A serious accident shut down part of the Golden Strip last evening just before 5:30 closing the roadway and sending all four people involved to UPMC Williamsport. State police say 2 motorcycles, one with two passengers, traveling east on East Third Street and a Chevy Equinox exiting from TGI Friday’s parking area collided in a hard hitting crash. Two motorcycle passengers were wearing helmets in the wreck that occurred near Tinsman Avenue. According to the Sun Gazette, four ambulances and several paramedics were dispatched and traffic was detoured off of East Third from Westminster drive to Clayton Avenue. The road was closed for over 2 hours while police reconstructed the scene.
The Lycoming County commissioners have agreed to extend the county’s Declaration of Disaster Emergency helps the county remain eligible for government funding for issues related to the coronavirus. According to the Sun Gazette, the commissioners continued the meeting which was described as arguing about COVID-19 guidelines, and the consideration of wearing masks, after announcing last week that mask wearing is optional in county facilities. The Comms considered the lower coronavirus numbers in our rural area and considered if wearing masks was the answer of not for moving back to normal in Lycoming County. At this time the PA Department of Health has said there are 182 confirmed cases of the virus in Lycoming County and 24 deaths reported.
A $91 thousand management agreement was approved yesterday by Williamsport City Council between the Endless Mountains Transportation Authority and the city that will be in place until June of 2021. After the desire to further discuss the agreement from last week’s meeting, council this week, voted 6-0 to adopt the plan that will clarify duties of the 5-member management team and differentiate the number of hours spent working and what type of work is performed. According to the Sun Gazette, Mayor Slaughter said an agreement like this has not come before City Council in several years. The mayor said the search for a new general manager for River Valley Transit will begin this week.
There will be another free milk giveaway in Montour County today. The Montour County Farm Bureau will giveaway about 1,600 gallons of whole milk, for free, at the Montour-Delong Fairgrounds today from 1-5pm.. She said the giveaway is Coronavirus Food Assistance Program grant funded, it is being put on by the American Dairy Association, and the milk is coming from the Harrisburg Dairies Inc to help families in need. There will also be free milkshakes (like the ones at the Farm Show) for the first 500 people at the event. The Montour-Delong Fairgrounds is near Washingtonville, along Route 254, at 5848 Broadway Road.
Gov. Tom Wolf will sign the first bills passed by Pennsylvania’s Legislature this week in response to widespread protests over police brutality. The two bills passed the Senate unanimously. One of the bills prevents bad officers from continuing to find employment in police departments. The other bill requires officers to receive cultural sensitivity training, instruction on de-escalation and harm-reduction techniques and a mental health evaluation after an incident in which the officer used lethal force.
If you’re collecting unemployment at this time, you may be eligible to extend those benefits for an additional 13 weeks, according to the PA Department of Labor and Industry which announced the state’s Unemployment Compensation Extended Benefits program yesterday. Extended Benefits (EB) are additional UC benefits payable to qualified workers whenever the state’s unemployment rate reaches a certain level determined by law. The last time the EB program was triggered in Pennsylvania was 2009. The current extended benefits period began May 3, but benefits are not payable until an individual has exhausted PEUC benefits. Important information about the EB program follows and will be sent by mail to all individuals who potentially qualify for the additional benefits.
Small businesses in Pennsylvania can begin to apply for up to 50 thousand dollars in grants for relief from COVID-19 as of yesterday. The COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance program is in place to assist small businesses that have been economically impacted during the pandemic. This is not a first-come, first-served program. There will be multiple rounds of application windows. Application window for the first round of funding will remain open for 10 business days. Applications will continue to be accepted after 10 business days but will be considered for future rounds of funding with additional rounds will be announced soon. You can applay at pabusinessgrants.com or find more information about the program on WILQ
Fireworks in Tioga County will take place on Sunday July 5th, launching from Mansfield University’s T2 parking lot after the original plan to hold the event in Mansfield’s Smythe Park was cancelled due to COVID-19. The Independence day fireworks in Mansfield are sponsored by the Mansfield Chamber of Commerce and the Mansfield VFW and the public is encouraged to not gather in the streets of the borough and to continue to practice social distancing while watching. The University parking lot is the highest point on campus and the display should be visible from most areas of the borough and some areas of Richmond Twp.
SPORTS
NBA
With coronavirus cases on the rise and some teams closing facilities due to positive tests, NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he still remains confident about the NBA’s plan to safely resume play, but admits that a spread of COVID-19 into the NBA community could bring the league to a halt again. Silver said they look at the data on a daily basis and that the league continues to work with a panel of scientists, doctors and experts to determine how to proceed if there is significant spread of the virus.
NHL
NHL players who are due signing bonuses on July 1 are expected to be paid the more than $300 million due to be paid today. The Toronto Maple Leafs lead the league with roughly $60 million owed. The agreement to pay players and not defer was made yesterday between the NHL and the Players Association. The two sides are in ongoing negotiations about the league’s plan to restart with a 24-team tournament in two hub cities this summer. The sides have yet to finalize the health and safety protocols for games or announce the hub cities they will use.
MLB
Even though Major League Baseball has created the guidelines to resume play in 2020, there are still risks of illness in the league since HIPPA regulations will keep them from being able to identify those players who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Major League Baseball also said yesterday that a team will not specifically announce a COVID-19 injured list placement for a player who is removed from the club after testing positive. The federal law restricting release of medical information without a patient’s consent or knowledge means that only players can reveal their positive test status.
MiLB
According to Major League Baseball, Minor league baseball is cancelled for the season due to the coronavirus outbreak. Since the league relies heavily on gate revenue, a season without fans would not be possible. Players will use the year of development and may end the baseball career of some journeymen.
