On Wednesday, October 27th, the PA House unanimously concurred on House Bill 425 (VIEW HERE) which extends some benefits to the restaurant industry that were enacted during the disaster declaration. The legislation was approved unanimously by the Senate and is expected to be signed by Governor Wolf this week. Highlights of the bill are as follows:
- Extends outdoor seating for licensed establishments
- Eliminates the $500 fee for off-premise catering permits
- Allows an unlimited number of catering permits
- Eliminates the 5-hour cap for catering events
- Allows a licensee that goes out of business to sell their liquor and wine to another licensee
These provisions would take effect immediately and be in effect until December 31, 2024.
The final bill only allows prepared beverages and mixed drinks for off-premise consumption during a disaster emergency. As the legislature did not extend the emergency this Summer, drinks-to-go are currently not allowed. Disagreements over drinks-to-go was a significant reason why similar legislation was not advanced earlier this year.
Bloomsburg Children’s Museum Hosting Free Event During National STEM Night
On Monday, November 8, 2021 the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum will host a free event for National STEM Night. From 4-7 p.m. the Museum will offer free admission. Activities include soldering, NFC treasure hunt, Lego Engineering challenges, robotics, programming, 3D printing, and much more!
National STEM Day is celebrated every year on Nov. 8 to encourage kids to explore their interests in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
T-Mobile is sponsoring the night and supplying free food from Big Dan’s Barbecue (while supplies last).
“There is a deficit of workers in STEM fields in Pennsylvania. The Museum provides exhibits and programs like National STEM night to get kids engaged in STEM learning. If kids are excited about these subjects, they are more likely to want to pursue a career in these fields.” Shelby Kellner, Assistant Director
For more info: www.the-childrens-museum.org
Penn State World Campus Open House
Join Penn State World Campus for a virtual open house to mee the staff and learn about the process of applying for and earning an undergraduate degree from Penn State World Campus. This is an opportunity to connect with several Penn State World Campus departments. The virtual open house is flexible, and you can customize your “journey” according to your own interests. Drop in throughout the open house to chat one-on-one with members of the team for up to 20 minutes or join an open discussion with other prospective students.
Virtual Open House Afternoon Session on November 4, 2021 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Virtual Open House Evening Session on November 4, 2021 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Montour Area Recreation Commission Preserve Wildlife Art Expo
The wide variety of Pennsylvania wildlife is inspiration for wildlife artists. Join them to enjoy the skill of these artists as they display the wild outdoors captured in photos, oils, pen and ink, and wood. It might be a strutting turkey, a sun-dappled rainbow trout or a white-tailed buck slipping through an autumn forest. It could be a hawk riding a west wind or a colorful songbird picking berries from a bush. This is a great opportunity to get a close look at original art, meet the artists behind the creations and pick up a few ideas for your own artistic side or possibly an early Christmas present.
Family/kid friendly: Yes
Cost: free admission; artwork available for purchase
Masking: Face masks are recommended while indoors
Saturday, November 13: 12:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 14: 11:00 a.m.
Attendees of this McKopnly & Asbury Webinar will gain insight on the following:
- An Accounting and Legal Update
- Best practices when sponsoring an employee benefit plan
- Lessons learned from recent court cases
This free, one-hour webinar will take place on Thursday, November 18 at 2:00 p.m. EDT. One “Specialized Knowledge” CPE credit is available for this webinar. The level for this CPE is basic and there are no prerequisites for attending. This program is a live webinar which offers the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the presenters.
The Pennsylvania Conference for Women will donate funds to provide $2,500 grants to 80 women-owned restaurants across Pennsylvania, which will be selected via an application process through the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association. Restaurants with 51 percent or more women ownership can apply. For the full press release, click here.
This grant money is specifically earmarked to support female independent restaurant owners in keeping their doors open and their staff employed. Eligible restaurants must be open/operating and plan to continue to do so. Closed restaurants are not eligible for this grant. After submitting your application, it will be reviewed by an internal committee and a decision letter will follow.
Throughout the pandemic, health-care providers and counselors throughout the region have been reporting increases in mental health and substance abuse issues. With the challenges employers are facing with workforce, ensuring the health and safety of employees and the workplace is critical. The Chamber of Commerce is a member of the United in Recovery coalition under the United Way of Columbia and Montour Counties to support efforts to prevent and deal with substance abuse.
A toolkit is available to help employers with a drug-free workplace. The United Way has also developed a comprehensive resource guide for counseling, treatment, and other human services. For additional resources, contact the United Way at 570-784-3134.
On Monday, November 8, 2021 the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum will host a free event for National STEM Night. From 4-7 p.m. the Museum will offer free admission. Activities include soldering, NFC treasure hunt, Lego Engineering challenges, robotics, programming, 3D printing, and much more!
National STEM Day is celebrated every year on Nov. 8 to encourage kids to explore their interests in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
T-Mobile is sponsoring the night and supplying free food from Big Dan’s Barbecue (while supplies last).
“There is a deficit of workers in STEM fields in Pennsylvania. The Museum provides exhibits and programs like National STEM night to get kids engaged in STEM learning. If kids are excited about these subjects, they are more likely to want to pursue a career in these fields.” Shelby Kellner, Assistant Director
For more info: www.the-childrens-museum.org
From PA Chamber of Business & Industry
State lawmakers took action on a number of energy-related bills last week – the most notable of which was a disapproval resolution regarding the Wolf Administration’s plan to have Pennsylvania join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a hotly debated CO2 budget trading program for power plants.
As RGGI has moved through the process, the PA Chamber has regularly communicated to lawmakers, the Independent Regulatory Review Commission and the Environmental Quality Board the need to guard against displacing generation to non-RGGI states in the 13-state PJM grid, to protect our state’s industrial base and our lead role as an electricity exporter, and to be explicit about the costs of entering into the initiative.
In a memo to the Senate, the PA Chamber urged the disapproval resolution’s advancement, since the final-form RGGI regulation from the Environmental Quality Board does not meaningfully address the concerns that have been raised by the business community. Having passed the Senate, the House also has the longer of 10 session days or 30 calendar days to pass the resolution and present it to Gov. Wolf. As it is likely he will veto the resolution, a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly would be needed to override the governor’s veto – an action that could be anticipated in the first quarter of 2022 or later.
House and Senate lawmakers also took action last week on identical bills in their respective chambers that would allow business and individual energy consumers to choose the utility and energy source that best meets their needs. Senate Bill 275 and H.B. 1947 – which are both known as the “Energy Choice Act,” would offer consumers the continued assurance that municipal government will not unduly interfere with their ability to make their own energy choices. The PA Chamber sent memos to the state Senate prior to its passage of S.B. 275 and to the House Local Government Committee before committee lawmakers voted to advance H.B. 1947, voicing support for the measures.
Lastly, the PA Chamber sent a memo last week to lawmakers on the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee urging a “yes” vote on H.R. 148, which urges the federal government to reduce Renewable Fuel Standard volume requirements to provide relief to refiners in southeastern Pennsylvania. This bipartisan measure was crafted with recognition to the significant financial burdens refineries face as they work to produce transportation fuels to a number of industries.
“Gov. Wolf has filed a hardship waiver with the federal Environmental Protection Agency requesting relief from these onerous federal mandates, and members of Pennsylvania’s federal delegation in both parties are supporting this request for reform,” the memo stated. “Business and labor groups are also aligned in supporting this request for relief, and we ask you to join the 47 members of the Pennsylvania State Senate who earlier this year passed a similar resolution.”
Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg Foundation Awards 2021 Grants
The Community Giving Foundation announced grant awards totaling $12,050 to local charitable nonprofits and government agencies through their recent competitive process. These awards were granted through the Bloomsburg Unrestricted Fund and the Hartman / Robbins / Stroup Fund.
Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg administers a total of 9 endowed and pass-through funds investing over $13,000 annually to local nonprofits and students. These funds include scholarship, donor-advised, field of interest, designated, agency, and unrestricted funds. Bloomsburg held a celebratory breakfast on September 8, 2021 at Monty’s at Bloomsburg University to recognize grant and donor stories of community giving.
2021 Competitive Grant Recipients
- AGAPE Love from Above to Our Community—Women in Need, $1,000
- AGAPE Love from Above to Our Community—Heating and Electric Utility Assistance to Residents of Town of Bloomsburg, $700
- Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc. “A Community Action Agency”—Greater Bloomsburg Area Utility Assistance Program, $1,000
- Central Susquehanna Sight Services, Inc.—2021/2022 Preventing Blindness in Our Community Initiative, $500
- Coalition for Social Equity—Organization Support in Honor of Isabelle Tarr, $1,000
- Columbia Child Development Program—Preschool Curriculum Studies and Nonfiction Theme Books, $780
- Columbia County Historical & Genealogical Society—Press Enterprise Digitization of Newspapers, $600
- Family Service Association of NEPA—PA 211 NE/Help Line, $500
- Friends of the Columbia County Traveling Library—Books for Librarians: Developing a Professional Book Collection, $640
- Hand in Hand Family Resource Center—Chromebooks, $420
- HCSC Blood Center dba Miller-Keystone Blood Center—Enhancing the Well-Being of the Bloomsburg Community Through Volunteer Blood Donations, $500
- Millville Borough—Little Fishing Creek Area Swimming Pool Roof and Operations Project, $500
- Orangeville Public Library—Summer Reading 2021, $550
- Ronald McDonald House of Danville—Share-a-Night Program: Giving the Gift of Togetherness, $500
- Single Mothers Individually Living Empowered, Inc.—PHYS-KIDS, $350
- The Children’s Museum, Inc.—Bees and Butterflies in Bloom, $610
- Transitional Housing and Care Center of Columbia and Montour County—Road to Independence, $1,000
- United Way of Columbia and Montour County—Bloomsburg Area Tutoring Program, $900
The Good Samaritan Mission Holds Grand Opening
The Chamber helped celebrate the grand opening of The Good Samaritan Mission on Ferry Street in Danville on Saturday, October 23rd, with a ribbon-cutting. With over 100 people coming out to show support, the morning was filled with jam-packed activities including the ribbon-cutting, a tribute to Sandy O’Rourke, basket raffles and tours. The Good Samaritan Mission is the only faith-based, nonprofit mission serving adults and children in the Montour County and surrounding areas. The mission’s foundation was built on with Board of Directors and nearly 100 volunteers who donated countless hours to keep the program running.
“We are so excited about the beauty of this place and the blessing that we have here. We’re really excited about what’s going to happen with this place.” said Carin Wharton, Executive Director.
The Good Samaritan Mission is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Visit www.gsmdanville.org
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate (GPD), in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), invites houses of worship, faith-based, community, and nonprofit organizations to participate in Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) webinars.
The NSGP provides funding support through a competitive process for physical and other security enhancements to nonprofit organizations, which includes houses of worship, faith-based and community organizations and promotes emergency preparedness coordination and collaboration between public and private community representatives, as well as state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.
FEMA is committed to providing ongoing engagement and expanding outreach through federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to vulnerable, underserved, and/or underrepresented populations. Last year, FEMA held 18 virtual events reaching over 5,000 participants from more than 369 nonprofit organizations. GPD is offering webinars for all nonprofit organizations interested in learning more about the NSGP, including priorities, eligibility, and application process.
Each webinar will present the same content, including:
- Lessons Learned: A Summary of the FY 2021 NSGP
- What to Do Now: Preparation for the FY 2022 NSGP
- Physical Safety/Security: Vulnerability Self-Assessment Information and Tools
- Open Forum: Moderated Questions and Answers Session
Thursday, November 4, 3 PM ET – Zoom Webinar Link: https://fema.zoomgov.com/s/1611127317 Audio/Video Meeting ID: 161 112 7317 – Audio only Meeting ID: 682616
Monday, November 8, 3 PM ET – Zoom Webinar Link: https://fema.zoomgov.com/s/1611127317 Audio/Video Meeting ID: 161 112 7317 – Audio only Meeting ID: 682616
Friday, November 19, 3 PM ET- Zoom Webinar Link: https://fema.zoomgov.com/j/1618883651 Audio/Video Meeting ID: 161 888 3651 – Audio only Meeting ID: 964693
Attendees must register 10-15 minutes prior to the event. If you are unable to join or the event is at capacity, please join the next available offering.
Additional information related to the NSGP can be found at www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/nonprofit-security.
The vulnerability self-assessment tool, plus other helpful safety and security information for nonprofit organizations, can be found at the Hometown Security website at www.cisa.gov/hometown-security.
The CSIU’s Digital Literacy Program provides adults with free access to computers and the internet — as well as hands-on training — to learn how to use a computer; use technology to find, and keep, a job; search the internet efficiently and evaluate information; and understand responsibilities as a digital citizen.
Training includes keyboarding and “mousing” skills, understanding operating systems and managing files, searching the internet, using online job boards, applying online, and understanding the impact social media use can have on their ability to get and keep a job.
The CSIU’s Digital Literacy Program provides free training as well as open computer lab sessions, to adults in the community who need to use technology to search and apply for jobs or who want to improve their technology skills and knowledge to get a better job. Adults who want to learn technology for a variety of other reasons – to help their children with school work, take online courses, use the Internet safely and securely, avoid scams, or learn how to locate the most relevant and reliable information on the web — are also welcome.
Working with community partners, the CSIU Digital Literacy Program provides free access to computers and the internet in several locations across the region on a set schedule each week. Computer labs are staffed by knowledgeable and experienced professionals ready to assist members of the community.
The computer lab is located at the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum and is staffed by a knowledgeable and experienced Digital Literacy Specialist. Full details about the available training and services can be found at www.csiu.org/digital .
Bloomsburg Children’s Museum
2 W 7th Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815
Mon: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Tues: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Thurs: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.