News For Constituents

From Senate Republican Policy Development & Research Office

September 11, 2009

Click It or Call It -- Travel Info to Go

Traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, regional tourism information, and links to transit agencies and major airports are now just a click or a call away through Pennsylvania’s new 511PA service, according to the PA Department of Transportation.

Before embarking on your next trip, click on www.511PA.com or pull over along the way, perhaps stopping at one of PennDOT's safety rest areas, and dial 511PA for reports to minimize unnecessary travel surprises and delays on any of the state’s 1,759 miles of interstate including the PA Turnpike and the other major roadways including the Harrisburg/Lancaster/York-Capital Region; State College/Northern Tier; Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton-Lehigh Valley; Greater Philadelphia; Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Poconos; Pittsburgh/Southwestern PA, and Erie/Northwestern PA. 

The 24/7 cycle of service allows you to easily locate traffic information including incident reports for crashes, construction activities and, starting in November, winter road conditions.  You can even sign up for the 511 emergency alert service to receive email via cell phone or other mobile device regarding important updates that may impact your travel plans. 

The Federal Communications Commission has designated 511 as the nationwide three-digit telephone number for traveler information.  The program, intended to help travelers make smart planning decisions and minimize travel delays, is operating in 35 states. 

Voter Registration Deadline Quickly Approaching

If you are not registered to vote in the Tuesday, November 3, 2009 municipal election, time is running out, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.  Eligible voters must register by Monday, October 5, 2009 to vote in the upcoming election.  

You may register to vote in PA based on the following criteria:  

• You have been a citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election;
• You have been a resident of Pennsylvania and of the election district in which you want to register and vote for at least 30 days before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election; and
• You are at least 18 years of age on or before the day of the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.

Registered voters requiring a change of address or amendment of their party affiliation must also do so by the Oct. 5, 2009 deadline. 

Tomato Blight Warning & Canning Recommendations

If your tomatoes appear greenish-brown with greasy-looking spots or bear lesions on top of the leaves and white fuzz underneath, your fruit may be infected with “late blight”, according to the Penn State Cooperative Extension.  This is the disease that caused the 1840’s Irish Potato Famine.

The Extension advises home gardeners discovering blight to destroy the plant.  Blight is spread by air-borne spores carried for miles by the wind.  Expert plant pathologists ask that the blighted plant be placed in a sealed plastic bag and placed in the sun to kill the spores.  Dispose of the bag in the trash and NEVER compost when there is the possibility of blight infestation.

For healthy-looking plants, experts recommend spraying a fungicide with the active ingredient chlorothalonil, which is classified as "moderately toxic" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  There are a few less effective organic options including copper sulfate and copper hydroxide.  The spread of late blight was encouraged by a cool moist growing season and further exacerbated by shipments of blight-infected plants to “big box” retail stores from Ohio to Maine. 

While a vegetable pathologist from Penn State’s Department of Plant Pathology contends the lesions are not a danger to humans if removed from the fruit, the tissue damage and rise in pH can create conditions promoting the growth of other potentially harmful microorganisms.  Tomatoes showing signs of late blight should not be used for canning.  Penn State offers a guide to safely freeze and can tomatoes. 

Refresh Your Memory on School Bus Safety

Parents, students, teachers, administrators, motorists, and bus drivers are encouraged by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to take a little refresher course in school bus safety as our kids return to school. 

Observing the Department’s first recommendation, parents and students are encouraged to get to the school bus stop five minutes early to prevent having to carelessly dash across the road to catch the bus.  The students’ waiting line should remain at least five giant steps away from the curb or the roadway before the bus arrives.  Once the bus has arrived and students have safely boarded, PennDOT recommends a number of behavioral guides for safe transport.  

Motorists encountering a school bus with red lights flashing and an extended STOP arm must stop at least 10 feet away from the vehicle.  Whether following or traveling alongside a school bus, motorists must remain at a stop until the red lights cease flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.  Motorists are reminded to stop when they are behind the bus, meeting the bus, or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.  In instances where physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails, or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.

Those convicted of violating Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law face penalties, including a $250 fine, five points on their driving record, and a 60-day license suspension. 

Fall Family Fishing Program

Catch a cool autumn breeze and a couple of fish as part of your next family outing.  The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PF&BC) offers programs to engage your family in a little fishing fun – without a fishing license or equipment. 

Participants in the Family Fishing Program learn basic fishing skills like knot tying, casting, baiting the hook, and taking a fish off the hook.  To be eligible, an adult must bring a child and children must bring an adult to one of seven Family Fishing events to be held in September and October 2009.

During September and October the Family Fishing program will be conducted at the following locations:  

Before rushing off for your family’s first fishing expedition you may want to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the PF&BC’s Fishing Fundamentals webpage and index of Frequently Asked Fishing Questions.