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Forged checks probed in Potter County….Emporium driver arrested on numerous charges after high speed chase…Teen driver wrecks car in Tioga County…State Senate approves legislation to streamline permitting process……

 Potter County

Coudersport state police are investigating a case of forged checks in Sweden Township. The victim’s potential losses totaled $7550; however, they were recovered before they were permanently transferred.

Cameron County

A 22 year Emporium man is facing numerous charges after a police chase Friday morning on Route 120  in Shippen Township. According to state police, the pursuit began when they tried to stop Hunter Skillman and he allegedly took off with speeds exceeding 125 mph. Skillman stopped about four miles from where the chase began and was taken into custody without further incident. His being charged with fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, reckless endangerment, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, careless driving, reckless driving and speeding.

A criminal mischief in Emporium is being probed by state police. A sliding window at the home of a 39 year old woman was damaged by vandals in the amount of $200.

Tioga County

A 16 year old Granville Summit, PA driver escaped injury in a one-vehicle crash  in Union Township last Thursday . The youth was going west on Black Road when his 2009 Nissan Altima failed to make a right hand turn, went off the road, traveled down an embankment and rolled over coming to rest against a tree.

Statewide

The Senate approved key permitting reforms last week that will streamline and expedite the state’s historically sluggish permitting process according to the measure’s sponsors, Sens. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) and Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland/Dauphin/Perry).

Senate Bill 350 requires state agencies to implement an accessible website so permit applicants can check their application status in real time. All issued permits must be publicly accessible and if rejected, the legal authority the agency relied on must be stated. The legislation would also require that a permit, license, or certification is deemed approved by the state if the agency reviewing the application misses its statutory deadline.

This measure builds on executive orders Gov. Josh Shapiro signed earlier this year, cutting down on permitting delays and bureaucratic red tape by establishing the Office of Transformation and Opportunity and the Economic Development Strategy Group within the governor’s office.

The bill would also create a program for third-party review of permits and a resolution to the current delays in permit decisions.

The senators cite a report released earlier this month from the state’s Independent Fiscal Office that highlights every wage-earning group in Pennsylvania fleeing for a handful of pro-business states, including Florida and North Carolina.

More than 60 employer associations, chambers of commerce and labor groups support Senate Bill 350,