[naviga:h3]Drilling fee revenue rebounds in 2017[/naviga:h3]

HARRISBURG — Rebounding prices for natural gas and a growth in new wells exploring Pennsylvania’s vast Marcellus Shale reservoir are fueling a recovery in fee revenue for state programs and county and municipal governments.

The Independent Fiscal Office projected Wednesday that impact fee collections for 2017 will be just above $219 million, $46 million more than 2016’s low point of $173 million.

The rebound breaks a string of three years of declining revenue. The Independent Fiscal Office says the increase is largely due to the average annual price of natural gas on the New York Mercantile Exchange passing $3, which triggered a $5,000 per-well increase.

The office also says 812 new wells were started, making 8,634 wells subject to the fee. Pennsylvania is the nation’s No. 2 natural gas state behind Texas.

[naviga:h3]Greensburg bishop gives flu guidelines[/naviga:h3]

GREENSBURG — A Roman Catholic bishop has issued some guidelines on how his 78 parishes in four southwestern Pennsylvania counties should deal with flu and the Mass.

Greensburg Bishop Edward Malesic on Wednesday encouraged parish leaders to promote prudent and beneficial practices.

Priests should eliminate the practice of exchanging the sign of peace, or tell parishioners to do so without making physical contact. Communion should not be distributed from the chalice and if using a chalice, parishioners who are ill or fear they are becoming ill should not receive it.

Those who distribute communion should practice good hygiene and ushers should hold doors open to minimize the spread of germs.

The Greensburg Diocese serves more than 141,000 Catholics in Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana and Westmoreland counties.