The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported Thursday that the combined total revenue generated from all forms of gaming, along with fantasy contests, during July 2023 was $467,043,707, an increase of 8.85% compared to revenue generated in July 2022. Wind Creek Bethlehem $50,961,850 $50,065,648 1.79% more than last July and fourth most in the state.
Two parents from southeastern Pennsylvania have been appointed to the state Board of Education. Katherine Christiano and Ernest "Tre" Hadrick III were confirmed to serve on the board by the state Senate Thursday, in a move that Gov. Josh Shapiro says fulfills his campaign promise to ensure "parents have a seat at the table and a say in their children's education." Christiano is a preschool teacher at Central Nursery School in Wayne, Delaware County. Hadrick is a school counselor at Central Montgomery County Technical High School in Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County,
Authorities are looking into what caused a fire that damaged an apartment and business in Monroe County. The blaze broke out at the building on the 500 block of Main Street in Stroudsburg yesterday morning. Officials say the business suffered minor damages, but the apartment above the business was heavily damaged. Luckily, everyone made it out safely.
Pennsylvania is getting a federal waiver to help ease a school bus driver shortage. Currently, the state Commercial Driver's License test requires an "under the hood" component. It mandates that potential drivers be able to identify and describe 100 components of a vehicle. The waiver would let people have to identify only 90 parts and they'd also be allowed to have a checklist as a memory aid. Applicants would still need to do the other basic parts of the test, which include a pre-trip inspection and a basic control and road test. Officials say about 35-hundred school bus drivers are still needed for the upcoming school year. The waiver would be in effect through late November of next year.
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue is shortening the so-called look-back period for businesses that pay corporate taxes. The program lets companies voluntarily report it when they discover that they owe back taxes. The time period under the state's Voluntary Disclosure Program had been five years. But as of this month, it's dropped to three years. An agency spokesman says the shortened time period brings corporate taxpayers in line with the disclosure period for sales and personal income taxpayers. Jeff Johnson says there's no penalty for companies that come forward of their own volition -- or the volition of their tax preparers.
President Joe Biden has slipped into Pennsylvania without much fanfare to privately pay his respects to the mother of U.S. Senator Bob Casey. Ellen Casey, who died last week in Scranton at the age of 91, was also a former first lady of Pennsylvania. The president said in a brief statement after landing Thursday morning that Mrs. Casey embodied all the values he learned growing up in Scranton. The president attended her visitation privately at St. Peter's Cathedral. He said he'd wanted to go to her funeral Friday but had previously been scheduled to be at a summit at Camp David.
Former Somerset County D.A. Jeffrey Thomas could spend the next seven years in prison after his conviction in a 2021 assault case. A Windber woman says that Thomas sexually assaulted her inside her home. Thomas was convicted in March on charges including indecent assault, strangulation and false imprisonment. He was sentenced yesterday to a term of 27 months to 84 months in prison.
Governor Josh Shapiro is furthering efforts to look into last weekend's deadly house explosion in Plum. The governor has directed the state's Department of Environmental Protection to investigate the incident. DEP officials are working to determine whether methane gas released by either natural gas drilling or mining could have had something to do with the incident. The State Fire Commissioner is also assisting the Allegheny County Fire Marshal in the investigation.
Dunkin' Donuts is launching several different kinds of caffeinated alcoholic drinks in Pennsylvania and 11 other states. Dunkin' Spiked Iced Teas are shipping to stores in the Northeast and the company's Spiked Iced Coffees are expected to hit Dunkin' locations in September. The spiked coffees come in four flavors: original, mocha, caramel and vanilla. For iced tea, flavors include slightly sweet, half-and-half iced tea and lemonade, raspberry dragon fruit and mango pineapple. The coffees will have a six-percent alcohol content and the iced teas will have five-percent.
Gambling revenues in New Jersey hit a half-billion dollars last month, up by five-and-a-third percent over last year at this time. The July figure also represented a 10-point-7 percent increase over June. Looking at year-to-date figures, gambling revenues in New Jersey have increased by eleven percent this year to three-point-two billion dollars by the end of July.