Pennsylvania eases mask mandate for vaccinated people
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is easing its mask mandate to allow people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to gather with other vaccinated people without masks or social distancing. State health officials said Monday the new rules also apply to vaccinated people gathering with people from a single household who have not been vaccinated but who are considered at low risk of severe disease from the coronavirus. The health secretary revised the state’s existing masking order to to align with recent guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Keystone State News Connection

March 23, 2021

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday the biggest solar-energy commitment ever undertaken by any government in the United States.

Known as Pennsylvania PULSE, the power-purchase agreement will result in construction of seven large solar arrays in six counties; enough to produce nearly half of the electricity used by state government.

Robert Routh, public policy and regulatory counsel for the Clean Air Council, said the solar arrays will generate a total of 191 megawatts of electric power, and are scheduled to go into operation on Jan. 1, 2023.

“Cutting pollution, creating hundreds of jobs, bringing millions of dollars in investments to local communities,” Routh outlined. “It’s great news all around, and it’s important to build on this progress.”

The project is part of the governor’s “GreenGov” initiative to help meet clean-energy and energy-efficiency goals established by executive order two years ago.

The order calls for a 26% reduction from 2005 levels of greenhouse-gas emissions statewide by 2025, and an 80% reduction by 2050, but Routh pointed out the PULSE project will reduce emissions by only a small fraction of that amount.

“There are still many other tools that we need to make use of, and many other policy steps we need to achieve those goals,” Routh explained.

The solar arrays will eliminate almost 158,000 metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions each year, but total annual statewide emissions are about 233 million metric tons.

Pennsylvania is pursuing other ways of reducing carbon emissions.

Routh said one of the most significant will be finalizing the regulations required for the state to become part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

“Once those regulations are in place, it is projected to reduce 188 million tons of carbon from power plants in Pennsylvania by the end of the decade,” Routh confirmed.

Eleven other Northeastern states are currently members of RGGI. Pennsylvania is expected to become a member early next year.

The Beaver School Board held a virtual voting session tonight where board members voted on a couple of  pandemic related motions.  The first motion was for the district to return to full 5 day in class instruction.  The board voted unanimously against it.  The district will continue having 4 days of in class instruction, while partaking in what they refer to as “Virtual Wednesdays”.  On Wednesdays, students attend virtual sessions for instruction and help for classes.  Teachers are also able to take advantage of these virtual sessions to make sure students that are attending class in person and students that have opted to be virtual full time are all on the same page. 91% of the teachers were said to be opposed to 5 day instruction. The board then went on to vote on a motion to remove plastic dividers and barriers from the district buildings with the exception of lunch areas.  Some members of the board argued that the plastic barriers are unnecessary because the students remain 6 feet apart and wear masks, and some said they would like to give the teachers the opportunity to decide for themselves.  Ultimately, the motion was shut down during the vote.  The board also voted yes to not require masks for spring sports unless players are in close proximity, such as in a dugout, as well as allowing indoor practices in the event of poor weather conditions.

On Tuesday’s A.M. Beaver County, Matt will dig deeper into the controversial discovery of a Facebook Group associated with Pittsburgh Police and the effects it could have on the upcoming summer revival.

Also, speaking of effects–the role Pittsburgh and surrounding areas played in the cancellation of Kenny Chesney’s 2021 tour–and it may not be the only one.

6:30 to 9:00 weekdays, it’s A.M. Beaver County.

Spring Training baseball is in its dying days and regular season baseball is drawing near.

Pirates broadcaster John Wehner joined Matt Drzik to talk about the Bucs’ 9-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on March 21, and how the main players in the regular season hitting core have maintained a strong presence throughout exhibition baseball. He also talked about the prospects of young pitchers Will Crow (who beat the Red Sox) and Mitch Keller (who started today against Baltimore).

To listen to the full Report, click on the player below!

U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, a Republican from western New York who was accused last week of rubbing a female lobbyist’s back and unhooking her bra without her consent in 2017, apologized to the woman on Sunday and announced that he will not run for reelection next year. Reed said in a statement that the incident involving then-lobbyist Nicolette Davis occurred “at a time in my life in which I was struggling.” He said he entered treatment that year and realized he was “powerless over alcohol.” Reed was first elected to Congress inn 2010. Reed said he would not seek any elective office in 2022.

Despite the clamor to speed up the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19, the first three months of the rollout suggest faster is not necessarily better. A surprising new analysis found that states such as South Carolina and Florida that raced to offer the vaccine to ever-larger groups of people have vaccinated smaller shares of their population than those that moved more slowly and methodically, such as Hawaii and Connecticut. The explanation, as experts see it: The rapid expansion of eligibility caused a surge in demand too big for some states to handle. The result was serious disarray, confusion and frustration. The analysis may hold an important lesson for states as they rush to meet President Joe Biden’s goal of making all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1.

Legislation that aims to bolster U.S. news organizations in negotiations with tech companies has supporters hoping that third time’s the charm. The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act was introduced in March for the third time since 2018. It would offer publishers a four-year exemption from antitrust law so they can negotiate as a group with Facebook and Google. Australia and other countries have started pushing their mechanisms to support news publishers against the tech giants that dominate online advertising. Publishers argue they also squeeze news organizations out of digital ad revenue and exert undue control over who can see their journalism.