The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will soon convert its tolling system to Open Road Rolling east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension. The Open Road Tolling system will be in place in January 2025. The turnpike was opened in 1940 with a cash collection system, then in the 2000’s the EZ pass was added.

Craig Shuey, Chief Operating Officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, says the Open Road Tolling (OTR) system will be safer for drivers, and will be better for the environment.

“When we remove the toll plazas, the 6 or 7 lanes that exist in many of those areas will be shrunk down to a smaller number of lanes, moving the same amount of traffic more efficiently with less, less impervious surface. So, we'll be able to pull up the pavement, refocus the lanes, you know, recede and allow a more natural environment to, to, to be a part of the, of the landscape than all of the buildings and structures that go along with our existing toll plazas, “said Shuey.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) believes the OTR system is what their customers prefer. According to PTC, more than 86 percent of drivers own an EZ pass, indicating a preference for electronic payments.

“So, what our customers are telling us is they don't really want to stop anymore. They for a while, they were really, you know, struggling. They weren't carrying cash. So that was becoming a bit of an issue. But by and large, the motoring public wants to keep going to get to this destination. So, what this allows us to do is really shoulder in with the majority of our customers and give them the free-flowing experience that I think they've been looking for, “said Shuey.

This summer, PTC has also been focused on warning the public of the rise of Smishing Scams. It’s basically a text message claiming to be from PA turnpike.

“So, what was happening is you were getting a text to your phone that said, you owe the Pennsylvania Turnpike $8 or something to that effect. And if you pay it now, it will grow to $86. And they give you a, a fake website that looks like the words PA turnpike.com, which is not, but enough to close enough to fool your eyes. And when you click on that and give them your credit card information, they then use your credit card for, for, to make charges that obviously you are not, authorizing, “said Shuey.

Those who receive a fraudulent text can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. That is a site dedicated to sharing information on Internet crimes across law enforcement agencies

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will soon convert its tolling system to Open Road Rolling east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension. The Open Road Tolling system will be in place in January 2025. The turnpike was opened in 1940 with a cash collection system, then in the 2000’s the EZ pass was added.
Craig Shuey, Chief Operating Officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, says the Open Road Tolling (OTR) system will be safer for drivers, and will be better for the environment.
“When we remove the toll plazas, the 6 or 7 lanes that exist in many of those areas will be shrunk down to a smaller number of lanes, moving the same amount of traffic more efficiently with less, less impervious surface. So, we'll be able to pull up the pavement, refocus the lanes, you know, recede and allow a more natural environment to, to, to be a part of the, of the landscape than all of the buildings and structures that go along with our existing toll plazas, “said Shuey.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) believes the OTR system is what their customers prefer. According to PTC, more than 86 percent of drivers own an EZ pass, indicating a preference for electronic payments.
“So, what our customers are telling us is they don't really want to stop anymore. They for a while, they were really, you know, struggling. They weren't carrying cash. So that was becoming a bit of an issue. But by and large, the motoring public wants to keep going to get to this destination. So, what this allows us to do is really shoulder in with the majority of our customers and give them the free-flowing experience that I think they've been looking for, “said Shuey.
This summer, PTC has also been focused on warning the public of the rise of <a href="https://www.paturnpike.com/news/details/2024/04/07/pa-turnpike-alerts-e-zpass-users-of-phishing-scam">Smishing Scams</a>. It’s basically a text message claiming to be from PA turnpike.
“So, what was happening is you were getting a text to your phone that said, you owe the Pennsylvania Turnpike $8 or something to that effect. And if you pay it now, it will grow to $86. And they give you a, a fake website that looks like the words PA turnpike.com, which is not, but enough to close enough to fool your eyes. And when you click on that and give them your credit card information, they then use your credit card for, for, to make charges that obviously you are not, authorizing, “said Shuey.
Those who receive a fraudulent text can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/" data-sf-ec-immutable="">www.ic3.gov</a>. That is a site dedicated to sharing information on Internet crimes across law enforcement agencies

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

PA Turnpike to launch Open Road Tolling System

The One World Festival in Lancaster will be held Sept. 8 at the Franklin and Marshall College at the Alumni Sports and Fitness Center. Deepa Balepur, Chair of the One World Festival Committee and Tom Daniels, Performance Coordinator of the festival appeared on The Spark to promote the festival. The festival was born in 2018, as Deepa was attending the Asian Indian Festival.

 "I would say a native Lancastrian who came up to me and said, you know, this is such a great thing you guys are doing. It is wonderful learning about different cultures. And this is a very special day for me. And I asked her, I said, why do you say that? And she said, well, I love Indian food, so I'm starting my day here. I'm going to have lunch, and then I'm going to head over to, Business Park where the, African American Festival is happening. And after that, I'm going to go to Long's Park because that's where the Latin American festival is happening. You know, it would be really cool if you guys could all get together and do this in one location. Not only would it be super convenient, but it would also be so much fun and such a great exposure of, you know, the different cultures that exist in our wonderful community. So that thought kind of just stuck with me. So the next morning, I reached out to the organizers of the other two festivals and told them the story and said, if you're interested, let's talk. And, they were very interested in continuing the conversation. So I would say that's really where the seed of the One World Festival got planted, "said Balepur.

The event is free and open to the public. The festival showcases a variety of food, cultural heritage, music, dancing, and performances embracing different cultures.

"So, you know, it's, you you walk into the room and they will you will be welcomed by a lot of color and music and, nonstop performances. The aroma of the food, which is, you know, representative of food from different parts of the world, merchants and artisans showcasing products that they're looking to sell or handicrafts, different arts and crafts. It's really a very, vibrant and inviting and welcoming environment, "said Balepur.

The <a href="https://oneworldfestivallancaster.org/">One World Festival</a> in Lancaster will be held Sept. 8 at the Franklin and Marshall College at the Alumni Sports and Fitness Center. Deepa Balepur, Chair of the One World Festival Committee and Tom Daniels, Performance Coordinator of the festival appeared on The Spark to promote the festival. The festival was born in 2018, as Deepa was attending the Asian Indian Festival.
 "I would say a native Lancastrian who came up to me and said, you know, this is such a great thing you guys are doing. It is wonderful learning about different cultures. And this is a very special day for me. And I asked her, I said, why do you say that? And she said, well, I love Indian food, so I'm starting my day here. I'm going to have lunch, and then I'm going to head over to, Business Park where the, African American Festival is happening. And after that, I'm going to go to Long's Park because that's where the Latin American festival is happening. You know, it would be really cool if you guys could all get together and do this in one location. Not only would it be super convenient, but it would also be so much fun and such a great exposure of, you know, the different cultures that exist in our wonderful community. So that thought kind of just stuck with me. So the next morning, I reached out to the organizers of the other two festivals and told them the story and said, if you're interested, let's talk. And, they were very interested in continuing the conversation. So I would say that's really where the seed of the One World Festival got planted, "said Balepur.
The event is free and open to the public. The festival showcases a variety of food, cultural heritage, music, dancing, and performances embracing different cultures.
"So, you know, it's, you you walk into the room and they will you will be welcomed by a lot of color and music and, nonstop performances. The aroma of the food, which is, you know, representative of food from different parts of the world, merchants and artisans showcasing products that they're looking to sell or handicrafts, different arts and crafts. It's really a very, vibrant and inviting and welcoming environment, "said Balepur.

One World Festival in Lancaster celebrates diversity

It's been ten years since the spotted lanternflies began showing up in Pennsylvania. Brian Walsh, Spotted Lanternfly Researcher at Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences began noticing the insects when he was a landscaper years ago.

"I was running a landscaping business, and it lanternfly landed very close to where we worked from just a few miles. And we realized that what we were seeing on the ground didn't really match up with what we were being told by some of the government agencies that were responding. And so we had to do our own research to figure out what would work to kill them and do our best with, helping our customers to, help keep their trees alive. At the time, we thought that all the trees and shrubs that they were feeding on were going to be killed by lanternfly, "said Walsh.

Soon after, Walsh joined the researches at Penn State College. He learned spotted lanternflies are prolific, and they feed on just about anything.

"It has a hugely varied diet and it uses the entire landscape. A lot of, insect pests will focus on one or maybe a few, different host plants, in, throughout the landscape. But spotted lanternfly is able to use pretty much anything that's available to it from all the way down to weeds and weedy grasses right up through full sized trees, depending on where they are in the lifecycle stage. And because it can move freely through a huge amount of our landscape, it's like trying to catch a moving target when you're trying to control, "said Walsh.

For years, it was believed that the spotted lanternflies only fed on grapes, and trees of haven. However, researches have found the invasive species will feed on black walnuts, maple trees, and more.

"We know that there are several others that are also preferred hosts. And it kind of depends on the time of the year when the nymphs are very small, they'll feed on just about anything shrubs, small shrubs, weedy plants, just perennial weeds and roadside ditches. They're happy that anything that's off that they can get a meal from, they'll do it and they move. They move constantly. When we see the fourth in stars, and early adults, it's really where we see the, the lanternfly start to congregate more and we'll start seeing them grouped up more. We see black walnut is a very common host at that time period. Black walnut is very common and very important hardwood tree in Pennsylvania. And there's a lot of it, especially through the southern part of the state. They really prefer the black walnut. And then later on in the fall, we see a lot of movement towards maple trees, red maple syrup, silver maples. And they will they will use this to finish out the lifecycle and lay their eggs. So it's a it's a moving target. It's a moving diet, "said Walsh.

Even though ten years have passed, it is still important that the spotted lanternflies are killed because they cause so much damage to our crops.

"If you're not comfortable using insecticides, you can. You can just squash them with a fly swatter. Stomp on them. The important thing is, if you find them in a place where they're not known to be yet, make sure to report them. Report them to the Department of Agriculture, "said Walsh.

It's been ten years since the spotted lanternflies began showing up in Pennsylvania. Brian Walsh, Spotted Lanternfly Researcher at Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences began noticing the insects when he was a landscaper years ago.
"I was running a landscaping business, and it lanternfly landed very close to where we worked from just a few miles. And we realized that what we were seeing on the ground didn't really match up with what we were being told by some of the government agencies that were responding. And so we had to do our own research to figure out what would work to kill them and do our best with, helping our customers to, help keep their trees alive. At the time, we thought that all the trees and shrubs that they were feeding on were going to be killed by lanternfly, "said Walsh.
Soon after, Walsh joined the researches at Penn State College. He learned spotted lanternflies are prolific, and they feed on just about anything.
"It has a hugely varied diet and it uses the entire landscape. A lot of, insect pests will focus on one or maybe a few, different host plants, in, throughout the landscape. But spotted lanternfly is able to use pretty much anything that's available to it from all the way down to weeds and weedy grasses right up through full sized trees, depending on where they are in the lifecycle stage. And because it can move freely through a huge amount of our landscape, it's like trying to catch a moving target when you're trying to control, "said Walsh.
For years, it was believed that the spotted lanternflies only fed on grapes, and trees of haven. However, researches have found the invasive species will feed on black walnuts, maple trees, and more.
"We know that there are several others that are also preferred hosts. And it kind of depends on the time of the year when the nymphs are very small, they'll feed on just about anything shrubs, small shrubs, weedy plants, just perennial weeds and roadside ditches. They're happy that anything that's off that they can get a meal from, they'll do it and they move. They move constantly. When we see the fourth in stars, and early adults, it's really where we see the, the lanternfly start to congregate more and we'll start seeing them grouped up more. We see black walnut is a very common host at that time period. Black walnut is very common and very important hardwood tree in Pennsylvania. And there's a lot of it, especially through the southern part of the state. They really prefer the black walnut. And then later on in the fall, we see a lot of movement towards maple trees, red maple syrup, silver maples. And they will they will use this to finish out the lifecycle and lay their eggs. So it's a it's a moving target. It's a moving diet, "said Walsh.
Even though ten years have passed, it is still important that the spotted lanternflies are killed because they cause so much damage to our crops.
"If you're not comfortable using insecticides, you can. You can just squash them with a fly swatter. Stomp on them. The important thing is, if you find them in a place where they're not known to be yet, make sure to report them. Report them to the Department of Agriculture, "said Walsh.

What researchers have learned about the Spotted Lanternfly

Boar's Head recalled seven million more pounds of deli meat due to a listeria outbreak. That outbreak follows an earlier recall of more than 200 thousand pounds of deli meat by the same company. Those outbreaks have been reported in Pennsylvania and 12 other states. Martin Bucknavage, Senior Extension Program Specialist with the Penn State Department of Food Science says if this product is in your refrigerator, it should be a concern.

"Throw it away, as they say. Not only that. Also making sure that you go through and clean your. Your refrigerator door or wherever you have that that product stored. Are the stories of. Is a very harmful organism, especially people for those people in high risk categories, "said Bucknavage.

The symptoms and side effects of listeria includes an upset stomach, a rise in temperature, and possible body aches.

"Oftentimes because this is a longer type of, infection, we're not going to see this like immediately right after you eat food with listeria and like, you're not going to immediately get sick. But what we're going to see is that over time, over a period of time, you know, weeks, you know, you could start to see these, the symptoms, and certainly any time that somebody, you know. Get that. It's important to go immediately to the to the to that, to the to see a doctor, "said Bucknavage.

Bucknavage says when grocery shopping, it is very important to pay close attention to the sell by, prepare by, and expiration dates.

"If you're going to spend money on something, it's important to make sure you're tracking those dates and you're using it. Especially for the standpoint that you want to get it. While it's at its best quality at a lot of these dates are based on more of a quality parameter, "said Bucknavage.

Boar's Head recalled seven million more pounds of deli meat due to a listeria outbreak. That outbreak follows an earlier recall of more than 200 thousand pounds of deli meat by the same company. Those outbreaks have been reported in Pennsylvania and 12 other states. Martin Bucknavage, Senior Extension Program Specialist with the Penn State Department of Food Science says if this product is in your refrigerator, it should be a concern.
"Throw it away, as they say. Not only that. Also making sure that you go through and clean your. Your refrigerator door or wherever you have that that product stored. Are the stories of. Is a very harmful organism, especially people for those people in high risk categories, "said Bucknavage.
The symptoms and side effects of listeria includes an upset stomach, a rise in temperature, and possible body aches.
"Oftentimes because this is a longer type of, infection, we're not going to see this like immediately right after you eat food with listeria and like, you're not going to immediately get sick. But what we're going to see is that over time, over a period of time, you know, weeks, you know, you could start to see these, the symptoms, and certainly any time that somebody, you know. Get that. It's important to go immediately to the to the to that, to the to see a doctor, "said Bucknavage.
Bucknavage says when grocery shopping, it is very important to pay close attention to the sell by, prepare by, and expiration dates.
"If you're going to spend money on something, it's important to make sure you're tracking those dates and you're using it. Especially for the standpoint that you want to get it. While it's at its best quality at a lot of these dates are based on more of a quality parameter, "said Bucknavage.

PA Turnpike to launch Open Road Tolling System

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