March 24, 2020 3:55 am
Traffic Congestion in Peters Township is a concern for Peters Township Council. Township Manager Paul Lauer stated that the intersections of Valleybrook Road and Bebout Road and the intersection of Bebout, E. McMurray and Thompsonville are all are in the design phase by PennDot. Those projects are slated for completion in2023. Council also approved the first payment for the realignment of E. McMurray Road and Valleybrook Road. A portion of that payment is coming from a Green Light Go Grant awarded to the township. Council also suspended live audience comment in a cautionary move during the coronavirus social distancing practice. Audience comments are encouraged. They need to be sent to the township manager by traditional mail or email and council will be made aware of the resident’s concern.
March 24, 2020 2:11 am
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced Monday that all schools in the commonwealth will remain closed through at least April 6th as a result of the COVID-19 response efforts. The closure order could be extended beyond that time if necessary to save lives and stop the spread of the virus. When it’s determined that students can return to school, administrators, teachers and other staff will be given two days to prepare classrooms, set up cafeterias, schedule transportation and arrange other business operations. Students would return on the third day.Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera said his decision to close all schools for the additional period aligns with the governor’s stay-at-home directive for seven counties – Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Monroe, Montgomery and Philadelphia. Monday’s additional school closure will be for 14 days, beginning Tuesday, March 24th. Secretary Rivera also cancelled standardized testing for students in career and technical education (CTE) programs for the 2019-20 school year. These include exams from the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI) and National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS). Last Thursday the department cancelled all PSSA testing and Keystone exams for the 2019-20 school year, as well as the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA).
March 23, 2020 3:21 pm
The Scripps National Spelling Bee won’t be held as scheduled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, meaning years of preparation by some of the country’s top spellers could go for naught. Scripps announced its decision Friday morning, citing recommendations against large gatherings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the ongoing state of emergency in Maryland. The bee had been scheduled for the week of May 24 at a convention center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, just outside Washington. Scripps said it would try to reschedule the bee for later this year but it did not commit to a new date. It’s possible the bee won’t be held at all.
March 23, 2020 9:43 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – In its boldest effort to protect the U.S. economy from the coronavirus, the Federal Reserve says it will buy as much government debt as it deems necessary and will also begin lending to small and large businesses and local governments to help them weather the crisis. The Fed’s announcement removes any dollar limits from its plans to support the flow of credit through an economy that has been ravaged by the viral outbreak. The central bank’s all-out effort has now gone beyond even the extraordinary drive it made to rescue the economy from the 2008 financial crisis. “The coronavirus pandemic is causing tremendous hardship across the United States and around the world,” the Fed said in a statement.
March 23, 2020 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Coronavirus has arrived in the United States Senate. Rand Paul of Kentucky says he has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The Kentucky Republican is the first member of the Senate to report testing positive. Paul said Sunday that he is feeling fine, but his test results raised fears about the spread of the virus in the Capitol. Paul’s office did not say when he was tested. was on Capitol Hill this past week, including at a luncheon Friday among GOP senators. His announcement led Utah’s two GOP senators – Mike Lee and Mitt Romney – to place themselves into quarantine, stepping away from negotiations as the Senate worked on a $1.4 trillion economic rescue package,
March 23, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The latest economic rescue package being negotiated in Washington is now nearly $2 trillion. But the Senate has yet to agree on the parameters of the package, voting against advancing the measure to a full vote. Talks wrapped up late at night on Capitol Hill with the goal a new vote on Monday. Democrats say the draft package is insufficient in the face of economic havoc from the coronavirus, arguing that it is tilted toward corporations and does too little to help workers and health care providers. President Donald Trump weighed in earlier in the day, saying “it’s not very complicated” and that workers must be helped and companies saved.
March 23, 2020 4:09 am
WELLINGTON, New Zealand. (AP) – Office workers are hauling computers and plants to their cars and shoppers are stripping shelves bare of coffee, flour and toilet paper before New Zealand starts a four-week lockdown. People must stay home and all non-essential businesses and activities cease when the lockdown begins late Wednesday night. The decision came as health officials announced another 36 confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 102. Most were tied to travel overseas, but crucially, two of the cases could not be traced and officials believe they are evidence of a local outbreak.
March 23, 2020 4:03 am
State Police are investigating after a woman was struck and killed by a tractor Sunday in Buffalo Township. It happened around 3 p.m. along Jolly School Road. The Washington County Coroners Office says 60 year old Elizabeth McCord was pronounced dead at Washington Hospital about an hour later. A cause and manner of death are pending. No other information is currently being released.
March 23, 2020 4:00 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania lawmakers are drafting legislation to delay the state’s April 28 primary election. The state House’s State Government Committee chairman says forthcoming legislation would delay Pennsylvania’s primary to June 2nd. The legislation could make it to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk this week.
March 23, 2020 2:51 am
Governor Tom Wolf Says enforcement of his order to close physical locations of all non-life-sustaining businesses began Monday morning at 8 am. Wolf has directed the following state agencies and local officials to enforce the closure orders “to the full extent of the law:” Pennsylvania State Police, Liquor Control Board, Departments of Health and Agriculture and local officials, who were directed to use their resources to enforce closure orders within their jurisdictions. The original list of business categories has undergone changes based on appeals, waiver requests and guidance from state agencies. Updated Business Category List (3/20/20)
