In the News

Scientist and professional taste-tester aims to make PA wines better

Erie Times-News Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Erie Times-News reports on Denise Gardner, a wine expert with the Penn State Cooperative Extension, and her assignment to raise the quality of the state's wines.

Gardner, who fills a Penn State Cooperative Extension job that's been vacant for three years, has been hired to work with the state's 180 licensed wineries to provide them with education, confidential advice and the benefit of a trained palate.

"My new job is using sensory science to help winemakers to identify defects in their wine," she said.

The simple job description is that she tastes wine and offers her opinions.

Original source: Erie Times-News
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York girl wins Google Science Fair for studying carcinogens in chicken marinade

York Daily Record Thursday, July 21, 2011

A York-area girl beat competitors from around the world to win the 13-14 age group at the recent Google Science Fair, the York Daily Record reports.

Lauren Hodge, of York Township, won a $25,000 scholarship and other prizes for her project "Decreasing Carcinogens." She celebrated her 14th birthday Sunday, while in California for the fair.

Lauren's project looked at the effect of using different marinades -- lemon juice and soy sauce, among them -- on the level of potentially harmful carcinogens in grilled chicken. Earlier this year, her project won her the grand champion title at the Dallastown Area High School Science and Engineering Fair.

She put her project online to enter the Google fair. More than 7,500 projects were submitted from around the world, according to Google.

Original source: York Daily Record
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GPS technology means school districts can keep better eye on yellow buses

(Lancaster) Sunday News Thursday, July 21, 2011

A Lancaster company called Advanced Management Software provides tracking technology for school districts to monitor where their buses are and how they can be deployed most efficiently, the Sunday News reports.

The GPS Plus system is the latest rollout from the company that assists some 73 districts in the state that use BusTracks, including a handful in Lancaster County.

The six-employee company hopes that with the GPS units it can replace the need for drivers to manually record mileages. It also could do away with time sheets and give the district a better handle on where its buses go, how fast they go and how long it takes them to do their jobs.

And with more detailed information, school districts can get a bigger reimbursement from the state for their transportation costs.

Original source: (Lancaster) Sunday News
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Facebook creeps into Lancaster County's Amish communities

(Lancaster) Sunday News Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Even Amish teenagers appear to be slowly adopting Facebook, the Sunday News reports -- even though their faith limits the use of electricity and forbids photographs.

(Scholar Donald) Kraybill noted that many of the teens on Facebook who appear to be Amish are of "rumspringa" age -- that time before they join the church, when many experiment with behavior such as driving cars or dressing "English."

Several have photos of themselves in traditional garb as well as in "English" dress on their Facebook pages. The photos themselves may seem a leap for Old Order Amish, many of whom refuse to carry photo identification because they regard photographs as violating the second of the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image."

But, noted Kraybill, "Remember that unbaptized youth are not members of the church. Moreover, some of them have cellphones with built-in cameras. Formal regulations including those on photos would apply more stringently to members.

Original source: (Lancaster) Sunday News
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Proposed legislation in Harrisburg would give tax credit for developing video games

Technically Philly Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Technically Philly reports on state Sen. Daylin Leach's proposal for a tax credit that would benefit Pennsylvania video-game makers.

Senator Leach�s office offered these details to Technically Philly in April:

"The tax incentives would work just like the film production tax credit. A company would apply to the Department of Revenue for a qualifying production expense (or group of expenses such as physical space or computers, music or employees) and after approval and incursion of the expense in producing a video game in PA they would be awarded a tax credit. This tax credit can be used by the company that incurred it or it can be transferred to someone else. This helps the small companies be able to use the credit if they maybe don't have the tax liability of a larger production company and therefore don't have the income to offset with a credit."

Original source: Technically Philly
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Innovation Transfer Network connects colleges and businesses for everyone's benefit

Central Penn Business Journal Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The Central Penn Business Journal reports on the Innovation Transfer Network and its accomplishments connecting businesses in south-central Pennsylvania with academics and students at regional colleges.

ITN projects have energized students at Millersville University, science and mathematics dean Robert Smith said.

One project involved a Carlisle company, Cruzstar, whose software lets restaurants offer online ordering to their customers. Cruzstar worked with Millersville's Software Productization Center to develop Cruzcourt, which combines online ordering with a delivery service to provide an alternative to onsite company cafeterias, Smith said.

A half-dozen students and two faculty members helped Cruzstar develop the Cruzcourt software, plus marketing, branding and graphic design.

Original source: Central Penn Business Journal
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New park in Lancaster reduces pollution in the Chesapeake Bay downstream

WITF Wednesday, June 08, 2011

WITF reports on the opening of Sixth Ward Park and its eco-friendly porous basketball court.

Mayor Rick Gray helped unveil the first completed project -- the nearly one million dollar renovation of Sixth Ward Park expected to help reduce stormwater runoff. "Currently when it rains very heavy, the city of Lancaster ends up mixing a combination of stormwater and wastewater and dumping it, untreated, into the Conestoga River, which goes to the Susquehanna, which goes to the Chesapeake," he says. "Dilution is not the solution to pollution. We have to do more than that."

Original source: WITF
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Farmers pursuing sustainability can learn from traditional Amish farming methods, professor says

Hard News Cafe Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Utah State University's Hard News Cafe interviews Douglas Jackson-Smith, a sociology professor at the college, about his research on Amish farming methods in Pennsylvania.

There are four main goals of sustainable farming, he said -- the first one is the most obvious, to produce the necessary outputs such as food, fuel and fiber. The second goal is to sustain the quality of the natural environment.

"We pushed beyond environment, and we had two other goals," Jackson-Smith said. "One is the economic viability of farming and farmers -- that's a big issue that�s separate from those first two; and the fourth one is enhancing social welfare."

Original source: Hard News Cafe
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York's MyRuralRadio.com lets local musicians play for listeners around the world

The York Dispatch Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The York Dispatch reports on MyRuralRadio.com, an Internet radio station created in Pennsylvania to give local artists more exposure.

"We were going to open mic nights, and we ran into great local talent," (founder Michael) Males said. "We asked ourselves, 'How can we get these people we love to others?'"

"The solution was simple," he continued. "Create our own Internet radio station."

Three years later, the site has gone global with at least 50,000 listeners and songs from more than 400 artists worldwide.

Original source: The York Dispatch
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At York County's Emeco, dozens of hands work together to produce high-quality chairs

Fox 43 Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Fox 43 goes behind the scenes at Emeco, a south-central PA company that makes chairs favored by customers from the U.S. Navy to Britney Spears.

The end result may look simple but the process is anything but. It takes 77 steps to build an Emeco chair and most of the work is done by hand. Fifty hands in fact. Those 50 hands weld, stamp, grind and polish for eight hours just to produce one chair. If you want this polished beauty, add another 8 hours of labor.

"It`s kind of like putting a puzzle together, all the pieces have got to fit together," Harman said.

Pete Harman has been working with Emeco for 45 years. He has seen the highs and the lows of the business. The company gained its prominence back in the 1960's, with its 1006 Navy Chair. The navy uses these chairs aboard ships and subs because they don't rust and are basically indestructible.

Original source: Fox 43
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Study says PA's foreclosure-prevention program works better, less expensive than federal version

MarketWatch Wednesday, April 27, 2011

MarketWatch reports on a study which found Pennsylvania's Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program prevents home foreclosures more effectively and for less money than the federal Home Affordable Modification Program.

The New York Fed study says the HEMAP program can be cheaper for taxpayers and help a large number of troubled homeowners. It compares the two approaches by evaluating costs on assistance for two hypothetical mortgages valued at $210,000 at the time of unemployment. The HAMP modification program, the report argues, costs the federal government $13,600 while the HEMAP program cost Pennsylvania $1,620.

The report said the HEMAP program can be cheaper, in part, because when the homeowner finds a job again, the loan ends and he or she begins to repay it.

Alternatively, the HAMP program provides taxpayer funded assistance to bank servicers, who, in turn, modify the borrower�s current mortgage payments, and those adjustments stay in effect for five years regardless of whether the borrower returns to employment.

Original source: MarketWatch
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Free technology means food stamp recipients can buy fresh, healthy food from PA farmers markets

KYW Newsradio Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The state Department of Agriculture is offering 145 free wireless card readers to farmers' market vendors who want to accept food stamp benefits as payment, KYW Newsradio reports.

Mike Pechart, with the agriculture department, said more farm stand owners will now be able to accept state and federal food access cards.

�Folks can bring those benefits to farm markets, and those that have these wireless terminals and readers, they can use their SNAP cards to get fresh fruits and vegetables,� Pechart said.

And farmers also will be able to take credit and debit cards, though those transactions will be charged the standard bank fee.

Original source: KYW Newsradio
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In York, visitors get up-close view of how household products are made

The Washingon Post Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Washington Post reports on factories and workshops in York that are opening their doors to visitors who want to see how soap, ice cream and other goods are made.

If you think that everything�s made in China these days, think again. York is the self-proclaimed factory-tour capital of the world. Spend a weekend in this south central Pennsylvania town, and you can see how Martin�s makes potato chips, how Bluett Brothers builds violins and how Harley-Davidson constructs motorcycles.

Original source: The Washington Post
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Visual and performing artists join to promote Lancaster as artistic destination

CBS 21 Wednesday, April 06, 2011

CBS 21 reports that museums, musicians and other artistic groups are joining together to promote these institutions as a way to draw visitors.

The city is home to hundreds of artists and more than 125 professional arts venues, including one of only 40 private art colleges in the country, fine art and craft studios and galleries, art and cultural museums, antique and vintage shops and several performing arts centers, including one of only eight National Historic Landmark theatres in the country. Additionally, Lancaster�s popular First Friday events encourage visitors to explore the growing arts scene by attending exhibit openings, musical performances, artists� talks and a variety of other art-related events the first Friday of each month.

Original source: CBS 21
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Harley-Davidson enthusiasts can now design custom motorcycles built to order

Central Penn Business Journal Wednesday, April 06, 2011

The Central Penn Business Journal reports that riders who want custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles can go online and order bikes made to their specifications.

Customers can point and click their way to the paint job or handlebars they want, take printouts to local dealerships and have the Harleys they want in four weeks or less, said Paul James, director for the company's product communications.

There are about 2,600 configurations in which customers can order the first Harley model in the program, the Kansas City-built Sportster 1200 Custom, James said.

Original source: Central Penn Business Journal
Read the full story here.

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