Hinchey calls on FERC to mandate Swinging Bridge repairs

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Maurice Hinchey has sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to mandate that Swinging Bridge Dam’s owner, Mirant NUY-Gen, LLC, repair the dam and restore the water level of the reservoir to full capacity in a timely manner. The letter notes that it is critical for FERC to prevent Mirant from surrendering its license without doing so.

According to Hinchey aide Jeff Lieberson, Hinchey’s office expects a response to the letter within the next few weeks.

Casino hearings set for April 27

LAKE HARMONY, PA — A public hearing on the slots license applications by Mount Airy Lodge, Pocono Manor and Mohegan Sun will be held at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 27 at Split Rock Resort, off Route 940 in Kidder Township, Carbon County. Those who wish to testify must register by Friday, March 17. Impact reports for the proposed casinos may be found online at www.pgcb.state.pa.us. Impact reports and other planning documents regarding Mount Airy Lodge and Pocono Manor are also on file at the Paradise and Tobyhanna municipal buildings.

Mount Airy Lodge, Pocono Manor and Mohegan Sun are among the six applicants for the two Category 2 slots licenses not slated for Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. The licenses, to be awarded by mid-December, will authorize as many as 5,000 slot machines in a “standalone” slots parlor.

Sullivan to be part of deer management pilot program

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — This year the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will institute a pilot program to test new hunting restrictions on deer. The program will require that a buck must have at least three points on one antler in order to be legally taken by licensed hunters. The three-point antler restriction, effective October 1, will only be for Wildlife Management Units 3H and 3K, located in Sullivan and Ulster counties.

The antler restriction is designed to increase the age at which bucks can be harvested. The regulation will help ensure that bucks reach at least 2.5 years of age prior to harvesting. Over time, this should increase the buck population, increase the number of bucks that hunters see, and increase the number of older-aged higher-quality bucks in the population.

State funds offset theft to keep Little League swinging

LIBERTY, NY — At the request of Sullivan County Legislator Jodi Goodman, and in cooperation with Liberty town supervisor Frank DeMayo and state senator John Bonacic (R/I/C-New Hope), the New York State Senate will make $7,000 available to purchase equipment for the Liberty Little League. Earlier this year, police arrested a local Little League official and charged her with taking the league’s savings of $7,000.

“Our Little Leaguers should be playing ball and trying to hit home runs on the field, and not worrying about curveballs thrown at them by an official,” said Bonacic. The district attorney can prosecute the theft of the league’s funds, but in the meantime, the youth in the league and their parents shouldn’t have to dig into their own pockets to make up for this loss.”

Bethel company offers “Alive at 25” defensive driving course

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — According to Manny Safer, owner of Community Driver Safety Programs, Inc, teenagers and young adults in Sullivan County are being killed in car crashes at an alarming rate. Safer said 25 people aged between 16 and 24 died in car accidents in 2005. In response, Safer’s company is now offering a defensive driving course aimed at that demographic, called Alive at 25. Safer’s partner, Mike Fountain, said the course tries to get young drivers to change their driving behavior. He said dangerous driving among the groups is often a matter of “peer group decision making.” If one member of the group says “go faster,” it’s up to others to help put on the brakes. Drivers who successfully complete the course are entitled to a ten-percent reduction on their insurance bills.

For more information call 845/583-7971.

Bill introduced to end off-reservation gambling

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Richard W. Pombo (R-CA) has introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to stop the spread of off-reservation Indian gaming.

The bill, H.R. 4893, would completely repeal the so-called “two part determination” in Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). This would mean that a tribe that already has land in trust that is eligible for gaming may not acquire additional land not contiguous to the reservation and use it for gaming. For tribes that do not have such land, the act would erect several new roadblocks, including the requirement that the tribe pay for an advisory referendum on the establishment of a casino in the county in question; that a tribe locate its facility on lands where the tribe has its primary historic, geographical, social and temporal nexus; and the prohibition of the establishment of off-reservation casinos outside the tribe’s current state.

Minimum wage falls further behind poverty guideline

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania lawmakers have released information indicating that the Commonwealth’s minimum wage is continuing to slip in terms of federal poverty standards. According to John Siptroth (D-Monroe/Pike), a worker would need to work 62 hours a week, 52 weeks at year at $5.15 an hour in order to meet the poverty guideline for a family of three. He said in a time of unprecedented increases in the cost of utilities and health care, the wage has failed to keep up.

Democratic caucuses in both houses have been pushing for an increase in the minimum wage for more than a year. The bill, endorsed by House Democrats, the governor and some Republicans, would increase the minimum wage in Pennsylvania to $6.25 this year and $7.15 by January 2007.

Siptroth said rare parliamentary tactics have been used to keep the legislation from a vote in the house, but he expects further action on the bill soon.