September 9, 2020 8:45 am
North Franklin Supervisors met Tuesday evening and approved two ordinances. One ordinance will offer a stipend of twenty dollars to each qualified fireman who answers a call. Supervisor Chairman Bob Sabot says that the $20 per person per call will be paid quarterly and come from township funds. No tax increase is necessary for this stipend. Supervisors officially dissolved the North Franklin Township Recreation and Business Improvement Authority. The township will now take responsibility of all property and assets that once fell under the Authority’s responsibility. Work continues on West Chestnut Street to repair the storm drain that causes flooding near Franklin Farms Road. Work should be complete at the end of September. The township also announced that the township’s clean up day is October 17 from 10-2. Fall leaf pick up will begin October 19 and run through November 30. Halloween is scheduled for October 31 from 6:00 pm until 7:30 pm.
September 8, 2020 5:58 pm
(AP) – Top police leaders in Rochester are retiring en masse amid criticism of the city’s handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said Tuesday that the city’s police chief is among those retiring, along with other senior commanders. Warren made the surprise announcement of the retirements at a City Council briefing being held online. Prude died several days after an encounter with police on March 23. Officers who found him running naked down the street handcuffed him, put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting, then held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing.
September 8, 2020 1:37 pm
(AP) – It’s the time of year when gardeners are turning their ripe tomatoes into sauces and salsas and cucumbers into pickles but a boom in gardening and preparing food at home during the coronavirus pandemic has led to a scarcity of certain supplies with which to preserve them. From Maine and Vermont to Louisiana and West Virginia gardeners have reported being in a pickle finding certain sized glass jars or the special lids used to safely seal them. A spokesperson for Newell Brands, owner of Ball, which produces Mason jars and lids, says it’s increased glass production, found additional lid manufacturers and expanded its pack out locations to replenish the stock as quickly as possible.
September 8, 2020 10:52 am
HARRISBURG (AP) – Pennsylvania restaurants will be allowed to seat more patrons inside after Gov. Tom Wolf announced he is relaxing restrictions on indoor dining. Restaurants may increase indoor occupancy from 25% to 50% of capacity starting Sept. 21. That’s more than two months after the administration first reimposed pandemic restrictions on the state’s beleaguered hospitality industry in response to a spike in virus infections. Wolf said at a news conference in Lancaster on Monday that the state has made sufficient progress to enable a partial lifting of restrictions on the hospitality industry. Wolf also announced Tuesday that starting Sept. 21 restaurants will not be allowed to sell alcohol past 10 p.m. Any restaurant that wishes to increase to 50% capacity on September 21st must complete the online self-certification process by October 5th. The self-certification documents and information about the Open & Certified Pennsylvania program can be found online starting September 21 and will contain the following:
- A list of requirements contained in the current restaurant industry guidance and enforcement efforts
- A statement that the owner has reviewed and agrees to follow these requirements
- The business’ maximum indoor occupancy number based on the fire code
- A statement that the owner understands that the certification is subject to penalties for unsworn falsification to authorities
September 8, 2020 9:49 am
Students in the Washington School District began classes for the 2020-2021 school year on Tuesday. Superintendent Dr. James Konrad said it feels great to have students back in the building. Classes begin at 8:20 every day and students lined up early on Tuesday waiting to get back to school. Before doors opened, building administrators and school police lined students up six feet apart and making sure masks were on before they entered the building. Konrad states that about one third of students are making use of the district’s cyber option. Konrad is asking for everyone’s patience as teachers and students become acclimated to the new learning platform. Konrad is looking at the different type of year that this year is as an opportunity to work with parents and the community to make sure students get the quality education that Washington School District offers. Students in the Trinity School District also began their school year on Tuesday.
September 8, 2020 9:43 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democrats will investigate whether Postmaster General Louis DeJoy encouraged employees at his business to contribute to Republican candidates and then reimbursed them in the guise of bonuses, a violation of campaign finance laws. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, House Oversight Committee chair, announced the investigation Tuesday. The Washington Post reports that five people who worked for DeJoy’s former business were urged to write checks and attend fundraisers at his North Carolina mansion. Two former employees said DeJoy would give bigger bonuses to reimburse them. It’s not illegal to encourage employees to contribute to candidates but it is illegal to reimburse them as a way of avoiding federal campaign contribution limits.
September 8, 2020 4:57 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – In-person classes will be canceled at West Virginia University’s Morgantown campus on Tuesday, with nearly all undergraduate classes moving online on Wednesday. According to a school news release, graduate and professional courses will continue to be offered in person. The changes apply to the Morgantown campus only. They come in response to a recent increase in positive cases among students and a concern that cases may increase even more following reports of parties over the holiday weekend. áWVU placed 29 students on interim suspension on Sunday amid ongoing COVID-19 investigations. Additional sanctions are pending. If the public health situation improves, in-person classes will return on Monday, Sept. 28.
September 8, 2020 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A vaccine to shield Americans from becoming infected with the coronavirus is emerging as the latest flashpoint in the race for the White House. President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats of “disparaging” a vaccine he repeatedly has said could be available by the end of October. Trump leveled the accusation a day after Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential running mate, said she would trust public health experts and scientists over Trump. Trump is aiming to have 300 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine in stock by January under a program he calls “Operation Warp Speed” that is working to accelerate development.
September 8, 2020 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says Pentagon leaders want to keep waging wars in order to keep defense contractors “happy.” Trump continues to fight allegations that he made offensive comments about fallen U.S. service-members. At a White House news conference Monday, Trump repeated his claim that the story was a “hoax” and said: “I’m not saying the military’s in love with me. The soldiers are.” However, he added, “The top people in the Pentagon probably aren’t because they want to do nothing but fight wars so all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.”
September 8, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Hopes are dimming for another coronavirus relief bill from Washington as Congress returns to session. Talks between top Democrats and the Trump administration broke off last month and remain off track. Recent conversations among the key players have led to nothing. And toxic relationships among those players are making it harder to break the impasse. The legislation was supposed to deliver another round of $1,200 direct payments to most Americans, help schools and local governments and restore more generous unemployment benefits. Now all of that is at risk. If talks continue to falter, it’s possible that lawmakers will simply leave Washington to campaign.
