Blackhawk School located in Chippewa TWP, has moved all in person classes to remote learning. Starting on Sept. 8, all K-4 students in the district will start the school year in a hybrid model, grades fifth- through 12th- will study remotely. Cohort Group A of the K-4 students will attend in-person classes on Mondays and Thursdays, while Cohort Group B will attend in-person classes on Tuesdays and Fridays. This pattern will last through Sept. 18. The district will closely monitor community and school spread of COVID-19. Depending on school and community transmission levels, the school district will bring fifth- through eighth-grade into the hybrid model no earlier than Sept. 21. Blackhawk is hoping for a smooth transition with online learning.  The district is hopeful for a healthy fall to allow all students back in the classroom.

New virus cases decline in the US and experts credit masks
By CARLA K. JOHNSON and ADAM GELLER Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — The number of Americans newly diagnosed with the coronavirus is falling — a development experts credit at least partly to increased wearing of masks — even as the outbreak continues to claim nearly 1,000 lives in the U.S. each day. About 43,000 new cases are now being reported daily across the country, down 21% since early August. That’s according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Wolf: Pennsylvania eviction moratorium to lapse Aug. 31
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
Gov. Tom Wolf says he does not have the legal authority to extend Pennsylvania’s moratorium on evictions and foreclosures beyond Aug. 31, meaning that renters will no longer be shielded from losing their homes for failing to pay rent during the pandemic. In a letter to both legislative chambers, released Tuesday, Wolf says the state’s Emergency Services Code prevents him from taking action himself. The Democrat called on state lawmakers in the Republican-controlled General Assembly to pass legislation to extend the statewide moratorium, which has been in place for more than five months.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Girodano 

(Ambridge, Pa.) Ambridge School Board voted to  reopen for sports events and extracurricular activities at a reconvened meeting  Monday night.   Addie Lucatorto, athletic director told the board that the WPIAL  met earlier in the day  to discuss sports and school  during the pandemic. The district started classes last Wednesday, and Supt. Dr. Joseph Paquerilla said the district has to follow PDE’s guidelines  for reopening.

Trump announces plasma treatment authorized for COVID-19
By JONATHAN LEMIRE and MIKE STOBBE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the federal government has granted emergency authorization for treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma. While Trump is calling the move “a breakthrough” and one of his top health officials says it is “promising,” other health experts say the therapeutic needs more study before it can be celebrated. The blood plasma is taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus and is rich in antibodies. It may provide benefits to those battling the disease, but the evidence has been inconclusive as to how it works or how best to administer it.

Emergency postal aid stalls as WH rejects House-passed bill
By HOPE YEN, MATTHEW DALY and LISA MASCARO Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Help for the U.S. Postal Service has landed in stalemate as the White House dismissed an emergency funding bill aimed at shoring up the agency before the November elections as “going nowhere.” But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the public is demanding action and the Senate can’t avoid acting on it “unless they do so to their peril.” The House approved the legislation in a rare Saturday session to provide $25 billion and block operational changes by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that slowed mail delivery. More than two dozen House Republicans broke with the president in backing the bill, which passed 257-150.

PA House Majority Leader Benninghoff Thanks PIAA for Taking Independent Stand, Allowing Fall Sports to Continue

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) Friday thanked the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) for taking an independent stand and allowing fall sports to continue despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s “strong recommendation” to the contrary.

Before the PIAA took a two-week pause in the start of fall sports after the governor’s recommendation, Benninghoff wrote them a letter encouraging them to take an independent stand and ensure fall sports continue.

“The PIAA, backed by the science and expertise of their Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and adhering to the principle of local control, made the right decision to take an independent stand and allow fall sports to continue. As a parent, grandparent and former coach, I know school sports and extracurricular activities are more than just fun. They are a chance for students to gain confidence, learn from life-changing mentorships and find motivation to achieve more academically,” Benninghoff said.

“I thank the PIAA for making this deliberate examination of all the consequences of canceling fall sports and coming to this just outcome. I also thank PIAA Oversight Committee members Rep. Mike Reese (R-Westmoreland) and Rep. Mike Peifer (R-Pike/Wayne) for working with the PIAA on this matter and the many other House Republican members who have stood up for the best interests of our children during this challenging time.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he highlighted the nation’s continuing economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Secretary Scalia first toured the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh, where he participated in a roundtable discussion and met with young people transitioning back into the workforce. Secretary Scalia also visited the Pittsburgh Job Corps Center to meet with students and staff. Finally, the Secretary joined the Marcellus Shale Coalition leadership and members to speak at the Coalition’s quarterly meeting about the economic re-opening and the Department’s programs to help skilled workers return to the workplace.

“I was pleased to visit and learn more today about the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh’s work to help men and women re-enter the workforce after serving their time in the criminal justice system,” said U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia. “For Americans leaving the justice system, mastering a new skill or trade can make all the difference in gaining stable, long-term employment.”

 Secretary Scalia continued, “I was also pleased to visit with members of the Marcellus Shale Coalition to discuss the importance of a strong American energy sector and the steps needed to help American workers develop the skills needed to succeed in the energy field and beyond.”

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

Rise in jobless claims reflects still-struggling US economy
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The coronavirus recession struck swiftly and violently. Now, with the economy still in the grip of the pandemic five months later, the recovery looks fitful and uneven — and painfully slow. The latest evidence came Thursday with the government’s report that the number of workers seeking U.S. unemployment benefits rose back above 1 million last week after two weeks of declines. At the same time, a regional manufacturing index grew more slowly in August than in July. Employers are advertising fewer job openings with unemployment still in double digits. Many businesses and consumers remain paralyzed by uncertainty and restricted by lockdowns. Until the pandemic can defeated, any recovery is destined to remain weak.

Working families enlist grandparents to help with the kids
By LEANNE ITALIE Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Gone, for now, are the days when retirees Bill and Mary Hill could do whatever they please. Since school started for their only grandchild, 8-year-old Will, they greet him at the gate of their residential community in suburban Phoenix. Sometimes, they roll up in their golf cart. As the school year gets under way for many kids with working parents, more grandparents have jumped into daily caregiver roles. Many are happily working without pay, for the love of family. Others have accepted offers of money from their frazzled, eternally grateful adult children.