Pennsylvania American Water announced today its end-of-year investment total and system improvement recap for 2020. In just 12 months, the company invested $400 million to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure across the Commonwealth – delivering on its significant capital investment plan despite the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“Our goal at Pennsylvania American Water is to provide safe, reliable, environmentally responsible water and wastewater service to the 2.4 million Pennsylvanians who rely on us,” said Mike Doran, president of Pennsylvania American Water. “From source to tap and back to the source again, our team of professionals works hard to maintain and improve our facilities to keep them operating efficiently, meeting regulatory standards and delivering high quality water and wastewater service. I am so proud of our team for achieving these results while operating under new protocols to protect the health and safety of each other and our customers during this unprecedented year.”

Each year, Pennsylvania American Water invests hundreds of millions of dollars in its infrastructure to maintain and upgrade treatment and distribution (pipeline) systems. This includes improvements to treatment plants, wells, tanks, pump stations, pipes, valves, fire hydrants and metering equipment to sustain current operations while supporting resiliency for the future.

Pennsylvania American Water customers can see how the company put their monthly bills to work in 2020 on the company’s 2020 Infrastructure Upgrade Map. This web-based user-friendly map provides public transparency to how the company is investing in water main replacement projects throughout its service area as part of its overall system improvements.

“This year’s investments demonstrate our continued commitment to constantly replace and upgrade aging water infrastructure so that clean, safe water is there when you need it,” Doran continued. “Not only are these investments critical to the public’s health and safety, but they also support the economic health of the communities we serve. Economic impact studies show that for every $1 million invested in water infrastructure, more than 15 total jobs are generated throughout the economy, which means our investment in 2020 alone supported more than 6,200 jobs across the Commonwealth amidst a global pandemic.”

The company’s 2020 system improvement highlights include:

• Water and Wastewater Mains: Pennsylvania American Water invested approximately $130 million to replace more than 126 miles (667,747 feet) of aging water and sewer pipelines. Additionally, Pennsylvania American Water invested more than $3 million in automated leak detection equipment in 2020 to further enhance its ability to locate and repair leaks. As a result of this technology, the company found and repaired 369 non-surfacing leaks.

• Pennsylvania American Water invested more than $46 million for improvements to its water and wastewater treatment facilities across the state. Major projects included treatment upgrades at its Butler, Hershey, New Castle, Norristown, Silver Spring, Stony Garden, West Shore and Yardley water treatment plants and treatment and capacity upgrades at the Scranton wastewater treatment plant.  

• Hydrants, Valves and Service Lines: Pennsylvania American Water replaced over 1600 fire hydrants and 1300 valves across the state, an approximately $9.5 million investment, along with roughly 16,000 service lines totaling approximately $20 million.

• Tanks/Storage: Pennsylvania American Water rehabilitated five water tanks and one treatment unit as well as and conducted detailed inspections on more than 75 tanks, an investment totaling approximately $6 million.

Pennsylvania American Water also recently released its 2020 Community Impact Report, providing an overview of the company’s charitable giving and community engagement efforts throughout 2020. In total, the company contributed $848,000 to organizations in the community through grants, scholarships and COVID-19 relief donations as well as direct assistance to help customers pay their water or wastewater bill.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has granted The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s pioneering National Family Medicine Residency Program a full 10-year accreditation, the highest rating available.

The ACGME is a private, not-for-profit organization that sets quality standards for U.S. graduate medical education programs and renders accreditation decisions based on compliance with these standards of best practices.

Established in 2013, The Wright Center’s unique National Family Medicine Residency program was created to address America’s severe primary care workforce shortage and escalating rural healthcare disparities. Eighty-five family medicine doctors have graduated to date, with 50 more physician learners enrolled in the program that now spans four states and two coasts, with training locations in Tucson, Arizona (El Rio Community Health Center); New Richmond, Ohio (HealthSource of Ohio); Auburn, Washington (HealthPoint); and Washington, D.C. (Unity Health Care).

As the largest Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Consortium in the country, The Wright Center trains residents to provide care to the nation’s most vulnerable patients in high-performing, certified Patient-Centered Medical Homes, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and community-based hospitals. From humble beginnings in 1976 as the Scranton Temple Residency Program with just six internal medicine residents, it has blossomed into a physician-led, nonprofit organization with over 650 employees and close to 250 physician learners.

In earning full accreditation from the ACGME, The Wright Center has demonstrated compliance with ACGME’s rigorous standards and institutional requirements following initial accreditation in 2018 and a successful site visit this past September.

“For more than 45 years, The Wright Center has been committed to providing non-discriminatory, high-quality primary health care to the region’s underserved populations while creating the workforce pipeline America needs,” said Jumee Barooah, M.D., Designated Institutional Official for The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. “There really is no other residency in the country that unites physicians across America like our national family medicine program, and I’m thrilled to see our efforts recognized by the ACGME.”

The Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have officially accepted their invitation to remain the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees after signing Major League Baseball’s Professional Development License (PDL). The 10-year agreement will keep Yankees Triple-A baseball in Scranton Wilkes-Barre through the 2030 season.

“We are so excited to sign the PDL and formally accept the New York Yankees invitation to remain their Triple-A affiliate for the foreseeable future,” RailRiders President John Adams said. “The Yankees brand is second to none and we are fortunate to be able to call them our partner for many more years to come.”

Under the new PDL system, MLB will govern all aspects of MiLB moving forward. Back on December 9, each MLB club invited four minor league affiliates to join their farm systems. MiLB clubs were given a February 10 deadline to accept the terms of the PDL after receiving the governing documents in mid-January. Under the new PDL system, all affiliation agreements between MLB and MiLB clubs will be 10 years in length.

“We just can’t wait to have the Yankees and our fans back at PNC Field playing games again,” Adams said. “We look forward to the long-term stability that the new PDL provides and are excited to continue to highlight Scranton Wilkes-Barre as the best market in MiLB.”

Under the new PDL structure, MiLB will feature 120 teams competing across four levels, Triple-A, Double-A, High-A and Low-A, a change from the previous structure that included 160 clubs competing across six levels. The Yankees farm system is rounded out by the Double-A Somerset Patriots, High-A Hudson Valley Renegades and Low-A Tampa Tarpons.

Additional information regarding RailRiders’ 2021 schedule, league structure, coaching staff, roster and ticketing procedures will be announced in the near future.

Marywood University’s School of Business and Global Innovation (SBGI) will hold a Virtual Information Session for prospective students on Thursday, March 4, 2021. This event is free and open to prospective students. To register, please visit admissions.marywood.edu/register/business. Registrants will receive the virtual meeting ID and pin prior to the event.

The University’s School of Business and Global Innovation faculty, along with current Marywood SBGI students, will be in attendance to answer any questions that prospective students may have as they decide which higher education institution they would like to attend.

Marywood University’s SBGI is committed to improving the world by enabling students to acquire and develop their leadership competencies to meet the dynamic challenges of a knowledge-based global society and by nurturing values conducive to ethical and socially responsible behavior.

For additional information about Marywood University’s School of Business and Global Innovation Virtual Information Session, please visit admissions.marywood.edu/register/business, or contact Amy Washo, M.B.A., Ph.D., instructor in the SBGI, at awasho@marywood.edu.

Due to weather related conditions and the safety of all participants, The PIAA District II Committee announced today that the 2020-21 Class AA PIAA District II High Wrestling Championships scheduled for Friday, February 19^th will be postponed to Sunday, February 21^st at the ASM-Global managed Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township.

The District II High School Wrestling 2A and 3A Championship schedule is now as follows:

Saturday, February 20^th (3A Championships)

9:00am – Weigh-ins

10:00am – Wrestling

Sunday, February 21^st (2A Championships)

9:00am – Weigh-ins

10:00am – Wrestling

Ticket prices for the District II Wrestling finals at Mohegan Sun Arena are $8.00 for adults and students. Tickets will be sold by each participating school district and will be limited to comply with current local and state capacity restrictions for indoor facilities. Tickets will be valid for each event day only. A separate ticket must be purchased for each day. Parking fees are included with the ticket price. All tickets are general admission and will require guests to sit in specially marked seats to comply with social distancing guidelines. Tickets will not be sold in person at the NBT Bank Box Office at Mohegan Sun Arena. District II Gold passes will not be honored at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Mohegan Sun Arena is undergoing numerous enhancements to the venue to ensure patron safety including replacing restroom tile flooring with resin epoxy, installation of touchless bathroom fixtures, plexiglass partitions around concessions areas and activation of the ASM Global VenueShield program providing the highest levels of safety, security and consumer confidence, in alignment with approvals from local government officials and health care experts.  

ASM Global reminds everyone participating and attending these championship events to please adhere to the new hygiene and security policies in place for the safety of all participants, guests and employees at the Mohegan Sun Arena. All participants, guests, volunteers and venue staff will be required to wear a face covering upon entry to the venue. Face coverings must be worn at all times inside the venue with the exception of when consuming food or beverage. Mohegan Sun Arena will have limited concessions available for purchase during these events. Walk-through metal detectors will be in place at every arena entrance and fans will be permitted to bring their personal belongings in a clear tote not to exceed 12”x12”x6’. Purses, backpacks and diaper bags are no longer permitted inside Mohegan Sun Arena. For more information about this policy, please visit www.mohegansunarenapa.com/policies.

All student athletes, coaches and event officials must comply to the additional safety measures enacted by the PIAA for competition. For additional information about these policies, please visit www.piaad2.org.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation invites area students to apply online for eligible scholarship opportunities through their online scholarship portal.

Through the Scranton Area Community Foundation, over $400,000 in scholarship funding is available to eligible students seeking to continue their education.

Scholarship applications will be accepted until Thursday, April 1, 2021.

Additionally, the Scranton Area Community Foundation is also now accepting applications for the prestigious James F. Swift Scholarship, which provides local high school seniors graduating from a Lackawanna County high school $4,000 per year for each recipient for up to four years to assist with continuing education expenses. Twenty area students are annually selected for this prestigious scholarship through the James F. Swift Scholarship Fund administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation. Applications for the James F. Swift Scholarship are due by March 15, 2021, at 4:00 PM.

Detailed information about all of the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s scholarships including the James F. Swift Scholarship can be found on the Scranton Area Community Foundation website, safdn.org.

Johnson College announced today that it has earned the 2021-2022 Military Friendly® Top Ten School designation.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Over 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey with 747 earning the designation.

The 2021-2022 Military Friendly® Schools list will be published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at w ww.militaryfriendly.com.

Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey response set and government/agency public data sources, within a logic based scoring assessment. We measure the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Loan Default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

Jessica Farrell, the Director of Financial Aid and Certifying Veterans Official at Johnson College, said, “As the College’s certifying official, it’s my goal to make sure the process of using military benefits is streamlined and easy to understand. As the wife of a veteran I know first-hand the dedication and commitment these men and women have given to our Country and the last thing they should be worried about is how they are going to pay for their education.”

“Military Friendly® is committed to transparency and providing consistent data driven standards in our designation process. This creates a competitive atmosphere that encourages colleges to consistently evolve and invest in their programs. Schools who achieve designation show true commitment and dedication in their efforts. Our standards assist schools by providing a benchmark that promotes positive educational outcomes, resources, and support services that better the educational landscape and provide opportunity for the Military Community.” – Kayla Lopez, National Director of Military Partnerships, Military Friendly®

For more information about Johnson College’s student veteran programs, visit Johnson College’s website at https://johnson.edu/future-students/veterans/.