March 13, 2021 4:33 am
PennDot is enforcing a statewide St. Patrick’s Day Safety Campaign. They are trying to reduce instances of impaired driving and pedestrian crashes during the holiday period. Enforcement began on March 9 and will run through March 18. PennDot suggests that if you are hosting a party, to limit road travel,have snacks prepared ahead of time. Have plenty of water available especially in the presence of alcohol, never mix medications and alcohol and make sure there is a safe and sober driver available if there is a need to leave. PennDot suggests mocktails as an alternative to alcoholic beverages. In addition to having a sober designated driver, PennDot suggests a designated sober walker to make sure that all guests are able to travel safely.
March 13, 2021 4:21 am
Governor Tom Wolf and the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force announced another bi-partisan effort to complete vaccinations in the Phase 1A category and vaccinate frontline workers. The announcement focuses on three key areas where significant progress has been made. First, scheduling vaccine appointments for those in Phase 1A, second, establishing regional vaccination clinics and third, target frontline workers and first responders. More than 3 million Pennsylvanians have received their first vaccine dose. More than 72,000 vaccinations are being administered every day. Law enforcement staff, firefighters, grocery workers agricultural workers are among those being prioritized as frontline workers and will be offered the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
March 12, 2021 1:29 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s program to vaccinate teachers and other school workers, starting in the youngest grades, immunized more than 6,500 people in its first days. Officials said Friday that 10 of the school clinics, organized by intermediate units, are up and running. Ten more were expected to become operational on Friday and the other eight should begin over the coming weekend. In this first round, the clinics are administering the state’s allocation of single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines to school employees in kindergarten through third grade. The current expectation is to vaccinate all school workers by the end of March.
March 12, 2021 12:15 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Netflix is testing a way to crack down on password sharing. The streaming service has been asking some users of the popular streaming site to verify that they live with the holder of the account. The test, first reported by Streamable.com, comes as streaming services proliferate and more people share passwords and services. Netflix did not say how many people were part of the test or if it was only in the U.S. or elsewhere. “This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” the company said in a statement.
March 12, 2021 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is urging Americans to “stick with the rules” as he wraps up his address to the nation on the one-year anniversary of the beginning of coronavirus pandemic. He is voicing optimism that the United States will edge toward a semblance of normalcy in the coming months, noting “there is hope and light of better days ahead if we all do our part.” But the president is also warning that “we may have to reinstate restrictions” if Americans fail to stay vigilant about social distancing and other precautions to help stem the virus. Biden spoke for 24 minutes from the East Room of the White House.
March 12, 2021 4:21 am
South Korea is extending its current measures on social distancing for at least another two weeks as it struggles to slow coronavirus infections in the greater capital area. The measures include clamping down on private social gatherings of five or more people nationwide and prohibiting indoor dining at restaurants and bars in the Seoul metropolitan area after 10 p.m. Authorities will inspect shopping malls, restaurants, public baths and private tutoring academies in the capital area over the next two weeks. While South Korea has wiggled out of its worst wave of the virus, it has still been seeing 300 to 400 new cases a day since mid-January.
March 12, 2021 4:20 am
HONOLULU (AP) – A community on the Hawaiian island of Kauai that was isolated by storm-triggered landslides three years ago is once again cut off after a landslide cut across a key road. The Kauai Emergency Management Agency says part of the Kuhio Highway will remain closed at least through Tuesday while officials assess the damage, remove debris and stabilize slopes. The landslide occurred after heavy rain battered the Hawaiian Islands for several days. The highway closure blocks off the town of Hanalei from the rest of the island. The county’s emergency managers said food supplies were available at stores and food pantries in the isolated communities.
March 12, 2021 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration says it has the authority to direct states to open up their vaccine supply to all adult Americans by May 1 using the same mechanism it used to order that teachers and childcare workers become eligible earlier this month. States are required to distribute the federally provided vaccines in accordance with guidelines set by the Department of Health and Human Services. The department will issue a directive telling states to allow all adults to be vaccinated under their eligibility criteria by May 1. The federal government also controls supply directly through the federal retail pharmacy program, federally run mass vaccination sites and federally qualified community health centers and could use those mechanisms as well to expand eligibility.
March 12, 2021 4:17 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The city of Minneapolis has agreed to pay $27 million to settle a civil lawsuit from George Floyd’s family over the Black man’s death in police custody. The settlement was announced Friday as jury selection continued in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a white former officer charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Floyd family attorney Ben Crump planned a lawsuit later in the day. Floyd was declared dead May 25 after Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck for about nine minutes. Floyd’s family filed the federal civil rights lawsuit in July against the city, Chauvin and three other fired officers charged in his death.
March 12, 2021 4:15 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission will lift a year-old moratorium preventing utilities from terminating service to all non-paying customers, adopted as Gov. Tom Wolf ordered shutdowns to fight the coronavirus. The commission voted Thursday to lift the moratorium starting April 1 for lower-income customers, as federal aid becomes available to renters to help pay utility bills. Utilities had been permitted to resume disconnections last fall for residential customers above 300% of the federal poverty level, or about $79,000 in annual income for a family of four last year. The commission is also requiring utilities to give additional payment plan options.
