"I BELIEVE WE ARE THIS CLOSE TO FOREVER CHANGING PENNSYLVANIA FOR THE BETTER," GOVERNOR TOM CORBETT SAID DURING HIS BUDGET ADDRESS. HE SAYS PART OF THAT CHANGE WILL COME IN THE CLASSROOMS OF THE STATE, BOTH K-THROUGH-12 AND COLLEGES. "THIS BUDGET ADDS NEARLY $100 MILLION TO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THAT'S OVER AND ABOVE LAST YEAR'S RECORD FUNDING LEVELS. WE INTEND TO MAINTAIN FULL FUNDING LEVELS FOR STATE AND STATE-RELATED UNIVERSITIES AS WELL," CORBETT SAYS. HIS BUDGET PROPOSAL INCREASES OVERALL STATE SPENDING BY NEARLY 3 PERCENT TO $28.4 BILLION. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE AN INCREASE ON THE WHOLESALE TAX THAT GAS STATIONS PAY ON GASOLINE. THAT INCREASE, WHICH WOULD HELP FINANCE A FIVE-YEAR, $5.3 BILLION TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVE, WOULD BE PARTIALLY OFFSET BY A PHASED-IN REDUCTION IN THE LIQUID FUELS TAX FROM 12 CENTS A GALLON TO 10 CENTS A GALLON OVER TWO YEARS.
ONE OF THE KEY POINTS OF GOVERNOR CORBETT'S PROPOSED BUDGET IS HIS PLAN TO REPAIR THE STATE'S CRUMBLING TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE. WHILE SHE SAYS THERE'S PLENTY OF DEBATE AHEAD ON HOW TO PAY FOR THAT, DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR LISA BOSCOLA IS PLEASED IT'S ON THE TABLE. "WE LIKE THE FACT THAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT IT NOW AND NOT HIDING IT. WHEN YOU TALK TO BUSINESS LEADERS THEY SAY IT'S KNOWN THAT IN PENNSYLVANIA WE HAVE A CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE. WE HAVE TO CHANGE AND IMPROVE THAT AS ONE OF THE CORE FUNCTIONS OF STATE GOVERNMENT," BOSCOLA SAYS. OTHER LOCAL DEMOCRATIC REACTION COMES FROM STATE REP. BOB FREEMAN, WHO SAYS CORBETT'S BUDGET DOESN'T DO MUCH TO HELP THE STATE'S MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES AND FROM STATE REP. MIKE SCHLOSSBERG, WHO SAYS THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET POORLY SERVES LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND DOESN'T MEAN MORE FOR EDUCATION.
A DAY AFTER LINNY FOWLER DIED, THE LEHIGH VALLEY HAS LOST ANOTHER PHILANTHROPIST. PRISCILLA PAYNE HURD DIED AT THE ST. LUKE'S HOSPICE HOUSE TUESDAY MORNING AT THE AGE OF 93. HURD WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO CHAIR THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AT MORAVIAN COLLEGE, WHERE A NUMBER OF COLLEGE BUILDINGS BEAR HER NAME AND ALSO SERVED ON THE BOARD AT ST. LUKE'S UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK. ST. LUKE'S PRESIDENT RICHARD ANDERSON CALLS HURD ST. LUKE'S "GREATEST FRIEND".
FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER WILL BE SPEAKING AT LAFAYETTE COLLEGE IN EASTON THIS SPRING ABOUT HIS WORK TO STRENGTHEN HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY. LAFAYETTE SAYS CARTER WILL BE SPEAKING APRIL 22 ABOUT THE WORK HE HAS DONE THROUGH THE CARTER CENTER, WHICH WORKS ON CONFLICT RESOLUTION, ENHANCING DEMOCRACY AND IMPROVING HEALTH. CARTER WILL BE THE FIRST SPEAKER IN THE ANNUAL ROBERT AND MARGARET PASTOR LECTURE SERIES IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. THE SCHOOL SAYS IT WILL RELEASE TICKETING INFORMATION FOR THE EVENT IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
THE NAME OF THE MAN MURDERED IN ALLENTOWN SUNDAY WAS INCORRECT IN COURT DOCUMENTS. THE LEHIGH COUNTY D.A.'S OFFICE SAYS THE VICTIM'S NAME IS EDGARDO FUENTES. SEVERAL DIFFERENT FORMS OF I.D. BELONGING TO SASIAIN HESSED WERE FOUND IN THE EMMAUS AVENUE APARTMENT AND HE WAS INITIALLY IDENTIFIED AS THE MURDER VICTIM. POLICE SAY WITNESSES ALSO IDENTIFIED THE VICTIM AS HESSED. HESSED'S WHEREABOUTS ARE UNKNOWN, HOWEVER POLICE DON'T THINK HE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH FUENTES' DEATH. TWO MEN ARE UNDER ARREST FOR THE KILLING.
THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA SAYS THE COMPANY THAT MAKES YUENGLING BEER OWES $6.6 MILLION IN BACK TAXES. THE CITY FILED A LAWSUIT IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS TODAY, SAYING POTTSVILLE-BASED D.G. YUENGLING & SON INC. HAS FAILED TO PAY BUSINESS-RELATED TAXES, FEES AND PENALTIES SINCE DECEMBER 2008. YUENGLING'S CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER BELIEVES IT HAS TO DO WITH A DISPUTE THE BREWERY HAS HAD WITH THE CITY OVER THE BUSINESS PRIVILEGE TAX. THE COMPANY SELLS ITS PRODUCTS IN THE PHILADELPHIA AREA THROUGH AN INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTOR. IN RECENT MONTHS, THE CASH-STRAPPED CITY HAS BEEN CRACKING DOWN ON UNPAID TAXES IN AN ATTEMPT TO GENERATE MORE REVENUE.
THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY IS DEFENDING ITS HANDLING OF SUPERSTORM SANDY-RELATED FLOOD INSURANCE CLAIMS FOLLOWING SHARP CRITICISM BY NEW JERSEY'S GOVERNOR. FEMA SAYS MORE THAN HALF OF THE MORE THAN 140,000 FLOOD INSURANCE CLAIMS FILED IN ALL THE STATES HIT BY SANDY HAVE BEEN SETTLED, WITH MORE THAN $3.7 BILLION PAID OUT. GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE SAID TUESDAY THAT THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM HAS "STUNK." HE COMPLAINED PAYOUTS HAVE BEEN FAR TOO SLOW IN COMING. CHRISTIE SAID ONLY 30 PERCENT OF CLAIMS IN NEW JERSEY HAVE BEEN SETTLED MORE THAN THREE MONTHS AFTER THE DISASTER. BUT FEMA SAYS THE LATEST DATA SHOW JUST OVER 50 PERCENT OF ALL FLOOD CLAIMS IN NEW JERSEY HAVE BEEN CLOSED. FEMA SAYS IT HAS REDUCED PAPERWORK AND ALLOWED FOR PARTIAL AND ADVANCE PAYMENTS TO SPEED UP ASSISTANCE.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE SAYS WATCHING LIVE AS THE LIGHTS WENT OUT DURING THE SUPER BOWL IN NEW ORLEANS TAUGHT HIM ABOUT THE MANY CHALLENGES OF HOSTING PRO FOOTBALL'S CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. THE NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR WAS AT SUNDAY'S GAME AS A GUEST OF NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL WHEN THE POWER WENT OUT IN PART OF THE STADIUM DURING THE THIRD-QUARTER, HALTING PLAY FOR MORE THAN A HALF-HOUR. THE 2014 SUPER BOWL WILL BE PLAYED AT THE MEADOWLANDS STADIUM SHARED BY THE GIANTS AND JETS. CHRISTIE SAYS HIS STAFF WAS ON THE PHONE WITH PSE&G, THE UTILITY THAT PROVIDES ELECTRICITY TO THE STADIUM, DURING THE OUTAGE SAYING, "YOU SEE THIS, WE DON'T WANT THIS." CHRISTIE SAYS HE ALSO LEARNED ABOUT SECURITY ISSUES WHILE WATCHING THE BALTIMORE RAVENS BEAT THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS.
NEW JERSEY GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE SAYS THE PEOPLE WHO ELECTED HIM SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT HIS WEIGHT BECAUSE HE'S "REMARKABLY HEALTHY." THE 50-YEAR-OLD REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SAID TUESDAY DIETING HAS BEEN A REGULAR PART OF HIS LIFE FOR 30 YEARS. HE SAYS SOMETIMES HE'S SUCCESSFUL AND OTHER TIMES HE'S NOT. HE SAYS "SOMETIMES PERIODS OF GREAT SUCCESS ARE FOLLOWED BY PERIODS OF GREAT FAILURE." CHRISTIE HAS NEVER REVEALED HIS WEIGHT OR MEDICAL RECORDS BUT RECENTLY HAS PUT HIS WEIGHT ON THE TABLE. WEEKS AGO HE ACKNOWLEDGED TO BARBARA WALTERS HE'S "MORE THAN A LITTLE" OVERWEIGHT.
IT'S THE BIGGEST DAY OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL OFFSEASON. IT'S NATIONAL SIGNING DAY AND PENN STATE COACH BILL O'BRIEN IS EXPECTED TO GET COMMITMENTS FROM A DOZEN HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS IN ADDITION TO FIVE WHO ENROLLED AT PENN STATE LAST MONTH. O'BRIEN SAYS THE BIGGEST QUESTION MARK FOR THE 2013 SEASON REMAINS QUARTERBACK. "THERE'S A LOT OF CONFIDENCE THAT STEPHEN BENCH WILL BE A VERY GOOD QUARTERBACK. THEN WE HAVE SOME GUYS COMING IN LIKE TYLER FERGUSON WHO WILL BE HERE ON MONDAY. HE'S A TOP NOTCH JUNIOR COLLEGE QUARTERBACK FROM CALIFORNIA," O'BRIEN SAYS. FERGUSON IS EXPECTED TO COMPETE WITH THE NATION'S TOP QUARTERBACK RECRUIT, CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG, FOR THE STARTING JOB. HACKENBERG SIGNS HIS LETTER OF INTENT TODAY.
