News For Constituents
From Senate Republican Policy Development & Research Office

---

Archive

January 6, 2012

2012 PA Farm Show Website Adapts for Smart Phone Use

No need to blindly plow through the display of nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits, and 300 commercial exhibitors on hand at the 96th Pennsylvania Farm Show set for January 7 - 14, 2012 in the PA Farm Show Complex and Expo Center off of Cameron Street at the edge of Harrisburg.

Go to the official 2012 Farm Show website to begin planning your excursion, relying on the interactive map and scheduling tools. Once you arrive, let your mobile device or smart phone help you navigate the 24-acre Complex. Using your browser, go to the smartphone-adaptable 2012 PA Farm Show website and you are ready for Farm Show fun.

You can search exhibitors and events, as well as set up the mapping tool noting your priorities along the way.

Walk Off the Holiday Excesses

Avoid cabin fever and fulfill a resolution to increase your activity level during the winter of 2012. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is connecting people with PA State Park activities such as walking, hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and tracking wildlife.

Don't sweat the snow; many of PA's State Parks are prepared with loaner snowshoes, even offering brief instructions and related information for a smooth excursion. Some state parks also offer trekking skis, on a first-come, first-served-basis, like the snowshoes.

Choose from a long list of special events to infuse the fun with activities like a little history lesson in the Pittsburgh countryside. Set out with a park naturalist from Laurel Hill State Park for a hike highlighting logging practices and exploring former logging railroads.

Those shunning the cold can slide into a cozy environmental education classroom for a little "Wild Warmth" focusing on animals in their winter survival mode or head to the Elk Country Visitor Center for a fascinating examination of Pennsylvania's coyote population.

The DCNR website is prepared to help you take advantage of the state's natural beauty by answering two questions about our great outdoors:

1. Where To Go
2. What To Do

An Unexpected "Gift" May Be Waiting For You

Abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, uncashed checks, contents of safe deposit boxes, and other valuables all amounting to some $1.8 billion in unclaimed property, await their rightful owners, according to the Pennsylvania Treasury. Some $99 million was returned to more than 72,000 owners during 2010.

Don't let your assets sit in the PA State Treasury; begin your search of the Unclaimed Property Database or call 1-800-222-2046.

You can avoid having your property fall into the unclaimed category and subsequently landing in the PA State Treasury with a few easy steps:

• Keep accurate records of bank accounts, stocks, safe deposit boxes, life insurance policies, and other financial matters.
• Correspond with all financial institutions holding savings, checking, IRA, certificate of deposit and all other accounts at least once every three years.
• Cash all checks for dividends, insurance benefits and wages. If you stop receiving dividends, contact the company that issues the dividends.
• Notify a family member or trusted adviser of the location of your financial records.
• Prepare a checklist of all financial assets in order to notify all concerned parties if you change your address.

The Treasury is reminding Pennsylvanians that unclaimed property may belong to businesses, as well as individuals, and encourages a quick look at the Unclaimed Property Frequently Asked Questions to ensure you locate any unexpected "gifts". Check out MissingMoney.com to search for unclaimed property in other states.

Winter Weather Car Conundrums

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation wants to help you avoid cold weather conundrums while on the road.

Before travelling in winter weather, have your mechanic ensure your vehicle is prepared by checking the:

• Battery
• Antifreeze
• Wipers and windshield washer fluid
• Ignition system
• Thermostat
• Lights
• Flashing hazard lights
• Exhaust system
• Heater
• Brakes
• Defroster
• Oil

While your mechanic readies your vehicle, PennDOT recommends you assemble a winter car emergency kit with items like bottled water, booster cables, and other basics in case of a break down in a blizzard. Consult the tips to avoid hazards during a blizzard, including carbon monoxide poisoning, frostbite, hypothermia, and a heart attack.

Be sure to bookmark PennDOT's PA 511 website to help you properly prepare for road conditions.

Preventing Hypothermia

Whether hunting or hiking, hypothermia can strike with exposure to air temperatures between 30 and 50 degrees, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

With exposure to a combination of wind, water, and cold temperatures, the following signs of hypothermia appear, including:

• slurred speech
• frequent stumbling
• loss of manual dexterity
• memory lapses
• exhaustion
• drowsiness

The PGC recommends 4 steps to begin reversing the effects of hypothermia:

1. Stop
2. Take shelter
3. Remove wet clothes
4. Warm the body

Fireplace and Home Heating Safety Saves Lives

Heating fires annually account for 36 percent of residential home fires in rural areas, according to the PA Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). In raw numbers, 3,700 are killed and more than 20,000 people are injured annually across the country. Direct property losses from fire are nearly $11 billion a year.

With more than one-third of us using fireplaces, wood stoves, and other fuel-fired appliances as our primary home heating method, the USFA offers tips within each of the following principles to help you avoid a home heating fire:

• Keep Fireplaces and Wood Stoves Clean
• Safely Burn Fuels
• Protect the Outside of Your Home
• Protect the Inside of Your Home

Creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes is all too frequently the culprit in home fires. The USFA offers a video describing the techniques for maintaining a clean system while building an enjoyable and safe recreational fire in your woodstove or fireplace.