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Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cracking down on distracted driving with Paul Miller's Law
(WBRE/WYOU) — According to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) data, in 2024, there were nearly 10,000 crashes involving a distracted driver, resulting in more than 6,000 injuries and 49 deaths. Paul Miller's Law will take effect on Thursday. Under this new law, if you have your phone in your hand, for any reason, while driving, you could face consequences. Effective June 5, 2025, Paul Miller's Law makes it illegal to hold your cellphone while driving. 'The short version is you just can't be holding your phone or physically touching it. The only things you can do is if you're getting a phone call, if your car has a button on it's radio display or on its steering wheel, you can still use that function to answer the phone, but you still can't physically touch the phone itself,' Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Troop P Wilkes-Barre Public Information Officer Trooper Bill Evans explained. Texting while driving is already illegal in PA, but troopers say it's been tricky to enforce. Police chief backs regionalization for departments 'Before this law we used to always have a texting and driving law that said you couldn't text and drive, but there was almost a seemingly built in loophole to that law that would allow people to say that, you know, instead of making a text they were sending a phone call and there was nothing we could do to really prove that beyond a reasonable doubt,' Trooper Evans stated. Paul Miller's Law comes after years of efforts from lawmakers and Eileen Miller, who has been tirelessly advocating for change after her son Paul was killed by a distracted driver back in 2010. PSP says Paul Miller's law will help them keep the roads safer. 'We're happy that we finally got to this point thanks to the Paul Miller Law, thanks to Paul Miller's mother, Eileen, who was a big advocate in making this law happen. Ultimately, our goal as state troopers on the interstates and on the highways is to get the total number of crashes down to zero, and one thing that's going to help eliminate crashes is curbing distracted driving,' Trooper Evans continued. Police plan to enforce this visually while on patrol. For the first year the law is in effect, offenders will receive a warning. Starting June 5, 2026, if you are caught with a phone in hand, you'll receive a fine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
PA State Attorney General warns residents of new text scam
(WBRE/WYOU) — State Attorney General Dave Sunday is warning Pennsylvanians about a new text scam. Residents are getting fake messages claiming to be from the DMV, threatening license suspensions and fines. They include links to pay, but officials say don't click them. Shapiro, Senate Republicans clash over mass transit spending as budget deadline looms Sunday says the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation does not send texts about traffic violations or fines. Officials are asking residents to report any messages to the Attorney General's Office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
PSP investigating crash after coroner confirms 1 left dead
KLINE TOWNSHIP, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) are investigating a deadly crash Saturday. Schuylkill County Coroner Doc Moylan told 28/22 News his office was called to the 1000 block of Mile Hill Road after a reported crash around 4:00 p.m. U.S. Marshals offer reward for Sunbury homicide suspect At least one person is dead at this time, and PSP Frackville is on scene investigating the cause, according to Coroner Moylan. This is a developing story and 28/22 News will have more details as they are made available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S Department of Labor to pause job corps centers
(WBRE/WYOU)— The U.S Department of Labor announced Thursday it is going to begin a 'phased pause in operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide.' The pause of all operations at Job Corps centers will occur by June 30. The closing of these centers are due to an internal review of the program's outcome and structure and will be carried out in accordance with available funding. The department will be collaborating with state and local workforces to help students with advancing their expertise and connecting them with education and employment oppurtunities. 'Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,' said Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. 'However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve. We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program's possibilities.' The Job Corps has also been operated under a $140 million deficit in 2024 requiring the Biden administration to implement a pause in center operations to complete the program year, and the deficit is projected to $213 million in 2025. The Job Corps Transparency Report showed that the average graduation rate of people in the Job Corps was at 38.6%, cost them an average of $80,284.65, and an average of 155,600.74. There were also more than 14,000 'Serious Incident Reports' in 2023, which include instances of Sexual Assault, Acts of Violence, and Reported Drug Use among other. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Expert weighs in on why people lie about tragedy
(WBRE/WYOU) — Calvin Polachek's motive for telling such a lie is unclear at this time, but 28/22 news looked into what could potentially provoke this and other similar behavior. 28/22 News Reporter Gianna Galli sat down with a local psychiatry physician's assistant on Wednesday, who provided insight. The psychiatrist assistant 28/22 News spoke with talked about the behavior of Polachek and others. She says these kinds of lies don't just happen overnight, and it may stem from a deeper sense of something missing inside. Calvin Polacheck recalled a terrifying scene that never occurred. At a televised gun violence survivor rally in Kentucky, the former Dallas High School student spoke about a deadly school shooting at his alma mater. 'There is definitely some deep-seated pathology going on here,' psychiatrist physician's assistant Melanie Priebe said. Children, pot found in car after chase, police say Priebe called such behavior unusual and odd, but could be associated with someone willing to lie to feel wanted. 'These people feel that there is a void in their emotional bucket, like they don't feel paid attention to or appreciated or worthy,' Priebe explained. But Polachek isn't the first to lie about a terrible event. Back in 2020, a Lackawanna County man, Chris Crawford, was charged with misrepresenting himself as a member of the military. He even took it as far as stealing more than $16,000 from a local American Legion post. In the early 2000s, Alicia Head, a Spanish woman from Barcelona, made national headlines when she claimed to be a survivor of the attacks on the World Trade Center. She changed her name, joined a support group, and even said her fiancée died in the attacks. None of this was true. Priebe says this kind of lying behavior can have real effects on those who actually suffered or are recovering from a tragic experience. Officials announce lineup for 2025 Bloomsburg Fair season 'Because of all the trauma, they do all the work, and you hear this kind of story where it's false and fabricated. I think that could be a trigger for these people and make them relive something,' Priebe continued. It can also put unnecessary pressure on police. 'These claims have to be investigated, so you are wasting resources of local law enforcement, state law enforcement,' Priebe added. Priebe adds this kind of behavior doesn't pop out of nowhere. 'Most of these cases may come from that feeling of neglect as a child,' said Priebe. 28/22 News reached out to Calvin Polachek, who is now a grad student in Kentucky, but so far have not heard back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
