Jun 21, 2014 3 min read

HARRISBURG – Many disabled veterans in Pennsylvania could qualify for low-cost fishing and hunting licenses under a pair of bills approved by the House.

Lawmakers voted 196-0 Monday to give final House approval to the bills. Senate approval is required before the bills could be sent to the governor.

The legislation would allow any military veteran who is between 60 percent and 99 percent disabled to receive a resident fishing or hunting license for $2.70, including processing fees.

Regular fees for adult resident licenses are $22.70 for fishing and $20.70 for hunting.

Disabled veterans who have lost a limb or the use of a limb or who are totally physically disabled will continue to qualify for free hunting and fishing licenses under current law.

Ohio is taking its biggest step yet toward tackling the algae fouling Lake Erie.

But there’s no guarantee it will cut down on the contaminants feeding the algae or slow its spread, which poses a threat to the fish, drinking water and tourism. And it will take several years to determine whether the new rules focusing on farmers will make a difference.

The law will require most farmers to undergo training and be certified by the state before they use commercial fertilizers on their fields.

The goal is to decrease the amount of phosphorus-based fertilizer that runs off fields into streams and rivers and then nourishes the algae in Lake Erie.

“It’s a positive step forward, but it’s a small step,” said Kristen Kubitza, director of water policy for the Ohio Environmental Council.

The law doesn’t take effect until 2017 and won’t force farmers to use less fertilizer. There also won’t be any inspections to make sure farmers are applying the fertilizer correctly. That part is up to them.

The U.S. government is stepping up its crackdown on the illegal trafficking of wild animal products across the nation’s borders, saying some may be linked to terrorists, federal officials said Monday.

“Poaching in Africa is funding terrorist groups,” U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told a news conference at Kennedy International Airport.

He said such illegal trade is a threat to global security because it’s driven by criminal elements, including terrorists using profits from items such as rhinoceros horns and elephant tusks to finance their activities.

On display in an airport cargo warehouse operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection was a collection of wildlife products seized at Kennedy – from ivory disguised in a wooden statue and the stuffed heads of a lion and leopard to handicrafts, artworks and musical instruments hiding animal parts.

The single priciest item was a rhino horn. It fetches $30,000 per pound – or about 30 percent more than its weight in gold.

Paul Chapelle, the agent in charge of New York for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said one horn case resulted in 16 arrests, including that of a mobster from Ireland now serving 13 months behind bars.

The wooden statue contained ivory from a dead elephant worth about $18,000 – mostly from the tusk. Also seized was a small rhino horn libation cup worth tens of thousands of dollars.