Pennsylvania voters will be asked to vote on four ballot questions In the upcoming May 18th primary election.  The ballot will include three proposed amendments to the state Constitution and one referendum regarding funding for first responders.  The first two questions propose constitutional amendments to address the state’s handling of future disaster declarations. Specifically, they propose limiting emergency declarations by a governor to a maximum of 21 days without legislative approval.  The third question also proposes to amend the Constitution to ensure a person’s rights cannot be denied based on race or ethnicity.  The fourth question is a referendum seeking approval to provide loans to paid municipal fire departments and emergency medical services companies to improve operations.

PennDOT will be sweeping roadways in the Burnham and Reedsville areas early next week. The work will be performed by Mifflin County PennDOT Maintenance and will take place from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm on Monday, April 12th and Tuesday, April 13th.  Crews will be sweeping along Route 1005 (Main Street) from the intersection of Main Street and West Freedom Avenue in Burnham to the intersection of Main Street and Route 655, west of Reedsville. Drivers should anticipate short travel delays.

State Representative Stephanie Borowicz (R-Clinton/Centre) has introduced legislation to keep women’s sports exclusively female. Earlier this week, Borowicz participated in a state Capitol news conference to officially introduce the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. House Bill 972 would further ensure athletic fairness in Pennsylvania by allowing only biological females to compete in women’s sports. Speaking from her perspective as a former student athlete, Borowicz said she was “proud to be one of the prime sponsors of legislation to protect women’s sports from becoming another interscholastic casualty of political correctness and identity politics.”  At the federal level, Title IX was originally designed to stop discrimination and create equal athletic opportunities for women. However, allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports reverses nearly 50 years of advancement for women.