ABATE of PA to Conduct Rights Rally

The Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE of PA) will hold its 32nd Annual Motorcyclist Rights Rally at noon today at the state capitol. Preceding the rally will be a tribute ride for the late Lieutenant Governor and ABATE member Catherine Baker Knoll, extending from Shellsville to Harrisburg. Multiple speakers, including Senator John Wozniak and possibly Governor Ed Rendell, will be at the event, which will focus on the consequences of driving a motorcycle drunk and the effects of “distracted driving” on motorcyclists. ABATE of PA spokesman David Tuschel says not all distractions are necessarily from cell phones – he says a woman on a motorcycle was rear-ended and killed at a red light by another woman who was doing her nails while driving. “We want severe penalties for this sort of thing. There’s no reason for severe penalties to exist for maiming or killing someone as a result of drinking and being inebriated, but if you’re being inattentive, that should be a $50 fine. We don’t think so,” says Tuschel. The spokesman says the group will support any legislation aimed toward reducing distracted driving, but opposes any laws that mandate the wearing of protective helmets. Following the speakers, the Clarence D. Bell Scholarship will be presented to its recipients by Devon Collins of ABATE of PA. For more information, visit ABATE’s website.

Scarnati to Serve as Senator and Lieutenant Governor

State officials are making plans for a public swearing-in ceremony for Pennsylvania's new Lieutenant Governor, Joseph Scarnati. But there's some controversy over whether he should retain his Senate seat while serving in the administration. Republican Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi says he doesn't see a problem with him serving two branches of government simultaneously. But Franklin and Marshall College political scientist Terry Madonna says "there is potentially a conflict between his concerns about representing the interests of the state as lieutenant governor on the one hand and the interests of his constituents." Scarnati's duel role is not without precedent; Senator Bob Jubelirer took over as Lieutenant Governor when Tom Ridge left for Washington.

Remembering Catherine Baker Knoll

Politicians, friends and constituents are mourning the death of Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll. Mrs. Knoll died last evening at age 78 while being therapy for an infection after receiving chemotherapy treatment. The lieutenant governor was diagnosed in July with neuro-endocrine cancer.
Catherine Baker Knoll was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of McKees Rocks in 1930 and went to St. Mary's Catholic High School. After high school, she went to nursing school and then on to Duquesne University to study history and eduction. She won 2 terms as Pennsylvania Treasurer in 1988 and '92. In 2002, she beat out 8 other candidates in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor and then went on to win that office as Governor Ed Rendell's running mate to become the first woman to hold the post of lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania.
Governor Rendell called Mrs. Knoll a "passionate public servant" and a "wonderful governing partner."
State Representative Don Walko of Pittsburgh's Northside said that Mrs. Knoll had an uncanny ability to connect with residents and lawmakers and when she would see Pittsburghers visiting the Capitol, she would always invite them into her office.
Representative Tom Petrone is a lifelong friend of the lieutenant governor and he told DUQ News that shortly before she was diagnosed with cancer, Knoll and Petrone were in Atlantic City in July to see Mickey Rooney perform. Petrone says that Rooney and Mrs. Knoll were friends of many years and that the actor acknowledged her from the stage and after the show they went backstage to talk with Rooney.
The governor has ordered that flags at commonwealth facilities be flown at half-staff.

Catherine Baker Knoll Dies

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll has died at the age of 78. Knoll had been fighting neuroendocrine cancer for months. Governor Ed Rendell says at the time of her death Knoll was surrounded by her family at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C. Under the Pennsylvania Constitution, Knoll will be replaced as Lieutenant Governor by the Senate President Pro Tempore, Joseph B. Scarnati III (R-Jefferson). Knoll was the first female lieutenant governor. Before that she served two terms as State Treasurer where she is said to have been proud of her creation of the TAP 529 Pennsylvania Tuition Account Program, which has since been renamed 'nowU.' She also ran an unsuccessful campaign in the 1994 democratic gubernatorial primary. The daughter of a McKees Rocks baker Knoll began her career in politics working for the party at various levels while also working as a schoolteacher.
Knoll's late husband, Charles, was a U.S. Postmaster. She is survived by her four adult children, Charles, Mina, Albert, and Kim Eric.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete.

Knoll in Johns Hopkins

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll was admitted to a Johns Hopkins hospital earlier this month for ongoing cancer treatment. In July the lieutenant governor announced she had been diagnosed neuroendocrine cancer - and said at that time she was receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments. As President of the Senate, Knoll presided over the chamber at opening of the fall session, but Senate Pro Tem Joe Scarnati has managed the body ever since. Governor Ed Rendell says Knoll is in the best place to receive her "intensive" treatment. Rendell called Knoll a fighter.