WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week voted in support of a House resolution condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s use of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over United States territory as a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty.
The resolution also denounced the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns, determining it should be the policy of the United States to proactively prevent aerial surveillance platforms.
Sponsored by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, H.R. 104 dresses an incident that began on Jan. 28, when a Chinese spy balloon was detected entering U.S. territory near the Aleutian Islands off Alaska.
The balloon crossed the entire continental United States before it was shot down on Feb. 4, off the coast of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The resolution unanimously passed the House by a vote of 419-0.
“The fact that a Chinese spy balloon was allowed to fly across the United States is unacceptable,” Meuser stated. “We are the United States, a superpower in the world. To think that China can send a spy balloon floating over our entire nation uninhibited is inconceivable, yet it happened. What makes matters worse is this Chinese spy balloon flew near some of our most strategic military installations collecting an unknown amount of intelligence.”
The resolution calls on the Biden Administration to keep Congress apprised by providing comprehensive briefings on the incident, including similar past incidents, assessments of surveillance data collected by the balloon, military options presented to eliminate the threat, and any diplomatic communications between the People’s Republic of China and the U.S.
“In the future, our government must better protect the sovereignty and security of our nation,” Meuser said. “The American people deserve better.”
PennDOT hosting public meeting on
proposed I-81 reconstruction project
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Engineering District 4-0, will present preliminary plans to the public for the Interstate 81 Reconstruction Project at a plans display meeting on Feb. 15, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Dunmore Elementary Center gym at 300 West Warren St., Dunmore.
Attendees can learn about the planned improvements to roadway surfaces, structures, interchanges, and future traffic flow on the seven-mile stretch of I-81 between Exit 178 in Avoca and Exit 185 in Scranton.
The public is invited to submit feedback and questions at the meeting, by mail, or online throughout the comment period, which extends from Feb. 15, to March 15.
PennDOT will deliver a formal presentation and host a question-and-answer session during the meeting at 6 p.m.
An informational video illustrating the final condition of the highway will also be available.
During the comment period, digital copies of the project plans, the project video, and a comment form will be available for the public to view on the project webpage, which can be found on the PennDOT Engineering District 4-0 website at — https://www.penndot.gov/RegionalOffices/district-4/PublicMeetings/Pages/default.aspx. Click on the Lackawanna County box, then choose the tile marked “SR 81 (Interstate 81) Section D46 (Avoca to Scranton) Reconstruction Project”.
The project area begins at the northern end of the existing Avoca Interchange (Exit 178) and includes the Moosic Interchange (Exit 180), Davis Street Interchange (Exit 182), and River Street and President Biden Expressway Interchange (Exit 184 and 185).
“Our main goal is to reduce the frequency of crashes and traffic congestion along this corridor,” said Richard N. Roman, P.E., District Executive for PennDOT Engineering District 4-0. “We’re planning to widen the highway from two lanes to three lanes and improve the location of exits, as well as correct issues with roadway curves and lanes. These upgrades will improve the driving experience once the project is complete.”
The proposed design calls for the removal of left-hand exits and standardizes roadway curves and lane widths. The new roadway will widen into the existing median and, upon completion, will include three 12-foot travel lanes and two 12-foot shoulders in both directions. Traffic along the new highway should flow freely based on predicted vehicle usage data for the year 2055 (or about twenty years post-construction) developed for traffic studies.
PennDOT also studied various environmental and historic factors while developing the preliminary roadway designs. These factors included (but are not limited to) socio-economic features, waterways and wetlands, historic properties, and waste concerns. Overall, the design avoids impacts to most of the identified environmental and historic resources in the project area.
The I-81 Reconstruction Project (Avoca to Scranton) is just one of six highway improvement projects in the region that are advancing through design or construction under the direction of PennDOT and/or the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. In-depth planning and design work for the SR 81, D46 project is still underway and will continue through the end of 2027.
“Because we are in the early stages of this complex project, construction isn’t expected to start until Spring 2028,” Roman said. During construction, PennDOT will maintain two lanes of traffic in both directions.
In total, the planned improvements are estimated at $500 million.
DMVA: Here’s how to donate your
tax refund to support Pa.’s military
Pennsylvanians filing their 2022 personal state income taxes can help Pennsylvania’s military personnel, veterans and their families by donating any amount of their refund to the state’s Military Family Relief Assistance Program (MFRAP) and/or Veterans’ Trust Fund (VTF).
Both programs are administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which provides resources and assistance to veterans, military members, and their families in the Commonwealth.
Pennsylvanians interested in donating should refer to the 2022 Pennsylvania Personal Income Tax (PA-40) Instruction Booklet, which includes full instructions on how to donate.
“Members of our armed forces, veterans and their families have made extraordinary sacrifices to serve our country – it is important that we work to support them, especially when they fall on hard times,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s acting adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “The generosity of Pennsylvanians donating to these two important programs has been instrumental in providing financial assistance to military personnel, veterans and their families. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated and go a long way to help those who have served and sacrificed for our nation.”
Military Family Relief Assistance Program helps Pennsylvania service members and their families by providing financial assistance to those with a direct and immediate financial need as a result of circumstances beyond their control.
All members of the armed forces who were discharged for medical reasons are also eligible to apply for assistance up to four years after a medical discharge.
Since the MFRAP began in 2006, individuals have donated more than $2.17 million through private donations or when filing their Pennsylvania personal income tax returns.
Studies have shown a correlation between inadequate staffing levels and lower quality of care. More recently, studies have demonstrated that higher nurse staffing ratios mitigated the effect of COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes and resulted in fewer deaths.
Since the VTF grant program began in 2013, a total of $5.33 million has been awarded to organizations across Pennsylvania.
Sen. Casey pushes for minimum
staffing standards in nursing homes
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aging, and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregan, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, led a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to encourage the agency to establish minimum staffing standards in nursing homes to ensure high-quality care for nursing home residents.
The Senators wrote:
“We appreciate the work that CMS has undertaken to promote safety and quality in nursing homes and applaud the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protecting our Nation’s seniors. Now, we write to urge CMS to bring this work to completion. ”
Studies have shown a correlation between inadequate staffing levels and lower quality of care. More recently, studies have demonstrated that higher nurse staffing ratios mitigated the effect of COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes and resulted in fewer deaths.
A recent Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General report that examined the high level of COVID-19 infections in nursing homes also pointed to the need for establishment of minimum staffing requirements.
The Senators cite the Social Security Act, which requires skilled nursing facilities to “provide 24-hour licensed nursing service which is sufficient to meet nursing needs of its residents.”