Environmental Resource Management program, alumni celebrating 50 years of impact
Wayne Kober, a 1973 graduate of the Environmental Resource Management program in Penn State s College of Agricultural Sciences, held environmental program leadership positions in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. In 2000, he transitioned to national transportation environmental consulting as president of Wayne W. Kober, Transportation and Environmental Management Consulting. Image: Wayne Kober
Environmental Resource Management program, alumni celebrating 50 years of impact
Amy Duke
April 13, 2021
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. Earth Day 1970 spurred Wayne Kober, then a college sophomore at Penn State McKeesport, to become one of the trailblazers in a new bachelor’s degree program at Penn State environmental resource management.
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Statewide traffic deaths increased in 2020 from the record low set in 2019 despite a 20% decrease in traffic, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
PennDOT reported 1,129 highway fatalities in 2020, up 79 from the 1,059 recorded in 2019. That 6.6% increase is similar to the national estimate of 8% reported by the National Safety Council.
“We cannot definitively say why fatalities increased during the covid-19 pandemic even though it certainly had an impact on traffic volumes statewide,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said in a statement. “Over the long term, traffic fatalities are still trending down, but we must continue to work together to make our roads safer for all drivers.”
Editor s note: This article has been updated with more recent information from Lancaster police clarifying that only one pedestrian was struck by bikers.
Reckless riders on illegal dirt bike-style motorcycles struck one pedestrian and nearly hit another in Lancaster city in separate incidents in the last two months, according to Lancaster city police.
A woman in her early 60s was struck by bikers in downtown Lancaster on March 26, sustaining a moderate head injury that required her to be hospitalized, said Glenn Stoltzfus, a police spokesperson. That case is currently unsolved, but under investigation.
In a second incident, an adult was nearly struck by a motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed through Reservoir Park on the evening of April 13, Stoltzfus said. No one was injured in the incident.
Traffic deaths up in 2020 despite the pandemic emptying roads, PennDOT says
Updated 12:01 PM;
Less drivers on the road during the COVID-19 pandemic did not equal a drop in traffic deaths last year, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.
Instead, traffic fatalities rose to 1,129 people for 2020, following a record low 1,059 people in 2019.
The 6% increase came as traffic counts dropped 20% last year in the Keystone State following a statewide shutdown and other COVID-19 changes that kept students and workers at home, according to PennDOT.
Still, 2020′s fatalities are the second lowest on record.
“We cannot definitively say why fatalities increased during the COVID-19 pandemic even though it certainly had an impact on traffic volumes statewide,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said. “Over the long term, traffic fatalities are still trending down, but we must continue to work together to make our roads safer for all drivers.
Coroner called to scene of crash on I-83; interstate closed to traffic
Staff report
The York County coroner has been called to the scene of a crash on Interstate 83 on Sunday, according to the York County 911 media log.
The crash was reported just after 4 p.m. Sunday on I-83 northbound, between the South Queen Street exit and the South George Street exit, according to the log.
All northbound lanes of the interstate are closed between Leader Heights Road and South George Street, according to 511PA.com, which is run by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
The highway remained closed after 9 p.m. on Sunday.