In response to Gov. Wolf’s Press Conference yesterday House Republicans issued a statement saying that “Name calling is beneath the dignity of the office of the Governor”.

“millions of Pennsylvanians are unemployed, millions more have children who are not being adequately educated and many others are watching their livelihoods fall apart while they have waited weeks for a failed unemployment compensation system to help. Our residents have been trying desperately to get the governor’s attention; however, he has not been listening”

“It is never wrong to lift the voices of concerned constituents. In fact, it is the duty of every elected official to do so. That is not Cowardice, it is patriotic.

“The Governor often touts jobs that pay, schools that teach and government that works. Well Today, Pennsylvanians are hurting , and the Governor is not delivering on those promises.”

Shapiro Issues Consumer Alert: Check Your Credit More Often Through COVID-19 Emergency

HARRISBURG―Attorney General Shapiro today alerted consumers that TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian are providing free credit reports on a weekly basis to users until April 2021. Normally, each report can only be accessed for free once per year.

“My Office encourages Pennsylvanians to take advantage of tools like these to protect themselves during the COVID-19 emergency,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “Increased access to credit reports during this crisis will help consumers across the Commonwealth ensure that they’re safe from scammers throughout recovery. I also urge consumers to report any suspicious calls or emails about COVID-19, unemployment applications, or stimulus checks to my Office.”

After visiting AnnualCreditReport.com and entering the prompted information, Pennsylvanians should take these steps to ensure the accuracy of their report:

• Verify all business names and payment dates are correct in the report’s transaction history;
• Verify all addresses, additional lines of credit, and accounts are correct;
• Dispute any unfamiliar or incorrect information—the Office of Attorney General sent a letter to credit reporting agencies reminding them of their obligation to resolve these disputes quickly for Pennsylvania consumers.

Consumers can sign up for text scam alerts, which offer tips for consumers to avoid becoming a victim of a scam, warn about new scams or update subscribers on consumer protection issues. Pennsylvanians can sign up for these tips from our Office at https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/consumer-alerts/. Consumers can also file a complaint about an active or potential scam at https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint/.

Insurance Department Warns of Risks, Increased Liability with Non-Compliance of Business Closure Orders

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman today reminded businesses of the importance of complying with Governor Tom Wolf and Department of Health Secretary Rachel Levine’s orders – for counties in both the red and yellow phases.

In addition to the critical public health objectives, Commissioner Altman warned non-compliant businesses defying the governor and secretary’s business closure orders that many insurance policies contain provisions that exclude coverage for businesses or individuals engaging in illegal acts or conduct. These exclusions may apply to property coverage, liability coverage, advertising injury coverage, and a host of other essential coverages.

“Businesses and residents rely on insurance coverage to protect them from liability, pay for covered losses, and compensate those who may be injured or harmed,” said Altman. “It is the duty of every business and resident in Pennsylvania to ensure that they and the public at large are provided with the maximum level of protection afforded by insurance. Any actions that could potentially create coverage gaps are the antitheses of the civil duty required of all residents during these times of emergency.”

This reminder is offered to all Pennsylvania businesses and residents, regardless of in what county they reside. The department strongly encourages businesses or residents who have questions or concerns regarding insurance coverage during the phased reopening of businesses in this commonwealth to reach out to their insurance carrier to discuss concerns.

Taxpayers foot bill to supply legislators, army of aides
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — It takes hundreds of millions of dollars a year for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to maintain what is one of the country’s largest legislative staffs. A new Associated Press review reveals the Legislature’s appetite for food, shelter, transportation, office supplies and computer equipment. The examination of invoices and more than 6,000 pages of spending line items by the state’s legislative branch last year found lawmakers often use the latitude their own rules provide to decide what to buy and from whom. Examples of their spending include custom framing, food and drink, high-end furniture, video equipment and computers.

AAA: Pennsylvania Gas Prices Increase as Regional States Begin to Re-Open
The average price of gasoline across Western Pennsylvania is three cents higher this week at $2.106 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region is seeing the least volatility in the country at the pump. On the week, gas prices increased or decreased no more than two cents, except in West Virginia (+6 cents), Maine (+6 cents) and North Carolina (+3 cents). All state gas price averages in the region are as much as 15 cents cheaper on the month and over a dollar less on the year.

At the start of this week, averages range from $1.67 in North Carolina to $2.18 in Washington, D.C.

For a second week, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports a draw in gasoline stocks in the region. For the week ending May 1, stocks dipped by nearly 2 million barrels to fall to 70.8 million. Regional refinery rates continue to increase too, up to 50%. Small gas price fluctuations are the likely trend motorists can expect to see in the week ahead.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                  $2.106
Average price during the week of May 4, 2020                                           $2.070
Average price during the week of May 13, 2019                                         $3.085

The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:      

$2.079      Altoona
$2.181      Beaver
$2.128      Bradford
$2.076      Brookville
$2.062      Butler
$2.074      Clarion
$2.100      Du Bois
$2.077      Erie
$2.145      Greensburg
$2.091      Indiana
$2.162      Jeannette
$2.052      Kittanning
$2.099      Latrobe
$2.069      Meadville
$2.074      Mercer
$1.966      New Castle
$2.175      New Kensington
$2.099      Oil City
$2.175      Pittsburgh
$2.052      Sharon
$2.180      Uniontown
$2.159      Warren
$2.169      Washington

On the National Front
The national gas price average is six cents more expensive on the week at $1.84, but still three cents cheaper on the month and $1.02 less on the year. Regardless of the national increase, 40 states still have averages of $2.00 or less per gallon. Pump prices are fluctuating throughout the country as demand increases and gasoline stocks decrease.

The EIA’s latest data report showed demand for gasoline increased by 800,000 barrels-per-day to 6.7 million last week, which is 3.2 million b/d less than last year at this time. As more states re-open to business, gas demand is expected to continue to grow, leading pump prices to continue their increase.

At the end of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by $1.19 to settle at $24.74 per barrel. Crude prices increased last week amid growing market optimism that crude demand is rebounding. For this week, crude prices may continue to rise if the market believes that crude oil inventories are beginning to rebalance. However, if crude storage levels continue to increase, crude prices could decline if the market continues to worry that the global market is oversupplied.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.

(File Photo)

(Beaver, Pa.) Earlier today Governor Tom Wolf stated in a Press Conference that Counties that wish to not listen to his orders will suffer Consequences. The Gov said he will take away Federal COVID-19 funds and that they are risking peoples lives by not following the plan to phase in a return to life in Pennsylvania. The Gov. also said that businesses that make the choice to open while still in the red zone will suffer  by losing liquor licenses  or their license from the health department.

The Beaver County Commissioners have responded to Gov. Wolf’s Statements via a press release sent to Beaver County Radio. Below is a copy of the wording in the Press Release:

The Commissioners of Beaver County were disappointed in Governor Wolf’s remarks today and felt it necessary to issue this press release in response. Nothing the Governor stated makes us change the position we previously held in that it is illogical to keep Beaver County in the “red” phase while moving the entire bordering counties and regions into the “yellow” phase. We do not believe our residents will be corralled inside invisible county lines on the map.

 By now it is well documented one facility within Beaver County is the basis for the vast majority of our COVID-19 cases and deaths. It has also been well documented it is the Department of Health’s responsibility to monitor this facility. If the Governor and his administration are so interested in saving lives, only they can answer the question why they ignored multiple requests for help and statistical counts coming out of Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center by waiting over six weeks to only now send in the National Guard. 

We certainly hope the Governor was not serious when he talked about withholding federal stimulus money as that would only punish those who need that help the most. By putting Beaver County on an island being left in the red, the Governor is crushing the economy, businesses, and morale of this County. 

We once again stand behind our District Attorney in his decision to not prosecute any businesses that can operate in the “yellow” phase to do so on Friday. Our decision to stand behind our District Attorney is a bipartisan and nonpolitical decision based on the analysis of our data, and the best interest of the health, safety, emotional, and economic well-being of the Beaver County residents. 

 

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 543 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 57,154

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., May 11, that there are 543 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 57,154. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19.

The state is reporting an increase of 24 new deaths today, bringing the statewide total to 3,731 deaths in Pennsylvania. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here.

Locally in Beaver County we are still at 491 positive cases there is no increase from yesterday. 2503 people have tested negative in the county Zero additional deaths are being reported as the County is still at to 78.

In the 3 nursing homes that are reporting positive cases in the county the numbers are holding at 324 positive cases. Employee cases are still at 23 and the death toll has is at 71.

“As we prepare to move a number of counties from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders. I am proud of the work that Pennsylvanians have done so far, but we cannot stop now, we must continue to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19.”

There are 231,704 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Nearly 1% are aged 0-4;
• Nearly 1% are aged 5-12;
• 1% are aged 13-18;
• Nearly 6% are aged 19-24;
• Nearly 37% are aged 25-49;
• 26% are aged 50-64; and
• 28% are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are aged 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 11,801 resident cases of COVID-19, and 1,655 cases among employees, for a total of 13,456 at 540 distinct facilities in 44 counties. Out of our total deaths, 2,552 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.

Approximately 3,790 of our total cases are in health care workers.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

Non-life-sustaining businesses in the red phase are ordered to be closed and schools are closed statewide through the remainder of the academic year. Currently, 24 counties are in the yellow phase of reopening; 13 more will move to the yellow phase on May 15.

Annual Competition for PA-17 High School Students Moves to All-Digital Format with Submissions Due Friday, May 29 at 5:00 PM

(PITTSBURGH, PA) – Today, Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) announced that due to the coronavirus public health crisis, the 2020 Congressional Art Competition is moving to an all-digital submission format and is open to all high school students in grades 9-12 living in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District.  Lamb’s office is now accepting entries for the annual nationwide competition which is sponsored by the Congressional Institute and recognizes young artists across the nation.  All submissions are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 29, 2020 via e-mail to PA17ArtComp@mail.house.gov.

“Last year, I was blown away by the creativity of the young people in our district and I think now more than ever it’s important to provide students with an outlet to express their thoughts and ideas,” said Lamb.  “I encourage all interested students in the district to participate this year and look forward to recognizing the incredible talents of our region’s young artists.”

A virtual panel of independent artists and educators will serve as judges to select the winning student pieces.  The top PA-17 winner’s artwork will be displayed for one year in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.  The winner from PA-17 is also eligible to receive a $3,000-per-year scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Artwork submitted for consideration in the contest must be two-dimensional and may be up to 26 inches (high) by 26 inches (wide) by up to 4 inches (deep), and cannot weigh more than 15 pounds, including the frame.  Accepted mediums are as follows:

• Paintings: including oil, acrylics, and watercolor;
• Drawings: including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers;
• Collages: must be two dimensional;
• Prints: including lithographs, silk screen, and block prints;
• Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil ink, watercolor, etc.;
• Computer Generated Art; and
• Photography.

All entries must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate U.S. Copyright laws.  Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo or image will not be accepted.  For more information on copyright laws, please click here.

Students should submit their artwork as a JPEG clearly showing the entire work of art.  Entries must be e-mailed to PA17ArtComps@mail.house.gov by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 29, 2020.  The email should also include a copy of the Student Release Form, which should be signed by the student and parent/guardian.  We recognize that teachers will not be able to sign this form, and our office will make necessary arrangements to acquire teacher signatures as needed when it is feasible to do so.

The 2019 Congressional Art Competition winner from PA-17 was Mt. Lebanon High School student Alayna Hollist for her colored pencil piece “The Candy Shop” which is currently on display in the U.S. Capitol along with more than 430 other winning works from every congressional district in the country.

For more information about the competition, please visit lamb.house.gov or send an email to PA17ArtComp@mail.house.gov.

Department of Health Places Temporary Manager at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center 

Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today announced that the department has placed a temporary manager at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver, Beaver County.

“Our temporary manager will assist with the safe operations of the facility and provide information directly to the department regarding the health of residents and the needs of patients and staff,” Dr. Levine said. “COVID-19 is a particularly challenging situation for congregate care settings, and we are committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable. Public health and safety are and always will be the department’s number one priority.”

The temporary manager, Allaire Health Services, of New Jersey, will remain in place until Brighton is able to achieve substantial compliance with the recommendations or the rate of infection at Brighton is substantially reduced. The department will pay the fees and costs for the temporary management from the state’s civil monetary penalty fund; however, Brighton still remains responsible for all expenses in maintaining the operation of the facility including: payroll; food costs; medications and supplies; payment for contracted services; facility lease, operation and maintenance costs; liability insurance and other operational costs.

The Pennsylvania National Guard is providing support to the care of patients at the facility from May 11 to May 18. By May 18, staff contracted by the owners of Brighton will be on site to help care for patients.

“We will continue to be actively involved in this facility, including performing inspections,” Dr. Levine said.

Since the start of COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes, the department has worked to assist facilities in need through a number of different avenues, including:

• Operational assistance and guidance from the quality assurance team, healthcare acquired infection (HAI) team, ECRI, the Patient Safety Authority and the Pennsylvania National Guard;
• Sharing information through bulletin boards, nursing home associations, and our normal channels of communication such as Health Alert Network messages;
• Prioritizing nursing homes and long-term care facilities to receive PPE, and for testing among symptomatic individuals.

On March 18^th, guidance was provided to nursing homes to assist facilities in the decision-making processes on cohorting, visitation and testing of employees and staff.

The department also has been working with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) who has outlined guidance on inspections of health care facilities, including nursing homes.

Annual inspections are not occurring, but complaint, infection control and other surveys are taking place. While these surveys are being done virtually, in-person surveys are also being conducted as needed and a number of in-person surveys have already occurred.

Close to 1,700 distributions of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been sent to nursing homes and additional long-term care facilities. This includes distributions of materials to all nursing homes. Among items sent to all health care facilities, the department has shipped close to 5 million N95 masks, more than 282,000 gowns, more than 1.6 million procedure masks, close to 1.47 million gloves, more than 134,000 face shields and more than 170,000 bottles of hand sanitizer.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out for a life-sustaining reason, please wear a mask

(Harrisburg, Pa.) Pa. Governor Tom Wolf today reminded Pennsylvanians that the state’s actions to stop the spread of COVID-19 are working and that we must stay the course and follow the law or there will be negative consequences.

The governor reiterated that reopening too soon can cause COVID-19 to spread, for cases and deaths to spike and for closures to be reinstated perhaps for much longer.

Reopening decisions are based on the advice of scientists, medical professionals, and the state’s epidemiologists. Factors that inform decisions include case counts, modeling, geographic location, contact tracing and testing capabilities for individual counties, regions, and the state. Each county is considered individually before deciding on placement into the red, yellow or green phases. Yellow counties have a lower risk of virus spread. Red counties have a higher risk of virus spread.

“I cannot allow residents in a red county to get sick because their local officials can’t see the invisible risk of the virus in their community,” Wolf said. “So, I must, and I will impose consequences if a county locally lifts restrictions when it has not yet been given the go-ahead by the state.”

The governor outlined the following consequences to counties that do not abide by the law to remain closed:

• Counties will not be eligible for federal stimulus discretionary funds the state receives and intends to provide to counties with populations of fewer than 500,000.

• Businesses in counties that do not abide by the law will no longer be eligible for business liability insurance and the protections it provides. The Pennsylvania Department of Insurance released details of this earlier today.

• Restaurants that reopen for dine-in service in counties that have not been authorized to reopen will be at risk of losing their liquor license.
• County residents receiving unemployment compensation will be able to continue to receive benefits even if their employer reopens. Employees may choose not to return out of concern for personal safety and safety of co-workers.

“This is not a time to give up,” Wolf said. “This is a time to rededicate ourselves to the task of beating this virus. I intend to keep fighting, and I believe that the overwhelming majority of my fellow Pennsylvanians intend to keep fighting it too. With that unity, I know we can win.”

To Hear Gov. Wolf’s Comments Press Play below: