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Pa. moves closer to chip-enabled cards for SNAP enrollees

Each month, more than $300 million in food assistance dollars is awarded by the state Department of Human Services (DHS) to eligible enrollees, but millions end up in the hands of criminals who “skim” card numbers to steal benefits. Debit and credit card companies largely pivoted to cards with small computer chips along one edge in addition to the traditional magnetic stripe. This chip creates a unique code for each transaction, preventing skimmers attached to card readers from recording card information. But that same protection hasn’t yet been added to Electronic Benefit ...

Community foundation announces 2026 academic, community service scholarship recipients

LOCK HAVEN — The Clinton County Community Foundation has announced the 2026 recipients of academic and community service scholarships it administers through endowments. Together, the scholarships are valued at nearly $50,000. Recipients are among the best and brightest high school students in Clinton County. Most recipients are selected by educators at local high schools. Each of the scholarships are provided through endowment gifts graciously left by individuals, families and organizations through direct donations or bequests. “The Clinton County Community Foundation ...

Centre approves $10M loan to interim finance expansion of Public Safety Training Center

BELLEFONTE — Tuesday morning, the Centre County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution to help finance an expansion of the county’s Public Safety Training Center. The resolution permits the county to borrow up to $10 million through Juniata Valley Bank to provide interim financing for the project, which commissioners said will be fully funded by grants. The loan will bridge the gap between construction costs and grant reimbursements for the $8 million project. The county has long wanted to create a state-of-the-art facility that can train first responders and health ...

New study finds that ballot curing helps more mail ballots get counted

Mail voters who are informed and have opportunities to fix ballot errors ahead of elections are much more likely to have their votes counted, a new study of the 2024 election in Pennsylvania has found. The study, from the University of Pennsylvania, provides hard evidence to back up the arguments that county officials have used for years to justify such “notice and cure” policies for defective mail ballots. “Vote curing policies help balance the tension between promoting both access and integrity in mail balloting,” the study’s authors wrote. “In short, vote curing can ...