Pentagon: $10B cloud contract that snubbed Amazon was legal
By ROBERT BURNS AP National Security Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government watchdog agency says the Defense Department’s decision-making process in awarding a major cloud computing contract to Microsoft was in line with legal and government purchasing standards. The contract, potentially worth $10 billion, was awarded to Microsoft last October, prompting tech rival Amazon to cry foul. Amazon filed suit claiming, among other things, that the White House improperly influenced the decision to award the contract to Microsoft. In its report released Wednesday, the Pentagon’s inspector general said the review could not fully determine whether there was White House interference because the White House invoked “presidential communications privilege.”

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 1,145 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 26,490

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 15, that there are 1,145 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 26,490. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19. The department also reported 63 new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 647. 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 in Beaver County we have an increase of 3 cases to 156 and deaths remain at 14.

“COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise in Pennsylvania, and even though the daily increases are not exponential, now is not the time to become complacent,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families, our community. If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but other people as well. We need all Pennsylvanians to continue to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our health care workers and frontline responders.”

There are 111,094 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;
• 6% are aged 19-24;
• 40% are aged 25-49;
• Nearly 29% are aged 50-64; and
• 22% 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.

A County by County breakdown of cases is below:

County Case Counts to Date

Human Services Announces CHIP to Maintain Enrollment for Families During COVID-19 Crisis

Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced that it is making temporary changes to Pennsylvania’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to keep families enrolled in CHIP for the duration of the public health emergency and to ease access to medical services for children being screened or receiving treatment for COVID-19.

“COVID-19 has created economic challenges for families across Pennsylvania, and we want to be sure that families are able to keep health care coverage to protect themselves and their children during this time. These changes are designed to ease access to CHIP and to keep families enrolled in health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said DHS Secretary Teresa Miller.

The following changes are in effect for CHIP until the end of the public health emergency:

• Families will not be denied or disenrolled from coverage for administrative or financial reasons. An example of an administrative reason is not being able to provide proof of income.
• Families will not pay a copay for services that are for COVID-19 screening, testing or treatment.
• Families who cannot provide paperwork to verify information on an application or renewal, can provide self-attestation of information by signing the application or renewal.
• Families will be given more time to pay premiums, if needed.

Families still must provide verification of information presented on an application, and are still responsible for copays for services not related to COVID-19. Testing and treatment services related to COVID-19 are covered. Families are also still responsible to pay premiums if applicable.

If a family is unable to pay premiums because of a decrease or loss of income, the family must contact their managed care organization immediately and can request the MCO to perform a “reassessment” because of an income change at any time.

Details on how to apply for CHIP can be found here. The Wolf Administration has previously announced the continued availability of CHIP and Medicaid to families and individuals that meet eligibility requirements, as well as temporary flexibility of requirements for providers of Medicaid and CHIP to ensure availability and access to health care.

Visit pa.gov for a “Responding to COVID-19” guide or the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s dedicated Coronavirus webpage for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19.

Guidance to DHS providers related to COVID-19 is available here.

Wolf Administration Provides Relief for Taxpayers Affected by COVID-19 Pandemic

Harrisburg, PA — Governor Tom Wolf announced today the Department of Revenue is providing relief to Pennsylvanians and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The department is offering taxpayers increased flexibility, additional time to meet their tax obligations, and a pause on several of its standard enforcement actions.

“As we all work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it’s critical for us to take action that will provide immediate relief for Pennsylvanians and our businesses,” Governor Wolf said. “In addition to extending tax filing and payment deadlines, we are giving taxpayers more time and flexibility in other areas so that they can concentrate on their well-being. This is a needed step that will help everyone during this uncertain time.”

This temporary relief for taxpayers will remain in effect through at least July 15, 2020. Details on the specific relief can be found on the Department of Revenue’s website under its COVID-19 information page.

“While people focus on their health and keeping themselves and their families safe during the pandemic, our goal is to ease the burden for our customers and help everyone move forward,” Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell said. “We want to help people and businesses make it through this challenging situation.”

The Department of Revenue will:

• Pause payments for existing payment plans upon requests from taxpayers.
• Provide flexible terms for new payment plans.
• Work to boost customer service for taxpayers impacted by the pandemic.
• Suspend or reduce automatic enforcement actions regarding liens, wage garnishments, bank attachments, license inspections, requirements for tax clearances and use of private collection agencies.
• Suspend the creation of new desk reviews and field audits in most cases.
• Suspend in-person meetings with taxpayers in most cases.
• Broaden audit penalty abatement and interest relief.
• Continue to administer tax credit and incentive programs.
• Abate penalties in most cases if taxpayers have remitted trust fund taxes they collected.

Taxpayer Service and Assistance

In addition to the relief announced today, the Department of Revenue also has:

• Extended the deadline to file state personal income tax returns by 90 days. The new deadline of July 15, 2020 is the same as the new federal deadline.
• Extended the deadline to file informational returns related to PA S corporations, partnerships, and estates and trusts to July 15, 2020.
• Extended the due date for corporations with tax returns due in May to August 14, 2020.
• Removed the requirement for some businesses to make prepayments of Sales and Use Tax for April, May and June of 2020. Many larger businesses are required to make prepayments under normal circumstances.

With the department’s call centers closed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, taxpayers seeking assistance are encouraged to use the department’s Online Customer Service Center, available at revenue-pa.custhelp.com. You can use this resource to electronically submit a question to a department representative. The department representative will be able to respond through a secure, electronic process that is similar to receiving an email. Additionally, the Online Customer Service Center includes thousands of answers to common tax-related questions.

Find Alerts from Revenue Online

Taxpayers and tax professionals are encouraged to visit the Department of Revenue’s COVID-19 information page on www.revenue.pa.gov for additional guidance and updates on department operations. You can also visit the department’s pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for real time updates.

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.

Stimulus checks to bear Trump’s name in unprecedented move
By COLLEEN LONG and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s name will be printed on the stimulus checks that the Internal Revenue Service will be sending to tens of millions of Americans around the country. It’s an unprecedented move finalized this week. That’s according to two officials with knowledge of the decision, who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning. The officials say “President Donald J. Trump” will appear on the left side in the memo section of the paper checks. They say the distribution of the checks will not be delayed as a result of the decision. It was unclear whether the printing of the checks had already begun.

US relief checks begin arriving as economic damage piles up
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, PAUL WISEMAN and JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — As government relief checks popped up in Americans’ bank accounts, the damage to the economy piled up Wednesday. And the reopening of businesses in Europe and China made it clear that things won’t necessarily bounce right back when the crisis eases.American industry shriveled in March to 1946 levels, registering its biggest decline since demobilization at the end of World War II, and retail sales fell by an unprecedented 8.7 %.

US retail sales plunge by record 8.7% in March amid shutdown
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales plummeted 8.7% in March, a record drop as the viral outbreak closed down thousands of stores and shoppers stayed home. Sales fell sharply across many categories: Auto sales fell 25.6%, while clothing store sales collapsed, dropping 50.5%. U.S. consumer confidence has plunged and the vast majority of Americans are hunkered down at home under shelter in place orders. Grocery store sales did jump by nearly 26% as Americans hoarded food and consumer items. A category that mostly includes online sales rose 3.1%.

Police: Driver who crashed into pole had been shot in chest
MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. (AP) — A driver who crashed his car near a police station in western Pennsylvania had been shot in the chest shortly before the accident occurred. Authorities say the crash in McKees Rocks occurred shortly before midnight Tuesday. Officers found the 24-year-old man inside the vehicle, which had struck a utility pole. He was taken to a hospital and was listed in critical condition, but his name and further details on his injuries were not disclosed. A motive for the shooting remains under investigation. It wasn’t clear if the man was shot while driving or before he entered the vehicle.

(Harrisburg, Pa.) The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board reported more than $1 million in liquor bottle sales statewide in the first week of online ordering since the system was relaunched on April 1, 2020.

On March 17, 2020 the state closed all of its Fine Wine & Good Spirits liquor stores in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Online ordering was also suspended at the time of the stores closing.

The PLCB reported that orders have been growing steadily since April 1,2022 . The PLCB took 684 orders totaling 3,267 bottles, with total sales of $58,713, the first day. Thursday’s sales totals were 1,807 orders, 9,295 bottles and $175,294 in sales and that the top-selling alcohol brand statewide through Thursday, was Tito’s Handmade Vodka, 80 proof, with 1,712 bottles sold. That’s nearly double the number of the next-best seller, Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Black Label Tennessee Whiskey, 80 proof, at 926 bottles.