Latest news with #CommunityandEconomicDevelopment
Scoop
7 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Visit Ruapehu To Manage Isites Following Successful Trail
Press Release – Ruapehu District Council Visit Ruapehu General Manager Jo Kennedy said that the joined-up approach strengthens how we can connect with visitors and support local tourism operators. Following a successful eight-month trial, Visit Ruapehu will take full responsibility for operating the Taumarunui and Ohakune i-SITEs from the beginning of July. This change is a major step forward that is improving the visitor experience by bringing together destination marketing and on-the-ground visitor services into one streamlined approach. Executive Manager Community and Economic Development, Pauline Welch, said that bringing the management of the isites under Visit Ruapehu aligns with Council's strategic direction and core values of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and manaakitanga (hospitality), as outlined in the region's destination management plan, Tahia Ko Puanga. 'This integration creates a seamless visitor journey – from online trip planning to in-person support. It reduces duplication, lifts service quality, and opens new possibilities such as automated bookings through the Visit Ruapehu website,' she said. Visit Ruapehu General Manager Jo Kennedy said that the joined-up approach strengthens how we can connect with visitors and support local tourism operators. 'It is allowing us to maximise the use of our staff's specialist tourism skills to deliver consistent, high-quality service that reflects our region's values and aspirations.' All existing i-SITE staff have been offered new roles with Visit Ruapehu, ensuring a smooth handover and continuity of knowledge and service for both visitors and locals. The change marks a new chapter in Ruapehu's tourism journey – creating smarter, more connected, and community-aligned services to support a thriving and sustainable visitor economy.
Scoop
7 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Visit Ruapehu To Manage Isites Following Successful Trail
Following a successful eight-month trial, Visit Ruapehu will take full responsibility for operating the Taumarunui and Ohakune i-SITEs from the beginning of July. This change is a major step forward that is improving the visitor experience by bringing together destination marketing and on-the-ground visitor services into one streamlined approach. Executive Manager Community and Economic Development, Pauline Welch, said that bringing the management of the isites under Visit Ruapehu aligns with Council's strategic direction and core values of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and manaakitanga (hospitality), as outlined in the region's destination management plan, Tahia Ko Puanga. 'This integration creates a seamless visitor journey - from online trip planning to in-person support. It reduces duplication, lifts service quality, and opens new possibilities such as automated bookings through the Visit Ruapehu website,' she said. Visit Ruapehu General Manager Jo Kennedy said that the joined-up approach strengthens how we can connect with visitors and support local tourism operators. 'It is allowing us to maximise the use of our staff's specialist tourism skills to deliver consistent, high-quality service that reflects our region's values and aspirations.' All existing i-SITE staff have been offered new roles with Visit Ruapehu, ensuring a smooth handover and continuity of knowledge and service for both visitors and locals. The change marks a new chapter in Ruapehu's tourism journey - creating smarter, more connected, and community-aligned services to support a thriving and sustainable visitor economy.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania lawmaker proposes new cannabis bill with changes to regulations
(WHTM)– A Pennsylvania lawmaker says he will soon introduce new legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania with different regulations than previously proposed bills. The Keystone Cannabis Act, circulated by State Senator Marty Flynn (D-22), would establish a new framework for producing, distributing, and selling cannabis to adults age 21 and over in Pennsylvania. House Bill 1200, which would have given the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board control over cannabis regulation in Pennsylvania, was shot down by the state Senate Law and Justice Committee earlier this May in a 7-3 vote. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now According to the memo, the Keystone Cannabis Act would have an independent commission regulate the market. The commission would consist of members of the Department of Health, Agriculture, Community and Economic Development, Attorney General, and State Police. The memo says this commission would oversee the cannabis cultivation, processing, testing, and retail operations in Pennsylvania. Additionally, revenue generated from the cannabis industry would be deposited into a Community Reinvestment Fund, which would direct funds to revitalizing rural communities, local infrastructure improvements, and grants to municipalities. Flynn's bill would also allows for license applicants from communities heavily impacted by cannabis prohibition to receive priority. The bill would also require strict testing for cannabis products by independent, certified laboratories to ensure products are safe for consumption. 'In short, legalization is no longer a question of if, but when—and Pennsylvania should not be left behind as our neighbors to the north, south, east, and west in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Ohio all move forward. It is high time to create a cannabis economy that reinvests tax dollars into our communities thereby creating even more revenue, promotes freedom while ensuring safety and security, stimulates economic growth, and invests in the communities that need it most,' Flynn's memo says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump-proposed cut to federal Essential Air Service would fall on rural Alaska
Adak's airport is on the right of this photo, which was taken in 1986, 11 years before the Naval Air Facility Adak closed. Adak is served by the Essential Air Service, targeted by President Donald Trump's administration for cuts. (Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development; Division of Community and Regional Affairs' Community Photo Library) A program that has subsidized commercial aviation rural routes and that is particularly significant in Alaska is a target for a more than 50% reduction in funding under President Donald Trump's budget proposal. On May 2, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought released Trump's recommendations for 2026 federal funding levels. One target for significant reduction was the nearly 50-year-old Essential Air Service program. In its rationale for the cut, the Trump administration wrote that EAS 'funnels taxpayer dollars to airlines to subsidize half-empty flights from airports that are within easy commuting distance from each other.' It proposed slashing EAS current funding by about 52%, or $308 million. The administration offered no suggestion on what might replace EAS in airports that lose the service. Congress established EAS in 1978 after the deregulation of the country's airlines, in response to concerns that small communities would lose air service when carriers sought out more populated and profitable destinations. While the original EAS list included 184 Alaskan communities, with Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau initially appearing, it has been steadily reduced and, in the latest list, from October 2024, now has 65. EAS is funded primarily through fees collected by the Federal Aviation Administration from foreign air carriers to fly through U.S. airspace, as well as the Airport and Airways Trust Fund, which collects excise taxes from domestic passenger ticket sales and other users of the country's aviation system. In a U.S. Department of Transportation report for October 2024, there are 177 communities receiving a combined $591.7 million in EAS subsidies; Alaska received $41.7 million of that total. There are about 15 airlines flying EAS routes in the state, with Grant Aviation operating the most, 21, and several carriers flying a single route. For Michele Greenamyre, McGrath's interim city administrator, EAS has been 'a game changer'. The Interior village of about 300 is not connected to other communities by road. Its residents fly on Alaska Air Transit for its EAS transportation. Greenamyre said for her community, EAS is about access to things like groceries, school clothes and a lot more. 'I would not be able to travel to Anchorage for medical reasons without EAS,' she explained, 'The round-trip airfare would be too much.' Connecting McGrath residents, who live 220 miles from Anchorage and almost 270 miles from Fairbanks, to the rest of the state is a significant part of what EAS offers, Greenamyre said. 'What would it do to our little town to lose this?' she asked. 'EAS allows us to be part of the larger world.' The Trump administration cited rising costs in its budget proposal assailing the program; EAS subsidies have risen over 50% since 2021. The General Accounting Office determined in a 2024 report on commercial air service trends that increased costs were due to higher airline operating costs overall, primarily for fuel, pilot wages and maintenance. The report noted that the national pilot shortage alone resulted in wage increases among smaller air carriers of more than 100%. But focusing on cost without considering benefits makes it tough to weigh EAS's value, according to local officials in Alaska. Adak, located at the end of the Aleutian Island chain, has a steady population of fewer than 200. Residents use an airport that was built for the now-closed Naval Air Facility Adak, which has runways that accommodate Alaska Airlines' monthly cargo flight and twice-weekly passenger service, all in Boeing 737s. Alaska Air EAS service is quite popular and includes seasonal commercial fishing crews and military contractors who are currently working on a variety of projects involving the potential reopening of the military facility. 'From a national strategic perspective,' said City Manager Breck Craig, 'cutting off EAS to Adak would be a monumental mistake.' The town's geographic position and existing infrastructure has brought increased attention from the military, which plans to include Adak in a training exercise, Northern Edge, this summer. The military past — and potential future — makes Adak unusual in the EAS group but illustrates the program's versatility, Craig said. 'As the need for contractor transportation increases, EAS will be even more important,' stressed Craig, who noted that the current travel time on the 737 to Anchorage is three hours. 'Without Alaska Airlines and EAS,' he concluded, 'traveling to Adak will be very difficult.' Essential Air Service has been targeted for cost cutting in the past. In 2007, then U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, called on fellow rural senators to 'remain vigilant' in funding EAS, which he deemed a 'lifeline' in their communities. In 2012, the Alaska delegation joined a bipartisan group of legislators in preserving EAS, with then Congressman Don Young noting he was 'especially proud' that no Alaska communities suffered cuts in service. President Trump previously sought to eliminate EAS in 2017, uttering similar language to his recent proposal by referring to 'half full aircraft' that he deemed were in close proximity to major airports. That effort was also defeated by a bipartisan group, including Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who signed a letter at the time urging appropriators to provide 'robust funding' for the program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sharon focusing on education in 2025-2029 fair housing plan
SHARON, Pa. (WKBN) — The City of Sharon is looking for feedback on its new proposal for its 2025-2029 Fair Housing Plan. The new proposal is designed to act as a planning tool, providing the city with the necessary framework to strategically 'affirmatively further fair housing' over the next five years. Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) Manager Suzanne Kepple said the new plan is not much different from the 2020-2024 plan and one of the number-one goals is improving public education on fair housing. 'There's an issue of awareness of fair housing laws locally, at the state level and federally,' Kepple said. 'What could actually be a fair housing complaint and what resources are available to them.' Other goals include: Promote and enforce rehabilitation of rental housing to become decent, safe, and sound housing Promote and encourage neighborhood investment and revitalization with programs and community participation Modify housing units and public accommodations to accommodate persons with disabilities to be decent, safe, and sound as well as affordable Promote and encourage renters to buy a home instead of continuing to rent Grow the staff in the Community and Economic Development, Code, and Fire Departments 'Older individuals, as they age, you want them to age in place or age in their home, so if they need like a chair lift or a ramp, our program and other programs can do that,' Kepple said. 'They can stay in their home, and they don't have to go to a nursing home or assisted living facility.' The city is an entitlement community under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), allocating funding for various projects such as street paving, roof, heating, and cooling repairs, and demolishing vacant and unsafe homes. 'We have two programs: a roof repair program which includes like downspouts, gutters and soffit,' Kepple said. 'And then minor repairs, so if your furnace, breaks down or a front porch repair.' Kepple said in the last five to six years, the city has torn down over 400 properties, turning some lots into community gardens and art installations — something they hope to grow in this proposal. A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, April 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the city council chambers at the Sharon Municipal Building. The complete plan can be viewed below. To speak at the meeting or request accommodations, call 724-983-3231. 2025-2029-Fair-Housing-Plan_1742313068Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
