Lycoming County is in the green today. Accoriding to the Sun Gazette, Mayor Derek Slaughter said City Hall is not fully reopened and they are making appointments by phone for those who want to see office personnel. The office entrance at the first floor will be closed, those with appointments should enter through the Police department at the rear of City Hall. and the numbers of coronavirus cases continue to trend down with 537 new cases reported in Pennsylvania for a total of 73, 942. Deaths reported in the state as of yesterday are at 75 according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, with a statewide total of 5,817. Lycoming County still has 166 cases and 21 deaths.
Governor Wolf spoke out yesterday, announcing a plan to address police misconduct, help law enforcement agencies at the county and state level improve de-escalation training and authorized the use of special prosecutors for deadly assault cases. According to PennLive, Governor Wolf showed his support this week by marching with protesters during Wednesday’s rally against injustice and gun violence in Harrisburg. In a press release by Pennsylvania State Troopers Association President David Kennedy said Wolf’s words and choice to march with some aligned against police were an attack on Pennsylvania’s Dedicated Law Enforcement Community.
Medical professionals from UPMC in the Susquehanna region have partnered with spiritual leaders from the United Churches of Lycoming County to develop faith-based guidelines to assist spiritual leaders with how best to reopen places of worship while keeping congregations safe. The Getting Back to Worship Safely Guide consults the most up-to-date guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and contains recommendations for establishing standards in several categories and illness protocols for resuming worship. To read the full guide, click here.
The Lycoming Mall will reopen today at 11 am as Lycoming County awakens to the green phase. According to the mall’s parent company, social distancing and mask wearing is still encouraged and they are not sure which stores will be open, as some tenants have yet to confirm their residency. Those stores open from 11a to 7pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 on Sundays may have requirements different from those the mall have designated.
Lycoming County is among 34 of the state’s 67 counties which will be in the green phase today. Ten counties changed to a yellow designation from as well, including Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Montgomery, and Philadelphia. Gov. Tom Wolf will announce today that more counties will be allowed to enter the “green” phase of his pandemic reopening plan. The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed nearly 73,942 cases and a total of 5,817 deaths because of the virus in the commonwealth.
Work will continue on the Interstate 180 bridge resurfacing project from the Route 15 interchange to Basin Street in the City of Williamsport and Loyalsock Township this weekend. There will be epoxy deck treatments applied to the Interstate 180 bridge structures over Hepburn Street and Basin Street.
The left lane will be closed tonight at 9:00 PM through Monday, at 6:00 AM, while the work is being performed. This is a continuation of last year’s project and work is expected to be completed by the end of June in 2020.
More recycling areas are reopening in Lycoming County. The Montoursville location between the borough building and Indian Park has re-opened according to lyco.org, as well as the Old Lycoming Township location. County officials still encourage those recycling to wear masks at the facilities. In addition to the two new announced locations, Hughesville, Jersey shore, Loyalsock Township, South Williamsport Borough and Williamsport recycling facilities are all open 24 hours a day. The Lycoming county landfill on Alexander Drive in Montgomery is open Monday through Friday 7 AM to 4:30 PM and Saturday 8 AM to noon.
After the OK from Williamsport’s mayor, the district attorney and the governor, beginning Saturday, Elm Park and the Lycoming County Softball Association will be hosting softball tournaments again while adhering to various COVID-19 related guidelines, such as no handshakes after a game, opting rather for a wave or tilt of the hat. Saturday’s tournament starts an well-anticipated season as the Elm Park complex is booked through the second weekend of September. The fields will be used Monday through Thursday and the weekends. Fridays will be have crews prepping the fields for the weekends
The announcement was made yesterday that the Delaware Valley Outboard Racing Association has made the decision to cancel the 50th Anniversary Lock Haven Area Jaycees Regatta traditionally held on Labor Day Weekend, postponing the celebration year til 2021. In a statement by DVORA, it was a sad decision, but with spectators, racers and vendors coming to Lock Haven from all over the United States, safety for the community and all involved was the first priority. The next regatta is tentatively scheduled for Millville NJ, the second weekend in October.
Sports
NASCAR
NASCAR’s All-Star Race will be a midweek event July 15 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of a new revision to the schedule that runs through the first weekend of August. In an update release following the current schedule planned until June 21st, the schedule will now continue June 28th at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. The track will host ARCA, the Truck Series, two Cup Series races on consecutive days, June 27-28, and the Xfinity Series. NASCAR then heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a July 4 weekend event combined with the IndyCar Series.
NBA
NBA commissioner Adam Silver suggested on TNT’s “Inside The NBA” last night that older NBA head coaches won’t be able to be on the bench when the league resumes play on July 31 at the Walt Disney World Resort. Silver’s comments received instant pushback from coaches, who think older coaches should not be singled out. Later, after talking with NBA Coaches Association, Silver admitted he might have jumped the gun with his comments.
NFL
The Dallas Cowboys placed retired center Travis Frederick on the reserve/retired list Thursday, freeing up $7 million in salary-cap space. Frederick announced his retirement in March, but the Cowboys opted to keep him on their active roster until now in order to be able to spread the salary-cap hit over the next two seasons. He was set to count $11.975 million against the cap in 2020 but will now count $4.975 million this year and $6.06 million in 2021.
