School bus safety is a high priority in Pennsylvania. Students, parents, teachers, administrators, transportation personnel and the motoring public all play important roles in keeping our children safe while on or around the school bus.
Please take a moment to review the following safety tips to help ensure our children arrive to and from school safely each day: 

• Get to the school bus stop five minutes early, so you won't have to run across the road to catch the bus. 
• When waiting for the bus, stay away from traffic. Line up at least five giant steps away from the curb or the roadway to wait for the bus. 
• Never run after the school bus if it has already left the bus stop. 
• Never push when getting on or off of the school bus. 
• Always walk at least 10 feet in front of the bus when crossing so that the school bus driver can see you. 
• Be aware - Cross with Care! Wait until the school bus has stopped all traffic before stepping out onto the road. 
• When the school bus is moving, always stay in your seat. Never put your head, arms or hands out of the window. 
• Talk quietly; do not distract your school bus driver. 
• If your school bus crosses railroad tracks, be calm and quiet so that your driver can listen for a train. Always obey your school bus driver's instructions, so that he or she can make safe decisions. 
• Never play with the emergency exits. Backpacks, band instruments, or sports equipment may not block the aisle or emergency exits. If there is an emergency, listen to the driver and follow instructions. 
• When getting off of the school bus, make sure that all drawstrings and other loose objects are secure so that they don't get caught on the handrail or the door. 
• Never cross the street behind the school bus. 
• If you leave something on the bus or drop something outside of the bus, never go back for it. The driver may not see you and begin moving the bus. 
• Never speak to strangers at the bus stop and never get into the car with a stranger. 

 
PennDOT is pleased to provide a school bus activity booklet (PDF) geared toward elementary students.

​Four regional businesses have been chosen as finalists for the 2022 Oil Region Alliance Outdoor Recreation Business Plan Contest. The designation puts them in the running for a possible award of $5,000 or $10,000.

Finalists were chosen based on a concept paper that addressed the following areas:

• Relevance/importance to natural outdoor recreation economic development;
• Viability of the business idea, including need in the region for the product/service, thoughtfulness of applicant’s method to resolve the need, uniqueness of product/service or method, timeline feasibility, assessment and improvement, and preliminary budget 
• Economic impact on the region; and 
• Presentation quality.

Next the finalists will submit a business plan and then make a presentation to the judges. Winners will be announced Saturday, December 3 as part of Oil City’s Christmas Past.

The Franklin-based Innovation Institute for Tomorrow received some money at a most opportune time. 

“With our recent move into our new home on Liberty Street, this grant award will allow us to speed up our timelines for freshening up the space and jumpstart onsite programming," said Innovation Institute president Tim Heffernan.

The group was awarded a $25,000 grant from The McElhattan Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based foundation that awards grants in four program areas: workplace safety, education, end-of-life planning and care; and community development in Knox and Franklin.

"The McElhattan Foundation is proud to support the Innovation Institute for Tomorrow in its mission to provide sustainable, world-class STEM education opportunities to every child,"  said Sarah Pistella, Knox and Franklin grants program officer.

The $25,000 award is for general operating costs of the education nonprofit's new Franklin facility, which is located on Liberty Street on the floors above the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Heffernan said they are doing a lot of painting and preparations to be ready for the start of the school year.

The Innovation Institute for Tomorrow, founded in 2020, will officially open its doors this fall for workshops involving robotics, AI and computer science with a mission of preparing students for 21st century careers.

"We couldn’t be more appreciative of the grant award and our continued collaboration with the McElhattan Foundation as we create opportunities for our kids and community,” Heffernan said. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will host a series of job fairs throughout the District 1 northwest region in the coming weeks.
PennDOT is looking to fill a variety of roadway maintenance positions in various counties throughout the region, including transportation equipment operators, diesel and construction equipment mechanics, tradesmen helpers, and radio dispatchers. Additional positions are available in the design and construction fields.
Applicants can see the current available positions by going online to www.employment.pa.gov and send questions to statejobs@pa.gov.
Those interested in a career with PennDOT are encouraged to attend one of the events to learn about the various opportunities available. District employees and human resources representatives will be on hand to answer questions regarding employment and assist attendees with the application process.
In some cases, on-the-spot interviews will be conducted, and conditional job offers may be extended. Applicants should take an updated copy of their resume or employment history and two forms of ID.
Open house job fairs will be held on the following dates:

• August 15 – Noon to 6:00 PM, Erie County Maintenance Facility, 9031 Peach Street, Waterford;
• August 25 – Noon to 6:00 PM, Crawford County Maintenance Facility, 18492 Smock Highway, Meadville;
• August 29 – Noon to 6:00 PM, Mercer County Maintenance Facility, 215 Maple Street, Mercer;
• August 30 – Noon to 6:00 PM, Venango County Maintenance Facility, 1460 Pittsburgh Road, Franklin; and
• September 7 – Noon to 6:00 PM, Warren County Maintenance Facility, 20745 Route 6, Warren.

The job fairs are open to persons with disabilities. Any person requiring special accommodations are requested to contact the PennDOT District 1 office at 814-678-7114 at least a week prior to the event to ensure reasonable accommodations can be provided.