Pennsylvania Improves But Remains Near Bottom In Air Quality Rankings

Still one of the most polluted states in the nation, Pennsylvania ranks third behind only Kentucky and Ohio in generation of toxic air pollution, with 78 percent of that total coming from coal-fired power plants.

Toxic air pollution generated by Pennsylvania power plants represents 10 percent of the total from all U.S. power plants.

But some good news can make Pennsylvanians breathe a bit easier: From 2009 to 2010, total toxic air pollution from all sources in the state dropped by 20 percent, including a 24 percent decline in toxic air pollution from coal-fired power plants.

On Thursday, the Natural Resources Defense Council released its second annual report, “Toxic Power: How Power Plants Contaminate our Air and States,” which lists the 20 states that produce the most toxic pollution. Pennsylvania improved slightly in its ranking, falling from second place in 2011 (based on 2009 data) with 50.5 million pounds of total toxic emissions to third place this year (based on 2010 data) with 40.3 million pounds.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-pa-polluted-20120810,0,1829133.story

Hail Of Bullets Ended Turnpike Chase

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Chester County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Chester County man who stole a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer during a high-speed pursuit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike faces numerous charges, troopers said Friday.

Matthew Malory, 28, of Downingtown led police on a wild chase from Lancaster Countyto Chester County, police said.  On two occasions, troopers fired shots at the rig to stop its progress.

The pursuit occurred partly during a thunderstorm and led to a six-hour traffic tie-up on the turnpike.

Police said Malory is being treated at Paoli Hospital for broken ribs suffered when he crashed the pickup near Morgantown.  He later used the stolen rig to ram other vehicles out of the way before crashing in Chester County.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=408022

Constables Fight To Keep Share Of Parking Ticket Fines

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Berks County state constables make hundreds of thousands of dollars each year serving warrants for unpaid citations issued by the Reading Parking Authority.

Last year, the authority helped draft a state bill that would allow it to handle its own delinquent parking tickets and collect an estimated $500,000 lost to what city officials call inefficiencies in the city’s constable and district court system. The measure, House Bill 1803, cleared the state House in June and was referred to the Senate.

Last month, fearing for their livelihoods, the constables launched a lobbying effort to kill the bill.

Led by Thomas Impink, elected state constable for Wernersville and president of the Pennsylvania State Constables Association, the constables pressured state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, a Delaware County Republican, to send the bill to committee, stalling its progress.

Read more:http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=408108