Category: News

Restaurants to fight back against Gov. Wolf; sports teams want fans in stands

Restaurants to fight back; sports teams want fans in stands
By MARC LEVY and MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — As Pennsylvania approached 100,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Friday, restaurant and bar owners say they’ll fight back against Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders to further limit the number of patrons they’re allowed to serve. Meanwhile, sports teams have submitted plans to the Pennsylvania Department of Health to allow fans in stands. The Wolf administration isn’t discussing details, but discourages spectators from attending games to prevent transmission of the coronavirus. Professional and college sports remain subject to Pennsylvania’s state-ordered limit of fewer than 250 people on site for games and practices, meaning that Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Penn State football games cannot have fans in the stands.

Mutual of Omaha insurance firm removing longtime Indian logo

Mutual of Omaha insurance firm removing longtime Indian logo
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Insurance company Mutual of Omaha has announced it will replace its longtime corporate logo, which features a depiction of a Native American chief. The move comes as corporations and sports teams face increasing pressure to dump nicknames and depictions that reference American Indians amid a nationwide movement calling for racial justice. The company is in the process of creating a new logo. Chairman and CEO James Blackledge said in a news release Friday that Mutual of Omaha is committing an additional $1 million to the $2 million it donates annually to community-based initiatives to address racial equality and social justice.

Stress rises for unemployed as extra $600 benefit nears end

Stress rises for unemployed as extra $600 benefit nears end
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and SARAH SKIDMORE SELL Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) — A major source of income for roughly 30 million unemployed people is set to end, threatening their ability to meet rent and pay bills and potentially undercutting the fragile economic recovery. In March, Congress approved an extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits; that additional payment expires next week unless it gets renewed. The unemployment insurance program has emerged as a crucial source of support at a time when the jobless rate is at Depression-era levels. In May, unemployment benefits made up 6% of all U.S. income, ahead of even Social Security, and up dramatically from February, when it amounted to just 0.1% of national income.

Special Guest Preacher to Address The Faithful in New Galilee And On The Air This Sunday.

(New Galilee, PA)  What started out as a stop gap remedy on Palm Sunday back in April to engage worshipers during the recent COVID 19 closures,  continues to gain momentum and popularity at New Galilee Church of the Nazarene.  This Sunday,  the newly formed tradition of hosting church services outdoor “drive in style”  in the parking lot while broadcasting them on WBVP, WMBA, and 99.3 F.M. will continue, but with a different voice coming through the speaker.  Pastor C.F. Hoffman from nearby   Galilean Presbyterian Church will serve as a special guest minister this Sunday, July 19th.  As usual, the service will take place from 1 to 2 PM outside and in the parking lots around New Galilee Church of The Nazarene.

Click here to listen to the online stream , or tune in to 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA or 99.3 F.M. to hear the traditional radio broadcast of the service at 1 P.M. this Sunday, July 19, 2020.

This Week’s Minute Man Press Business Minute

By STAN CHOE and DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writers
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting Friday following another set of mixed reports on the economy. The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in midday trading after earlier flipping between small gains and losses. Trading was relatively quiet across markets, with stocks overseas, Treasury yields and gold also making only modest moves. The S&P 500 was nearly evenly split between stocks rising and falling. Home builders rose after a better-than-expected report on housing, but tech stocks pulled back in their latest move of weakness following their huge run this year. The S&P 500 is on track for a gain of nearly 1% this week.

By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s unemployment slid a bit down in June after hitting a pandemic peak in April, but it was well above the national rate even as payrolls rebounded by more 230,000. The state Department of Labor and Industry reported Friday that Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 13% in June, down four-tenths of a percentage point from May’s adjusted rate. The state’s rate went over 16% in April, the highest rate in over four decades of record-keeping. A survey of employers showed seasonally adjusted nonfarm payrolls grew by more than 230,000 in June to surpass 5.4 million. That was about 1 in 5 jobs lost during the pandemic.

 

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve has opened one of its lending programs to nonprofit groups, including hospitals, educational institutions, and social service organizations. The Fed said Friday that its Main Street Lending Program, which is targeted to mid-sized businesses, will now extend credit to nonprofits with at least 10 employees and endowments of less than $3 billion.


By MATT OTT AP Business Writer
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Construction of U.S. homes jumped 17.3% in June as some states opened back up, but still lags behind last year’s pace after this spring’s massive slowdown in building activity due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Commerce Department reported Friday that new homes were started at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,186,000 in June after a modest recovery in May followed steep declines in April and March. Even after a second straight month of increases, construction activity remains 4% below last year’s pace. Applications for building permits, a good indication of future activity, rose 2.1% to 1.24 million units.

 

 

Gov. Wolf Signs Executive Order to Create Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Commission

Gov. Wolf Signs Executive Order to Create Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Commission

Harrisburg, PA – Continuing his push for meaningful law enforcement reforms, today Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order creating the Pennsylvania State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Commission. This further advances his actions to address law enforcement reform and accountability that he announced in June and the first two police reform bills he signed into law on Tuesday.

“My administration is committed to bipartisan criminal justice reforms that are fair and inclusive and support public safety,” Gov. Wolf said. “My executive order moves us one more step forward to address the systemic failings that have created inequities and public mistrust of law enforcement. It is my hope that the commission improves law enforcement relationships with communities and strengthens the accountability of law enforcement personnel.”

The creation of the commission came about from concerns raised by residents and in conversations Gov. Wolf held with members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus and leaders of Black communities in Philadelphia and Harrisburg following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.

The executive order advises that citizen engagement and participation is essential to help the state in fulfilling its commitment to identifying necessary system-level reforms to promote transparency, fairness and accountability involving the commonwealth’s law enforcement agencies.

The new commission’s ultimate goal is to improve policing practices within law enforcement agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction by examining events and conducting reviews of policies, practices, and procedures. The commission, established in the Office of State Inspector General, will be comprised of 15 members appointed by the governor, including one representative from each of the Pennsylvania State Police current Troop geographic areas, and specifically from areas of the Pennsylvania State Police’s primary jurisdiction, and six additional citizen members chosen at large.

The commission will be chaired by the Deputy Inspector General for Law Enforcement Oversight, a new position and office in the Office of State Inspector General that the commonwealth is conducting a nationwide search to fill. Interested applicants can find the job posting here.

The deputy inspector general will oversee staff on investigations of alleged fraud, waste, misconduct, and abuse within law enforcement agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction and serve as chair of the new commission.

The commission is authorized to perform reviews of the covered agencies’ internal investigative findings related to allegations and incidents surrounding the use of force and bias-based policing, including those involving police-involved shootings resulting in injury or death of civilians, and to prepare a report if warranted.

“It is my hope that with input from this commission, the commonwealth’s law enforcement agencies can serve as a model of excellence for law enforcement throughout Pennsylvania and the country,” Gov. Wolf said.

Read the executive order here.

Hopewell Homicide Victim Identified. Cause of Death Revealed.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) Beaver County Coroner David J. Gabauer  reported Friday morning, July 17, 2020 that   Vincent S. Barbuto, 29 of Hopewell Township died  due to a penetrating gunshot wound to the chest . Barbuto’s death has been ruled a homicide.  Police were called to 2412 West Main Street Wednesday night at 10:55 p.m.  for an unresponsive male . Beaver County Detectives are assisting Hopewell Police in the investigation.  Hopewell Police Chief Brian Uhrmacher  was not available to comment .

Military medics deploy in California, Texas as virus surges

Military medics deploy in California, Texas as virus surges
By FREIDA FRISARO and DAVID CRARY Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) — Teams of military medics were deployed in Texas and California to help hospitals deluged by coronavirus patients. Miami area authorities, meanwhile, began stepping up enforcement Friday of a mask requirement. Those efforts echoed similar ones in many parts of the world to contain surging infections. Worldwide, the confirmed tally of cases is nearing 14 million. In California, military doctors, nurses and other health care specialists are being deployed to eight hospitals. In Houston, an 86-person Army medical team worked to take over a wing of a hospital. In Florida’s Miami-Dade County, authorities approved an emergency order giving all code and fire inspectors authority to issue tickets for those not complying with mask guidelines.

Sewickley Bridge Closed Till August 10, 2020

(Sewickley, Pa.) Today is the day that drivers who use the Sewickley Bridge were not looking forward to. The Bridge was closed for nearly a month at 7 am this morning.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced the 24-day closure is expected to last through August 10.

PENNDOT says that it is preparatory work for the $3.69 million project that is ongoing. Crews will conduct preservation work, including a deck overlay and bearing and deck joint replacement, during the closure.

PennDOT expects the entire project to be completed in late November.

Five More Workers Test Positive for COVID-19 at Shell Cracker Plant

(Potter Twp., Pa) Five more workers at Shell Cracker plant in Potter Twp. tested positive for COVID-19, according to a company release.

In the statement Shell Chemicals says that: “Since the end of last week, five of the site’s workforce tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of positive tests to 18 since the pandemic began. To protect the privacy of the workers, no other details will be made available.”

Since the Pandemic began Shell Chemicals built a COVID-19 testing lab to provide results within hours for workers at the construction site who show symptoms of the coronavirus.

The Company plans to start adding more workers next week.

At one point during the pandemic, at the urging of Local Politicians, Shell stopped construction of the new ethane cracker plant and had as few as 300 workers on site to maintain the facility. As restrictions were eased by the state the company steadily increased the number of employees, adding about 300 employees a week with strict social distancing, masking, cleaning, and other mitigation measures.

There are about 3,700 employees on the site as of now. There had been more than 8,000 before the pandemic.