State Sen.

Jane Orie, R-40th, on Friday announced the re-launch of the "Reach Out and Touch a Hero" program.The program allows students to send e-mails to servicemen and women stationed around the world through a secure Web site.The program was created in 2003 at the onset of the Iraq War; however, at a press conference Friday, Orie encouraged the public — students and adults — to participate in it to support soldiers who are away from homes this holiday season.She said hundreds of new e-mail addresses from area soldiers have been accumulated."The holidays can be a lonely time for our service members who are overseas away from their families," Orie said. "Hopefully this program will help brighten their spirits while creating new friendships."Lt. 1st Class Benjamin B. Smith of Butler, a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Company A, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, also spoke at Friday's press conference.As reports of identity theft continue to rise, state Rep.

Frank LaGrotta, D-10th, wants Congress to allow Pennsylvania to eliminate a federal requirement that applicants for recreational licenses provide their Social Security number on their applications.LaGrotta is co-sponsoring a state House resolution calling on Congress to do so."In some businesses, application books for things like fishing and hunting licenses — which may include Social Security numbers and other private information — are not secured out of sight, so anyone can drop by the counter and get a name, address, or Social Security number," LaGrotta said."Those are the very tools a crook needs to steal someone's identity and ruin their credit."He noted the state cannot change the law to dismiss the Social Security number requirement without forfeiting millions of federal dollars designated for the state Department of Public Welfare."One of the reasons the federal government wants us to collect Social Security numbers is because they use the information to track people who are delinquent on their child support payments," he said."That's fine, but let's limit it to people over age 16. I think that, in general, teens who don't even have their driver's licenses yet are unlikely to be behind on child support."