KEYSTONE CLIPS Stake your claim to long-lost loot

If you think the state of Pennsylvania may be holding onto some of your money or other assets, a visit to the Victorian Weekend on Courthouse Square in Mercer on July 20 and 21 might be in order.
Representatives of the Unclaimed Property Bureau of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department will be there from noon to 5 p.m. both days trying to return money to its rightful owners.
They will be equipped with laptop computers that allow them to find out immediately if someone has unclaimed property held by the state.
Treasurer Barbara Hafer said one in every 14 Pennsylvanians is entitled to some of the $660 million on the unclaimed property books.
The average claim is $1,000, she said.
The money and property comes from dormant bank accounts, stocks or dividends, uncashed payroll checks and even safe deposit boxes.
There are a couple of Mercer people the state is looking for in particular.
The state has $1,500 of Richard L. Snyder's money. His last known address was 308 S. Otter St., Mercer.
The state also has $563 owned by David C. Knopp, whose last known address was 340 Latonka Ave., Hafer said.
Budget problems
Robert Casey, auditor general for Pennsylvania, is quick to report mismanaged or misspent funds in local school districts when his auditors find budgetary problems.
But he's just as quick to offer praise when it is due.
Casey said last week that audits of the Grove City Area and West Middlesex Area school districts for the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 school years turned up accurate spending records. There were no audit findings against either district, he said, noting Grove City spent $18.2 million in state funds and West Middlesex spent $9.6 million in state funds over those two years.
Tip of the hat
New Castle Mayor Timothy Fulkerson got a tip of the hat from the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities at that organization's recent 103rd annual convention in Reading, Pa. Fulkerson served as the league's president from June 2001 to June 2002 and has been chairman of its legislative committee for the last five years.
Fulkerson was presented with a proclamation from the state Senate recognizing his and the league's efforts on behalf of local government.
Fulkerson will continue serving the organization as a member of its board of directors.
The league is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group formed as an advocate for Pennsylvania's third-class cities, but today it serves all classes of municipalities.
XCONTRIBUTOR: Harold Gwin of the Sharon Bureau.