Governor Wolf extended the moratorium on foreclosures and evictions the State supreme Court first ordered in March that is set to expire Monday. Wolf says people shouldn’t have to worry about losing their homes during a pandemic,and extended the expireation date til July 10th. Making the announcement with Attorney General, Josh Shapiro yesterday, they said the move helps advance public health efforts by allowing people to stay at home a bit longer.
Case counts of the coronavirus is slowing, even with a spike of 1,070 new cases yesterday according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health with a statewide total of 52,915. And as 27 counties move into the yellow today, others await approval for the transition. According to WNEP, using the metric as established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, counties need to keep a 50 cases per 100,000 per capita ratio. Counties can be put back to the red phases if case average goals are not met. Lycoming County needs to maintain an average of 4 cases per day over 14 days. Yesterday we saw 9 new cases here bringing the total case count in the county to 99 – we are still below average. Northumberland County had 1 new case maintaining the an average of 3 cases per day to remain yellow . Union County has 40 total cases – adding one yesterday. Their average goal is 1.5 cases per day and they remain yellow.
The Williamsport Driver and Photo License Center will open today, the first of three centers in the state to reopen in the yellow phase while adhering to restrictions on work and social interaction set by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. PennDOT says there will be limited services between the hours of 8:30am til 4:15 pm Tuesday Through Saturday. There will be designated hours for those 60 and older Wednesday and Thursday for those 60 and older. Erie and Selinsgrove centers will also reopen today. Changes for customers include; wearing masks and a prescreening before gaining access to the facility – which can only accommodate as many customers as there are stations. The list of new protocols and limited services is at www.dmv.pa.gov.
Williamsport residents were surprised yesterday when the air sirens went off in the city for several minutes around 11:30am. According to the Sun Gazette, the Williamsport City manager said there were no emnergencies reported and they are looking into what may have cause a glitch – accidentally tripping the siren.
Governor Wolf announced an extension on foreclosures and evictions for all Pennsylvanians yesterday for another 2 months – extending the moratorium the State supreme Court ordered in March that is set to expire Monday. Some landlord groups criticized the governor saying it allows people to live rent free, but governor Wolf says people are still responsible for their payments if possible. <<<<WENT 2 Rent is Due>>> Wolf encourages those who are having trouble paying rent to contact their landlord or mortgage lender.
As the county transitions into the yellow phase today, The PA Department of Health announced yesterday, 1,070 additional positive cases of COVID-19, 1,070 bringing the statewide total to 52,915. Lycoming County added nine cases yesterday with a total of 99, Clinton 35 cases, Sullivan one case and Tioga 16 cases and two deaths. Union county reported one death from COVID-19 and forty total cases reported. Today, the state is reporting 310 new deaths, bringing the statewide total to 3,416 deaths in Pennsylvania.
Yesterday self-employed people who were affected by the coronavirus pandemic were able to start filing backdated claims under a new federal benefits program administered by Pennsylvania. The Department of Labor & Industry said work on the system was completed Thursday morning, and it is now fully operational. Eligible workers should receive their initial payments within a week of filing their claims. A record 1.7 million Pennsylvanians have filed for regular unemployment compensation since mid-March. A link to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) website is available here
Link to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) website https://www.uc.pa.gov/unemployment-benefits/file/Pages/Filing-for-PUA.aspx
Originally planning to allow tenants to open, the Lycoming Mall will stay closed today as the region shifts into the yellow phase. According to the mall’s social media posts they will not be able to have tenants start opening today as planned. According to the state, malls are considered to be indoor recreation and must remain closed despite the lifted restrictions for others. The Susquehanna Valley Mall in Snyder County will also remain closed as of today.
SPORTS
INDYCAR –
The IndyCar season is set to start Saturday, June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. Because of restrictions from the coronavirus, grandstands will be closed for the Genesys 300 – which has been adjusted to 200 laps from the previously announced 248.
NFL
Replay reviews of pass interference will not return to the NFL this season. The rule implemented last year allowed league officers officials to use replay to review passenger pass interference, but the one-year experiment was unsuccessful with calls rarely overturned.
GOLF
A coronavirus relief effort tournament will be played May 24 in Florida. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will match up with NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and new Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady, to play “The Match: Champions for Charity” at the Medalist golf club on May 24th without spectators at 3 PM on TBS
MLB
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have ended their pursuit to buy the New York Mets. They plan to spend $1.5 billion for the team but those who currently own it were looking for more like $2.5 billion
