Peoples Natural Gas urges customers to apply for energy assistance on National Energy Assistance Day
(WTAJ) — With winter temperatures dropping, Peoples Natural Gas is encouraging customers to take advantage of energy assistance programs that could help lower heating costs.
As part of National Energy Assistance Day, the company is highlighting resources like the federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which remains underutilized despite widespread eligibility.
Peoples customers in Pennsylvania may qualify for LIHEAP, which provides grants starting at $200 to assist with heating bills. The program, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, bases eligibility on income and household size. The application deadline is April 4, and customers are urged to apply early.
To qualify, applicants must have a gross household income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Limit. They do not need to be on public assistance or have an unpaid heating bill to apply. More information and applications are available through the DHS website.
Peoples is also working with Peoples Energy Analytics to better identify customers in need and help them enroll in support programs. Additionally, the company offers emergency assistance for failing furnaces and other urgent heating issues.
Customers seeking help can call 1-800-400-WARM (9276) or visit peoples-gas.com/help to explore available programs.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania parks officials learn tips for building; connecting trails
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Parks and recreation officials attended a learning seminar to help develop more trails in the state. The Trail Symposium, held at Brass 16823 on Axemann Road, drew over 75 people to a daylong session focused on creating efficient trails for running, biking, and equestrian use. Topics of discussion ranged from planning to fundraising, design and marketing. 'It's a very broad interest, but that's how the National Parks Service trails get on the ground,' Mary Monroe Brown, senior vice president of advocacy and engagement for the International Mountain Bicycling Association, said. 'It's a collaboration of all these groups and people understanding this vision of trails.' State grant awarded to Cambria County Historical Society to preserve century-old Buck House Attendees got a chance to network and share ideas in between sessions about their management of trails. These ideas were a way to take each piece of advice back to the home trails and create ways to connect each trail for a larger network of paths. With each connection, a new way to attract visitors and boost local commerce arises. 'The people that go hiking, camping and mountain biking, they spend a lot of money on their affinity and their recreation,' Phillip Millburn, the vice president of IMBA, said. 'The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has this data to back this case up. The economic potential is significant.' Pennsylvania has 650 trails that span over 14,000 miles. The IMBA sees the potential in developing these connecting trails to create a statewide network. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Future of Lakemont Park could be off the tracks as rides sit dormant
LAKEMONT, Pa. (WTAJ) — Leap the Dips is the world's oldest roller coaster and joined the list of National Historic Landmarks in 1996. But with Lakemont Park not operating its beloved rides for the second summer in a row, it's beginning to show up on a different type of list — one of abandoned places in Pennsylvania. The old trolley park sits dormant and deteriorating, sparking online discussions that the amusement park may be abandoned. But those claims are unsubstantiated as the recreational side of the park remains open including the mini golf course, basketball courts and batting cages. 'An abandoned amusement park would be they block the gates and keep everybody out,' said Dave Hahner, a historian with American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE). 'That is possibly one of the shining moments that we can possibly look at, the fact that the park is not closed yet.' ACE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the enjoyment, knowledge and preservation of roller coasters. Hahner said the community worries it will lose Leap the Dips, a crucial piece of amusement park history. 'It's the oldest opera— it was the oldest operating roller coaster and it was one of the last side friction roller coasters operating in North America,' Hahner said. Cicadas emerge in Centre County for first time in 17 years Skyliner, Lakemont Park's other wooden coaster, is one of the last coasters designed by John Allen, a premiere coaster designer in the mid– to late–1900s. It proudly towers over the outfield of PNG Field. ACE preservation director Josh Brown said it creates a unique experience for both the amusement park and baseball fans. 'We hear a lot of people like it's it was the most fun riding Skyliner when they could heckle somebody from the other team in the outfield, you know while riding it,' Brown said. While people on social media have suggested the park sell off the old coasters if they won't operate them, Hahner said that's not an option for Leap the Dips due to the coaster's age. As safety standards have changed over the 123 years since Leap the Dips was built, the coaster has been grandfathered in, but if moved, would have to be modernized and would lose what makes it special, according to Hahner. It would be required to have automatic breaks and an electronic monitoring system. Hahner said even without these features, the ride is still very safe, meets state standards for safety, and since it only uses one car at a time, there's no chance for collisions. Lakemont Park claims the old wooden coasters are too costly to repair and maintain, but it doesn't explain why the entire amusement park is shut down. 'They do have other rides that are currently dormant,' Hahner said. 'They have the C.P. Huntingdon train ride, the antique car ride and Go–Karts, all of which I'm just kind of puzzled as to why, especially the Go–Karts, as to why they're not operational like any good, family entertainment center.' The park is ultimately owned by Blair County and it's not the first time they've faced such hardships. According to the Blair County Historical Society, the county commissioners accepted ownership of the park from the Altoona & Logan Valley Electric Railway in 1936 after a flood left most of the park damaged and finances were depleted. At the time, there was concern the park would be abandoned, but it reopened the following year after being restored. Today, Lakemont Park is leased to a group known as the Lakemont Partnership who is responsible for operations of the entire property. Blair County Commissioner Dave Kessling said in an email he's worried the Lakemont Partnership is simply leaving the park to fall apart. 'They have chosen not to open the park rides for the past two years and in my opinion, they will continue to allow the park to deteriorate as they state it is too costly to maintain. We cannot force them to open the park with the rides.' Dave Kessling, Blair County Commissioner Brown said there are funds available to help, through a preservation grant. Lakemont Park has received donations from ACE on 15 separate occasions, totaling around $70,000. But no one from the county or Lakemont Park has applied for funding since 2023. According to sources, the last time any work was done to repair or upkeep the wooden roller coasters was four years ago and no future work has been scheduled. Hahner said that because Leap the Dips is a national historic landmark, Lakemont Park is obligated to maintain the ride to where it's not going to fall over. While it does not have to be in operating order, there is concern that the lack of continued maintenance will cause the coaster to fall into complete disrepair. 'For every year that you wait, more damage is done by weathering,' Hahner said. WTAJ has reached out to the park to ask what they plan to do to reopen the rides. They have not responded to emails and sent calls straight to voicemail. ACE said they'd like to see Lakemont Park be taken over by an operator who will revitalize and get the coasters back on track but no plans are in the works so far. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
With sale of Borinquen Apartments, New England Farm Workers Council pays off debt to state over misspent money
SPRINGFIELD – The New England Farm Workers sold the Borinquen Apartments in the North End this week to the building's longtime managers for $1.36 million. The sale of the 23-unit building at 2772 Main St. helps pay off the last of a $1.8 million debt owed to the state over misspent fuel assistance funds, says Daniel Knapik, the former Westfield mayor brought in to liquidate the nonprofit's real estate and satisfy the state. The state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities filed a release of the farm workers group's mortgage Tuesday in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds, confirming that the debt has been satisfied. The buyers are Isla Associates 1 and its manager, Maggie Rivera. The $1.36 million sale nearly completes the unwinding of a real estate portfolio amassed by Heriberto 'Herbie' Flores, the former head of the farm workers. In an emailed response to questions, Rivera referred to ongoing litigation seeking to block the sale of properties in the Brightwood area spurred by the involvement of Flores, founder of the farmworkers group. 'I am a property manager by trade. I never had ambition to own property. For over 30 years, I've worked to help improve quality of life for people less blessed than I,' she wrote. 'At some point, the asset became transactional. Brightwood properties that were once developed to promote our neighborhood were being sold. Once that happens, priorities shift, and the community loses its voice,' Rivera wrote. 'Borinquen was not under the protection of litigation as other Brightwood-owned properties in the community. So, we stepped up.' She said company Isla had credibility with U.S. Housing and Urban Development and with the state. This made the transaction easier. 'I love what I do, I love the people I work for,' Rivera wrote. 'Wealth comes in many forms. The day after closing will be just another workday. I will continue to zealously advocate for our residents their homes and the preservation of property intended for our community.' Knapik addressed what remains to be sold. 'Looking back, it's not overly complicated,' said Knapik, who headed the farm workers for about four years until leaving for a new job. 'Properties were bought with the mindset that the farm workers would operate services out of the properties, either them or an affiliate.' But the group lost contracts with the state and federal governments to perform services and it lost business tenants with the pandemic. 'They were left with all these buildings and no way to pay for them,' he said. The farm workers council was once the local administrators for LIHEAP, the Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program that helps people with energy bills in winter. But auditors say the group inappropriately spent $1.8 million in LIHEAP funds to prop pup other operations. The group had to pledge its real estate portfolio as collateral until it paid off the debt, a promise in the form of a mortgage in 2023. The properties included not only Borinquen but also the Paramount Theatre, Massasoit House and the massive complex at 1618 Main St. where The Student Prince Café and The Fort are located. Both have already sold, the Paramount to a Connecticut family that plans to take on a failed redevelopment project and the The Fort to the same team of investors who saved the restaurant business and were renting from the farm workers nonprofit. Besides programming, Flores' group held contracts with federal and state government tenants, including the Massachusetts Lottery. Knapik, who is now a consultant with the farm workers, said there are only a few properties remaining in the group's portfolio. That includes 217-225 High St. in Holyoke, a former bank building that has not sold at repeated auctions. The organization still owns vacant lots in Springfield's heavily Hispanic North End near the Borinquen. Those properties will be sold, Knapik said. The money will be put towards paying off other debts. In addition to the LIHEAP debt, the sale of real estate has also funded $3.19 million in mortgage loan payoffs of various buildings. That money was owed to Westfield Bank, TD Bank North, Community Bank and Berkshire Bank, Knapik said. Further, the city of Springfield has been paid $214,235.91 to cover a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development loan. That money came from the sale of a property at 21-23 Hampden St. in Springfield, the Shakago Bar and Grill building. The group also owed over $500,000 in property taxes. Just the sale of the Borinquen was a complex transaction, Knapik said. Out of the purchase price for the Borinquen, Isla paid the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities nearly $69,0000 to cover back fees for tax credit asset management. These fees are related to a 2013 rehab of the property funded in part with tax credits. The farm workers netted $1.3 million from the sale. Of that, $576,000 went to pay off the LIHEAP debt. The City of Springfield was paid $50,000 for an outstanding HUD loan. Westfield Bank was paid $603,000 on five separate loans. Legal fees associated with the transaction were $61,000 going back to a letter of intent with another potential purchaser in 2023. The farm workers negotiated with Isla and the other potential buyer for years, Knapik said. The Borinquen was once known as the Hooker Apartments, named apparently in honor of Civil War general and Hadley native Joseph Hooker. It was built in 1908. Today, it's a neatly kept property with families seen coming and going and a first-floor laundromat. PeoplesBank buys naming rights to Hartford arena Residential retrofitting program turns on high-speed internet for Bay Meadow Apts. in Springfield Chicopee budget up 6% on personnel, police costs; mayor proposes $3M to defray taxes Read the original article on MassLive. Sign in to access your portfolio