to purchase from just a small group of large-scale meat producers.

“I mean, they would just have less access to choice in the market,” said Buchanan, “and in what they could get for healthy options.”

Proponents of the EATS Act contend it is needed to streamline interstate commerce and prevent states from passing more laws that impose restrictions on farmers in other states.

A recent Harvard University study suggests the EATS Act would jeopardize more than 1,000 public health, safety and animal welfare laws.

They include protections against infectious disease in livestock or protocols regarding the use of pesticides.

Buchanan said many people appreciate knowing where and how their meat is produced, and the greater care local producers take with the land.

“I feel like the more people engage with agriculture,” said Buchanan, “the more wholesome the food becomes in general.”

Renewal of the Farm Bill has been delayed due to recent paralysis in Congress, but Buchanan said there’s a growing bipartisan group of lawmakers voicing their opposition to the EATS Act.

Some legal scholars also contend the Act could be unconstitutional for impinging on states’ rights to legislate for the protection of their citizens’ health.

A new study by AAA finds that in-vehicle tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are generally accurate, but to be certain, motorists should still check their tire pressure manually. Tires are the only part of the car that come in contact with the road, and proper inflation is the key to safety and better gas mileage.

“Whether in rain, sleet, snow, or dry conditions, tires are designed to work best when properly inflated,” said Mike Hoshaw, vice president of automotive services, AAA East Central. “Even though AAA research finds that tire pressure monitoring systems work as intended, a tire can be more than 20% deflated before it triggers the dashboard warning.”

Using 2022-2024 models, AAA engineers evaluated 11 passenger vehicles including sedans, pickups and SUVs, with “direct” TPMS, which uses air pressure sensors mounted in each wheel. According to the AAA study, the average percentage difference between displayed and actual tire pressure was between 1.2% and -1.5%, depending on tire location. Additionally, the amber warning TPMS light illuminated when tires were underinflated to 75% of the posted pressure (located on the sticker inside the door jam) for five of eleven test vehicles. Five of the six remaining test vehicles illuminated the TPMS warning dashboard light when tires were deflated from 70.3 to 72.9% of posted pressure, depending on the test vehicle.

Key findings from the study:

• No significant error in displayed tire pressure readings was noted for any vehicles evaluated within the study.
• The largest percentage difference in reported vs. actual tire pressure was 3.3% percent.
• The large pickup truck had a significantly higher posted pressure than other test vehicles.
• One vehicle did not illuminate the TPMS warning light even when one of its tires was deflated to only 65% of the recommended posted pressure, despite the immediate update of pressure readings in the instrument cluster.

AAA’s recommendations:
AAA urges motorists to utilize displayed tire pressures in the instrument cluster and keep tires inflated to the vehicle’s posted pressure rather than relying solely on the TPMS light to determine when a tire needs to be re-inflated. TPMS lights only illuminate when one or more tires are severely underinflated, so drivers should regularly check the displayed tire pressure at each corner. In addition, not all vehicle TPMS systems provide pressure readings. Some systems, especially on older vehicles, only have a warning light if one or more tires are low.

AAA encourages motorists to check their tire pressure monthly (either in the instrument cluster or using a gauge), even if their TPMS light is not illuminated. And with winter approaching, it’s important to remember that cold weather makes the air denser, so the pressure in the tire is reduced, triggering a dashboard warning.  Do not ignore the warning even if the light goes off after driving because the tire is likely low. For this reason, tire pressure should be checked when cold.

FILE – Matthew Perry arrives at the premiere of “The Invention of Lying” in Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 21, 2009. Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series “Friends,” has died. He was 54. The Emmy-nominated actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was the first to report the news. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry’s death. His publicists and other representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Matthew Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series “Friends,” has died. He was 54. Coroner’s records show the Emmy-nominated actor was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday. An investigation into how Perry died is ongoing and it may take weeks before his cause of death is determined. Several media outlets reported Perry was found dead in a hot tub. Perry’s 10 seasons on “Friends” made him one of Hollywood’s most recognizable actors, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York.

HERMITAGE, Pa. (AP) — A man who admitted to cheating in an attempt to win money in an Ohio fishing tournament is facing new charges in Pennsylvania. Thirty-six-year-old Chase Cominsky was charged last week with eight wildlife crimes in Mercer County. The charges all involve whitetail deer taken between 2013 and 2021. The Sharon Herald reports that his hunting privileges were suspended during that period. Cominsky and another man were sentenced in May to 10-day jail terms in Ohio after pleading guilty to cheating and unlawful ownership of wild animals. They were accused of having stuffed fish with lead weights and fish fillets in an effort to win the lucrative Lake Erie Walleye Trail.

FILE -The Beatles, foreground from left, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr on drums perform on the CBS “Ed Sullivan Show” in New York on Feb. 9, 1964. Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania and with two of the quartet now dead, artificial intelligence has enabled the release of a “new” Beatles song.“Now And Then,” will be available Thursday, Nov. 2. (AP Photo/File)

NEW YORK (AP) — This is it — the last “new” Beatles song. Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania, the surviving members of the quartet are releasing the song “Now And Then.” Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr got a little help from artificial intelligence. The song was written and recorded in sketch form by the late John Lennon in the late 1970s. McCartney, Starr and the late George Harrison worked on it in the 1990s but were stymied by technical limitations. AI was used last year to clean up Lennon’s vocals, and McCartney and Starr added backing voices and instrumentation. It will be released next week.

FILE – Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, March 4, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is set to testify Nov. 6 in the civil business fraud case against him, following testimony from his three eldest children. State lawyers disclosed the schedule in court Friday, when the judge ruled that the former president’s daughter Ivanka also must take the stand. It was already expected that the ex-president and sons Donald Jr. and Eric would testify. But the timing became clear Friday. The schedule sets up a blockbuster stretch of the trial of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. She alleges that the former president overstated his wealth for years on financial statements. The ex-president denies any wrongdoing.