(Aliquippa,PA.) Aliquippa Police Chief Robert Sealock passed away Saturday April 11, 2020. Sealock suffered a medical emergency while on duty on Thursday March 26, 2020. Sealock had been hospitalized in intensive care since the medical emergency happened.

Stay tuned to Beaver County Radio as News Correspondent Sandy Giordano will have more in a special report Monday during Beaver County Radio News casts.

 

Department of Aging Offers Online COVID-19 Resource Guide
for Older Pennsylvanians

 

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has launched an online COVID-19 resource guide to help older adults easily find useful information related to their health, safety and well-being.

The guide is housed on the department’s website under “COVID-19 Resource Guide for Older Adults” and provides older adults, their families and caregivers with information on a variety of subjects, including meals, prescriptions, protective services, scams, and how to stay active and connected.

“The Department of Aging’s top priority is to ensure that the needs of older Pennsylvanians are being met. This online guide presents an overview of the resources that can help older adults maintain their health and safety during this critical time,” Aging Secretary Robert Torres said. “Our department will continue to monitor these essential needs and make any changes required in our effort to provide uninterrupted services.”

In addition to the COVID-19 resource guide, the department has offered guidance for aging services to help meet the needs of older Pennsylvanians while maintaining safety. This guidance, along with all of the programs that the Department of Aging provides, can be found here.

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 1,676 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 21,655

Harrisburg, PA-The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 11, that there are 1,676 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 21,655. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania now have cases of COVID-19. The department also reported 78 new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 494. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here. All people are either in isolation at home or being treated at the hospital.

Locally Beaver County is up 4 positive cases from yesterday to 143, Official deaths in the county from the Department Of Health remain at 13.

“Now more than ever, as we continue to see COVID-19 cases and deaths rise in Pennsylvania, we need Pennsylvanians to take action,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Those actions should be to stay calm, stay home and stay safe. If you must go out, please limit it to as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but other people as well. We need all Pennsylvanians to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, and our healthcare workers and frontline responders.”

There are 98,498 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Less than 1% are aged 0-4;
• Nearly 1% are aged 5-12;
• 1% are aged 13-18;
• Nearly 7% are aged 19-24;
• Nearly 41% are aged 25-49;
• 29% are aged 50-64; and
• 21% 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. There have been no pediatric deaths to date. More data is available here.

All non-life-sustaining businesses are ordered to be closed and schools are closed statewide through the remainder of the academic year. Currently the entire state is under a stay-at-home order.

Below is the official County by County breakdown from the Pa. Health Department:

County Case Counts to Date

 

(Beaver County, PA) For a month now, reaction to the coronavirus pandemic continues to force the suspension or cancellation of large gatherings, including worship services across Pennsylvania.  Along that line, WBVP, WMBA and 99.3 F.M. are pleased to be the “pulpit” of the airwaves during this time and help nearby preachers reach their flock by putting their voice into the speaker of the radio.  Local listeners and parishioners can tune in to WBVP. WMBA, 99.3 F.M. and the Beaver County Radio live online audio stream to seven different local church and faith based programs this Easter Sunday.

The Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, Line Up:

The day starts off with “Sounds of Faith”, a two hour inspirational segment  of worship and praise music that airs from  7 until 9 A.M.

At 9 A.M. on Sunday morning, April 12, live Sunday Mass from St. Monica Catholic Parish in Chippewa will still take place even though the church is closed to the public.

Then at 10 A.M.,  a recording of Rev. Lee Bittner’s Easter message from First Presbyterian Church In Rochester will reach the”radio congregation”.

As in previous weeks, The Soma Gathering in Beaver Falls is again sponsoring the 10:30 A.M. slot featuring Pastor Jan Davis from Central United Methodist church in Beaver Falls, who will engage with listeners via a recorded Easter sermon.

At noon, Senior Pastor Cliff Reynolds from Word Alive church in Ellwood City will be featured with an archived recording of last year’s Easter Sunday service held at the church. The Word Alive broadcast is sponsored by Hamilton Tool and Supply in Beaver Falls.

At 12:30 P.M. a replay of a popular 2014 dramatic reading  of “The Passion” performed by Holy Family Parish in New Brighton youth will be aired.

Finally, for the 2nd week in a row,  from 1 to 2 P.M., a special live broadcast will be aired from The New Galilee Church of the Nazarene featuring Pastor Andy Russell. Much like the old drive in movies of years past, Russell plans on preaching from the parking lot and inviting people to pull up, park, and tune the car radio in to 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA or 99.3 F.M. to hear his special Easter Sunday message.

 

All seven segments will air on WBVP,  WMBA,  99.3 F.M. and The Beaver County Radio Live Audio Stream.

 

‘Hope’ the giraffe born in New Orleans amid pandemic
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans has welcomed a baby giraffe named Hope. The Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center announced the birth Friday. Audubon Nature Institute President and CEO Ron Forman said Hope was the perfect name for the calf, especially as New Orleans has been hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic. Located on 1,200 acres of land west of downtown New Orleans, the center is home to 13 giraffes, eight of which were born at the center. The Institute has been forced to close its facilities due to the coronavirus pandemic. The facility is asking federal officials to provide funding for larger nonprofits like zoos and aquariums.

SEOUL, South Korea — In a controversial step, South Korea’s government says it will strap electronic wristbands on people who defy self-quarantine orders as it tightens monitoring to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

Senior Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho on Saturday acknowledged the privacy and civil liberty concerns surrounding the bands, which will be enforced through police and local administrative officials after two weeks of preparation and manufacturing.

But he said authorities need more effective monitoring tools because the number of people placed under self-quarantine has ballooned after the country began enforcing 14-day quarantines on all passengers arriving from abroad on April 1 amid worsening outbreaks in Europe and the United States.

Lee Beom-seok, an official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, admitted that the legal grounds for forcing people to wear the wristbands were “insufficient” and that police and local officials will offer consent forms for the devices while investigating those who were caught breaking quarantine.

Under the country’s recently strengthened laws on infectious diseases, people can face up to a year in prison or fined as much as $8,200 for breaking quarantine orders. Lee said those who agree to wear the wristbands could be possibly considered for lighter punishment.

White House points to hopeful signs as deaths keep rising
By JILL COLVIN and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is taking a cautious position on when to reopen the country. That’s even though White House officials are pointing to hopeful signs that the spread of the coronavirus could be slowing.  Trump insisted Friday he would not move to reopen the country until it is safe. He also said he will launch what he dubbed the “Opening our Country” task force on Tuesday to work toward that goal. Trump has been itching to reopen the country. But that has drawn alarms from health experts who warn that doing so too quickly could spark a deadly resurgence that could undermine current distancing efforts.

Wolf suggests Pennsylvania virus cases could surge next week
By MARC LEVY, MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is predicting that Pennsylvania will see a surge in new virus cases next week. He implored residents on Friday to continue to self-isolate to get the worst of the pandemic behind them and allow the state’s economy to gradually open back up. Modeling suggests that Pennsylvania could hit a peak in hospitalizations and deaths late next week before the numbers gradually drift down through the middle of May. The state has reported 20,000 virus cases and over 400 deaths. Meanwhile, Wolf has authorized the early release of as many as 1,800 inmates from Pennsylvania state prisons in an effort to minimize the spread of the coronavirus.

Pennsylvania Begins Implementing New Federal Unemployment Benefits, Eligible Claimants Get Extra $600 Starting Next Week

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf announced today the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) is implementing new federal unemployment compensation benefits provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The COVID-19 relief package temporarily provides an additional $600 per week, makes self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers eligible for benefits and extends unemployment compensation (UC) benefits for an additional 13 weeks.

The federal benefits are in addition to Pennsylvania’s regular unemployment benefit, which is about half of a person’s full-time weekly income up to $572 per week for 26 weeks.

Additional $600 Per Week

As part of the CARES Act, unemployment benefits are being expanded to provide an additional $600 per week beginning the week ending April 4, 2020, through the week ending July 25, 2020. This temporary emergency increase in benefits is referred to as the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program.

Today, L&I issued the first $600 payments. All eligible claimants that filed biweekly claims for the week ending April 4 and who received their regular UC payment should expect to see the additional money either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. For other eligible claimants who have not yet received a regular UC payment, they will receive the extra $600 the week after receiving their first UC payment.

It is very important to note that anyone who currently has federal withholding tax taken out of their benefits will see the same 10% reduction in the FPUC payment, resulting in a $540 payment. For information about changing your withholding election, visit L&I’s Taxes on Benefits page.

The $600 is paid separately from the biweekly UC benefit, and residents do not need to apply.

Visit the department’s FPUC frequently asked questions for more information.

Self-employed, Contractors or Gig Economy Workers

The CARES Act also temporarily makes unemployment compensation available to self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers, and others not normally eligible for the benefit. The program is referred to as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). These workers cannot apply through the department’s UC online system at this time. The U.S. Department of Labor requires that PUA be tracked separately from regular UC. For this reason, Pennsylvania must build a new online platform to process PUA benefits.

Eligible individuals should be able to start applying for PUA benefits within the next two weeks. Eligible claimants will receive backdated payments to January 27, 2020, or the first week they were unable to work due to COVID-19, whichever of the two dates is later. The PUA benefit will end December 31, 2020. The department will announce when the PUA benefit application is available.

Visit L&I’s PUA frequently asked questions for more information.

13-Week Benefit Extension 

The CARES Act provides an additional 13 weeks of unemployment compensation, including for workers who exhaust their regular unemployment benefits. Claimants will be eligible for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) from the week beginning March 29, 2020, through the end of the year. The department is awaiting additional federal guidance about the program and will provide an update when information is available.

Additional Information for workers impacted by COVID-19:

• Employment benefits webpage
• Employment benefits guide
• Frequently asked questions
• Tips for filing an initial UC claim
• Start a new claim video

On March 27, Governor Tom Wolf signed a law that makes applying for unemployment compensation easier to access by waiving the one-week waiting period to file, as well as the job search and work registration requirements, among other changes

Visit the commonwealth’s Responding to COVID-19 guide for the latest guidance and resources for Pennsylvanians or the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s dedicated coronavirus webpage for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19.

US budget deficit totals $743.6 billion over past 6 months
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government’s budget deficit for the first half of this budget year totals $743.6 billion, up 7.6% from last year and well on its way to topping $1 trillion even before the impacts of the coronavirus were felt. The Treasury Department reported Friday that the deficit from October, the start of the government’s budget year, through  March was $52.5 billion higher than the same period a year ago.