US intel: Coronavirus not manmade, still studying lab theory
By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence agencies are debunking a conspiracy theory, saying they have concluded that the new coronavirus was “not manmade or genetically modified.” But they say they are still examining a notion put forward by the president and aides that the pandemic may have resulted from an accident at a Chinese lab. The statement came Thursday from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the clearinghouse for the web of U.S. spy agencies. It comes as President Donald Trump and his allies have touted the unproven theory that an infectious disease lab in Wuhan, the epicenter of the Chinese outbreak, was the source of the global pandemic.

Farmers Market Season is Here, Markets Prepared to Safely Serve Pennsylvanians Amid COVID-19 

Harrisburg, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today reminded Pennsylvanians that with spring and warm weather comes farmers market season in the commonwealth. Farmers markets, like grocery stores, offer life-sustaining food and essentials and have been provided guidance from the department for how to continue operations safely and with minimal risk amid the COVID-19 public health crisis.

“While farmers work hard year-round to push food to grocery stores, many are also working hard to stock their own market shelves and feed their local community,” said Secretary Redding. “Farmers markets are a fundamental piece of Pennsylvania’s supply chain; something many Pennsylvanians have become acutely aware of in recent weeks.”

When Governor Tom Wolf first designated agriculture and the supply chain as life sustaining, tthe Department of Agriculture issued guidance for Farmers Markets and On-Farm Markets with recommendations on how to continue operations safely and minimize contact for shoppers and employees. The guidance includes:

• Offer delivery or pick up options and online or phone ordering if possible.
• Pre-package bags of fruit, vegetables, and other items to limit shoppers’ handling food and keep customers moving quickly.
• Offer designated times for high-risk and elderly persons to shop at least once a week.
• Communicate with consumers via website or social media to explain changes, delivery options, or other extra precautions to mitigate against COVID-19.
• Separate stands to limit crowds and consider limiting the number of customers in the market at one time.
• If possible, have a different person handle products and handle money, or wash hands and sanitize between tasks.
• Remove tablecloths and eliminate samples and eating areas.

The guidance also offers farms the opportunity to open an on-farm stand to sell raw produce, eggs, or shelf stable packaged foods such as jams, jellies, or baked goods without additional food safety licenses.

In addition to the above recommendations, markets are advised to adhere to Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine’s worker safety order and the Department of Agriculture’s guidance for Sanitization and Diagnosed Employees. Market operators are also encouraged to take advantage of free resources and webinars provided by Penn State Extension for farmers market managers to maintain safe operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Because the Department of Agriculture worked so quickly to create guidelines for farmers markets and on-farm markets, Penn State Extension and our partners were able to develop factsheets, articles, webinars and open forums around these guidelines to help the more than 1,000 essential farmers markets in the commonwealth to operate in a safe manner and continue to feed their communities,” said PA Farm Markets Director and Penn State Extension Education Program Associate Brian Moyer.

Pennsylvanians interested in supporting local can find a market by visiting pafarm.com or by looking for the PA Preferred^® logo when shopping in a grocery store for a guarantee that you’re supporting a Pennsylvania farmer.

“This pandemic does not limit our need for food. In fact, it’s quite the opposite,” added Redding. “So let’s remember where that food comes from, and make intentional choices to directly support local farmers. Pennsylvania’s farmers markets and farm stands offer the essentials you need and they’re working harder than ever to provide a safe, reliable service.”

For a complete list of guidance documents and information as it relates to agriculture during COVID-19 mitigation in Pennsylvania visit agriculture.pa.gov/COVID. For the most accurate, timely information related to Health in Pennsylvania, visit on.pa.gov/coronavirus.

PennDOT Construction Projects to Resume Beginning May 1

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that in accordance with Governor Tom Wolf’s plan for a phased-in reopening of public and private construction, PennDOT highway and bridge construction projects will resume beginning May 1.

 “Our decision to pause construction was not made lightly, and we understand the importance of these projects to communities across Pennsylvania and to our industry partners,” said Acting PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “Thanks to the swift, decisive actions of the administration and the cooperation of Pennsylvanians, the curve is starting to flatten and we’re now in a position to restart these important improvements to the transportation network.”

 On March 17, in response to Governor Wolf’s COVID-19 mitigation guidance, PennDOT paused construction projects statewide, except for emergency needs. Since then, PennDOT has progressively continued critical projects addressing landslide repairs, or critical bridge, tunnel and drainage repairs, and work needed to eliminate roadway restrictions that could impede the ability for the movement of life-sustaining goods and services. 

 PennDOT road and bridge construction projects will restart with limited exceptions based on project-specific factors, including location and feasibility for social distancing and COVID-19 safety protocols at the jobsite. Work on all  projects will be conducted in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific COVID-19 safety plan, which will include protocols for social distancing, use of face coverings, personal and job-site cleaning protocols, management of entries to the jobsite, and relevant training.

 The safety plan, as well as a general framework for restarting construction projects, was developed by a PennDOT-led multidisciplinary team with representation from the construction industry and the consulting engineering community, as well as the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

 “I could not be prouder of the collaboration between PennDOT, the Turnpike Commission, FHWA, and our partners in the industry,” Gramian said. “While we are all eager to return to work, it was critical to establish safety protocols to minimize COVID-19 exposure for PennDOT and private-sector employees, as well as the communities where they live and work.”

 Information on PennDOT construction projects can be found at projects.PennDOT.gov. PennDOT is currently evaluating schedule impacts due to COVID-19.

 More COVID-19 information is available at www.health.pa.gov. For more information on PennDOT’s COVID-19 response, visit www.PennDOT.gov or www.dmv.pa.gov. PennDOT is sharing stories of continued and innovative operations during COVID-19, accessible from its PennDOT Way blog at www.PennDOT.gov/blog.

Nursing homes stricken as Pennsylvania death toll tops 2,000
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARC LEVY undefined
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Health officials say COVID-19 has killed hundreds more Pennsylvania nursing home residents than was previously known. The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday reported 479 new COVID-19 deaths, with 339 of them at nursing and personal care homes. That raises the state’s overall death toll to more than 2,100. Nursing homes now account for 65% of all deaths attributed to the virus in Pennsylvania. Nursing homes cite shortages of personal protective equipment and say they haven’t been able to do enough diagnostic testing to be able to quickly identify and isolate patients and staff who have the virus.

30 million have sought US unemployment aid since virus hit
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
AP) — More than 3.8 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the U.S. economy slid further into a crisis that is becoming the most devastating since the 1930s.
Roughly 30.3 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the six weeks since the coronavirus outbreak began forcing millions of employers to close their doors and slash their workforces. That is more people than live in the New York and Chicago metropolitan areas combined, and it’s by far the worst string of layoffs on record. It adds up to more than one in six American workers.
With more employers cutting payrolls to save money, economists have forecast that the unemployment rate for April could go as high as 20%. That would be the highest rate since it reached 25% during the Great Depression.
This week, the government estimated that the economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate in the first three months of this year, the sharpest quarterly drop since the 2008 financial crisis. Yet the picture is likely to grow far worse: The economy is expected to contract in the April-June quarter by as much as 40% at an annual rate. No previous quarter has been anywhere near as weak since the government began keeping such records after World War II.
As businesses across the country have shut down and laid off tens of millions of workers, the economy has sunk into a near-paralysis in just a few weeks. Factories, hotels, restaurants, department stores, movie theaters and many small businesses are shuttered. Home sales are falling. Households are slashing spending. Consumer confidence is sinking.
With some signs that the viral outbreak may have plateaued at least in certain areas of the country, a few governors have taken tentative steps to begin reopening their economies. But surveys show that a large majority of Americans remain wary of returning to shopping, traveling and other normal economic activity. That suggests that many industries will struggle with diminished revenue for weeks or months to come and might be unable to rehire laid-off workers.
The Economic Policy Institute has calculated that about 70% of people who have filed for unemployment benefits since the virus struck have been approved. Applications from the rest may still be pending, or they might have been turned down. Some applicants may not have earned enough money in their previous jobs to qualify for unemployment benefits.
Thursday’s figures also showed that states have approved the benefit applications of nearly 18 million people. This figure is much lower than the total number of people who have sought unemployment aid since the virus struck, in part because it lags behind by one week. And not everyone who applies for benefits manages to receive them.
Americans’ confidence in the economy and in their future incomes has plunged, a sentiment that could slow the rebound once more states and cities allow businesses to open. Many consumers, whose spending drives the bulk of the economy, may be slow to begin shopping, traveling and eating out. Some will likely remain too fearful of contracting the virus. And local and state officials are likely to maintain limits on the number of people who can congregate in certain places at any one time.
Consumer confidence, as measured by the Conference Board, has plummeted to a six-year low, and its measure of how Americans regard the current economy fell by a record amount.
Nearly a fifth of Americans expect their incomes to fall in the next six months, the Conference Board found, the worst such reading in more than seven years. That reinforced the belief that Americans will remain cautious in the spending for months to come.

(Beaver Falls, PA.) Tune into 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA, 99.3 FM, and beavercountyradio.com at 9:35 a.m. today  April 30, 2020 during Teleforum with Frank Sparks. U.S. Representative for the 17th District Conor Lamb will be Frank’s guest via telephone to talk about the possibility for a new Economic Relief Package, House Speaker Pelosi announcing yesterday that a new Committee for the Coronovirus is being formed, his thoughts on not returning to session and also his Tele-Town Hall that he will be hosting later today.

Gov. Wolf Signs Two Bills into Law, Vetoes Flawed Telemedicine Bill, Releases Cross-Agency Guidance for Telehealth

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today signed into law two bills: House Bill 1869 allows for National Guard members called to active duty to be covered under the Heart and Lung Act if they contract COVID-19 while performing their duties, and House Bill 752 provides for the Game Commission to pay a fair market value for land in Allegheny County.

Gov. Wolf also vetoed Senate Bill 857, a telemedicine bill that passed the Senate unanimously last year before being amended to an untenable version last week in the House.

“I supported a prior printer’s number of the bill, but as amended in the House of Representatives, this legislation arbitrarily restricts the use of telemedicine for certain doctor-patient interactions,” Gov. Wolf said. “As amended, this bill interferes with women’s health care and the crucial decision-making between patients and their physicians.”

The full veto memo can be found as a PDF here or on Scribd.

In addition to the telemedicine bill veto, the governor released cross-agency guidance on telehealth, citing its importance as a health care delivery option during COVID-19 and as providing it pertains to his authority under the Disaster Declaration signed in early March.

Given the potential for widespread transmission of COVID-19 across Pennsylvania and to limit its spread, many health care providers and patients are expanding use of telehealth rather than in-person health care services.

Today, the governor announced cross-agency guidance on steps taken to ensure that patients in need of vital health care services are receiving them in a timely, appropriate manner. Multiple state agencies are involved in providing expanded telehealth services, including the departments of State, Health, Drug and Alcohol Programs, Human Services and the Insurance Department.

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

Over  3 years has passed  and Boos Development has been meeting with the city  to get approval  an auto parts store  to locate in the city.  It became official last night  when a zoning change was  approved  from R-1 to C-2 for 2732 Broadhead Road to be the future  site of O’Reilly Auto Parts..Councilman Matt Mottes  asked the Boos Development representative to  bring a grocery store to downtown Aliquippa. The representative said that he will work with code and zoning officer James Bologna  to see where one can be located.

Press the play button below to hear Sandy’s Report:

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

At last night’s Aliquippa Council’s work session  meeting a moment of silence was observed to honor the memory of Chief Robert Sealock. Sgt. John Lane was  named    Acting Police Chief. He accepted the position  and assumes the post immediately. Mayor Dwan B. Walker  said he’s quarterbacking everything. He said Chief Sealock would be proud of him being in charge.