Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that it has issued its one millionth REAL ID product, a major milestone in its work to issue REAL ID-compliant products to customers.

“I am so proud that we have reached this milestone,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “From the beginning, customer service was at the center of PennDOT’s REAL ID program, and that continues to be our focus as the federal deadline approaches.”

REAL ID is a federal law that affects how states issue driver’s licenses and ID cards if they are going to be acceptable for federal purposes, such as boarding a domestic flight or entering a federal building that requires ID upon entry. A federally acceptable form of identification (whether it’s a Pennsylvania REAL ID driver’s license or ID card, a valid U.S. Passport/Passport Card, a military ID, etc.) must be used for these purposes on and after October 1, 2021. There is no requirement that any resident obtain a REAL ID; PennDOT continues to offer standard-issue driver’s licenses and photo IDs.

Based on data from other states with optional REAL ID programs, PennDOT anticipates that 2.5 million Pennsylvanians will choose to get a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or ID card, with 1.3 million obtaining them by October 1, 2021. Now that the million-product threshold has been crossed, PennDOT is positioned well to reach this target by the federal enforcement deadline.

PennDOT paused REAL ID issuance in March 2020 due to COVID-19, out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of public health. Additionally, the federal Department of Homeland Security postponed the enforcement date for REAL ID from October 1, 2020, to October 1, 2021, in response to COVID-19 and the national emergency declaration. PennDOT resumed issuing REAL IDs in September 2020.

“We want to do everything we can to encourage residents interested in applying for a REAL ID to start the process now and be aware of all the proper documentation needed,” said Gramian. “This will help ensure our customers have their REAL ID well in advance of the October 1, 2021 deadline.”

Customers can obtain a REAL ID by presenting documents for verification and processing at any driver license center. Federal regulations require that to be issued a REAL ID-compliant product, PennDOT must verify the below documents:

• Proof of Identity: Examples include original or certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the State Office of Vital Records/Statistics with a raised seal/embossed or valid, unexpired, U.S. Passport;
• Proof of Social Security Number:  Social security card, in current legal name;
• Two Proofs of Current, Physical PA Address: Examples include a current, unexpired PA driver’s license or identification card, vehicle registration or a utility bill with the same name and address; and
• Proof of all Legal Name Changes (if current legal name is different than what is reflected on proof of identity document): Examples include a certified marriage certificate(s) issued by the County Court for each marriage, court order(s) approving a change in legal name or amended birth certificate issued by the State Office of Vital Records/Statistics. If current name is the same as what is reflected on proof of identity document (usually birth certificate or passport), a customer does not need to show proof of legal name changes.

Customers have three options for obtaining a REAL ID product: Customers may order their REAL ID online if they have been pre-verified and their REAL ID product will be mailed to them within 15 business days; they can visit any PennDOT driver license center that is open for driver license services, have their documents verified and imaged, and their REAL ID product will be mailed to them within 15 business days; or they can visit one of 12 REAL ID Centers and receive their REAL ID product over the counter at the time of service.

For a full list of driver license centers and their services, please visit the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services website.

When a customer gets their first REAL ID product, they will pay a one-time fee of $30, plus a renewal fee (current renewal fee is $30.50 for a four-year non-commercial driver’s license and $31.50 for a photo ID). The expiration date of their initial REAL ID product will include any time remaining on their existing non-REAL ID product, plus an additional four years, unless the customer is over 65 and has a two-year license. This expiration date structure means that the customer won’t “lose” time that they’ve already paid for. After the initial REAL ID product expires, the customer will pay no additional fee, beyond regular renewal fees, to renew a REAL ID product.

REAL ID-compliant products are marked with a gold star in the upper right corner, standard-issue (non-compliant) products include the phrase “NOT FOR REAL ID PURPOSES,” per federal regulations. Sample images can be viewed on PennDOT’s website.

More information about REAL ID in Pennsylvania, including frequently asked questions and information on documents required for REAL ID, can be found at www.penndot.gov/REALID.

FDA head expects vaccine emergency use soon

WASHINGTON — The head of the Food and Drug Administration says his agency has told Pfizer that it “will rapidly work” to grant emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine following a positive recommendation by government advisers.
The FDA decision will kickstart an unprecedented vaccination campaign needed to eventually defeat the virus. The FDA’s greenlight of the vaccine, co-developed with BioNtech, was practically assured after the positive vote by agency advisers a day earlier.
The FDA’s brief statement came less than an hour after President Donald Trump tweeted directly at FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, complaining that FDA “is still a big, old, slow turtle.”
FDA staff have repeatedly said they expect to issue a decision within days of Thursday’s meeting. Many FDA observers predict action by Saturday ahead of a Sunday meeting by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The panel of CDC advisers will vote on who should get priority for the initial shots. Federal officials plan to allocate the first 6.4 million doses of the vaccine to states based on their population.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania is halting school sports and other extracurricular activities, ordering gyms, theaters and casinos to close and banning indoor dining at restaurants in response to the worsening pandemic.
A day after telling Pennsylvanians of his own COVID-19 diagnosis, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the widely expected clampdown Thursday. He said it aims to slow the accelerating spread of the coronavirus and prevent hospitals from becoming overrun.
“We all hoped it would not come to this,” Wolf said at a virtual news conference, but “we need to slow the spread to save lives.”
The restrictions include a 10-person cap on indoor gatherings, a 50-person limit for outdoor gatherings and capacity restrictions at retail stores. They take effect Saturday and run through until Jan. 4.

Stocks extend losses as virus aid languishes in Congress
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening lower on Wall Street, extending their losses for the week, as efforts to provide badly needed aid to people and businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic remain stalled in Congress. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% in the first few minutes of trading Friday. Energy companies and banks had some of the biggest losses, while safe-play stocks like utilities and real estate companies held up better. Disney jumped 7% after the entertainment giant announced a massive slate of new streaming offerings for its fast-growing Disney Plus service. European markets were lower and Asian markets ended mixed. Treasury yields held steady.

Inflation still a no-show, US wholesale prices up just 0.1%
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices edged up a slight 0.1% in November as weak demand caused by the pandemic has kept inflation at extremely low levels. The increase in the producer price index, which measures inflation pressures before they reach the consumer, followed bigger gains of 0.3% in October and 0.4% in September, the Labor Department reported Friday. But even with those gains, wholesale prices are up just 0.8% from a year ago, far below the Federal Reserve’s target for annual price increases of 2%.

Retailers urge shoppers to buy early amid shipping crunch
By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and JOSEPH PISANI AP Retail Writers
NEW YORK (AP) — A number of retailers, including J.C. Penney, Lowe’s and Kohl’s, are telling shoppers they need to place their online orders soon or else pay expedited shipping fees if they want to get their packages delivered in time for the holidays. The earlier-than-usual deadlines come as more people turn to online shopping during the pandemic, creating a logjam for shipping companies as well as delivery delays. For some retailers like H&M and Lego, the deadlines have already passed.  One expert estimates that a majority of retailers have pushed up deadlines by at least a day or two, with about a quarter moving them up at least a week or more. Meanwhile, behemoths like Walmart, Target and Amazon haven’t had to make any major changes.

Trump administration plans 2nd execution in as many days
By MICHAEL TARM AP Legal Affairs Writer
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The Trump administration plans to continue its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks, then killed her by slamming her head against a truck’s windows and dashboard. Lawyers for 56-year-old Alfred Bourgeois argue he is in the intellectually disabled category and that federal law should bar his execution on Friday. Bourgeois would be the 10th federal death-row inmate put to death since federal executions resumed under President Donald Trump in July after a 17-year hiatus. He would be the second person executed this week at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. Three more executions are planned in January.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Beaver, Pa.) Raphel Johnson, 36 of Aliquippa is in the Beaver County Jail after bond was denied in connection with Tuesday’s  standoff at his home at 111 Major Street  on Tuesday. The stand-off ended peacefully with Johnson surrendering to Police.

Obama reunion? Biden fills Cabinet with former WH leaders
By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden is getting a lot of the old gang back together. Now well into the process of selecting Cabinet nominees and senior appointees, the Biden administration has a distinctly Obama-esque feel. The Biden transition team on Thursday says the president-elect is nominating former White House chief of staff Denis McDonough to serve as veterans affairs secretary and former Obama U.N. ambassador and national security adviser Susan Rice as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Those selections follow Biden’s tapping of Obama’s agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, to head the department once again. Obama’s Secretary of State John Kerry as well as Kerry’s deputy, Antony Blinken, are coming back, too.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Ambridge, Pa.) Ambridge Borough residents won’t be faced with a tax increase in 2021 Council adopted the  $4,907,384.00 budget at Tuesday night’s meeting.  Real estate taxes will remain at 34.5 mills.

Hundreds of GOP members sign onto Texas-led election lawsuit
By NOMAAN MERCHANT and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) — The Texas lawsuit asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden’s victory has quickly become a conservative litmus test. Many Republicans are signing onto the case even as some have predicted it will fail. The last-gasp bid to subvert the results of the election is the latest demonstration of President Donald Trump’s enduring political power even as his term is set to end. Seventeen Republican attorneys general are backing the unprecedented case that Trump is calling “the big one.” That come as the president and his allies have lost dozens of times in courts across the country and have no evidence of widespread fraud.

One-day US deaths top 3,000, more than D-Day or 9/11
By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and MARION RENAULT Associated Press
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Just when the U.S. appears on the verge of rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine, the numbers grew ever more stunning. According to Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. recorded 3,124 deaths Wednesday, the highest one-day total yet and more than the 2,500 Americans who died on D-Day in World War II. Up until last week, the peak was 2,603 deaths on April 15, when New York City was the epicenter of the nation’s outbreak. More than 106,000 people were hospitalized — also a record total. A U.S. government advisory panel on Thursday endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to help conquer the outbreak.

Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, who played Deebo in ‘Friday,’ dies
By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tommy “Tiny” Lister, a former wrestler who was known for his Deebo character in the “Friday” films, has died. He was 62. Lister’s manager, Cindy Cowan, said Lister was found unconscious in his home in Marina Del Rey, California, on Thursday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Cowan says Lister was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this year. She said the actor overcame the virus, but he became sick about a week ago and recently had trouble breathing. The actual caused of death has not been released. Lister also appeared in “The Fifth Element,” “The Dark Knight” and “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”