US Capitol on lockdown after report of gunfire nearby
By MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Police have locked down the U.S. Capitol after a report of gunshots in the area. U.S. Capitol Police said early Friday afternoon that all Capitol buildings were being locked down “due to an external security threat” and staff members were told they could not enter or exit the buildings. A law enforcement official says officers were responding to a report of a possible shooting on a street near the Capitol complex. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was injured. The official could not discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

US employers add 916,000 jobs in March as hiring accelerates
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers unleashed a burst of hiring in March, adding 916,000 jobs in a sign that a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession is taking hold as vaccinations accelerate, stimulus checks flow through the economy and businesses increasingly reopen. The March increase — the most since August — was nearly double February’s gain of 468,000, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate declined from 6.2% to 6%.

Harrisburg, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today announced that the department has purchased an additional $12.9 million worth of U.S. Department of Agriculture Foods through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Pennsylvania to provide critical support and food to food banks in all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

These supplemental federal funds, provided as part of the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 in response to increased needs driven by COVID-19, have been used to purchase more than 7.9 million pounds of food, which will be delivered between June and December 2021.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the department distributed, on average, approximately 23 million pounds of USDA Foods through TEFAP every federal fiscal year. In federal fiscal year 2020, which ran from October 2019 through September 2020, the department distributed nearly 70 million pounds of food through TEFAP. And, in federal fiscal year 2021, with the addition of this food, the department is once again on track to distribute an estimated 70 million pounds of USDA Foods.

“While we’re actively getting Pennsylvanians back to work as the pandemic slows, many are still recovering from severe economic stress which has in turn stressed our charitable food system,” said Redding. “These federal funds are allowing us to increase the flow of food to food banks across the commonwealth as they work to continue meeting unprecedented demand.”

The department will push $3.2 million in TEFAP money directly to the food banks to cover administrative costs associated with storage, transportation, and distribution of the USDA Foods. In addition to this direct funding, the department has purchased 7.9 million pounds of USDA Foods – including meats, vegetables, canned goods, cheese and more – to the state’s food banks to distribute through their network of local food pantries and other distribution agencies. The food will be disbursed statewide to individuals in need of assistance in all 67 counties.

“We’re proud of all that Pennsylvanians have done to get us to this point, to mitigate against loss and bring us to a new year with new hope and a vaccine,” added Redding. “I encourage anyone who is still experiencing a financial strain to take advantage of these foods through your local food pantry. Better days are ahead, but for now, take a hand up.”

Pennsylvanians looking for help to put food on the table are eligible for state and federal food assistance found at Pennsylvania’s food banks and pantries. Additional support can be found through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and the Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

For more about the Wolf Administration’s efforts to address food insecurity in Pennsylvania, visit agriculture.pa.gov/foodsecurity.

(Ellwood City, Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they received a phone call from Rinay Pounds of Ellwood City at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday to report that someone stole her ATV.

Troopers reported via release that a 2004 Dark Green Polaris 400 ATV was reported stolen from Pounds’ residence on West Lawrence Ave. sometime between March 30 at 4 pm and March 31, 2021 at 8:00 a.m.. Troopers are investigating and asking anyone with information to contact Pa. State Police in New Castle at 724-598-2211.

(HARRISBURG, Pa.)State Representative Rob Matzie, Democratic Chairman of the House Consumer Affairs Committee, led yesterday’s House Democratic Policy Committee on bridging the digital divide.

The hearing is the third in a series this week focused on net neutrality and bridging the gap to improve future outcomes for educators, students, health care access and Pennsylvania businesses.

“This hearing was a great cap on the weeks’ discussions on how we can make sure Pennsylvania is digitally connected. The last year has shown us that reliable internet, computers and phone help keep us learning, working, entertained, managing health and in touch with family and friends. I thank Chairman Matzie for leading the discussion and look forward to a public-private partnership that helps close the divide,” said Ryan Bizzarro, chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee.

“Quick, reliable Internet access isn’t a luxury in today’s world – it’s a necessity,” said Matzie. “Those without it face major disadvantages when it comes to competing for jobs, accessing health and education services and connecting to state programs. I’m hosting this hearing because we need to develop solutions to bridge this digital divide now, before it threatens to disenfranchise more Pennsylvanians.”

The committee heard testimony from Brian Barno, Broadband Cable Association of Pennsylvania; Joseph Glinka, government affairs director with Gateway Health; David Kerr, president of external affairs at AT&T; and Erica Swanson, head of community engagement at Grow with Google.

Barno shared that connections can help improve quality of life and are oftentimes a pathway out of poverty, allowing individuals to no longer need the safety net of public services and live with dignity. Ultimately, these individuals who receive the full benefit of connectivity are able to achieve productivity and participate and contribute to a more robust Pennsylvania economy.

Glinka explained that while Gateway is happy to connect people to resources, they are thrilled when clients’ lives are improved to the point that they no longer have to rely on them for services. Access to affordable, reliable, high-speed internet has been described as a super-determinant of health by public health experts and is an integral part of the work they do.

AT&T President David Kerr shared that current expansions have been a result of private investment to expand networks and have not included taxpayer funded efforts.

Google’s Erica Swanson’s testimony focused on the digital skills needed for businesses and job seekers to find success including sharing many free resources Google offers. Over 6 million Americans have been trained in digital skills through free Grow with Google Workshops since 2017.

(WASHINGTON, DC) –  Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an allocation of vaccines for National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) employees so that they may resume processing military personnel, health, and medical records requests and address the backlog of requests due to the closure of the facility amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.  Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17), a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (HVAC), has been advocating for a resolution to this matter which is affecting veterans and their families in PA-17.  The vaccination plan will enable a safe return to work for many NPRC employees who have been working remotely since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last November, Lamb joined 232 Members of Congress in a bipartisan letter urging NPRC to implement new policies to ensure veterans had access to their service records in response to a high volume of calls his office received.  One such constituent was a 102-year-old WWII veteran on hospice who requested his military personnel files so that Veterans Benefits Administration could process his claim for the benefits he had earned.  Because this was not considered a life or death situation, the request was not expedited, and the constituent died without receiving benefits.

“My office has been inundated with requests for help from veterans and their families who have been unable to access their military service records, and that is absolutely unacceptable,” said Lamb.  “Expanding vaccination opportunities for NPRC employees will help resolve this request backlog and get veterans the help they need.  But we also need to find a way to securely bring our archive system into the 21st century to ensure this never happens to the veterans who have served our country again.”

VA Secretary Denis McDonough testified at a March 25th HVAC hearing on the importance of addressing the records request backlog.  The NPRC has struggled to keep up with requests for veterans’ records since operations were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago, and there is a current backlog of 480,000 requests.  NPRC is a division of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

The American Rescue Plan provided $272 million for VA to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on the benefits claims and appeals backlog.  The funding will be used to increase staff overtime; expand Veterans Benefits Administration-funded scanning of service records from federal records facilities impacted by COVID-19; improve scheduling of hearings; and enhance contact center functions.