HARRISBURG – In response to the governor’s shutdown of state liquor stores and recent failures by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) to adapt to a 21^st century business model during the coronavirus pandemic, Rep. Tim O’Neal (R-Washington) recently introduced legislation to end government control of wine and spirit sales.

“When Gov. Tom Wolf shutdown the liquor stores, he almost returned Pennsylvania to Prohibition and showed us why government should never be in control of alcohol sales,” O’Neal said. “Grocery stores and restaurants quickly and efficiently found ways to adapt to the pandemic while the PLCB, at Wolf’s direction, caused mass mayhem and turned Pennsylvanians into modern-day bootleggers.”

House Bill 2547 would close state stores, privatize the wholesale liquor system and create private outlets for liquor. It is similar to House Bill 466 of 2015, which was vetoed by the governor.

“Act 39 of 2016 proved private industry can responsibly sell wine,” O’Neal said. “I have no doubt liquor sales can be done in the same effective and efficient manner.”

Wolf ordered Pennsylvania’s government-controlled Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores to close on March 17. Because the state has a monopoly on spirit sales, Pennsylvanians had no choice but to flock to Ohio, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey and other neighboring states.

“All that business activity and revenue could have happened in Pennsylvania but was pushed over the borders,” O’Neal said.

O’Neal noted Wolf’s shutdown of the state liquor stores is not the only reason he is calling for full privatization. The PLCB has had persistent problems for decades.

“The PLCB drives up costs while at the same time decreasing selection and convenience,” O’Neal added. “But even more concerning is that the current system forces Pennsylvanians, small businesses and local family restaurants into doing business with a government-run monopoly that’s rife with political favoritism.”

 Past polling shows that two-thirds of Pennsylvania voters support privatizing the state’s liquor system.

 Pennsylvania remains one of only two states in the entire nation where government wields complete control over all wholesale and retail sales of both wine and spirits.

 “The state-controlled liquor monopoly was set up in 1939 to make it as inconvenient as possible to purchase wine and spirits in Pennsylvania, and it’s clear that is still its mission today,” O’Neal said. “The time has come to revisit ending this antiquated government system once and for all.”

State police: 2-year-old fatally shot at Pennsylvania home
EAST PENN, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania state police say a 2-year-old boy was shot and killed at a Carbon County home. The shooting occurred Sunday afternoon in East Penn. The child was taken to a hospital but died there a short time later. No other injuries were reported in the shooting, but authorities declined further comment. The child’s name has not been released. No charges have been filed so far, but the shooting remains under investigation.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano 

(Hopewell, Pa.) Hopewell Twp. honored veterans past and present with a display of Flags at the new memorial that was dedicated late last year. The flags honoring the fallen at Hopewell were visible from the road and many stopped to see the tribute  on Memorial Day. The new memorial debuted on November 4, 2019 for past and present heroes and loved ones  that served our country. The display is sponsored by the Hopewell Commissioners, WesBanco, State Rep. Robert F. Matzie, State Senator Camera Bartolotta, and  private donors. You can purchase a flag to honor your loved one or friend at a  Cost of  $50, and a portion of the funds goes to the Wounded Warrior Program. Contact njanicki@hopewelltwp.com or call 724-378-1460 ex. 100.

Check out the photos below:

 

(McConnells Mill State Park)

A third accident in the last of weeks has occurred at McConnells Mill State Park. On Monday A woman fell at the Kildoo Falls area and had to be airlifted to a Pittsburgh hospital.

Firefighters, EMS and park rangers worked to get the woman to safety. She had injuries to her leg and head.

Stormy weather puts damper on SpaceX’s 1st astronaut launch
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Stormy weather is threatening to delay SpaceX’s first astronaut launch. A SpaceX rocket is scheduled to blast off Wednesday from Florida, carrying a Dragon capsule with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station. It will be the first time astronauts launch from the U.S. in nine years and a first for a private company. Forecasters put the odds of acceptable weather at 40%. But that doesn’t include the need for favorable conditions all the way up the U.S. and Canadian coasts and across the sea to Ireland. The Dragon’s emergency escape system can kick in, if necessary, all the way to orbit.

Trump honors war dead in events colored by pandemic’s threat
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
BALTIMORE (AP) — President Donald Trump honored America’s war dead in back-to-back Memorial Day appearances colored by an epic struggle off the battlefield, against the coronavirus. He’s eager to demonstrate national revival from the pandemic, and so he doubled up on his public schedule Monday. He appeared both at Arlington National Cemetery and at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Trump also threatened to pull the Republican National Convention out of Charlotte in August unless North Carolina’s Democratic governor gives a quick green light to the party’s plans to assemble en masse. The U.S. death toll from the pandemic is close to 100,000.