Rising sea levels brought on by climate change are bringing flooding to the Delaware River Basin and threatening to shut down Philadelphia’s drinking water. Andrea Sears reports…

The Board of Commissioners have made the decision to close the Beaver County Brady’s Run Ice Arena. Along with that closure, all after hours work meetings by outside organizations have also been cancelled.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR MONDAY, MARCH 16TH, 2020

TODAY – MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGH – 51.

TONIGHT – SHOWERS OVERNIGHT. LOW – 44.

TUESDAY – CLOUDY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF A RAIN SHOWER.
HIGH NEAR 50.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — In a new front to slow the spread of the new coronavirus in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all restaurants and bars to close their dine-in facilities in five heavily populated counties starting Monday. The counties include Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, and the four counties ringing Philadelphia. The bans begin Monday morning. Wolf’s order to bars and restaurants ramps up a posture toward private businesses in Philadelphia’s suburbs in which Wolf had urged business to “what’s right.” Officials in Allegheny County asked nonessential businesses to close for 14 days. The state Department of Health shows the state’s official total of positive tests at 63.

All K-12 schools in Pennsylvania are being closed due to concerns about the potential spread of coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said Friday. Schools will remain closed for 10 business days, starting today. At the end of the 10 days, state officials will reevaluate and decide whether continued closure is needed. Wolf’s order — affecting more than 1.7 million children, in public and private schools — came as confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state leaped from 22 to 33, including the first patient under age 18. He said schools won’t be penalized if they are unable to reach the 180 days of instruction required under state law.

Academy of Country Music postpones awards show amid virus
NEW YORK (AP) — The show won’t go on for the Academy of Country Music. The annual awards show was to be held April 5 in Las Vegas and televised on CBS but now is the latest entertainment event to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic. The academy has postponed the award to September, at a date and venue to be determined later. Academy officials said Sunday that they tried hard to find a way to hold the event safely. But there’s been a growing call by government officials across the country to halt events that draw a big crowd.

CHICAGO (AP) — The CDC is recommending that gatherings of 50 people or more in US be canceled or postponed over next eight weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. The virus is curtailing many elements of American life. Officials and businesses on Sunday took forceful measures to halt the virus’s spread. Theme parks closed, Florida beaches shooed away spring breakers and governors in Ohio and Illinois ordered bars and restaurants shuttered. New York City,  New Jersey and elsewhere are considering similar measures. The nation’s top infectious disease official said he would like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed, but it does not appear President Donald Trump would order that.

By TERRY SPENCER and TERESA CRAWFORD Associated Press

Fed takes emergency steps to slash rates and ease bank rules
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve took emergency action Sunday and slashed its benchmark interest rate by a full percentage point to nearly zero and announced it would purchase more Treasury securities to encourage lending to try to offset the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The central bank said the effects of the outbreak will weigh on economic activity in the near term and pose risks to the economic outlook. The central bank said it will keep rates at nearly zero until it feels confident the economy has weathered recent events. The Fed also said it has dropped its requirements that banks hold cash reserves in another move to encourage lending.

Biden, Sanders to debate against backdrop of global pandemic
By JULIE PACE AP Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders are set to face off Sunday night in the first one-on-one debate of the Democratic primary. The debate comes as the nation and much of the world struggle to contain a global pandemic and mounting economic uncertainty. It’s Biden who will step on stage as the front-runner. That distinction seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago when Sanders was winning early contests. But more moderate Democrats have rapidly consolidated around Biden. Many in the party believe that the self-described democratic socialist would lose to President Donald Trump in November.