Huntingdon Daily News - A three-person panel assembled to discuss Pennsylvania’s pardon process fielded questions from local residents last week during the first public event hosted by the Huntingdon County Pardon Project at the Huntingdon County Library.

The new organization is trying to reach individuals with criminal records who are interested in applying for a pardon from the state of Pennsylvania. The organization is also recruiting prospective “pardon coaches” to provide support for applicants ready to tackle the years-long process.

Jenna Henry, Centre County resident, shared her first-hand account of navigating the pardon process from beginning to end. Convicted of a felony drug offense at age 21, she received a pardon from the state in 2023 at age 35.

Following her conviction, Henry committed herself to self-improvement. She found her passion in grass-roots advocacy and is currently serving as director of Central Pennsylvania United which focuses on issues impacting working class people.

Henry shared that, for the longest time, applying for a pardon wasn’t on her radar and that she didn’t understand who was even eligible to apply.

“I thought you had to be friends with the president to get a pardon, that it was this elusive thing” she said.

Zach Keasling of the Carlisle area, who serves on the Pardon Project steering committee and helps local chapters get off the ground, said the question of who can apply is at the center of much misconception but the answer is quite simple.

With a feeling of privilege and emotion, Rhodia D. Thomas ’77 is set to collect the School of Education’s Tolley Medal during the 2024 One University awards on April 19, which celebrates the honorable work and dedicated service of outstanding members of the Syracuse University community.

Syracuse University - “I can’t understate what it means to me,” says Thomas, who followed her teaching degree with one in law to further her support of disadvantaged students. “I feel like I’ve really come full circle. All the training and education that I received in my undergraduate degree from the School of Education really launched my career, and now I get to teach the area of the law that I’m most interested in: education.”

Opening Doors
The Tolley Medal pays tribute to one of the nation’s pre-eminent leaders in higher education, William Pearson Tolley, and is presented annually to recognize those who also make education a career legacy.

“All the training and education that I received in my undergraduate degree from the School of Education really launched my career.”

Thomas says she knows the exact moment she wanted to become a teacher and a lawyer. “It was at age 12, particularly due to my teacher, Mrs. Bracey,” she recalls. “She was a really great teacher, and I knew I wanted to be just like her.”

Since childhood, Thomas’s goal has been to give back: “My hope is to make the biggest impact by influencing people who didn’t have as much. I want to help give other people the opportunities I’ve had.”

Those opportunities center around education, which she firmly believes “opens doors.”

TUESDAY, April 9, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Changes to the federal program that helps pay for groceries for low-income moms and their young children means that soon these families will have access to more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.

The final rule changes for the program known as WIC make an increase in monthly cash vouchers for fruits and vegetables permanent -- a change first enacted during the pandemic. Shoppers can also add canned fish, fresh herbs and lactose-free milk to their carts, among other options. The voucher change will take effect by June, officials said.