Bill O’Boyle: State teams with realtors on tips to protect your home while vacationing

June 02-- Jun. 2--WILKES-BARRE -- The Pennsylvania Insurance Department this week joined forces with the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors to re-launch a video and checklist offering homeowners tips on protecting their properties from break-ins while on vacation.

"The Memorial Day holiday signals the traditional start of summer, and with most schools about to begin summer break, Pennsylvanians will very soon be hitting the road for summer vacations," said Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman. "Before leaving for a trip, there are steps homeowners can take to lessen the chance of a break-in and perhaps save on their homeowners' insurance as well."

The Insurance Department re-posted on its homepage and on social media, a video and checklist first released last year with tips on preventing home break-ins while away on vacation. The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors is also running a story on the video and checklist in its daily, statewide e-newsletter, Just Listed, distributed to all member-realtors, encouraging them to share this information with their clients.

"As Realtors, we are often faced with empty properties from homeowners who have already moved. The Insurance Department offers excellent tips on protecting your home when you're not in it. I usually recommend to clients I'm working with that they make the home look as lived-in as possible, and that includes keeping up with cutting the grass, picking up mail and packages and leaving a light or two on," said the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors President Bill McFalls, Jr.

Making your home a less enticing target, whether you are on vacation or the home has been sold but remains vacant until the new owner moves in, is one way to both discourage break-ins and potentially lower homeowners' insurance.

Ways of doing this include:

--Installing dead bolt locks on doors. These can slow a burglar's ability to enter your home, and in some cases can lead to a discount on insurance. Homeowners can also consider dead bolts on windows.

--Invest in a burglar alarm system. Noise can often discourage a burglar, and systems that automatically notify police and other emergency services bring help quickly. Some alarm systems may result in an insurance discount.

Keeping your home looking "lived-in" is also a good idea. Among ways to do this are:

--Putting interior lights on a timer. Choosing a few rooms to remain lit gives the impression someone is home. Consider a timer or asking a neighbor to turn on interior and exterior lights at night.

--Stop mail delivery, or have a trusted neighbor collect your mail, newspapers, and any delivered packages so they don't stack up outside, a clear signal no one is home.

--Ask a neighbor to cut the grass if you'll be gone long enough that the growth will be noticeable.

--Leave a radio on and turn down your doorbell if possible. Some thieves ring the doorbell or knock to try and determine if anyone is home, and having a loud radio playing and the doorbell level muted plants doubt in an intruder's mind as to whether no one is home or the resident just didn't hear the doorbell or knock.

Protecting your home's contents is also important.

--Give a spare key directly to a trusted neighbor or friend to have access to the home.

--Don't fall into the cliché of putting the key "under the mat," as thieves will check there.

--Don't put valuable documents in a personal desk or office where burglars will know to look for them.

--Put important documents and expensive items such as jewelry in a lock-box or safe elsewhere in the house, or at another location such as a friend or relative's home, or in a safety deposit box.

--Also turn off and stow your computer out of sight to discourage an intruder from trying to hack into your personal accounts.

--Don't announce your trip in advance except to a small group of trusted friends. Talking about your upcoming vacation in public settings where you don't know who may be listening or posting pictures on social media while you are away is a sure way of letting potential burglars know your home is empty.

"Review your homeowners' policy to make sure you are getting any discounts for security measures you may have taken, and to make sure you have the coverage you want for the personal items you take along," Altman said. "Most homeowners' and renters' policies will cover personal items stolen or damaged on a trip, but if you'll have expensive items such as jewelry, talk to your insurance professional and make sure you're covered."

Rep. Toohil: Free produce

available to area seniors

Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, is encouraging eligible seniors living in the 116th Legislative District to take advantage of a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture program that provides vouchers worth $20 that can be used to purchase produce at participating farmers markets and roadside stands.

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program was established in 2002 to promote the consumption of fresh, nutritious, locally grown fruits and vegetables among older Pennsylvanians.

--To qualify, seniors must be 60 or older by Dec. 31, 2019. Proof of age and county residency are required. A Pennsylvania driver's license or photo ID is sufficient to prove eligibility for the program, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

--Participants must also have a total household income, before taxes, of less than $23,107 for a single person and $31,284 for a couple.

--An individual is not eligible for the program if he or she resides in a nursing home, convent or residential facility where meals are prepared.

--Vouchers are provided on a first-come, first-served basis by the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties. Four $5 vouchers will be handed out per person. Contact the agency if there are more than two persons in a household.

Vouchers will be distributed at the following dates, times and locations in the 116th Legislative District during the months of June and July:

--Friday, June 7, Hazleton Active Adult Center, 24 E. Broad St., Hazleton, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

--Wednesday, June 12, Freeland Active Adult Center, 701 Chestnut St., Freeland, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

--Thursday, June 20, Butler Twp. Active Adult Center, 411 W. Butler Drive, Drums, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

--Wednesday, June 26, Mountaintop Active Adult Center, Wright Manor Apartments, 460 S. Main Road, Mountaintop, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

--Friday, June 28, Detweiler Farms (White Haven Area), 165 Tunnel Road, White Haven, from 10 a.m. to noon.

--Monday, July 1, Shickshinny Active Adult Center, 17 W. Vine St., Shickshinny, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Senators announce bills reforming

vehicle emissions testing program

A group of Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Kim Ward (R-39), announced a package of bills this week to reform Pennsylvania's vehicle emissions testing program, also referred to as the Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Program.

On May 10, the Senate Transportation Committee held a hearing on "Exempting Eligible Counties from Vehicle Emissions Testing" and collected testimony from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Joint State Government Commission, the Pennsylvania AAA Federation, and an inspection mechanic.

Findings from the hearing paved the way for the introduction of measures that would:

--Exempt gas-powered passenger cars, vans, and light-duty trucks from the I/M program for the first eight years after manufacture in counties that require emissions testing.

--Change the annual emissions testing to a two-year testing requirement for gas-powered passenger cars, vans, and light-duty trucks older than eight years in counties that require emissions testing.

--Remove Blair, Cambria, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer and Westmoreland counties from the I/M program based on empirical evidence cited by the Joint State Government Commission.

--Replace the outdated tailpipe test in Pittsburgh and the two-speed idle test in the Philadelphia region with a gas cap test and a visual inspection for model year 1994-95 vehicles.

--Extend the transition date for existing emissions inspection stations who are required by PennDOT to obtain new emissions testing equipment by November 1, 2019.

In 1990, Congress set the requirement for a vehicle emissions testing program as part of the Clean Air Act amendments. Since then, the Commonwealth implemented several changes, including the addition of counties beyond the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.

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