NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Westminster College will host Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Visiting Fellow and former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman during a series of online events from Monday, Oct. 4 through Wednesday, Oct. 6.

 

Whitman, who is also the former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will speak virtually with different Westminster College classes, discussing issues ranging from her career in politics to environmental policy.

 

On Monday, Oct. 4, Whitman will share her perspectives on the theme of “Getting and Surviving a Career in Politics” with political science students, followed by conversations on the theme of “The EPA and Perspectives on Climate Change, Then and Now” with environmental science students. That evening, she will discuss “Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance” with students, alumni and faculty who are involved with Westminster’s Analyst Program.

 

On Tuesday, Oct. 5, Whitman will speak with students in the Governmental Accounting course, sharing perspectives on topics such as the government’s responsibility on how taxpayer dollars are spent, as well as the financial and societal benefits of facilitating environmentally sustainable practices within government operations.

 

On Tuesday she will also share her experiences around the theme of “Conflict Management, to Service/Community Engagement and Leadership” with communication students, followed by a conversation on the theme of “The Current Health of America’s Democracy” with political science students.

 

Whitman will offer a campus-wide virtual event, “Environmental Policy and Politics,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4. This conversation is sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the First-Year Program and the Center for the Environment.

 

On Wednesday, Whitman will discuss “Why Sustainability Matters” with first-year students enrolled in the Introduction to a Liberal Arts Education course, followed by reflections on “Lessons Learned from Governmental Public Communications” with students in the College’s strategic communications program. Whitman will round out her virtual sessions with a conversation on “The Social, Political and Economic Facets of Environmental Issues” with environmental science students.

 

Whitman served as New Jersey’s 50^th and first female governor from 1994 to 2001. She served the EPA under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She now is president of the Whitman Strategy Group, a consulting firm that specializes in energy and environmental issues.

 

She is the author of a New York Times best seller, “It’s My Party Too,” which was published in January 2005. Whitman holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass.

 

The CIC Visiting Fellows program brings prominent artists, diplomats, journalists, business leaders and other professionals to college campuses across the United States. For more than 45 years, Visiting Fellows have been introducing students and faculty members at liberal arts colleges to a wide range of perspectives on life, society, community and achievement.

 

For more information about any of the events, please contact the Westminster College Office of Academic Affairs at 724-946-7122 or acadaff@westminster.edu.

Redistricting panel pares plan on where to count inmates
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s five-member panel redrawing the boundaries of state legislative districts is paring back a new policy to count state prison inmates in their home districts. It’ll now be limited to those whose sentences expire in under 10 years. Tuesday’s swing vote was from the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission chairman, ex-Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg. Republicans and Democrats on the panel kept their positions from a vote on a more expansive policy at an earlier meeting, but Nordenberg switched sides. That Aug. 24 vote was to count state inmates in their home districts, except for those serving life sentences and those living in other states when they became incarcerated.

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) — The disappearance and almost-certain death of Gabby Petito and the police hunt for her boyfriend have generated a whirlwind online. A multitude of armchair detectives and others have been sharing tips, possible sightings and theories by way of TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and other sites. Whether the frenzy of attention and online sleuthing has helped the investigation is not clear. But it has illuminated the intersection between social media and the public fascination with true-crime stories.

Justices to hear argument in victims’ rights amendment case
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The fate of a constitutional amendment for victims’ rights that Pennsylvania voters apparently approved overwhelmingly nearly two years ago is about to go before the state’s highest court. The state Supreme Court justices will hear oral argument in Harrisburg Tuesday regarding whether the so-called Marsy’s Law amendment should have been split into more than just one ballot question. The court is considering whether to uphold a divided decision in January by Commonwealth Court. The lower court ruled the referendum ran afoul of a Pennsylvania Constitution provision that requires amendments to address a single subject only. The amendment has not gone into effect.

Programs Available to Help Income-Eligible Consumers

HARRISBURG – In coordination with a national effort to reach those in need of telecommunications assistance, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) recognizes Sept. 20-24 as Lifeline Awareness Week, to help income-eligible Pennsylvanians stay connected through the Lifeline Program.

 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of staying connected in this day and age, and there are programs available to help,” said PUC Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille. “Lifeline and the Emergency Broadband Initiative help ensure income-eligible consumers continue to have access to affordable communications services needed for telemedicine, telework and online learning during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

 

Lifeline Program Benefits

$5.25 Per Household, Per Month Discount to Phase Out by Dec. 1, 2021

Lifeline is a federal program that provides a $5.25 per household, per month discount on your qualifying landline or wireless standalone voice service or a $9.25 per household, per month discount on your qualifying wireless or landline internet service or qualifying bundled telephone/internet service product from a landline or wireless provider. The discount appears in the form of a reduction to the bill you pay your service provider.

 

The $5.25 Lifeline support for standalone Lifeline voice service is scheduled to be eliminated in certain geographic areas beginning Dec. 1, 2021.

 

The benefit can be used for voice (telephone), Broadband Internet Access Service (or BIAS, usually called internet service), or a combined telephone/internet service product from a landline or wireless provider.

Previous Recertification and Reverification Waivers Extended

Consumers or households that apply for Lifeline must verify that they are eligible to receive Lifeline support.  After that, they must certify every year that they are eligible for continued support. Currently, in response to the public health emergency associated with the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the Lifeline program’s recertification and reverification requirements are waived through Sept. 30, 2021. This waiver extends the previous Lifeline waivers set to expire on June 30, 2021, through Sept. 30, 2021, and includes all previous Lifeline waivers governing recertification, reverification, general de-enrollment, subscriber usage, income documentation and documentation requirements for subscribers. More information on the federal government’s suspension of their Lifeline requirements is available at the USAC website.

 

A consumer qualifies for Lifeline if they are at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines or participate in specific federal programs, including: Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Veterans’ Pension and Survivor Benefit, Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA), and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). More information on program eligibility, how to apply and recertify is available on the Commission’s website.

 

Emergency Broadband Program Benefits

 

The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) was started by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and uses $3.2 billion in federal funding Congress approved in December 2020 and gives qualifying households money to buy internet service or equipment to use the internet if they are eligible.

 

How Much is the Average EBB Support?

• The program provides eligible households with discounts of up to $50 a month for broadband service.
• Eligible households can also get a one-time discount of up to $100 on equipment to use the internet. Equipment includes a laptop, desktop computer or tablet if they contribute $10-$50 toward the price for the equipment.
• The benefit is limited to one service discount per month and one device discount per household; multigeneration households may each qualify separately although consumers should check the FCC’s webpage at getemergencybroaband.org or the provider of this EBB program.
• This EBB is in addition to, not in place of, the current Lifeline Program that provides $5.25 a month to support affordable broadband service.

Who is Eligible for the EBB?

 

The program is income based. For example, it is open to Lifeline subscribers and households that currently participate in Lifeline, including consumers whose income is at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines or who receive Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, Federal Housing or Veterans benefits. Consumers who receive free or reduced-price school lunch, or have received a federal Pell grant, are also eligible.

 

Eligibility for EBB also includes individual households with annual income up to $99,000 or dual households making up to $198,000 a year if they are impacted by COVID through a substantial loss of income since Feb. 29, 2020.

 

How Can Consumers Apply for the EBB?

 

Households should contact their broadband providers and ask if they participate in EBB or visit the FCC’s webpage at GetEmergencyBroadband.org for more information. Consumers also can visit the FCC website to see a list of participating Pennsylvania providers approved by the FCC if their broadband provider is not participating or if they would like another provider for EBB.

 

About the PUC

 

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

 

Visit the PUC’s website at www.puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

 

Pa State Police in Gibsonia are reporting that they were called to the scene of a one vehicle accident east bound in a construction zone on the Pa. Turnpike near mile marker one on Sunday morning at 12:15 AM.
The responding Trooper said via release that he received a call that there were multiple reports of a vehicle was traveling west in the east bound lanes on the turnpike at mile marker 20. The vehicle involved was a Gray Honda CRV. The release stated that 28-year-old Austin Stone from Midland drove his vehicle into the construction zone and drove the vehicle off a milled ledge and became stuck on the roadway. Upon arriving where the vehicle was stuck the responding Trooper stated that “when he arrived on the scene the driver and his passenger 53-year-old Steve Stone also of Midland were being assisted by Ohio Highway Patrol and Homewood Maintenance personnel.” The Trooper said that Austin Stone showed signs of being intoxicated and failed a field sobriety test that was issued and was taken into custody. There were no injuries reported and the younger Stone was released to his mother. Charges are pending.