Pennsylvania category, Page 191
American Lung Association switches anti-tobacco ‘Day at the Capitol’ to virtual rally
Given the coronavirus pandemic, the American Lung Association and the Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco are shifting their annual “Day at the Capitol” rally to a virtual town hall meeting on May 5. “Lung health has never been more important in Pennsylvania,” said Deborah Brown, American Lung Association Chief Mission...
Pennsylvania adds 1,208 new coronavirus cases, 62 more deaths
The state Department of Health on Friday added 62 more deaths to Pennsylvania’s coronavirus death toll along with another 1,208 positive cases. The new deaths bring the state’s total to 2,354. Five of those deaths were in Allegheny County, where the total now stands at 99. The 1,208 new covid-19...
Extension granted for Pa. driver’s licenses expiring this month
An extension was granted for Pennsylvanians whose driver’s licenses, photo identification cards and learner’s permits are expiring this month. Expiration dates from March 16 through May 31 are extended to June 30, PennDOT announced Friday. Driver’s license centers statewide have been closed since March 16 amid the coronavirus pandemic. May...
Pennsylvania reports 97 more coronavirus deaths as total cases top 45,000
The state Department of Health on Thursday reported almost 100 new coronavirus deaths along with almost 1,400 new positive cases of the virus. The 97 deaths recorded Wednesday bring the statewide death toll to 2,292, according to state data. The 1,397 new cases, reported during the same time frame, bring...
Tuition freeze, early retirement incentives approved for Pa. state universities
Citing financial challenges families are facing in the coronavirus pandemic, officials with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education froze tuition for the second consecutive year. The move is the first time in the state system’s 38-year history that it has frozen tuition two years in a row. Base tuition...
Pennsylvania’s ‘yellow’ phase doesn’t mean a return to ‘normal,’ official warns
As the first Pennsylvania regions inch toward a May 8 lift of restrictions, the state’s coronavirus death toll pushed past 2,000 on Wednesday and officials warned that moving to the “yellow phase” will not mean a return to normal. The 479 new deaths reported come from the Department of Health’s...
Pennsylvania reports 479 more coronavirus deaths as it catches up with data
State health officials reported nearly 500 new coronavirus deaths across Pennsylvania on Wednesday, pushing the death toll above 2,000 as officials cautioned that those deaths are from over the course of two weeks, not one day. The jump to 2,195 deaths — an increase of 479 — is part of...
Bill would allow Pennsylvania restaurants to serve to-go cocktails during pandemic
At least one local restaurateur thinks a proposed bill that would allow restaurants to sell liquor products to-go is “too little, too late.” House Bill 327, which the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed Tuesday, would allow a restaurant or hotel with a valid liquor license that lost more than 25%...
Proposed Pa. bill could provide financial assistance to fire, EMS amid pandemic
In an effort to aid fire and EMS companies in financial need during the coronavirus pandemic, state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Carmichaels, proposed a bill that would provide crisis grants to eligible companies. House Bill 2413 would establish a one-time program to provide grants to first responders in need. To qualify,...
Truck found in Pa. lake believed linked to decade-old crime
FLEETVILLE — A box truck found at the bottom of a northeastern Pennsylvania lake over the weekend is believed to have been used in a crime spree more than a decade ago, authorities said. On Saturday night, a man on a fishing boat noticed what appeared to be a vehicle...
Pa. Commonwealth Court to hold 1st video stream hearing Tuesday
In an effort to carry on with court proceedings during the covid-19 crisis, Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court announced Monday it will hold its first video stream hearing. The hearing will take place 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday with Judge Kevin Brobson presiding over the case of MFW Wine Co., A6 Wine Company...
Amtrak extends train service for Pittsburgh to Philadelphia until at least May 18
Amtrak has extended the suspension of its passenger rail service between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia until at least May 18 — instead of May 4, as previously reported. With Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order extended until May 8, the Pennsylvanian and Keystone trains will not be resumed next week as tentatively...
Police: Stepdad saw Pa. couple in bed, so they plotted his death
CASCADE, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man and his teenage girlfriend plotted to have her stepfather killed after he caught them in bed together, but the plan was foiled when the hit man they tried to hire went to police, authorities said. The charges against Dillian Mikel Weaver, 19, of Williamsport...
Pennsylvania reports 13 new coronavirus deaths; total cases climb over 41K
Thirteen more people in Pennsylvania have died from covid-19, bringing the statewide death total to 1,550, state health officials announced Sunday. The health department reported 1,116 additional positive cases of covid-19 from Saturday to Sunday, bringing the number of positive cases to 41,165. People in all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties...
Farms scramble for answers as coronavirus threatens workers
HANOVER, Pa. — In farming, there are many unknowns. The economy, weather and customer demand can affect crops and ultimately a farmer’s bottom line. This year the agricultural industry was thrown a curve ball with covid-19. Now as harvest season approaches, farmers are facing new questions about the availability of...
‘Extremely dangerous’: Health officials warn not to ingest disinfectants for any reason, including covid-19
Pennsylvania’s top health official on Friday warned that no one, under any circumstance, should ingest or inject disinfectants of any kind. “I can say that any type of ingesting or injecting a (disinfectant) would be extremely dangerous — extremely dangerous,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said during a media...
Construction sites in Pa. must follow coronavirus safety guidelines when projects resume
Construction crews must wear masks and have hand-washing stations at sites when workers return to work next week, according to guidelines laid out by Gov. Tom Wolf. Wolf shut down most construction projects when he ordered non-life-sustaining businesses closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. As part of a plan to...
71 more coronavirus deaths reported in Pa.; total cases top 38,600
State health officials on Friday reported 71 more coronavirus deaths and nearly 1,600 new cases of the virus as Pennsylvania marked seven weeks since seeing its first case. There are now 1,492 confirmed deaths across the state. Confirmed deaths are those in which the deceased previously tested positive for covid-19....
Pennsylvania rivals Sheetz, Wawa team up to help food banks
The novel coronavirus knows no borders, and neither does arguably the biggest rivalry in Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania favorite Sheetz teamed up with Philadelphia-area favorite Wawa to provide emergency food bank relief in the eastern part of the state for those in need during the coronavirus pandemic, the chains announced Friday....
Penn State to furlough staff, cut spending after $100 million in losses
Penn State will reduce spending for the coming year by 3% and furlough some 2,000 employees at half pay, effective May 4 through June 30, as officials struggle to balance their books in the face of a $100 million loss. The sprawling university, with a budget of $6.8 billion this...
Pennsylvania climate report predicts wetter, warmer future, livestock expansion
A predicted increase in rainfall in Pennsylvania may lead to more flooding and threats to infrastructure in the decades ahead, but some agricultural sectors could experience growth as conditions change, according to a report issued this week by state officials. Created by the Penn State University Environment and Natural Resources...
Pennsylvania jobless claims climb to 1.6 million
Fewer Pennsylvanians filed new jobless claims last week, new figures show, but the impact of coronavirus-related shutdowns across the state since mid-March has resulted in nearly 1.6 million workers filing claims. More than 196,000 workers filed initial claims for the seven-day period beginning April 12, down some 42,000 claims from...
Here’s what happens in each of Pennsylvania’s reopening phases
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday laid out a color-coded phased plan for reopening the state region by region. Some regions — the Northwestern and Northcentral parts of the state, most likely — will start moving into a phase of fewer restrictions beginning May 8. The state is currently in...
Gov. Wolf: Coronavirus data not only factor for reopening Pennsylvania
For all the criteria and data-driven guidelines Gov. Tom Wolf has laid out for reopening a locked-down Pennsylvania, the decision-making process will not be guided entirely by the data, the governor said Thursday. The objective criteria are “not a hard and fast rule,” Wolf said during a call with reporters....
Pennsylvania reports 1,369 new coronavirus cases, changes how it reports deaths
Pennsylvania added more 1,300 coronavirus cases, state health officials said Thursday, pushing the statewide total past 37,000. The 1,369 new positive cases were recorded between 12 a.m. Wednesday and 12 a.m. Thursday. The state’s running case count now stands at 37,053. The Department of Health had begun providing the number...
