Pennsylvania category, Page 189
4/20 celebrations canceled, but marijuana sales strong during pandemic
Coronavirus may have prevented any parties celebrating 4/20 — the unofficial holiday of marijuana — but legal pot sales in Pennsylvania remain strong during the pandemic. “Now you have things like stimulus checks hitting,” said Chris Kohan, co-founder of The Healing Center, which has dispensaries in Monroeville, Washington and Cranberry....
Pa. deaths from coronavirus jump to 1,112, the result of reporting changes, officials say
More than 275 additional people in Pennsylvania have died from covid-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,112, state health department officials said Sunday. The Health Department said the majority of the 276 new deaths reported did not occur overnight and are a culmination of data being collected through different reporting...
Pennsylvania to reopen some liquor stores for curbside sales
Pennsylvanians can buy a limited amount of liquor or wine from state stores starting Monday, marking their first chance to do so in more than a month because of the coronavirus pandemic-spurred lockdown. A limited number of stores across the state will take orders by phone and provide curbside pickup...
Pennsylvania reports 80 new deaths from covid-19, total cases now crest 31,000
Eighty more people in Pennsylvania have died of covid-19, hiking the statewide death toll from the coronavirus disease up to 836, state health officials said Saturday. The state’s total number of confirmed cases has crested 31,000, with 1,628 new cases reported between Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday. Positive cases of...
Allegheny County to send mail-in ballot forms to every voter; Gov. Wolf mulls pleas for mail-only election
Allegheny County elections officials have begun sending every resident eligible to vote in the June 2 primary election an application for a mail-in ballot — whether or not they requested one. Citing concerns over the highly contagious coronavirus , Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is urging everyone to consider voting...
Gov. Tom Wolf lays out plan for reopening Pennsylvania’s economy
The plan to reopen Pennsylvania’s economy will be slow and gradual, hinging on a “regional, sector-based approach,” Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday, though he offered no timetable on when the plan would be enacted. The plan, available on the governor’s website, comes in three phases — relief, reopening and recovery...
New Pennsylvania coronavirus cases increase sharply; 49 more deaths reported
New coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania jumped by more than 1,700, a marked increase in new daily cases compared to the past week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Friday. State health officials also reported 49 more deaths, bringing the statewide death toll of 756. The Department of Health recorded 1,706...
Authorities: Man fatally shoots himself, 2 others in Pa. home
NEW FREEDOM — A man fatally shot an older man and a woman inside a southern Pennsylvania home and then turned the gun on himself, authorities said. Police found the three bodies around 5:30 p.m. Thursday when they responded to a New Freedom home after someone reported a possible fire...
TribLIVE readers say Pennsylvania has overstepped with mask mandate
Many do not agree with Pennsylvania’s order about wearing masks in stores that remain open. In an unscientific TribLIVE.com poll about Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine’s order that essential businesses provide masks for employees and turn away customers who do not have a mask, about 60% of respondents believe...
Special Olympics of Pennsylvania cancels Summer Games
Special Olympics Pennsylvania has canceled its Summer Games scheduled for June at Penn State University in State College. In a news release, the group cited safety precautions related to coronavirus as the reason for the cancellation. The group said it plans to host Virtual Games during the same time, from...
Feds OK boost for some food stamp recipients, deny Pa.’s request for broader increase
Federal officials green-lighted Pennsylvania’s request to boost the payments for some food stamp recipients — but rejected the state’s attempt to send extra money to all of them. The state Department of Human Services received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service to issue a limited...
Gov. Wolf: No specific date for ending covid-19 shutdown, getting ‘back to life as we once knew it’
Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday he has not yet decided precisely when to end Pennsylvania’s pandemic-spurred lockdown, and he warned that a persisting shortage of testing capacity remains a major hindrance to doing so. ”I have been considering when we end this phase from the time I put it into...
Hospitals looking for more help; lawmakers say Pennsylvania shorted on CARES Act relief
Hospitals across the region that are looking to recover revenue they lost while preparing to meet a surge in covid-19 cases say they need more help and are seeking a more equitable piece of the pie as the federal government rolls out the remaining $70 billion of a $100 billion...
Workers returning to Pa. liquor stores to boost online sales
To help process online orders, workers will be back on the job at many state-owned wine and liquor stores, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said Thursday. The stores will not be open to the public. Gov. Tom Wolf’s office gave the OK to reopen more than 100 of the state...
Pennsylvania reports 60 more deaths, over 1,200 new coronavirus cases
Another 60 coronavirus deaths were reported across Pennsylvania on Thursday, pushing the death toll above 700 as the case count eclipsed 27,000. The deaths, reported to the state throughout the day Wednesday, bring the total to 707, according to the Department of Health. The 1,245 new cases reported during that...
Gov. Wolf projects $5 billion deficit for Pennsylvania, backs call for more federal aid
Gov. Tom Wolf has written to President Donald Trump to back calls from other leading governors for another $500 billion in federal aid for states fighting the spread of the coronavirus, warning that his office is projecting a budget deficit of up to $5 billion. The letter, dated Wednesday, was...
Police: Fight on bus in Philadelphia ends with man shooting 3 teens
PHILADELPHIA — A fight aboard a bus traveling in Philadelphia early Thursday ended with a man shooting three teenage boys in their legs, authorities said. The 24-year-old shooter was sitting in the back of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority bus when he was approached around 1 a.m. by two 16-year-olds...
Covid-19 crisis could cost Pennsylvania hospitals $2 billion per month, health advocates warn
Pennsylvania’s hospitals stand to lose as much as $2 billion every month the pandemic-spurred shutdown goes on, the state’s largest hospital advocacy group said Wednesday. Gov. Tom Wolf’s order canceling elective medical procedures as part of the covid-19 measures is estimated to rack up $1.5 billion in collective monthly hospital...
GOP bill would relax Pennsylvania business shutdown
HARRISBURG — The GOP-controlled Legislature sent Gov. Tom Wolf a bill Wednesday that would force him to allow some businesses to reopen during the pandemic, but its fate was unclear. The Senate approved the legislation on a party-line vote, sending it to Wolf’s desk for his signature. Wolf hasn’t explicitly...
Pennsylvania launches task force to address coronavirus outbreaks among minorities
The governor’s office on Wednesday announced a new task force aimed at analyzing and addressing disproportionate coronavirus outbreaks in minority communities across Pennsylvania. The goal of the Covid-19 Response Task Force for Health Disparity is to identify disparities and make recommendations to Gov. Tom Wolf on how to address the...
Attorney General, banks offer loan relief during coronavirus pandemic
The office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro partnered with several banks to help Pennsylvanians who face financial hardships as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Banks participating in the PA Care Package initiative will offer a 90-day grace period for mortgages, auto loans and other consumer loans. They will...
Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact financial health of colleges, universities
Less than a month into a shutdown that forced colleges and universities across the country to transition to online classes, covid-19 is exposing new fractures in higher education. When students were forced to leave campus months before the end of the spring semester, residential campuses had to come up with...
Pennsylvania orders businesses to turn away customers who don’t wear masks
Customers and employees will soon be required to wear masks inside businesses still operating, and those who don’t wear masks will be denied entry, state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Wednesday. The order, which includes dozens of other requirements, will go into effect 8 p.m. Sunday. It dictates...
Pennsylvania rolls out data on nursing home coronavirus cases
Pennsylvania is now sharing data on cases of coronavirus at long-term care facilities and personal care homes in each county. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine made the announcement during a virtual news conference Wednesday. The information can be found on the health department’s coronavirus page. Levine said the Department...
Pennsylvania coronavirus deaths rise to 647 as total cases top 26,000
Coronavirus deaths in Pennsylvania crested 600 on Wednesday, though the total number of new cases remained below 1,200 for the second straight day. In numbers reported throughout Tuesday, 63 more people died from the virus statewide, bringing the death toll to 647. The Department of Health reported 1,145 new cases....
