The NWS at State College issued the warning to last until 7 p.m. 

“A severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Walnut Bottom, moving east at 25 mph,” the NWS stated in a release. 

The impact possible is flying debris, mobile homes could be damaged or destroyed, and there could be damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles.

The radar shows the storm to be in the following areas:

• Pine Grove Furnace around 630 PM EDT.
• Mount Holly Springs around 640 PM EDT.
• This includes Interstate 81 from mile markers 31 to 43.

The NWS stated to take the following precautionary measures or preparedness actions:

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowestfloor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in amobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelterand protect yourself from flying debris.

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Preservationists and developers are keeping their fingers crossed for new state funding to revitalize historic buildings.

Two bills introduced last month would significantly raise the annual cap for the state’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit program, a public subsidy developers often use to finance the transformation of vacant historic properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

At $5 million, advocates say Pennsylvania’s program is unable to meet the demand for these credits, discouraging developers and putting irreplaceable properties at risk.

“We are woefully behind our neighboring states,” said Mindy Crawford, executive director of Preservation Pennsylvania, a statewide group.

Pennsylvania has one of the smallest annual caps in the country. Of the 39 states that have historic tax credit programs, only three offer less funding each year.

A bipartisan measure introduced in the Senate would change that by setting the program’s annual cap at $50 million. The amount would put Pennsylvania on equal footing with New Jersey and above Maryland and Delaware, which offer $20 million and $8 million, respectively.

Ohio has a $120 million allocation. New York’s program does not have a cap.

“One of the reasons we love Pennsylvania is we love our historic fabric. And we hate to lose it. And we hate to lose it for lack of support. And I think that’s pretty widely felt,” said state Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia), the bill’s prime sponsor.

A companion bill moving through the House would raise the annual cap to $20 million. The legislation was recently voted out of committee, moving it one step closer to passage.

Neither measure faces much opposition.

Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, isn’t surprised about the bipartisan support. He said the state’s tax credit program is an economic engine, creating jobs and tax revenue as properties return to productive use.

He calls the program a “win-win” for “everyone who cares about the health and vitality of our cities and towns across the commonwealth.”

“If you take a vacant building that’s contributing little to nothing to the tax rolls and you fill it with residents or with offices or with businesses, retail or restaurants, the impact on those communities is immediate and can be transformative in terms of revitalizing small towns and big cities across the state,” Steinke said.

Advocates say the program also poses little financial risk to the state.

Under the program, developers who are awarded these tax credits do not receive the subsidy until the project is completed. The funding can still be used to leverage other financing, including the construction loans many developers rely on to complete these projects.

“And if the project doesn’t happen, the tax credit won’t go out,” said Crawford.

Developer David Waxman has applied for and received historic preservation tax credits for three projects in Philadelphia, including the $42 million revamp of a historic brewery.

The hulking brick building in Brewerytown dates back to 1870. It was used to make beer until Prohibition, and later became warehouse space before returning to its sudsy roots for a time.

The building remained vacant for nearly two decades when MMPartners acquired it in 2019.

“It was blighted, and another year or two of sitting it probably would have been beyond repair and torn down. And so then you would have had this gem that spoke to the history of the neighborhood gone and replaced with what we like to call spaceship buildings — these new build mid-rises with 10 materials on the facade and kind of built like crap,” Waxman said.

MMPartners transformed the dilapidated building into Poth Brewery Lofts, a mixed-use development with more than 100 apartments and 25,000 square feet of commercial space.

While the value of the tax credits — $200,000 — was small compared to the project’s bottom line, Waxman said the subsidy was an important part of the capital stack his company presented to lenders.

Like Crawford and Steinke, he hopes more funding will be available in the future so more of the state’s historic buildings can be saved and renovated — no matter who is doing the saving.

“It’s very challenging in this market to get these projects financed, so any kind of subsidy that you can layer on is extraordinarily helpful,” said Waxman.

Lawmakers must pass a budget by the end of the month.

If this year’s budget doesn’t include additional funding for the tax credit program, advocates say they’re prepared to push for it again.

Read more from our partners, WHYY.

Don’t expect tickets to be issued anytime soon under Pennsylvania’s new distracted driving law.

When Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Act 18 earlier this month, “Paul Miller’s Law,” named for a Scranton man killed by a distracted driver, was widely heralded as a move to make the state’s roads safer in line with what many of the commonwealth’s neighbors had done years previously.

Written into the legislation – but somewhat unremarked with its passage and signing – was language stating that restrictions on using hand-held devices while driving would not take effect for 12 months, with only written warnings issued for the 12 months after that.

“Therefore, warnings will be given from June 2025 to June 2026, and citations will be issued beginning June 2026,” Pennsylvania State Police Communications Director Myles Snyder wrote in an email, pointing to the text of the act.

Why was it written that way?

“PennDOT needed the 12 months to update our driver’s manual, driver’s tests, and knowledge testing practice app in all available languages,” said
Jennifer Kuntch, the department’s deputy communications director.

“There was also concern by the legislature on making sure the general public had some time to be aware of the changes this law makes,” Kuntch added.

Passage of the law was a lengthy battle for Miller’s mother Eileen, together with state Sen. Rosemary Brown — the bill’s primary sponsor — and other advocates, including Shapiro. That battle resulted in previous failed attempts and many compromises, including to the final version.

Among those compromises were ratcheting down the fine from $100 to $50, and including a provision for local police departments to compile demographic data on drivers pulled over in traffic stops. Shapiro, in conjunction with the Legislative Black Caucus, advocated for that amendment to prevent the new law from disproportionately being used to initiate traffic stops with motorists of color.

Miller: ‘People are asking me’

It is not unprecedented for lawmakers to delay the implementation of legislation for various reasons, including giving affected agencies time to prepare for enforcement.

The state’s texting and driving ban was signed into law by Gov. Tom Corbett in November 2011, but did not take effect until March of the following year.

Eileen Miller said Friday that she knew there would be a waiting period before tickets would be issued under the new law, but hadn’t realized it would be as long as ultimately decided.

“People are asking me” about enforcement of the law, Miller said, acknowledging that there seemed to be a general impression that it would be implemented sooner, including warnings.

What Miller does not want is for drivers to think they should be using digital devices in the meanwhile, regardless of when enforcement begins.

“I don’t want to lie to them,” Miller said of the enforcement delay. “I just don’t want them on their phones.”

Miller’s concerns are supported by life experience and grim statistics: Paul Miller Jr. died in 2010 when a distracted tractor-trailer driver crashed into his car in Monroe County. He was 21.

In 2023, distracted driving was the leading cause of car crashes in Pennsylvania, according to PennDOT data. There were more than 11,262 distracted driving crashes in 2023, compared to 8,330 alcohol-related crashes.

“It took one second for my son to die, one second for him to get killed,” Miller said. “Don’t take your eyes off the road.”

Education and training

Under the new law, drivers will still be able to use their phones to alert emergency responders and to make phone calls, use GPS, and listen to music — if they are using hands-free technology. What they cannot do is use hand-held digital devices behind the wheel.

Asked about how troopers will be educated on enforcing the law, PSP’s Snyder wrote: “Cadets during their Academy training receive instruction on the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code in its entirety, and State Troopers are kept informed of all changes to the Vehicle Code and other statutes relevant to traffic enforcement.”

Earlier this week, the topic of distracted driving came up in Lackawanna County, when regional PSP and PennDOT officials gathered to speak with reporters about efforts to cut down on work zone accidents.

Their message was simple: Just drive.

Jonathan Eboli, PennDOT’s Assistant District 4 executive for maintenance, said that in addition to speeding, distracted and aggressive driving are the leading causes of work zone crashes, noting that there were 1,216 crashes in work zones around the state last year, with 22 fatalities and 45 serious injuries.

Trooper First Class Robert M. Urban, Community Services Officer for Dunmore-based Troop R, elaborated on those trends during an interview prior to the event.

“It’s a very big problem. Every year, we see fatalities, crashes, increase all through distracted driving,” Urban said. “We see it all the time. Fact of the matter is, electronic devices are a way of life. But when you get in that vehicle, you have to put it down.”

Educating the public on the dangers of distracted driving is something PennDOT already has been doing and will continue to do, said Liz Fabri, safety press officer for PennDOT’s Dunmore-based District 4.

“We’re starting even younger, in the schools with young teenagers, doing distracted driving programs, Fabri said, adding that the department partners with Miller, who has for many years spoken to school groups.

“We’ll go from anywhere from teenagers to senior centers,” Fabri said. “Everyone has a cell phone nowadays. So we’re just really out in the community, working on how to give people tips for not being distracted behind the wheel.”

Kuntch said PennDOT’s safety press officers, such as Fabri, and Community Traffic Safety Projects (CTSP) — programs supported by the Highway Safety Office as part of federal pass-through grants with county governments — deliver educational messaging year-round across the state focused on a variety of topics, including distracted driving.

“Partners work with local high schools and colleges, as well as the general public, to promote and help facilitate educational presentations that raise awareness on the dangers of distracted driving. In addition, PennDOT shares educational messages with the use of graphic images, audio files, and videos,” she added.

PennDOT does currently have information on its website about distracted driving, as Kuntch noted, but Pennsylvania’s broader strategy for communicating the new law to the public is not yet clear.

“Planning efforts are underway to enhance current communication with the public about distracted driving laws and safety related messages. Signage on our highways is not required by law and at this time it is unknown how messages related to the law and safe driving will be shared with motorists on our roadways,” Kuntch said.

Maryland’s approach

Efforts in neighboring states could provide a roadmap to follow, however, and give an insight into how police enforce such laws.

In Maryland, for example, simple and direct highway signs inform motorists that texting and use of hand-held devices are illegal while driving. They are one component of a broader strategy.

“Maryland believes it requires a multifaceted approach to improve highway safety,” said Anna Levendusky, a spokesperson for the Maryland Highway Safety Office. That approach includes engineering, enforcement and education, she said.

According to Maryland State Police:

• The state’s law prohibits the use of a handheld cellphone and texting while driving. First-time offenders caught using a cellphone while driving face a maximum of an $83 fine, second-time offenders a maximum of $140 fine and third-time offenders a maximum of $160 fine.
• Writing, sending or reading a text or electronic message while driving can result in a $70 fine and one point on their driving record. If the use of a device contributes to a crash, serious injury or death, these penalties increase.

In 2023, 217 fatal crashes were attributed to distracted driving in Maryland, Levendusky said. Statistics can be found on the Zero Deaths Maryland webpage, which also includes resources and information for combatting distracted driving.

She also described how police enforce the law out on the roads.

“Most distracted driving violations are sight violations – those that the officer witnesses, similar to how a police officer sees if passengers are buckled or not,” Levendusky said.

“If a crash occurs, the responding officer will ask the occupants a variety of questions, including if they were distracted. If the crash is significant or results in the serious injury or death of someone, phones may be subpoenaed and searched to determine if they were being used at the time of the crash,” she added.