MARC (Montour Area Recreation commission) Announces Release of New Chillisquaque Creek Watershed Mapping and Visitors’ Information
Click here to view it
Blessed with abundant natural resources and more than 300 years of recorded settlement history, the Chillisquaque Creek Watershed is rich in history and resources alike. Encompassing an area of approximately 112 square miles in Montour, Northumberland, Columbia, and Lycoming Counties, the watershed includes more than 200 miles of waterways, including approximately 17.5 miles of the Chillisquaque Creek, from Washingtonville Borough to the creek’s confluence with the West Branch Susquehanna River, navigable by small watercraft during much of the year.
Numerous organizations – including the Montour County Conservation District, Chillisquaque-Limestone Watershed Association, Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bucknell University, Washingtonville Revitalization Committee, and MARC – have been working to rehabilitate, protect, and promote the Chillisquaque Creek Watershed.
MARC recognizes the tremendous potential of the Chillisquaque Creek and the roadways, landscapes, and rural communities within the watershed and is working to promote the cultural and recreational opportunities available in the area. With funding support by the Community Giving Foundation’s 2021 Danville Youth in Philanthropy program and the Montour County Commissioners’ Tourism Fund, administered by the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, MARC has been working to identify, map, and promote the many resources within the watershed.
MARC is pleased to release the new Chillisquaque Creek Watershed map and web page, intended to familiarize residents and visitors alike with the many natural and cultural points of interest throughout the watershed and to better allow all to understand the interrelatedness of the watershed’s many features. MARC thanks the following contributors for their significant support of this project: Tyler Dombroski – Mayor, Washingtonville Borough; Kit Kelley – Washingtonville Revitalization Committee; and Van Wagner – local environmental educator.
In the coming weeks and months, MARC will be releasing new brochures and mapping of bicycling routes in and around the Chillisquaque Creek watershed and a new paddlers’ map and brochure for the Chillisquaque Creek. In partnership with the Washingtonville Revitalization Committee and other partners, MARC plans to host a stream cleanup event and a paddling event on the Chillisquaque Creek in 2022 and is working to develop new public access locations along the stream.
MARC thanks the many individuals and organizations working toward a bright future for the Chillisquaque Creek Watershed and the Montour County region. The combined efforts make Montour County an increasingly great place to live, work, learn, and play.
McKonly & Asbury to Host January Webinar: Best Practices in Cash Flow Management
This free, one-hour webinar will take place on Thursday, January 27 at 2:00 p.m. EDT. One “Other (Management)” CPE credit is available for this webinar. The level for this CPE is basic and there are no prerequisites for attending. This program is a live webinar which offers the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the presenters.
Attendees of this McKonly & Asbury Webinar will gain insight on the following:
- How cash flow is defined
- Best practices in review of profit and loss and balance sheet activity
- Cash flow and impacts to valuation
Join David Blain, Partner and Director of Entrepreneurial Support & Client Accounting along with Lindsay Young, Senior Manager and Leader in the Entrepreneurial Services Group as they provide guidance on best practices in cash flow management to help organizations and businesses best monitor use of cash for business decision making purposes
Bloomsburg Children’s Museum Announces Gingerbread Competition Winners
The Bloomsburg Children’s Museum, 2 West 7th Street, is currently hosting its 6th Annual Gingerbread Competition. They received over 50 entries. The gingerbread creations are currently on display during regular Museum hours (Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.). They will remain on display through Saturday, January 8, 2022.
Winners are listed below and pictures can be found here.
Winners:
1st Place Child- Eleanor Harte
2nd Place Child- Ellen Mika
3rd Place Child- Raleigh Olsen
Honorable Mention Child-Addison McCormick
Honorable Mention Child- Sullivan Harte
Honorable Mention Child- Isaac Allbeck
Honorable Mention Child-Eleanor Houser
1st Place Family/Adult- Megan Allen
2nd Place Family/Adult- Nicole Allbeck
3rd Place Family/Adult- Christine Luschas
Director Choice Family/Adult- Karen Rauch
Staff Pick Family/Adult- Denise Bosworth
1st Place Kits- Etta Leighton
2nd Place Kits- Megan Allen
3rd Place Kits- Jen Spangler
1st Place Schools- Emmie Rowe from Central Columbia High School
2nd Place Schools-Evan Huckans & Izaiah Wynings from Central Columbia High School
3rd (tie) Schools- Kylie, Tessa, Madison from Columbia-Montour Area Vocational Technical School
3rd (tie) Schools- Hannah, Laura, Darrien, Fabian from Columbia-Montour Area Vocational Technical School
Staff Pick Schools- Hailee Blue and Mikayla Martinez from Columbia-Montour Area Vocational Technical School
1st Place Student- Hazel Gatski
2nd Place Student- Charlotte Olsen
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As of mid-2021, the FirstLight network spans over 24,000 miles of high-capacity fiber-optic cable throughout the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic areas. Visit www.firstlight.net for more information.
FirstLight Fiber joins 420 members of The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce to receive benefits and support the Chamber’s efforts to enhance the region.
The Chamber helped celebrate T-Mobile’s newest store in the area with a ribbon-cutting on Friday, December 17. The store is located at the Briar Creek Plaza, next to GIANT. T-Mobile was giving away prizes and the opportunity to write cards to military members.
When it comes to T-Mobile, customers come first. The company delivers wireless experiences that will leave the customers glowing. You can purchase phones, tablets, and accessories, upgrade, or trade-in your phones, activate home internet services and wireless or prepaid service. T-Mobile also offers small business plans and services, and expert account and device troubleshooting.
The store operates Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. You can learn more about T-Mobile by visiting the website or by calling the Briar Creek store at 272-226-5034.
T-Mobile joins 420 members of The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce to receive benefits and support the Chamber’s efforts to enhance the region.
From the PA Chamber of Business and Industry
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Friday that the Biden Administration could proceed with its COVID-19 vaccine or testing requirement for employers with 100 or more employees. This proposal, first promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in early November, had been enjoined by an earlier court decision. Plaintiffs have already appealed last week’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The mandate, which the Board of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce opposes, is scheduled to take effect Jan. 4, 2022, though OSHA announced this past weekend that it would not issue citations before Jan. 10 in order to give employers additional time to develop and implement policies. OSHA issued this proposal as an Emergency Temporary Standard, which expedites implementation and allows the agency to forgo the standard public comment period.
The ETS was issued as part of a series of Biden administration vaccine mandates, including one for federal contractors and another focused on the healthcare industry. Both of these additional mandates were similarly challenged in court and stayed, though a decision last week may allow the healthcare rule proceed in roughly half of the states, including Pennsylvania.
The Associated Press outlines what the ruling means for businesses.
From the Columbia Montour Chamber: Members have been inquiring about testing resources. A reminder that employers are not required to conduct or pay for employee testing. Area facilities that provide testing include the Bloomsburg Medicine Shoppe and WorkPlace Health. If you are a member that provides testing or knows of another resource, please contact us. The lowest-cost option we’ve identified to date is a home test that can be observed by the employer.
Last Wednesday, we held our Holiday Open House, sponsored by Montour Solar One, at the Pine Barn Inn in Danville. The networking event would not have been possible without the support of member sponsors. We want to send a big thank you to My Benefit Advisor, Java Momma, One Focus Property Management, Century 21 Covered Bridges, Service 1st Federal Credit Union, North Shore Railroad Company, BIDA, Luschas, Naparsteck & Crane LLP, McTish, Kunkel and Associates, McKonly & Asbury, First Keystone Community Bank and First Columbia Bank.
A highlight of the event is the local food and beverages our members provide. Participating members were Craft Catering, Flavor City Oils, Wild for Salmon, Steph’s Subs, Freas Farm Winery, Profile Coffee and Roasters, Turkey Hill Brewing Co., and the Farmhouse at Turkey Hill.
And what would a holiday gathering be without some giving? A number of attendees walked away with certificates for Bloomin’ Bagels and beautiful centerpieces from Pretty Petals and Gifts by Susan. Thanks to our guest bartenders from Java Momma, Bloomsburg Volunteer Ambulance Association, and the Bloomsburg Public Library, the event also raised $429 for non-profit organizations.
By Curtis Dubay, Senior Economist, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
When the Biden Administration or others suggest inflation is happening because businesses are price gouging, they are ignoring the hard and fast laws of supply and demand in a free enterprise system as well as how federal policies impact the economy.
Prices are rising for a variety of reasons, including the supply chain bottlenecks, workforce shortages, and excessive fiscal stimulus. Supply chain issues and the worker shortage are raising input costs for businesses. At the same time, fiscal stimulus from the various COVID packages has left Americans sitting on nearly $3 trillion of excess savings over and above the pre-COVID baseline, which is fueling increased demand.
More money chasing fewer goods is always a recipe for inflation.
Policymakers could make matters even worse by, for example, enacting the so-called “Build Back Better” bill. Over the next year plus, the reconciliation bill will increase inflationary pressures because of its deficit financed spending, transfer payments and tax cuts.
Click here to read more.
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Hibu joins 417 members of The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce to receive benefits and support the Chamber’s efforts to enhance the region.
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United Way of Columbia and Montour Counties to hold Recovery Resources Event
Being held at the Community Giving Foundation on W. Front Street in Berwick, this educational event will offer individuals and families experiencing substance use disorder access to free assessments, childcare resources, counseling, and more.
The event will be held Thursday. December 9th from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Click here for more details
Last week, the PA Department of Labor & Industry announced that it was refusing a request from statewide business organizations to extend the public comment period on a proposed rule that would overhaul the regulations governing tipped employees and clarifies how the base hourly rate for overtime of salaried employees is calculated.
In a letter to state officials, business leaders noted that the 30-day public comment period, which was announced in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on Nov. 20, does not allow enough time for employers to fully understand the proposal and provide comment.
The department’s proposed regulation covers five primary areas for tipped workers, including:
- Increasing by 450 percent the amount of tips an employee must receive monthly to qualify as a “tipped employee” from $30 to $135 before an employer can reduce an employee’s hourly pay from $7.25 per hour to $2.83 per hour.
- Codification of a recent federal regulation requiring that an employee spends at least 80 percent of their time on duties that directly generate tips, commonly known as the 80/20 rule.
- Allowing for tip pooling among tipped employees under certain circumstances.
- A prohibition on employers deducting credit card transaction charges from an employee’s tip left on a credit card.
- A requirement for employers to educate patrons on the employer’s use of service charges, clarifying that service charges are not gratuities for tipped employees.
The last day to submit comments is Dec. 20, 2021. Comments can be emailed to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission at irrc@irrc.state.pa.us. Reference Department of Labor and Industry, Regulation #12-114: Minimum Wage, IRRC Number 3322.
Click here for more details.