Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, recently elected to his second term, announced his candidacy for Pennsylvania Auditor General, declaring himself the only candidate that can flip the office back to the Democratic Party and promising to boldly reimagine the office with “audits to impact” intended to result in policy change and spur the legislature forward.
“Tim DeFoor, the incumbent Auditor General, is backed by powerful special interests looking to privatize education who will stop at nothing to hold this seat. It’s imperative our nominee be best suited to be able to take on DeFoor. I’m a veteran, small business owner, and incumbent controller in PA’s 10th largest county with a real record of results. Only I can stand on that stage and make the case against DeFoor,” said Mark Pinsley.
During Pinsley’s tenure as Controller, he’s identified ways to reduce county healthcare costs by $70 million over ten years or over 23% of the Counties total healthcare spend, advocated for dozens of children wrongly removed from their families by powerful hospital networks, promoted environmental sustainability and pushed to divest $140M of taxpayer money from Wells Fargo over their support of dangerous anti-choice candidates.
“We expect our Attorneys General to have law degrees; we should expect our Auditor Generals to have relevant financial experience. I am the only candidate running with private sector executive experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets and public sector experience where I’ve done the work, saved taxpayers’ money, and used the office to advocate for change. My audits translate to impact,” said Pinsley.
Lehigh County, part of Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, is a swing region of a swing state. Neighboring Northampton County, the Lehigh Valley has often been a decider in statewide races.
“I have a history of winning tough races. In 2017, I was the first Democrat elected in South Whitehall Township in over 20 years; in 2019, I flipped the Controller’s Office from red to blue in a purple county. I outperformed President Biden’s countywide vote share during my recent reelection. I am the only candidate who knows what it takes to win tough races and has won. Republican votes and has flipped seats,” said Pinsley.
“I believe nominees matter. The recent election in Allegheny County shows that we can lose races we should win or have tougher fights than we need. My resume and my record are beyond question, and the Republican Party won’t be able to paint me as extreme or unqualified. I’ve served my country and community and know how to win in cities, suburbs, and rural communities. I am the only candidate who knows the job, has done the job, and can win the job,” said Pinsley.
Pinsley’s top priorities include the following:
– Evaluating the financial and human costs of crisis pregnancy centers and their impact on state spending and women’s health to protect women from these dangerous, extremist organizations that spread falsehoods and medically inaccurate information and encourage more state spending on family planning and contraceptive services to reduce social service costs.
– Conducting a socio-economic audit to truly put in perspective the cost of underfunding our schools that quantifies the impact on wages, public health, competitiveness, social development, and public safety to support education litigants in pushing the state to act.
– Auditing state support of county election offices and the state of county election departments, which are the backbone of democracy, to ensure Pennsylvania is investing in and defending democracy during this critical period.
– Evaluating Pennsylvania’s economic development programs compared to other states to improve our economic competitiveness and emphasize the importance of economic development tied to labor support, including connecting state dollars to project labor agreements and responsible contractor ordinances.
– Evaluate state support for county children and youth services to ensure adequate staffing, ensure our systems give families due process, and protect and promote child welfare through fair, efficient, and thorough processes.
“Auditor General has the power to be one of the most transformative offices in the state, a watchdog and advocate for change. I’m the only one able to tap into the office’s fullest potential and the only one who can win this race. If we value reproductive justice, saving democracy, and promoting economic opportunity and a fair economy, we need to win first. Nothing gets done if we don’t win,” said Pinsley.
Friends of Mark Pinsley Mark Pinsley 716-861-1793 www.votemarkpinsley.com
The Elkton community in St. Johns County, Florida, is about to witness one of the most significant events held in their hometown. The First Black Tiny Home Festival brings together the community and enthusiasts to show representation of Black and Brown people in the Tiny Homes on Wheels Movement. The festival will be held February 17 to 20, 2023, for a long weekend of fun and celebration in honor of Black History Month, Black culture and Tiny Homes Living.
The festival will showcase tiny homes of different styles for guests to tour including, vans, RVs, skoolies, and other tiny home conversions owned by Black and Brown people. There will also be a Camping Meetup to rally the Black nomadic community to enjoy the weekend after hours. Camping guests will have access to informative lifestyle workshops to teach about the details of tiny living, live performances by local and popular talent acts, a Black-Owned vendor market, the Nomad Formal Gala, and more! This event is family and pet friendly with designated areas and activities.
The theme for the festival is C.U.R.E. – “Celebrating Us, Rallying Everyone.” The planning team wanted to address the under representation of Black and Brown people in the tiny home event space and community by providing an event to celebrate the creativity, ingenuity and courage of Black and Brown people to live an alternative lifestyle. In addition, the goal is to inspire those interested in this lifestyle about the possibilities among people who look like them. Although the event is aimed to unite and celebrate the Black tiny home on wheels movement, everyone is welcome to support and attend the festival.
The Festival will respects the environment that is used to camp by avoiding the use of the most wasteful items at events, cups and water bottles. Part of the zero waste initiative includes a Bring-a-cup or Buy-a-cup beverage policy, as well as, pack in/pack out camping, separate waste bins for trash, recycling, and compost, provided poop bags in the designated dog park and waste conscious supplies and decor.
The Black Tiny Home Festival promises to be an epic experience for the Elkton Community and all who attend. Avoid the long lines and get a discount by buying tickets online before the event.
The event will be cashless accepting only cards and contactless payment for tickets, merch and most vending purchases. If you are unable to attend, please show support by donating or purchasing directly from the vendors’ websites.
This event is being hosted by Star Quality Organizing, a professional organizing, event planning and RV consultant company that specializes in hosting events for the RV and van life community, including the Black Nomads Meetup and the Juneteenth Nomad Celebration. Queen Tasha, the owner, is also the founder of the Black Travel Tribe a community to support Black and Brown Nomads on their travel journey.
Star Quality Organizing Queen Tasha Wharton 832-855-6812 blacktinyhomefestival.com
Walk into any retail store and you will see the holiday shopping season has started. But, somethings are missing – affordability and availability.
With the fall out after the pandemic, the crunch to find qualified workers, and supply chain delays, shelves once stuffed with good bargains are a thing of the past.
To help ease the burden of holiday shopping, Smyrna Pawn announced they have fully stocked shelves with luxury handbags at an affordable price. They appraise and authenticate the bags and all other luxury items before they are included in their inventory. This practice gives shoppers confidence when they are shopping.
With the new announcement, holiday shoppers can find a luxury handbag, designer watch, diamond, fine jewelry, or gold at a fraction of the cost big box stores want. Smyrna Pawn hopes this will help people save money and take the stress out of gift giving.
Smyrna Pawn is located in beautiful Cobb County and is a family owned and operated business. Stop by and see them or visit them at www.smyrnapawn.com/.
Smyrna Pawn Jason Wallace (770) 874-0786 https://pawnsmyrna.com/
Locals and visitors are invited to discover up-and-coming events across the county.
Grand County, Colo., released a list of local summer events that the community and visitors may not have heard about. Whether new or up-and-coming, these under-the-radar festivities offer entertainment for everyone, including theater, food, family fun and live musical performances. Summertime diversion awaits in Granby, Grand Lake, and Winter Park.
Music & Market – Polhamus Park in Granby turns into a hotbed of live music, market vendors, food trucks, and beer offerings every Wednesday, 5-7 p.m., through Aug. 24. Visit the events page at www.destinationgranby.com for information on vendors, drink prices and music lineups.
4th Annual Country in the Park – Rendezvous Event Center in Winter Park presents another evening of authentic country music at its beautiful outdoor venue, Saturday, Aug. 20. Visit www.rendezvouseventcenterco.com for musician and ticket information.
Tacos + Margs in the Mountains – Bringing the best of food and drink together for a perfect summertime mountain evening, Winter Park Resort presents a crowd-pleasing menu of margarita samples and unlimited street tacos. Tickets for this Aug. 20 event start at $45.
75th Annual Buffalo Days – This three-day Grand Lake festival offers down-home summer fun, Aug. 19-21. Activities and entertainment include painting, movies, a 5k, kids games, corn hole tourney, axe throwing, barbecue, cowboy church, live music, a parade, and fireworks.
“Beehive” – Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre’s production of this 1960s musical celebrating powerful female voices during a time of social change hits the stage Sept. 2 and runs through Oct.1. The show is a coming-of-age story times six, featuring timeless hits such as “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Be My Baby” and “Son of a Preacher Man.”
2nd Annual Troublesome Fest – Turning the tragedy of devastating wildfires into a celebration of community, this Americana, Rock, and Texas Red Dirt benefit festival returns to Gene Stover Lakefront Park on Saturday, Sept. 10. Tickets cost is $50.
For more information about these events, as well as lodging and dining in Grand County, visit www.visitgrandcounty.com and www.facebook.com/grandcountycolorado. Follow @grandcountyco on Twitter and http://www.pinterest.com/grandcountyco on Pinterest.
About Grand County, Colo. (www.visitgrandcounty.com) Located 67 miles west of Denver, Grand County is home to wide-open spaces, breathtaking mountain scenery, and authentic old-west towns. Outdoor recreational activities include golf, boating, fishing, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, skiing, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, sleigh rides, and tubing. The area features more than 600 miles of mapped and marked trails, one national park, two national forests, two wilderness areas, two national scenic byways, two major ski resorts, four world-class dude ranches and four mountain golf courses. Grand County’s extensive water network includes Colorado’s largest natural lake, 1,000 miles of streams, 1,000 acres of high-mountain lakes and 11,000 acres of reservoirs.
Harris County Public Library (HCPL) announced its slate of author talks for the expanded 2022 edition of its Authorama series. This year, for the first time, Authorama will feature in-person appearances by two nationally known authors with ties to the Houston area, in addition to virtual visits. Award-winning poet Van G. Garrett will host story times featuring his debut children’s picture book, Kicks, and Young Adult author J. Elle will share her unique and inspirational path to the New York Times bestseller list. On the virtual side, Authorama will live stream appearances by Preeti Chhibber, super fan and author of Disney’s new release Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma, the duo who make up the pseudonymous fantasy author M.A. Carrick (The Mask of Mirrors, The Liar’s Knot), and novelist, children’s book author and Houston’s first poet laureate Gwendolyn Zepeda who will discuss her work editing the acclaimed anthology Houston Noir.
Expanding in Scope, but Staying True to its Roots
HCPL’s Authorama was born during the depths of the pandemic out of the library’s need to provide compelling and entertaining content for audiences stuck at home. This year, HCPL’s Authorama is pivoting to a mix of virtual and in-person author talks. “We really wanted to put these authors inside our libraries to give audiences a chance to meet and interact with them in person,” says Jennifer Schwartz, Programming Services Manager for HCPL, “but our past Authorama virtual events have been wildly successful and have the potential to reach more people. Authorama 2022 is the best of both worlds.”
Authorama Goes Year-Round with Authorama365
Coinciding with the end-of-summer Authorama events, HCPL is launching a new partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium (LSC) called Authorama365. Authorama365 will bring bestselling authors and thought leaders to readers all year long. “Because LSC has many library partners across the country, it is able bring in authors who might not be accessible to individual libraries,” says Schwartz, “They book a wonderful mix of bestselling fiction writers and writers who will appeal to entrepreneurs and business people who are looking for thought-provoking, actionable insight to grow their careers and businesses.” Authorama365 events are online and free to the public. Audience members can submit questions to the authors prior to the livestreams, and can browse and watch past events at any time.
Authorama 2022 Live and In-Person
Kicks: A Special Story Time with Author Van G. Garrett – Award-winning poet Van G. Garrett will read from his debut children’s picture book, Kicks.
Katy Branch Library
Wednesday, July 27, 10:30 AM
Spring Branch Memorial Branch Library Thursday, August 4, 10:30 AM
An Afternoon with J. Elle – YA Author J. Elle will talk about the second book in her Wings of Ebony series, Ashes of Gold, and share her improbable and inspiring journey to the bestseller list.
Maud Smith Marks Branch Library
Thursday, July 28, 4:30 PM
Authorama 2022 Live Streams: @harriscountypl on YouTube and Facebook Live.
Authors’ Insight with Alyc Helms & Marie Brennan – Two amazing writers who together make up the bestselling pseudonymous fantasy author M. A. Carrick (The Mask of Mirrors, The Liars Knot). They will join the HCPL Writes crew to discuss their writing process, collaboration and more.
YouTube and Facebook Live: @harriscountypl
Tuesday, July 26, 6:30 PM
Preeti Chhibber: Spider-Man Super Fan and Author – Preeti will talk about fandom and her books: the just-released Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma and the Avengers Assembly series, X-Change Students 101 coming in September. Q&A follows.
YouTube and Facebook Live: @harriscountypl Live Viewing Party: La Porte Branch Library
Monday, August 1, 3:00 PM
Gwendolyn Zepeda on Anthologies – HCPL Writes takes a deep dive into anthologies. Learn what they are and how they work from Gwen Zepeda, novelist, children’s book author, and Houston’s first poet laureate, as well as editor of the acclaimed anthology Houston Noir.
YouTube and Facebook Live: @harriscountypl
Tuesday, August 9 at 6:30 PM
All Authorama365 programs are free. Visit www.libraryc.org/hcpl for more information, to register and to view more upcoming events.
About Harris County Public Library:
The Harris County Public Library (HCPL) mission is to provide information and resources to enrich lives and strengthen communities through innovative services within and beyond our walls. The library has an annual circulation of over 10 million items and is a network of 26 community-focused branch libraries and is committed to providing excellent customer service, strong collections, and cutting-edge information technology.
Harris County Public Library Nancy Hu 832-703-9949 www.hcpl.net
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