NO STRIKE IN DANVILLE
|A tentative agreement has been reached between the Danville Area Education Association and the Danville Area School District after a mediation session between the two parties and a state mediator last night. According to media outlets, the deal is scheduled to be ratified by both sides at the November 18 board meeting, but details aren’t available until the rest of the union is being notified. If no agreement had been reached, a strike would have begun on Monday.
HIGH SCHOOL CLOSED, FOOTBALL STILL A GO
Two students in the Midd-West School district tested positive for coronavirus which will keep the high school in distance learning mode for Friday, however there will still be Friday night football. According to the Midd-West superintendent, Rick Musselman, they will still host the football game against Shikellamy tonight. The Middle School, Middleburg Elementary, and West Snyder Elementary school buildings remain open.
HAVE A VIRTUAL THANKSGIVING
Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Health are urging residents in the commonwealth to reconsider large gatherings with family and friends on Thanksgiving to help avoid the spread of the coronavirus. According to Dr. Rachel Levine, small gatherings are a driver of the recent spike in COVID-19 both in the state and nationally, and that new daily virus cases have risen more than 50% over the past two weeks to an average of more than 2,000 per day. Dr Levine says that even though the number of people hospitalized in Pennsylvania with COVID-19 has more than doubled this month, though hospitalizations still remain far below the spring peak and hospital systems are not challenged at the moment.
NO DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR
For the first time since its’ inception Wellsboro’s Dickens of a Christmas that was to be held December 5th, has been cancelled for 2020. According to a press release from the Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce, after a hard look at the circumstances, the Wellsboro Borough Council decided in a 4-2 vote, to rescind permissions from all Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce-related Dickens of a Christmas events. Borough officials said they worked with the Tioga County COVID-19 Task Force and Chamber to attempt to come up with a plan, but in the end there were too many “what-ifs”. According to the wellsboropa.com website, vendors and participants will be contacted and fees refunded.
MAIL IN BALLOTS CAN BE COUNTED WITHOUT POSTMARK
Mail-in ballots received up to three days after Election Day will still be counted, after an injunction that would have prevented it has been denied by a Johnstown PA federal judge. According to the Johnstown Tribune Democrat, U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson ruled Wednesday in the case of Bognet v. Boockvar, that mail-in ballots received after Election Day with no legible postmark should be presumed to have been cast legally unless there’s evidence they were not, and granting the injunction would cause confusion among the voters. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Sept. 17 that mail-in ballots can be counted if they are postmarked before the time polls close on Nov. 3
FALSE REPORT OF A FIRE
A Williamsport woman is scheduled to appear before a district judge in December after she was recently charged with falsely reporting a fire and other charges. According to police reports, 35 year old Devin Hoffman and her neighbors around the 300 block of Bridge Street were involved in a dispute October 12th over guests at the residence, after which police say Hoffman created a disturbance when she called 911 to report a fire – ultimately found by fire police to be a charcoal grill in a safe location. Hoffman was charged with false reports to law enforcement authorities, and summary disorderly conduct.
LOCAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
There are 11 new cases of the coronavirus as of yesterday at midnight in Lycoming County, In Northumberland County there were 22 new cases reported, Montour and Union County both added 3 cases to their totals. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, in the State, there are 2, 202 new cases reported for a statewide total pandemic wide, at 202, 876. There are 44 new deaths reported in the commonwealth for a total of 8,762 fatalities from COVID-19.
WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM TO START
SEDA-COG is offering a crisis program to residents in Columbia, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Perry, Snyder, and Union Counties who qualify for fuel assistance, called the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The crisis program will repair a malfunctioning heating unit at no cost. It runs from Nov. 2 to early April. According to administrators of the weatherization program, residents can contact their local county assistance office to see if they qualify, then a completed referral to SEDA-COG will allow a subcontractor to be assigned. A list of crisis income eligibility guidelines and phone numbers for the county offices and SEDA-COG’s program are listed below. Crisis Income Eligibility Guidelines – Family size: 1 – $19,140; 2 – $25,860; 3 – $32,580; 4 – $39,300; 5 – $46,020; 6 – $52,740; 7 – $59,460; 8 – $66,180.
County Assistance Offices Columbia: 570-387-4232 Juniata: 717-436-2158 Mifflin: 717-242-6095 Montour: 1-866-410-2093 Perry: 717-582-5038 Snyder: 570-372-1721 Union: 570-524-2201. SEDA-COG’s Weatherization program can be reached at 570-522-7219.
SPORTS
NFL Thursday Night Football
Atlanta Falcons defeated the Carolina Panthers 25-17
HS Boys Soccer
District 4 Class AA Playoffs
Undefeated Wellsboro beat Loyalsock 3-1
Seminfinals – Midd-West at Wellsboro, District 4 Class AA semifinals, Wednesday
Lewisburg won against Bloomsburg 11-1Midd-West beat Milton 8-nothing
HS Field Hockey
District 4 Class A Quarterfinals
Lewisburg over Southern Columbia 2-nothing
HS Football Backyard Broadcasting HS Game of the Week
District 4 Class AAA Semifinals
Loyalsock at Montoursville Saturday at 1pm coverage starts at 12:30 on WWPA
Big Ten
Penn State vs Ohio State Saturday at 7:30pm on ABC
