MONTGOMERY OFFICER FILES SUIT
A former Montgomery police officer filed suit Wednesday in U.S. Middle District Court against the Lycoming County borough and the seven council members over his June 29 termination. According to Penn Live, Eric Winters says in the suit, his suspension May 4 and subsequent firing were retaliation for investigations the mayor asked him to do as the result of complaints from the public. The suspention occurring the evening before Winters said he was planning to make an arrest in a drug investigation that involved two council members. Drugs and evidence were seized in the investigation, according to the court document, but no charges have been filed. Members of the Borough council who were asked for comment, did not due to not seeing the suit. The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, reinstatement and back pay contending the defendants retaliated against Winters, violated the state’s Whistle Blower Law related to the drug investigation and wrongly discharged him.
PIAA GUIDELINES
The Sports Medicine Advisory Committee has recommended that fall sports may begin on time according to the PIAA Board of Directors who approved the recommendation. In a press release, officials from the PIAA stated the need for school districts to be flexible while addressing the changing conditions of the covid-19 pandemic, and realize certain sports may have modifications and post-season may be modified. The first date teams can gather for heat acclimatization is Monday, August 10 with a first practice date August 17. A link to the full press release listing general considerations for all fall sports is available HERE.
FIRE AT LOCYALSOCK SENIOR LIVING FACILITY
Williamsport and volunteer firefighters responded yesterday to reports of smoke inside the Hillside Senior Living Center on Four Mile Drive. According to the Sun Gazette, the call came after 6pm and officials said an air conditioning unit on the second floor of a building was the suspected cause of the incident. No word on the amount of damage, if any occurred. NO injuries were reported.
The Pennsylvania department of health is considering to soon use a contact-tracing app popular in Ireland as part of an effort to more quickly contain coronavirus outbreaks by notifying people who may have been exposed, a state Health Department official said Wednesday.Accoridng ot the Associate press, the Department of Health is seeking to introduce a mobile app and a $1.9 million contract with software developer NearForm Ltd of Ireland to deploy and maintain it.Pennsylvania officials are working with researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and MIT to figure out how to use the app based on smartphone technology developed by Apple and Google. There will be protection for App users by encryption and frequently changing anonymous identifier beacons
Loyalsock Township School District has approved health and safety plans for the fall, expecting a full opening, five days a week, with classes beginning Aug. 31. Students will take classes coinciding with the county’s phase; red, yellow or green, with the option of online learning at any time. According to Gerald McLaughlin, district superintendent who shared the plan during a virtual school board meeting yesterday, the basics of the plan will be expanded on over the course of the next month like checklists for teachers and employees as well as protocols and procedures. A complete copy of the district’s health and safety plan is on the district website
The statewide total of Coronavirus cases has increased by 834 for a statewide total of 110,218 according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health yesterday. Lycoming County reported 5 new cases bringing the county wide total to 306 positive cases, Northumberland with 398 cases, Clinton County reports 112 cases, Union County with 129. IN the hot spots of the state; Allegheny County is reporting an increase of 125 cases and Philadelphia County is reporting an increase of 111 cases. The statewide death toll is 7,162 total deaths adding 16 new fatalities yesterday.
Students in the Jersey Shore Area School District, who were scheduled to retake the Keystone Exam this spring will not have to take it. According to the Sun Gazette, Dr Brian Ulmer told the school board that he would enact the waiver of the Keystone exams since the students would have to take an exam for a class they only had part of in the spring. The board also approved an online learning program through IU 17 and IU15 for full-time district students who want to participate in school virtually.
PennDOT is working on traffic signal upgrades in East Buffalo Township and Union Township, Union County. The traffic signal upgrades are part of a Green Light Go project, which is sponsored by East Buffalo Township and Union Township and is Pennsylvania’s Municipal Signal Partnership Program. Watch for installation of new vehicular detection equipment at Route 15 and Route 304 intersection, new lights atRoute 15 at Moore Avenue and Smoketown Road intersection at Bucknell University and Route 45 and Fairground Road a will have new pedestrian signal equipment and emergency vehicle pre-emption equipment installed.
According to a Penn State athletic department statement released yesterday, eight student-athletes have tested positive for COVID-19. There were 466 tests conducted, with 66 pending. Athletes from seven teams are currently on campus, including men and women’s basketball, field hockey, football, men and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, there’s no information about which students within which sports are affected. Penn State football’s training camp is scheduled to begin August 7, even though their season does not have an official start date. The Big Ten Conference is expected to announce a modified schedule soon.
SPORTS
MLB Scores
The Rockies beat the A’s 5 – 1, Rangers over the Diamondbacks 7-4, Nationals beat the Blue Jays 4-nothing, White Sox over the Indians 4-nothing, Reds beat the Cubs 12-7, LA Dodgers beat the Astros 4-2, Brewers over the Pirates 3-nothing, Braves beat the Rays 7-4, Tigers over the Royals 5-4, Red Sox beat the Mets 6-5, Yankees over the Orioles 9-3, Twins beat the Cardinals 3-nothing, Giants over the Padres 7-6, Mariners beat the Angels 10-7, Phillies and Yankees & Marlins and Orioles game was postponed with a make-up date to be announced
Tonight‘s MLB games
Washington is at Toronto, Chicago goes to Cincinnati, New York is in Baltimore, Cleveland goes to Minnesota, Boston is in New York to play the Mets, Tampa Bay is in Atlanta, Kansas City goes to Detroit, Los Angeles is in Arizona, Seattle is in Los Angeles to play the Angels, and San Diego plays at San Francisco
MLB
Now that the coronavirus outbreak has infected nearly half of the Miami Marlins’ roster, Major League Baseball outlined in a memo Tuesday that players are not to leave hotels in road cities except for games, mandating the use of surgical masks during travel and now requiring a compliance officer to travel with them to ensure players and staff properly follow the league’s protocol. The MLB is investigating the cause of the Marlins’ outbreak that has seen 16 players and two staff members test positive causing the Marlins’ games through Sunday to be postponed, and the prospect of their season restarting Tuesday at home questionable.
Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly was handed an eight-game suspension by Major League Baseball for his role in the benches-clearing incident that happened at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Tuesday night. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was issued a one-game suspension and Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker was fined an undisclosed amount. Kelly was said to have taunted an Astros player on the way back to the dugout, but will appeal his suspension, making him available for the series finale.
College Football
The ACC board of directors voted Wednesday to proceed with an 11-game football season that begins the weekend of Sept. 12 — and includes Notre Dame playing a full league schedule if public health guidance allows. The schools will play 10 conference games plus one nonconference game of their choosing, and the Fighting Irish will be eligible for the ACC championship game. There will be no divisions for this season only.
