PA invests in TV, film projects that will add more than $36.7M to economy

WILKES-BARRE — Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Film Commissioner Gino Anthony Pesi this week announced the Pennsylvania Film Office is providing a combined $9.2 million in film tax credits to Netflix, Sight & Sound Productions, and Pennsylvania Film Producers to produce a total of 11 new projects in the Commonwealth.

The productions will support nearly 2,200 new jobs and generate over $36.7 million for regional and statewide economies.

The Pennsylvania Film Production Tax Credit program offers a 25% tax credit to productions that spend at least 60% of their total budget in the Commonwealth.

To be eligible, projects must be a feature film, a television film, a television talk or game show series, a television commercial, a television pilot, or each episode of a television series intended as programming for a national audience.

“Production companies of all sizes recognize the incredible locations, people, and amenities we have in Pennsylvania, and our Film Production Tax Credit program makes us more competitive in attracting them,” said Film Commissioner Pesi. “As we continue to attract big business in the form of high-profile feature films and multi-season television series into the Commonwealth, we are equally motivated to support our Pennsylvania producers. Nurturing our homegrown talent by reinvesting in Pennsylvanians helps build creative communities and pathways for success across all regions of the Commonwealth.

The projects that recently received Film Production Tax Credits include:

• Netflix series Tires (season two): the comedy starring Mechanicsburg native Shane Gillis is currently being produced in Philadelphia. Netflix received a $5,521,612 in tax credits and will add an estimated $22 million into the Philadelphia region and create 886 jobs.

• A Great Awakening: the Sight & Sound feature film, currently in production in the City of Philadelphia and Lancaster County, received a $2,607,037 in tax credits. The Pennsylvania-based production company will inject an estimated $10,428,146 into the regional economies while creating and supporting 846 jobs.

• Pennsylvania Film Producer Reserve: the series of 10 projects by small producers received a combined $1,076,889 in tax credits. The projects will create and support 443 jobs in 11 different counties, resulting in an estimated $4,307,560 for those regional economies.

These projects include:

• Three feature films: Between Friends, Chalk Line, and The Big Break.

• Three feature documentaries by Pennsylvania-based production company FreshFly: Citizen George, N.C. Wyeth, and Jamie Wyeth and the Unflinching Eye.

• Two documentary episodes by History Making Productions: In Pursuit: Philadelphia’s Story of American Democracy, and Soul of the City, Philadelphia’s Musical Century (Episode 1).

• A documentary feature by Allegheny County Native & Robert Morris College Professor, Steve Mancini: Fedelta.

• A documentary feature by The Workshop Content Studios: The Ride of a Lifetime: The Smarty Jones Story.

Legislators announce more than $200K in local conservation projects

Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D, D-121), Sen. Marty Flynn (D, D-22) and Sen. David Argall (R, D-29) this week announced the award of $206,900 in state grant funding for a development project and a land acquisition project in Luzerne County.

“I am thrilled that our community received this funding,” said Pashinski. “Not only will we have a new trail that runs through Wilkes-Barre City, but also five acres along White Haven Road. As always, Sen. Flynn and Sen. Argall both worked to acquire this funding for our community, and I must thank them for their support for this funding.”

“This funding is a great win for our community, allowing us to protect natural spaces and create new recreational opportunities,” said Flynn. “I’m proud to support projects that enhance our quality of life and preserve our region’s beauty.”

“I’m grateful this highly competitive state funding will support the opportunities for outdoor recreation that bring so many visitors to our area,” said Argall.

The two projects receiving funding are:

• $131,900 to Natural Lands, which will go toward the acquisition of approximately five acres along White Haven Road in Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County for an addition to Bear Creek Preserve.

• $75,000 to Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Inc. to prepare a trail study for the development of approximately 3.1 miles of the D&L Trail in Ashley Borough, Wilkes-Barre City, and Hanover Township in Luzerne County.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnership Program offers a wide range of grant and technical assistance programs to help communities, land conservancies and nonprofit organizations plan, acquire, and develop: recreation, park and conservation facilities; watersheds, rivers corridors, resources and buffers; greenways and trails; heritage areas and facilities; critical habitat, natural areas and open space.

State warns of potential EBT cards scam; reminds public of safe ways to apply for assistance

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh this week informed Pennsylvanians of a potential text message scam targeting individuals who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that claims that a user’s EBT card has been deactivated and directs the user to call a number to reactivate it.

This is a scam — DHS will never text an individual to say that an EBT card has been deactivated.

“DHS will never ask for personal information in an unsolicited text message, email, or phone call. If someone is claiming to be from or affiliated with the Department and they are asking you for your personal information, it is a scam,” said Secretary Arkoosh. “Please do not fall victim to identity theft. If you ever receive a suspicious text asking you for information about your benefits or for your financial information, please inform the DHS fraud tip line immediately so the proper authorities can investigate.”

Please report any texts or calls about DHS benefits that seem suspicious by calling the DHS fraud tip line at 1-844-DHS-TIPS (1-844-347-8477).

State Inspector General Lucas M. Miller added, “Protecting the integrity of our assistance programs means staying vigilant against scams that seek to exploit them. Text message scams are becoming more common and can put people’s benefits at risk. We strongly encourage Pennsylvanians to be cautious, avoid sharing sensitive information through text, and report any suspicious activity to DHS or the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) immediately.”

The public can make such reports through OSIG’s website or by calling the Public Assistance Fraud Tipline at 1-800-932-0582.

DHS does send informational text messages and phone calls to people who receive SNAP, Medicaid, and other benefits only from the number 1-833-648-1964.

However, DHS’ text messages will not include:

• Details about a person’s benefits, such as the amount of SNAP they are authorized to receive,

• A request for specific personal information, and/or

• Links to unofficial sites; most DHS texts will direct people to dhs.pa.gov, COMPASS, or a site that ends in .gov or .org.

Applications for public assistance programs can be securely submitted online at — www.dhs.pa.gov/compass.

DHS also, at times, makes phone calls to people receiving benefits to let them know about changes that could affect their benefits or upcoming renewal dates. These texts and calls are meant to be informational and will not reference specific account numbers.

AG Henry warns of phishing scammers looking to steal personal information

Attorney General Michelle Henry this week is alerted Pennsylvanians about a phishing scam involving contact with targets about claims of fraudulent activity on the target’s banking account in order to access personal data and information.

Oftentimes, the scammers will provide a telephone number for the target to call or instruct the target to reply to an email or text message.

The scammers then request login credentials to financial accounts, account numbers, and other personal identifiable information, such as your social security number and date of birth.

Financial institutions will never call you asking for your account information or log in credentials through a telephone call, text message or email. If you receive such a call, email or text, do not respond. Instead, you should contact the number on the back of your debit or credit card or contact your financial institution’s local branch office and verify if they made the contact.

Sen. Langerholc bill creating rape kit tracking system signed into law

A bill sponsored by Sen. Wayne Langerholc, Jr. (R, D-35) to establish a statewide rape kit evidence tracking system was signed into law this week as Act 122 of 2024.

Act 122 of 2024 allows survivors to track the status of their rape kits throughout the testing process, from collection to destruction. With this legislation, Pennsylvania will join 35 states and the District of Columbia that have already implemented rape kit tracking systems.

“Act 122 strengthens our commitment to empowering survivors and holding offenders accountable,” Langerholc said. “Establishing a rape kit tracking system in Pennsylvania will enable sexual assault survivors to monitor the status of their kits during an investigation, bringing transparency and accountability to the process.”

In addition to creating a rape kit tracking system, Act 122 brings Pennsylvania into compliance with the Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors provision of the recent Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization.

To comply with VAWA, the bill provides a waiver for survivors who file untimely claims for compensation due to delays in rape kit testing. Survivors will not need to undergo an appeal process for consideration of this waiver.

Act 122 also empowers survivors by clarifying existing rights and enshrining new statutory rights for survivors of sexual assault.

Act 122 builds on Langerholc’s leadership in supporting survivors of sexual assault. In 2018, he sponsored Act 164 to streamline the process of collecting sexual assault evidence and require regular reporting on related data.

In 2019, he sponsored Act 29, which enacted a comprehensive bill of rights for survivors in Pennsylvania.