Latest news with #JulieWheeler
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds of local residents inducted into the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame
YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — Decades ago, voting, as well as many other things, looked a lot different than it does today, and one group is being recognized for casting their ballots for 50 consecutive years. The 299 York County voters pictured below were inducted Tuesday into the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame. To achieve this recognition, these voters had to participate in every November election for at least 50 consecutive years. Now, the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame has more than 600 York County voters who were inducted. 'Voting is absolutely core to our democracy, but it is also an essential part of civic engagement,' York County President Commissioner and Board of Elections President Julie Wheeler said. 'The ballot is the people's voice, so we celebrate our York County voters who have shown an outstanding commitment to making their voice heard year after year for decades. They are an inspiration to us all, and they exemplify the true spirit of citizenship that is the foundation for our democracy.' More than 25,000 voters across the state have been inducted into the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame which was established in 1986 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
York County water testing reports significantly lower pollutant levels than DEP report
YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)– In honor of Earth Day, York County announced that its water pollutant levels are significantly lower than what was reported by the state. According to York County, data from the county's 10-year Water Quality Monitoring Initiative show that pollutant levels are significantly lower than those reported by the Department of Environmental Protection. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The DEP initially reported that York County was the second-highest contributor to key pollutants, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment, entering the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay, but York County says its data tells a different story. 'We are the first county in Pennsylvania and the entire nation to undertake this kind of innovative water quality monitoring program,' said York County President Commissioner Julie Wheeler. 'Here in York County, we pride ourselves on the responsible stewardship of our precious land and waterways.' York County says its program started in 2020, one year after the DEP's report. They say the DEP generated its water quality data through a computer modeling program, which led the county to develop a real-time water quality monitoring program. Help from the U.S. Geological Survey has enabled York County to collect data year-round from six water quality monitoring stations, providing a more accurate understanding of water quality. Data was captured from stations in Fishing Creek at Goldsboro and Craley, Codorus Creek, Kreutz Creek, and Muddy Creek. The differences in data between the DEP and the county have been vast, according to York County. The DEP's computer-generated data showed that York County waterways had 957 million pounds of sediment, but York County's real-time data shows a four-year average of 105.7 million pounds. DEP data showed that York County waterways had 12 million pounds of nitrogen, but the County showed a four-year average of 7.2 million. The county said phosphorus levels were also 17% below what the DEP's 2019 data showed. 'As we work to implement strategies to further protect our waterways, we all benefit when our efforts are directed by sound, robust data,' said Andrew D. Dehoff, executive director of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission. 'We applaud York County and the USGS for developing this innovative, data-first program, which can help inform our pollutant-reduction efforts moving forward. Our hope is that this will be a model for other counties to ensure their efforts are based on the best data available.' York County says it has engaged community members, such as farmers and the York County Conservation District, to help develop further solutions to reduce pollutant levels. 'York County's agricultural community understands that we share a common goal to reduce pollutants in our waterways,' said Barron Shaw, president of the York County Farm Bureau. 'We have made great strides to help keep our waterways clean, and now with this real-time data at our disposal we can continue that progress by using reliable information to better measure our success.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Better Business Bureau warns of raising AI scams
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – The Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving western Virginia, says the rise of artificial intelligence tools is changing how scammers can steal or trick you out of personal information. An investigation conducted by the BBB's International Investigations Initiative has found over 16,000 identity and information scams since 2021. Their report also cited the Federal Trade Commission, which reported over 4 million incidents of identity or information theft within the same time frame. Julie Wheeler, the CEO of the BBB serving western Virginia, says these scams range from phony text messages claiming you owe a toll to scammers claiming to be with a utility company offering discounts. Last year, scam victims lost about $484 on average. Wheeler wants to stress while scam victims may think they may have only lost money—their private information is likely also at risk. She says with criminals using sophisticated AI tools, the digital landscape is more dangerous, and you need to be proactive in protecting yourself. Better Business Bureau warns of raising AI scams 'The terrifying part is with AI, it's so much easier for these things to appear legitimate. And we're seeing more and more times where it's used to have personal information about you that they can then gain the confidence, where you provide more personal information,' said Wheeler, 'the dark web, that's where all this information is put to be sold, and unfortunately, I would pretty well bet that just about every single one of us has our Social Security number and other personal information on a dark web site.' Some of the best ways to know the difference in the scams, especially with the rise of AI, is looking for misspelled URLs, websites with low-quality design, images that may seem flat or unreal, and suspicious links from texts, emails, or messages on social media. 'It's all about being vigilant, but we can't don't assume things are legitimate. And that's a sad state, but it's unfortunately the world that we're in. But if we take these steps to protect ourselves, we can avoid being a victim and losing money,' said Wheeler. So what can you do now to protect yourself? The BBB suggests regularly monitoring your credit reports for unknown accounts. Use multi-factor authentication whenever you can. Don't use the same password across multiple accounts. Secure your WIFI, and think about using a virtual private network. You can visit the BBB's website here to report or learn more about these scams. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
