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To further clarify the types of volunteers and employees who are required to obtain background checks to work with children, the House passed House Bill 1276 last week. The legislation is designed to more clearly define who is and who is not subject to the background check requirements and, where possible, make the requirements less…

Freas Farm Winery began producing wine in the fall of 2013 and bottling in spring 2014. Owners Patricia Leighow and Stephanie Rothery learned under their mentor John Crane, of Birdsong Winery. They first opened their doors at 130 Twin Church Road in Berwick in June 2014. The winery is located at a farm owned by…

From Teri MacBride, PPL Regional Affairs Director PPL Electric Utilities’ network investments are providing long-term service reliability to help businesses remain competitive, as well as an economic development boost with jobs and contract work for everything from traffic control to line clearing. Reliable electric delivery for quality, consistent operations helps businesses remain productive and competitive.…

County commissioners from across Pennsylvania have identified 911 services funding reform as their top priority issue for 2015. As state funding sources have not been updated, counties have had to make up the difference in supporting their systems from local tax dollars. This week, the Chamber Board joined with the commissioners in urging the Legislature…

Last Tuesday, the Chamber provided comments in support of a proposed 35-mile natural gas pipeline. The primary reason for the project is to supply a power plant in Snyder County, but could also provide gas service to a portion of Montour County. The remarks were part of a public scoping meeting for the Sunbury Pipeline…

PA Budget Secretary Randy Albright will be presenting Governor Wolf’s proposed 2015-16 budget at the Pine Barn Inn from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30th. Members will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide their input to the Secretary. The program is being presented by the Joint Governmental Affairs Committee of the…

The mission of Key Partners Realty LLC, 530 East St., Bloomsburg, is to provide their clients with exceptional professional real estate services through leadership, experience and knowledge. By pursuing educational opportunities, they pledge to provide innovative and cutting-edge strategies in a wide range of services, while always engaging in expected business practices. They believe in…

Candidates for County Commissioner in Columbia and Montour counties have provide responses to business-related questions in advance of the May 19thprimary election. The questions were developed by the Joint Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber and Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau and sent to all registered candidates. Their responses are provided unedited except being aggregated and formatted…

Information provided by Rep. David Millard The House Appropriations Committee last week launched a website which provides information on how the Commonwealth’s taxpayers in each school district would fare under Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed property tax shift plan. If fully implemented, the governor’s plan would raise $8 billion in new taxes by 2016-17, but put only…

Two natural gas pipeline projects that would traverse the area are being planned. These projects would likely benefit the local economy during construction phases and provide long-term opportunities for businesses and residents to utilize Pennsylvania’s natural gas resources. This Tuesday, the Chamber Board passed a resolution supporting the expansion of the gas pipeline infrastructure in Pennsylvania.…