Friday PA Capitol & COVID NewsClips 5.7.21

Senate returns to voting session May 10, 11, 12

House returns to voting session May 24, 25, 26

Click Here for LATEST Updated PA Capitol NewsClips

TODAY 1:00 : PEMA, Allegheny County officials discuss need for flexible disaster emergency declarations:  https://pacast.com/live/pema  or facebook.com/PEMAHQ 

PA Cap-Star: ‘Democracy Requires Full Representation’: Group Pushes For Racially Equitable Redistricting

WHYY: As Primary Nears, Wolf Administration Campaigns Against Emergency Powers Ballot Questions

Dept. Of Labor & Industry: Starting May 10, 230 New Service Reps Will Answer Calls On Unemployment Compensation

Jan Murphy: 8 Day Outage For Computer Upgrade Of Unemployment Benefits System Set To Begin May 30

WESA: With Hundreds Of Thousands Of Backlogged Claims, Advocates Say PA Unemployment System Upgrade Could Cause Problems

PG: Advocates, Elected Officials, Unemployed Workers Rally To Demand Changes To State Unemployment System

WHYY: Unemployed Pennsylvanians Demand Benefits Amid Growing Backlog Of Claims

Gov. Wolf: Recognizes DGS Employees With Awards For Excellence On COVID And 2020 Election

WESA: Pittsburgh Voters Will Consider Ballot Measures That Could Affect Police And Jails

MCall: Impeachment Process Begins For Schuylkill County Commissioner

Will Bunch: By Wrecking PA State Universities, Republicans Crushing American Dream For Its Own Communities

School Officials Across The State Call On Legislature To Make Commitment To Students In FY 2021-22 Budget

MCall: Lehigh Valley School Leaders Urge PA Lawmakers To Increase Education Funding: Facing ‘An Exacerbated Crisis’ Because Of Pandemic

ScrantonT: Lack Of Fair State School Funding Could Lead To Receivership In Scranton, Superintendent Says

TribLive: School Superintendents Call On General Assembly To Back Wolf’s Education Budget Proposal

WilliamsportS: School Officials Warn Of ‘Funding Cliff’ Arriving Soon

ErieT: Erie School District Proposes 3% Tax Increase, Aims To Exist State Watch

ScrantonT: North Pocono School Board Raises Taxes In Lackawanna County

Jan Murphy: Attorney General To Take Over Collection Of Nearly $18 Million In Unpaid Student Fees Owed To State-Owned Universities

PG Editorial: Colleges Moving Away From Standardized Tests To Increase Diversity, But It Isn’t Working

Spotlight PA: State Can’t Fine Addiction Treatment Facilities That Break Rules, Some Lawmakers Want To Change That

Reading Eagle: Berks County Hands Over Letter Supporting Immigrant Residential Center Plan

WHYY: Philly’s Police Union, Diversity Top Issue In Philly DA Candidate Forum

ErieT: Would $15 Minimum Wage Close PA Restaurants Or Improve Working Conditions For Staff?

TribLive: Allegheny County Paid Sick Leave Bill Presented To County Board Of Health

ErieT: $3 Million Verdict For Northwest Bank Upheld Against First National Bank

TribLive: ATI, Steelworkers At Odds Over Union’s Contract Offer To End Strike

Biden Infrastructure Plan

TribLive: U.S. DOT Secretary Promotes $2.3 Trillion Infrastructure Package In Pittsburgh

WESA: Pittsburgh Is The Perfect Place To Talk Infrasture, U.S. DOT Secretary Says

National/International

Guest Essay: Democrats Are Trying To Undermine Our Elections With New Voting Rights Bill - Republican PA Cong. Joyce

TribLive: Pittsburgh Terrorism Expert Concerned About Withdrawal From Afghanistan

Civil Justice

CourierT: ‘We Need To Act On This’: Anti-Semitism Nears All-Time High In PA, ADL Says

WESA: Pittsburgh Voters Will Consider Ballot Measures That Could Affect Police And Jails

CitizensV: Wilkes-Barre Municipal Authority Apologizes For ‘Racially Insensitive’ Statement

PA Cap-Star: Native Leader Takes PA’s Santorum To History Class: ‘Our History Helped To Shape The Current U.S. Government’

PG: Comcast Diversity Program Provides Tech Makeovers, Other Awards To Minority-Owned Businesses

PA's Role In Assault On U.S. Capitol

CitizensV: [Republican] Luzerne County Man Charged With Election Fraud For Voting In His Dead Mother’s Name Waives Hearing 

Tony Norman: The Big Lie And The Little Politicians Who Make It Possible

CourierT: ‘We Need To Act On This’: Anti-Semitism Nears All-Time High In PA, ADL Says

NBC News: FBI Still After ‘Worst Of The Worst’ In Capitol Assault As New Arrests Come At Steady Pace [PA Included]

Guest Essay: The Republican Party Must Decide Whether To Choose Truth And Fidelity To The Constitution Or Anti-Democratic Trump Cult Of Personality - Republican Cong. Liz Cheney

Coronavirus

Dept. Of Health: Reports 47 Additional Deaths Due To COVID; 2,986 New Cases-- 5.7.21 [From App]

Dept. Of Health: Reports 57 Additional Deaths Due To COVID; 2,476 New Cases-- 5.6.21 [From App]

ScrantonT: COVID Cases, Deaths Approach Grim Regional Milestones

TribLive: COVID Cases In Allegheny, Westmoreland, State Remain Level, Vaccine Efforts Inch Along

MCall: COVID Case Rate Continues To Fall But Lehigh, Northampton Counties Still Have High Transmission Rate Areas

Gov. Wolf: COVID Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard Update April 23-29

PennLive: 44 Counties Have Substantial Spread Of COVID, Percent Positivity Rate Drops Again

TribLive: Lawsuit Contends Company, Dept. Of Health Knew Of Contact Tracing Data Breach For Months

Depts. Of Health, State: Discuss Impact Of Disaster Declaration For Patients, Doctors, Nurses, Other Healthcare Professionals

Inquirer: Vaccine Hesitancy Is High Among PA Republicans, Few Party Leaders Doing Much to Change Skeptics’ Minds

Inquirer: COVID Conspiracy Beliefs Increased Among Conservative Or Social Media Users, Penn Study Finds

WPSU: A Full Beaver Stadium For Penn State Football May Be Possible With Enough Vaccinations

ErieT: UPMC Hamot COVID Nurse Survives Her Own Severe Bout With Virus

Gov. Wolf: Recognizes DGS Employees With Awards For Excellence On COVID And 2020 Election

Inquirer: 73% Of Philly School Students Invited To Return To Classrooms Are Staying Home

WHYY: Philly Schools See A Rise In Teens’ Mental Health Issues Related To Pandemic, Gun Violence

LancasterOnline Editorial: Support South Asian Assn. Of Lancaster’s Efforts To Help Pandemic-Ravaged India If You Can

ErieT: Erie Eatery Owner Calls Erie Health Dept. Inspectors ‘Hitler People’ After 9 Violations

MCall: Allentown Catholic Diocese Will Soon Allow Churches To Return To Full Capacity

MCall: PPL Plans To Keep Most Employees Working Remotely ‘For At Least A Few More Months’

LancasterOnline: New Program Could Help Lancaster County Residents Resolve Foreclosure, Det Issues Without Legal Action

Inquirer: The Only Eviction Moratorium That Covers PA Remains In Effect For Now

ABC27: Federal Eviction Moratorium In Legal Limbo; PA Tenants And Landlords Closely Watching

PG Editorial: Dept. Of Justice Hosting Virtual Town Hall To Help Seniors Guard Against Scammers

MCall: Are You Showering Once A Week During Pandemic? Lafayette Professor Says That’s A Good Thing

Federal COVID Relief

WITF: Federal Dollars Give Hope To Mental Health Advocates Aiming To Launch Treatment Programs

Guest Essay: 5 Ways Philly Should Spend Federal Stimulus Dollars To Curb Violence

MCall: Lehigh Valley School Leaders Urge PA Lawmakers To Increase Education Funding: Facing ‘An Exacerbated Crisis’ Because Of Pandemic

National/International

The Guardian: Montana’s Republican Governor Pulls Out Of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Payments

The Guardian: Alberta, Canada Battles Worst COVID Rate In North America; Relaxed Approach To Restrictions Caused Surge - Critics

Click Here For This Week’s PA Coronavirus NewsClips

Friday - PA Environment & Energy NewsClips 5.7.21 -- Click Here

Helpful Resources:

Click Here for Latest PA Capitol News

Like PA Capitol News on Facebook

Follow PA Capitol News on Twitter

Click Here for latest Environmental NewsClips & News

Like PA Environment Digest on Facebook

Follow PA Environment Digest on Twitter

Read Weekly PA Environment Digest

FairDistrictsPA: Fix Our Broken Redistricting Process 

[Posted: May 7, 2021]