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Child labor violations prompt action

(The Center Square) – Amid a worsening workforce shortage, more employers – both across the state and the country – set aside child labor laws as a solution. The alarming trend prompted lawmakers on the House Labor and Industry Committee to advance legislation that would double penalties for these violations: $1,000 for first-time offenders and up to $3,000 for repeated incidents. “When the fines are too low, they are seen as just another cost of doing business,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Regina Young, D-Philadelphia. Mirroring federal trends which have shown a ...

Growing number of older adults rejoining workforce

Michael Trenga was retired two days before he jumped back into the workforce. The decision was financially motivated. “I retired on a Friday and went back to work on a Monday,” said Trenga, 71, of Leechburg. “Without my job, I would have to cut back on a lot — not have cable and have to have a really cheap (cell) phone — and maybe not be able to afford the house I’m in. “Sometimes I feel cheated because I have friends that are retired and not working.” Trenga traded his job of 16 years as a hospice spiritual care coordinator for one driving buses in Penn Hills ...

For now, carbon capture success hinges on subsidies

(The Center Square) — Pennsylvania legislators see the future of reducing carbon emissions through capture and sequestration technology. The idea is to store future emissions to prevent their release into the atmosphere. However, the economic potential of doing so isn’t clearly ...

Atlanta financial firm partners with Williamsport’s Planned Futures LLC

Merit Financial Advisors, a Georgia-based financial advisory firm specializing in financial planning and wealth management for high-net-worth individuals and families and those navigating life transitions, recently announced it has partnered with Planned Futures LLC. According to a news release, Planned Futures, based in Williamsport, will expand Merit’s presence in the region and increase assets by about $460 million. Planned Futures provides investment management and retirement planning strategies for state troopers and other clients. The firm is led by James Arnold and John Keene ...

Dozens of jobs coming to Milton, Lewisburg

The Patton Logistics Group has added three new facilities in the past month to its portfolio in Lewisburg, Milton and Hazleton. According to a news release, Patton now operates 28 separate warehouses employing over 300 people in the Patton Warehousing and Logistics division of their company ...

Lewisburg firm names chief innovation and technology officer

HRG has chosen Michael Smetana for a newly created position as chief innovation and technology officer. According to a news release, he will be responsible for developing new technology service offerings for the firm’s clients related to infrastructure planning, design, and management. Smetana has 21 years of experience helping consultants and their clients use information technology to optimize operations and support growth strategies. He has deployed artificial intelligence and automation technologies to reduce costs and increase efficiency, implemented data analytics to ...