HARRISBURG, PA (12/29/2009)(readMedia)— Pennsylvania Turnpike travelers are reminded that tolls are set to go up by 3 percent at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010. New toll revenue from the increase – only the seventh in nearly 70 years – will mostly fund off-Turnpike infrastructure improvements.

The increase, first announced a year ago, will provide supplemental funding for the commonwealth\’s non-tolled roads and bridges as well as mass-transit agencies. Revenue from the toll increase will finance debt service associated with the Turnpike Commission\’s Act 44 obligations.

\”This increase will allow PennDOT to boost infrastructure investment, improving

NorthJersey.com: 

Wednesday, December 30, 2009
BY RICHARD COWEN
The Record
STAFF WRITER

A proposed deer hunt on Garret Mountain has run into a wall of opposition, with animal lovers mobilizing to stop the culling and Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale concerned there hasn’t been enough planning to ensure public safety.

Speziale says the plan to close county-owned Garret Mountain and Rifle Camp Park and allow bow hunters to cull deer will take a lot of staffing. A resolution adopted by the Passaic County Freeholders calls for the parks to be closed on unspecified days in January and February — but Speziale says a lot of planning needs to be done before the first arrow is fired. No one is sure how many deer live on Garret Mountain, but rough estimates put the total as high as 600. Environmentalists say the impact on the ecology of Garret Mountain has been devastating. Deer, which are plant-eaters, have browsed their way through the entire park and have stripped the forest floor bare. New trees and plants that sprout are quickly eaten, so there’s been no new growth for years.

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