The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Health & Safety Division will offer a series of free webinars on workplace safety throughout the month of November. Titled PATHS (PA Training for Health and Safety), these webinars will cover subjects such as emergency action plans, behavior-based safety, safe driving in inclement weather, hazardous waste management, dealing with angry people, and much more. Each webinar lasts approximately one hour depending on course material and viewer participation. For more information, to register, and for a complete listing of each webinar, visit the PATHS training calendar. 
(L-R): Fred Gaffney, president, Columbia Montour Chamber; Cassie Weaver, administrator, Columbia Child Development Program; Debbie Jones, CCDP Child Care Coordinator; Sylvia Costa, CCDP board member; Jennifer Johnson, CCDP administrative assistant; Bernie Landers, CCDP board member; Virginia Thompson & Marge Duck, daughters of Florence Thompson
The Chamber had the pleasure of being on hand to help cut the ribbon on the newly-dedicated Florence Thompson Memorial Playground at the Columbia Child Development Program on Friday afternoon, Oct. 20. Nearly 20 friends, donors and board members of CCDP were on hand to celebrate the new renovations on the playground, which included new, softer artificial turf. Thompson, a long time board member of CCDP, bequeathed funds to CCDP to help pay for the improvements to the playground. Her two daughters were on hand for the event, which was followed by a brief reception for the attendees.
A lively group of nearly 50 individuals enjoyed a catered meal and local beer and wine as they learned about the latest happenings in the Borough of Danville as well as some of SEDA-COG’s offerings at the Chamber’s October Business After Hours on Oct. 18, held at the Danville Borough building and co-hosted by Danville Borough and SEDA-COG. Attendees also had a chance to win a few prizes that were donated by Chamber member Service 1st Federal Credit Union.
Representatives from SEDA-COG made some brief remarks during the event and spoke about the history of SEDA-COG and how some of its programs, including a limited-time, ultra-low interest loan program, can help and benefit small businesses.
Business After Hours provide regular opportunities to build business relationships while learning about the services offered by other Chamber members. The next Business After Hours will be held at Berwick Floral & Gift, located at 201 West Second St., Berwick, on Wednesday, Nov. 15, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
From Bloomsburg Family Chiropractic, PLLC
Chiropractic is a conservative health care method to diagnose and treat disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Conditions we treat include the following:
- Low back pain
- Neck pain
- Headaches
- Disc Herniations
- Shoulder Pain
- Hip and Knee pain
- Foot and Ankle pain
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Wrist pain
- Carpal Tunnel
- Back pain during pregnancy
- Arthritis
- Auto Accident Injuries
- Whiplash
- Sciatica
- TMJ pain
- Sports injuries
- Fibromyalgia
Using a hands-on approach, multiple techniques are employed to increase joint mobility, decrease muscle tension, and reduce pain. These techniques include manipulation, muscle work, stretching, or lifestyle recommendations.
Chiropractic manipulation or “adjustments” help to increase mobility of a spinal segment or extremity joint that is restricted in its motion. This is also known as being hypomobile. Adjustments are performed by moving a joint to the end of its motion, and applying a quick, controlled force, either manually or with an instrument. This quick motion gaps the joint, which reduces the pressure within the joint capsule, causing carbon dioxide within the joint to be released. The release of gas is the audible “pop” or “crack” frequently felt in association with the adjustment. Manipulation is safe for all ages, and is very effective.
Myofascial release is a manual therapy technique to reduce muscle spasm. The chiropractor applies sustained pressure to the muscle or tendon, which causes the muscle to relax or lengthen. A variety of stretching techniques can help to reduce muscle spasm as well, including static stretching (traditional standing or sitting in one place with tension on a particular muscle) or post-isometric release (PIR) stretching. For PIR, a healthcare provider passively stretches a patient’s muscle, then the patient contracts the muscle against resistance for approximately 10 seconds. When the patient stops contracting the muscle, the healthcare provider is able to passively stretch that muscle even further than before, since the antagonist muscle (opposite) has relaxed.
In addition to the in-office treatments, chiropractors may recommend nutritional supplements to patients or lifestyle changes that will prevent musculoskeletal disorders in the future. Supplements are recommended on an individual basis, but for example, a patient who experiences frequent fatigue may be instructed to take iron or B vitamin complex depending on the cause of the fatigue. Lifestyle changes are also patient-dependent, but typically are based around activities of daily living that are perpetuating poor posture or poor spine health. An example of this would be lifting from a flexed position, rather than lifting with a neutral spine or “straight back.” Another example of a lifestyle change might be moving the height of the monitor for a person who sits at a computer daily for their occupation. Ideally, you want your computer screen to fall just below eye level, so that your neck does not need to be extended to look up at the screen, or flexed to look down significantly.
Overall, the goal of chiropractic is to find the cause of your pain/discomfort and reduce it or eliminate it so that you can function optimally. All treatments work together, and cumulatively aim to have this effect.
For more information on chiropractic, contact either Bloomsburg Family Chiropractic or Hoch Chiropractic Center.
Member News
- The Bloomsburg Area Landlord’s Association will sponsor another Candidate Forum for candidates running for Bloomsburg Town Council and Mayor tonight, Oct. 18, from 7-9 p.m. at the Greenly Center, 50 East Main St., Bloomsburg. This forum follows the first candidate forum, which was co-sponsored by the Chamber’s Joint Governmental Affairs Committee and the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau last week.
- The United Way of Columbia and Montour County, AGAPE Love from Above to our Community and the Coalition for Social Equity will hold the final event of a three-part series that explores the barriers our fellow community residents who live in poverty face every day. It will take place on Tuesday, Oct 24 at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 345 Market St., Bloomsburg. Join them to learn more and be part of the solution. Registration is not required. For more information, visit the United Way website.
- The Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) will hold a three-part training series on supply chain strategy. All three sessions in the series are free and will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 24, Thursday, Nov. 2 and Wednesday, Dec. 6. The first two sessions will be held at the TekRidge Center, 50 Alberigi Dr., Jessup, and the final session will be held at the NEPIRC Training Center, 75 Young St., Wilkes-Barre. Dates, times and titles of each session along with links to more information and to register, are below.
Oct. 24, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Risk Management
Nov. 2, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Total Cost of Ownership
Dec. 6, 8:30 a.m. – noon – Competition is no Longer Between Companies – it is Between Supply Chains
- The Bloomsburg Area YMCA will host a blood drive benefiting the American Red Cross on Wednesday, Oct. 25 from 12-5 p.m. in its gymnasium, located at 30 East 7th St., Bloomsburg. All donors will receive a Halloween-themed t-shirt while supplies last. Sign up at the front desk, call 800-733-2767 or online at redcrossblood.org to donate.
- Jazz and world music vocalist Somi will perform on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Weis Center For the Performing Arts at Bucknell University.
Jazz and world music vocalist Somi.
The performance is free and tickets are not required. There will also be a free pre-performance talk with the artist from 6:45-7:15 p.m. in the Atrium Lobby. Blending modern jazz, African music and the singer-songwriter tradition, Somi’s latest album, Petite Afrique, is an amalgamation of the musical and cultural worlds that resonate with Somi as an African and American woman and a proud native of Harlem.
- Co., a social and professional networking group that is run by the United Way of Columbia and Montour County, will hold a fun evening at Can You XCape followed by a mixer at the Wagon Shed on Thursday, Oct. 26, beginning at 6 p.m. Co. was founded to give area residents the opportunity to take advantage of all the great things this area has to offer. This group is for everyone, which means any age, ability, or area of residence. It holds multiple events each month. For more information about Co., including future events, visit its Facebook page.
- PPL Electric Utilities and its supply chain division is hosting a Diversity Meet and Greet event on Friday, Nov. 17, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the PPL Conference Center at Walbert, 1639 Church Rd., Allentown. This event is designed for business owners who are veterans, women, minorities, LGBT and disabled, to have an opportunity to find out more about PPL and its opportunities for suppliers. Attendees will have a chance to meet and speak to PPL leaders and the staff that works with suppliers. There is no cost to attend, but those interested in attending should register online by Friday, Oct. 27. For more information, see this flyer.
- The Bloomsburg Area YMCA will host its annual Trunk or Treat Halloween event on Friday, Oct. 27, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at its location at 30 East 7th St., Bloomsburg. Join it, The Exchange, AGAPE Love From Above to our Community, First Keystone Community Bank and others for a night of spooky family fun. There will be fun activities, a haunted walk-through and plenty of Halloween candy. The Bloomsburg YMCA Y-Care program, a before and after-school program for children, will also be waiving its registration fee on Oct. 27. For more information on this event, visit the Bloomsburg Y’s website.
- The Bucknell Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will hold a cybersecurity workshop, which will be specially tailored to small businesses on Friday, Oct. 27, from 8:30-11:30 a.m. at the Elaine Langone Center, Center Room on the Bucknell campus in Lewisburg. Last year, almost half of all cyberattacks targeted small businesses and two out of every three small businesses hit by a cyberattack close within a few months of the disruption. Come to this workshop to learn how to arm your small business against cyberattacks and connect with resources who can help. The cost of $49. Register online or call Shelley at 570-577-1249.
- The Ken Pollock Auto Group will team up with Operation Kidsafe to hold Kid Safety Day on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. in which parents can bring their children to get a free digital finger prints and photos. Parents can get the finger prints and pictures to authorities to aid an investigation anywhere in the world. This event will be held at Ken Pollock Volvo Cars, 339 Highway 315, Pittston. Ken Pollock Auto Group will also hold its 4th annual Trunk or Treat at four locations, including Ken Pollock Ford Lincoln at 1120 West Front St., Berwick, on Oct. 31. All day long on Halloween, there will be treats in all the vehicles in the showroom for the children. Costumes are encouraged.
- PA CareerLink of Columbia/Montour Counties, along with the Innovative Manufacturers Center (IMC), will host a collaborative robot workshop on Monday, Oct. 30, from 9-11:30 a.m. at the Pine Barn Inn, Danville. There is no cost to attend and a light breakfast will be served. Around the world, thousands of robots work collaboratively alongside humans with no safety guards and no problems. Come and learn about universal robots, robot programming, end effector solutions, stands and protective covering, and participate in hands-on activities. Visit online to register or learn more about this event.
- The Bucknell Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will hold a pair of training sessions for those interested in learning Quickbooks. The first session, titled Basic Quickbooks, will be on Thursday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the DeWitt Building third floor, 416 Market. St., Lewisburg, and is intended for beginners or those new to Quickbooks. The second session, titled Intermediate Quickbooks, will be on Friday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the same location. The cost is $75 per class. For more information or to register, visit online or call Shelley at 570-577-1249. Veterans are welcome to attend at no charge.
- Innotek Computer Consulting will host its annual Technology and Security Expo on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at Sand Springs Country Club, 10 Clubhouse Dr., Drums. This annual event, billed as “Northeast Pennsylvania’s biggest technology and security expo,” brings together IT managers, executives and business owners to discuss the impact of technology and security on business. There is no cost to attend. For more information or to register, visit the event page on Innotek’s website, or the Facebook event page.
- The Bucknell Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will hold the last portion of its HR 20/20 workshop series on Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at its DeWitt Building location in downtown Lewisburg. This session will focus on conflict management and will feature Tina Welch, from Welch Performance Consulting. The cost to attend is $40. Visit online to register or for more information, or call Shelley at 570-577-1249.
- Along with the Bloomsburg University Regional STEM Education Center, the Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber will co-sponsor the Future Careers Expo on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Kehr Union Ballroom on the BU campus. The annual event allows attendees to explore career in science, technology, engineering and math and it open to all students in grades 7-12, as well as their parents. Participants can receive a BU application fee waiver just for attends, and there will also be door prizes for those that sign up. For more information and to register, visit here. For businesses that are interested in participating as vendors, please fill out this form and return it to the email address on the form by Oct. 20. For questions from businesses, please call the Chamber Foundation at 570-784-2522 or email.
- In honor of Veterans Day, Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital will hold a dinner celebration for veterans on Thursday, Nov. 9 at the GBH dining room in which it will provide a complimentary meal for all veterans and one guest each. There will be four seatings at 3, 4, 5 and 6 p.m. All veterans and a guest are invited as Geisinger celebrates your service to the United States. Reservations are required by Nov. 3, as seating is limited. Call 570-387-2145 to reserve your seat. The buffet dinner includes carved roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, green beans, beverages and cake and ice cream.
- State Rep. Dave Millard will host his third annual Veterans Expo on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. – noon at Central Columbia High School, located at 4777 Old Berwick Rd., Bloomsburg. Exhibitors with veteran-related information will be available.
From PA Chamber of Business & Industry
Last week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that he had directed his agency to move forward with a proposed rulemaking to formally rescind the Clean Power Plan in its entirety. The Clean Power Plan is a sweeping regulation that sought significant and costly emissions reductions from the power generation sector as a whole. The Trump administration’s EPA is arguing that the legal justification for the Clean Power Plan was fatally flawed by establishing “outside the fence” regulatory obligations for power plants.
Due to the harsh financial impacts the plan would have had on energy-intensive industries, the PA Chamber was one of the lead parties on a 166-organization amicus brief submitted as part of the litigation that led to the nationwide stay (or suspension) of the CPP.
We are now seeking our members’ thoughts and input on the notice to rescind, along with any comments on possible paths forward with respect to a replacement rule. It should be noted that EPA is not proposing to rescind the endangerment finding for greenhouse gasses, meaning that the agency is still legally required to regulate greenhouse gasses in some fashion, if not the approach sought with the Clean Power Plan.
Also, on Sept. 28, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that it was directing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to take action on a rule that, as proposed, would require regional transmission operators, such as PJM, which manage wholesale power markets, to provide full cost recovery for power plants that can store 90 days or more of fuel on site, such as coal and nuclear power generation. DOE is justifying its actions with the notion that current wholesale market pricing constructs are not adequately valuing resilience and reliability attributes of such power plants.
Such a proposal would be a significant departure from current energy market structures, and such cost recovery would be borne by ratepayers. The PA Chamber is seeking immediate feedback on this issue. For more information on the Grid Resiliency Pricing rule, please click here.
From MePush
A new Windows update is breaking computers. There is a new development, but here is what we know:
1. A Windows 10 update that was released last week has been found to cause some computers to blue screen and, in some cases, get stuck restarting.
2. A fix is planned but not in place as of right now
3. You might have Windows updates pending and this bad update might be one of them.
How can you help prevent this update from breaking your computer?
1. Do not turn off or restart your computer. This will prevent the broken update from having a chance to complete it’s installation.
2. We recommend leaving your computer up and running until Microsoft releases an updated fix for this problem.
3. We make this recommendation to all of our customers.
This is informational only. There is nothing we can do to help at this point. We just have to wait until Microsoft fixes this issue. If you have already experienced this problem and it boots to the repair screen, do not attempt any repair options. This could erase your data.
Once again this year, the state budget impasse has held up the popular Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. Following a letter signed by 79 House Republicans to Governor Wolf, the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) began sending out approval letters the week of Oct. 9. As there are several thousand letters to be sent, the process will take a number of weeks for DCED to complete.
The process of approval will follow its normal course, which is:
- The first approval letters will be for applications filed for year 2 of a previously approved 2-year application;
- The next approval letters will be to those companies filing “initial” applications to launch another 2-year cycle that were eligible to file those applications on May 15 with the “preference”;
- If credits remained after June 30 in any of the various program categories (SO, EIO, Pre-K and OSTC), the final set of approval letters will go to those companies applying on or after July 1st until those individual categories of credits are exhausted.
As always, the requisite 60-day period for disbursements will be in effect, with the same 30-day “window” to provide proof to DCED of charitable gifts by forwarding them letters from any qualified charities to which businesses are making EITC or OSTC gifts. For businesses that intend to take credits on 2017 tax returns, and are on a calendar fiscal year, disbursements must be made on or before Dec. 31, irrespective of when approval letter(s) arrive. Businesses do not have to wait for the actual letter before making qualified gifts, which may be especially relevant for those in year two, as your credits are virtually guaranteed.
On Monday, Oct. 9, Bloomsburg Town Council voted 6-1 to advertise an ordinance that would add considerable detail to the Town Manager’s job description. In previous public meetings regarding this issue, the Chamber has suggested that Council take a more comprehensive approach to detailing the processes of Town Hall. At the most recent Council meeting, the Chamber offered specific suggestions on how to improve communications.
An original draft of the ordinance was considered by Council earlier in the summer. Public concern over the language as well as the process by which the draft was developed led Council to send the ordinance back to committee for further discussion. Following several public workshops, the Town’s Personnel Committee was working on revising the draft ordinance. However, the Administration/Finance Committee forwarded a version at its meeting Oct. 4, and another version was apparently sent to Council members the afternoon of Oct. 9.
“I hope you can appreciate how difficult it is for the public to follow issues,” said Chamber President Fred Gaffney at the Oct. 9 meeting.
During the Bloomsburg Candidate Forum held Oct. 4, several of the incumbent Council members asked that concerns be brought to them proactively to be discussed and addressed, rather than having contentious Council meetings. With the confusion regarding the development of this ordinance, the Chamber again suggested that all committee meeting agendas, prior meeting minutes, and relevant materials be placed on the town’s website in advance of meetings.
“This would allow all interested parties time to review materials, gather information, ask questions, and provide relevant feedback at appropriate times,” said Gaffney. “Refining the process should save time and money, and encourage more positive collaboration within Town Hall and with the public.”
The Chamber will be working on a list of other concerns to present to the incoming Town Council following the November election.
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, the presidents of the PA Chamber, Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia sent a letter to U.S. Senator Pat Toomey, asking that he urge the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to act on the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. “Perkins CTE” would accompany the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which was passed in the U.S. House earlier this year and earned the support of the letter’s signatories.
“As you know, Pennsylvania employers are currently reporting a shortage of skilled workers to fill in-demand positions,” they wrote. “Modernized and relevant CTE programs, designed with the input of employers and responsible for the needs identified by labor market data, are central to overcoming this skilled labor shortage.”
The letter also outlined the ways in which existing law can be improved to help close the jobs skills gap, including aligning CTE programs to the needs of state, regional and local labor markets; supporting collaboration between educators and employers; increasing student participation in work-based learning opportunities; and promoting the use of credentials upon completion of these programs.
Locally, Columbia Montour Chamber member Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School is a recipient of Perkins CTE Act funds.
Here is the full letter.