๐ฐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ $๐๐,๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ
Rep. Jamie Barton and I recently held a very successful Unclaimed Property Event with PA Treasurer Stacy Garrityโs staff at the Orwigsburg Free Public Library.
In just over three hours, we helped return ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง $๐๐,๐๐๐ in unclaimed property to its rightful ownersโone of the highest return totals for this type of event. ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ $๐,๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฌ.
Special thanks to the Orwigsburg Free Public Library for hosting us and to Jolene from the PA Treasury for helping make this event a success!
If you think the PA Treasury may be holding unclaimed property that belongs to you, contact one of my offices to learn about upcoming events to see how we can help.
๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ณ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ง
Is your license plate worn out? Rep. Dane Watro and I are hosting a Free License Plate Replacement Event this Thursday, August 13, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Hazleton State Police Barracks (250 Dessen Drive, Hazleton).
A local police officer will be on-site to inspect your license plate and determine if it qualifies for a free replacement.
For more information or to RSVP, call 570-453-1344.
For National Night Out, I visited Jim Thorpe, Palmerton, and Tamaqua on Tuesday evening. Hundreds of people from Carbon & Schuylkill Counties showed up to spend time with their local law enforcement officers.
To our law enforcement officers: THANK YOU for the dangerous and often thankless work you do to protect and serve our communities.
๐
๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ: ๐๐๐๐ญ ๐
๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ก๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ค
Welcome to the latest edition of โFocusing on Our Local Communities,โ where we interview, on a bipartisan basis, a key local leader in one of the 102 municipalities that I represent in Carbon, Schuylkill, and Luzerne counties.
This week, we focus on Freeland Borough Council President Joshua Richie. Richie, a Democrat, grew up in the Freeland area and graduated from Bishop Hafey High School in 1994. He now works for EIFO Academy, an online after-school program staffed by degreed, state-certified teachers. Richie founded EIFO, which has now served more than 10,000 students.
Richieโs involvement with the borough began when he noticed multiple vacancies on council, with only one person running for five open seats.
โThe council had so many vacancies and they needed people to step up. So I ran a write in campaign and here I am two and a half years later,โ said Richie. โIโm also doing double duty now as the mayor because we have a vacancy there, so I have been filling in as acting mayor, too.โ
Richie has also taken an active role with the Freeland YMCA, helping them establish a 12 student STEM classroom. He assisted the YMCA in securing a $10,000 Amazon grant to equip the room with computers, 3D printers, STEM LEGOs, and more. This fall marks the programโs third year.
He is equally proud of the infrastructure improvements the council has prioritized in recent years.
โUpdating and upgrading our storm water infrastructure and paving our streets have been top priorities,โ said Richie. โWe also just obtained an LSA grant to help put a new roof on the Freeland Borough Municipal Building, so we want to thank Senator Argall for his support there. Next, weโre looking to build a new facility for our fire department. Their building has become obsolete, so we have already purchased the land and weโre taking the steps to get that project moving forward.โ
๐๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐
๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆท
Interested in a career as a Dental Assistant in Tamaqua? The Temple University Rural Education Center and Dental Clinic is seeking applicants through August 15.
Email TempleDentalDA@temple.edu to express your interest or apply today!
The Schuylkill County Historical Society will host โPottsville at War: A Civil War Walking Tourโ on Saturday, August 15 at 11 a.m.
Led by local public historian Jake Wynn, the 90-minute walking tour will trace the Civil War through the City of Pottsville.
Cost will be $20 for SCHS members, and $55 for non-members. Register online at schuylkillhistory.org or call (570) 622-7540.
๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ง, ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ซ๐ง๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ
Many years ago, while writing a grad school research assignment on the revitalization of Jim Thorpe, I asked: ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง?
Now, 15 miles to the west, as scaffolding and construction crews line much of Broad and Center Streets this summer, can Tamaqua begin to make the same claim?
Many of our local communities throughout Carbon, Luzerne, and Schuylkill counties suffered greatly from the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s. After World War II, they continued to suffer massive job losses in anthracite coal, railroads, and the garment industry. With a verified unemployment rate of 27 percent in the 1950s, one of the worst in the nation, tens of thousands of people were forced to leave the region in search of work, leading to increased blight and decay in the communities they left behind.
This subject is far too detailed for one single post so in the next few months, I will highlight some of the many improvements now underway throughout our other regional communities. Stay tuned!
๐๐๐ฑ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฒ: ๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ณ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ง
Is your license plate worn out? Rep. Dane Watro and I are hosting a Free License Plate Replacement Event on Thursday, August 13, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Hazleton State Police Barracks (250 Dessen Drive, Hazleton).
A local police officer will be on-site to inspect your license plate and determine if it qualifies for a free replacement.
For more information or to RSVP, call 570-453-1344.
