LYCOMING COUNTY REPORTS ONE MORE COVID-19 CASE
There is one more positive case of COVID-19 reported in Lycoming County as of Tuesday 58 cases and no deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Statewide, there are 1,214 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing that total to 43,264. 119 new deaths in the commonwealth makes 1, 716 confirmed fatalities due to the coronavirus. Local case counts include Northumberland with 92, Union has 33 Montour has 47 – with no deaths in those counties, Columbia has 279 cases and reports 8 deaths.
GOVERNOR TO REVEAL FRIDAY THE COUNTIES CHANGING DESIGNATION
Gov. Tom Wolf will announce this Friday who will officially feel the relaxing of the coronavirus-related shutdown directives first. Some regions or counties may move from a “red” designation to a “yellow” designation, taking effect the following Friday, May 8. Under yellow, a ban on gatherings of over 25 people will remain, and gyms, casinos, theaters and other indoor recreational, wellness and entertainment venues will stay closed. Restaurants and bars will still be limited to carry-out or delivery, and businesses must follow federal and state guidance for social distancing and cleaning.
WEST FOURTH STREET CONSTRUCTION TO START FRIDAY
Construction work is set to begin on West Fourth Street in the Newberry section of the City of Williamsport, On Friday, May 1, the contractor, will begin installing base repairs in preparation for milling and paving of a fiber reinforcement layer as well as a new wearing course on West Fourth Street between Arch Street and Oliver Avenue. Motorist should expect single lane closures using daylight flagging.
COURTS WILL REMAIN CLOSED INTO MAY
The Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas and all Magisterial District Courts of the 29th Judicial District have announced that they will remain closed to the public through May 15, 2020, except for essential functions. The latest Lycoming County Administrative Order Monday, extends the court closure until May 15th. This also confirms that jury selection in Lycoming County scheduled for June 1st -5th is cancelled with all jury trials scheduled for June through July being continued. The Lycoming County Court of Common Pleas will continue to perform the following essential functions during the court closure. A link to the copy of the Judicial Order is here.
CROSSCUTTERS TO HELP CENTRAL PA FOOD BANK
The Williamsport Crosscutters have joined a new initiative with “MiLB CommUNITY First” in conjunction with Feeding America to raise funds in response to COVID-19 and honor those working on the front line of the pandemic. According to the Sun Gazette, if fans visit the online site, www.milb.com/communityfirst they can choose a donation amount and designate it for the Crosscutters. Those direct funds will benefit the Central PA Food Bank and for every $10 donated, the Cutters will donate a ticket for a future home game in this season or 2021 to a local hearo during the pandemic.
MAYOR SLAUGHTER ANTICIPATES WILLIAMSPORT BE AMONG THE FIRST TO REOPEN
Williamsport may be in the first of the locations the state Health Department classifies to reopen since shelter in place orders went into effect March 15th. According to the Sun Gazette, Mayor Derek Slaughter said to the City’s finance committee that as he monitors the health information from the state and works with local and state health officials, if the city is authorized to move forward, we will hopefully become a model for other cities in the commonwealth who open back up in a measured way.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CONCERNED ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD ABUSE
The Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine addressed Pennsylvanians yesterday during the daily press briefing to be aware if neighbors or friends may be experiencing problems with domestic or child abuse and that if you think something is wrong, you can say something <<<< LEVINE 2 by calling Childline at 1-800-932-0313 and online at keepkidssafe.pa.gov >>>>or a domestic violence hotline 1-800-799-7233 and online at https://www.pcadv.org/. >>>> If you witness or hear a violent incident, don’t intervene. Call 911 immediately.
PENN STATE WILL DECIDE ABOUT FALL SEMESTER IN JUNE
Penn State University is giving themselves until June 15th to decide on their plans for the fall semester, trying to determine whether students will be returning to campus or continue remote learning, like the summer class schedule is at this time. According to WPSU, Provost Nick Jones said in Tuesday’s remote Faculty Senate meeting they are trying to juggle the need to inform their students of future plans, making sure to use the most up-to-date information about COVID-19. All outcomes and decisions are based on student enrollment and some out of state and international students may take other options if students cannot return to the Centre County campus in the fall.
MLB
Major league baseball is planning to start the season in late June. Sources at MLB say they’ll start no later than July 2, playing at least 100 regular season games. They are also considering a three division 10-team plan in which teams play only within their division based on geography.
Major league baseball is now allowing teams to offer refunds to fans for games currently not being played because of the coronavirus. Each team sets its own policy with many likely offering credit for 2021 as an option.
In NASCAR the Governor of North Carolina says the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will likely go on a scheduled May 24. Gov. Roy Cooper says NASCAR and the officials at the speedway submitted a plan to implement social distancing and have no fans in the speedway for the race.
HS Wrestling
Some minor rule changes in high school wrestling were handed down by the National Federation of High Schools yesterday which addressed hair length, weigh-in procedures and scoring, but not the pilot program announced last year by the PIAA reducing the number of weight classes from 14 to 12.
