1 week Ago By The Times-Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)
Apr. 26—WILKES-BARRE — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Pennsylvania State Police this week hosted an event urging motorists to slow down and pay attention in work zones. Gov.
Josh Shapiro proclaimed April 21-25 "National Work Zone Awareness Week" as part of his administration's mission to provide a safe transportation system for all Pennsylvanians. The theme of this year's observance is — "Respect the zone so we all get home." Many precautions are taken in work zones to keep workers safe, including proper training and routine safety inspections for workers, enhanced signing and information for motorists and the use of positive protective equipment like crash trucks, barriers and rumble strips.
Drivers also play a role in keeping workers, themselves and other motorists safe while traveling through work zones. "PennDOT implements many safety measures in our work zones, but we need drivers to work with us to ensure work zones are safe for everyone," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. "Make the safe choice to always follow the posted speed limit and never drive distracted, especially in work zones where conditions can change every day.
" According to PennDOT data, in 2024 there were 1,250 work zone crashes, resulting in 22 fatalities. Some of the most frequent contributing factors in fatal work zone crashes were driving too fast for conditions, careless passing or lane change, and tailgating. "Safety drives everything we do at the Pennsylvania Turnpike — especially during construction projects," said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton.
"While construction may cause a temporary inconvenience for drivers, these improvements bring long-term benefits for all who use our roadway." "Engaging in dangerous driving behaviors can have deadly consequences, so please remember to slow down, stay alert, and drive responsibly," said PSP Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris. "National Work Zone Awareness Week is a powerful reminder that every work zone is occupied by real people — fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, friends and neighbors — working hard to keep Pennsylvania moving forward," said Scott L.
Rocuskie, president of Construction for New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co. Inc., who is also a board member for Associated Pennsylvania Constructors.
As part of the event, PennDOT District 8 officials highlighted more than 62 road and bridge projects expected to be bid this year in the eight-county south-central Pennsylvania region, reflecting an estimated investment of $402 million. For information on the 2025 construction season and for a list of notable projects that are expected to begin or continue this year, visit penndot.pa.
gov/district8 . "These construction projects mean improved roads and bridges, but it can also mean hazards for roadway workers," Carroll said. "Please slow down and pay attention.
These men and women deserve to get home safely." Department of Aging to increase transparency The Pennsylvania Department of Aging this week delivered on yet another promise to increase public transparency and accountability of the Area Agency on Aging network — which provides a host of services to older Pennsylvanians in their communities. The Department began publicly posting performance results on its website for the first batch of AAAs to be monitored under the agency's new Comprehensive Agency Performance Evaluation, or CAPE — an innovative tool designed to boost transparency and accountability of Pennsylvania's 52 AAAs.
This new initiative transforms the Department's prior monitoring approach into a more holistic philosophy, where each AAA is evaluated for different performance metrics during a singular monitoring review. "We're sharing the first results of CAPE, the first major overhaul and upgrade of the Department's monitoring system in decades," said Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. "In less than two years, we have developed, tested and launched a system that enables us to monitor AAA performance consistently and accurately — and make those results easily available to the public.
" Performance evaluations include things like: —Older Adult Protective Services (documentation requirements, data management, administrative oversight, risk mitigation and safety and investigative activities). —OPTIONS, which provides help with tasks of daily living, and the Caregiver Support Program (documentation requirements, data management, administrative oversight, care management, program eligibility and policy and fiscal operations). Multiple performance measures feed into each category score.
Results of CAPE will be routinely posted to the Department's website, with clearly defined, simple key categories for each AAA. Last month, the Department of Aging unveiled details of the new monitoring system to the legislature in a public hearing. The Pennsylvania Department of Aging works with a network of 52 AAAs covering Pennsylvania's 67 counties to deliver services to older adults that help them stay healthy, safe and able to continue thriving in their homes of choice as they age.
The Department disburses millions of dollars annually to AAAs to fund these services, and one of the Department's most important responsibilities is to monitor the performance of each AAA to make sure they are meeting performance standards. AG Sunday leads bipartisan coalition for veterans, older adults Attorney General Dave Sunday this week co-led a letter to Congress — joined by 39 other Attorneys General — urging to keep in place critical funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which aids vulnerable residents who need civil representation. LSC's network of legal aid organizations assists veterans in securing benefits they are entitled to, enables domestic violence survivors access to safety resources and protects older adults from scams and financial exploitation.
LSC services are particularly beneficial to people and families living in rural populations — such as Sullivan, Potter, Forest and Tioga counties — where attorney shortages are more likely to exist. There are 77 legal aid offices in Pennsylvania funded by LSC. "Everyone should have access to legal representation to maintain safe and stable housing, rightful benefits that keep them healthy, and protection against violence and scams," Sunday said.
"As a co-leader of this letter, I commend my colleagues who are adamantly telling Congress that the Legal Services Corporation must keep necessary funding to provide these basic rights to under-served communities." The letter is addressed to the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and the House and Senate Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. LSC operates a network of 130 independent legal aid organizations in over 900 offices in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.
S. territories, assisting millions of Americans in every congressional district with legal needs Attorneys General have a long history of supporting federal funding for LSC. With Congressional leaders debating potential budget cuts, the bipartisan group of attorneys general are joining forces to urge leaders from both parties to prioritize funding for LSC, calling the organization a good steward of taxpayer dollars.
The letter also notes the corporation distributes 95% of its funding directly to the legal aid organizations providing services to Americans. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle..
