Monthly archive

December 2020 - page 2

Three Central Pennsylvania singers are among the winners of the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s 2021 national anthem singing contest

Published on in People

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Three Central Pennsylvania singers are among the eight winners of the fifth annual Oh Say, Can You Sing? contest, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture announced Wednesday.

The eight winners will make their video debuts at the 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show — a virtual event this year, due to COVID-19 — beginning Jan. 9 on the Pennsylvania Farm Show Facebook page and the Pennsylvania Cable Network, the department said.

“In past years, early in the morning at the Farm Show Complex, before large crowds arrive, the national anthem was broadcast throughout the building by talented Pennsylvania singers,” Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said in a press release. “Exhibitors and vendors preparing for the day would pause in unity to listen.

“Although, because of the global pandemic, we cannot be together in person this year, I’m glad we are able to share this tradition. Thank you to all who entered this contest and to the winners, for providing a little slice of normalcy in this most unusual year.”

Continue Reading on Fox 43

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Is it done snowing yet? Pa. totals range from 6 to 31 inches

Published on in weather

The biggest snowstorm of the year dumped an impressive amount of snow on Pennsylvania, even if it didn’t deliver the amount forecasters were expecting.

Latest data shows parts of Cumberland County got 10 inches of snow, while the Harrisburg area — originally projected to get up to two feet — accumulated roughly 6.5 inches.

Adams County also fell short of expectations, with totals coming in under 10 inches.

Central Pennsylvania generally accumulated 6–10 inches during Wednesday’s storm, according to John Banghoff, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Tioga County had the most snow at 31 inches. That’s followed by 24 in Lycoming, and 18.5 in Centre and Sullivan counties.
Continue Reading on Pennlive

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First vaccine shipment arrives in Central PA

Published on in Health

On Tuesday a major milestone for Central Pennsylvania, the vaccine is here. Nine hundred seventy-five doses were hauled to Lebanon, the shipment making its way to Good Samaritan Hospital, marked a first for our region.

“We’re really fortunate enough to be one of the first hospitals to receive this shipment of a vaccine,” said Steve Thomas, the Regional Director of Pharmacy Operation for WellSpan Eastern Region, as he greeted the shipment at the front door.

Staff gathered to cheer and take photos as a medical transport van rolled up, a box dropped onto a dolly ceremoniously.

Months ago this would’ve seemed like a dream, but now it’s happening across the state.

Continue Reading on Local21

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PennDOT Anti-icing Roads in East Central Pennsylvania ahead of snowstorm

Published on in weather

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — In preparation for Wednesday’s snowstorm, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is pre-treating major roads in advance of the winter weather forecast.

Anti-icing trucks have been out on high-volume roads in the PennDOT District 5 region in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties. Officials warn drivers to stay alert of ice accumulations that can deposit on the roads and may not be visible to the naked eye.

Anti-icing trucks are wetting the highway with salt brine before a storm’s arrival which lowers the freezing point of water and slows or prevents ice from forming a bond with the pavement during the early stages of a storm.

Pennsylvanians can track the location of PennDOT plow trucks on www.511PA.com to see if their local roads have been cleared of snow.

Continue Reading on ABC 27

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Pedestrians in the snow in the city of Harrisburg. Snow falls on the Harrisburg area, December 14, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Up to 18 inches of snow will make Wednesday travel dangerous, near impossible

Published on in weather

 

Central Pennsylvanians should use extreme caution if they need to leave home during Wednesday’s nearly 24-hour snowstorm in which 12 to 18 inches could be dumped onto the midstate, forecasters said.

In a winter storm warning, the National Weather Service said “travel could be very difficult to impossible” Wednesday in a number of central Pennsylvania counties. Both the morning and evening commute will be affected by the snow, the NWS said.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission strongly encourage motorists to heed all travel restrictions and delay unnecessary travel as significant winter weather conditions will make travel very hazardous,” the NWS said.
Forecasters are calling for between 12 and 18 inches of snow — or more — starting Wednesday morning and dragging on through Thursday morning.
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Some Pa. hospitals flooded with new COVID-19 patients as cases surge; dozens of Pa. restaurants and gyms defy Wolf’s order and remain open

Published on in News

More than 6,000 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Pennsylvania as a surge in new cases is beginning to pressure local health systems across the commonwealth.

The Department of Health reported 6,020 COVID-19 hospitalizations on its dashboard as of Tuesday morning, a 120% jump from this time last month, when 2,737 patients were hospitalized. A total of 1,249 COVID-19 patients were being treated in intensive care, and 697 patients were on ventilators.

Continue Reading on Inquirer

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Farmland Preservation Program safeguards farms in Clinton and Lycoming Counties

Published on in Animals

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania recently safeguarded 2,710 acres on 32 farms in 17 counties through the state’s nation-leading Farmland Preservation Program. In 2020, the state board, in collaboration with county boards, preserved 177 farms and 14,727 acres of farmland across the commonwealth.

The director and staff of the Bureau of Farmland Preservation were recently recognized by the Wolf Administration for continuing their work while overcoming telework obstacles throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pennsylvania’s agricultural system have been broad and varied,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “This year, we’ve watched farmers and consumers bridge the gap from farm to table. Producers and households have depended on each other for certainty and our state’s Farmland Preservation Program has made food security possible for our families and farmers across the commonwealth.”

Continue Reading on North Central PA

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Houses of worship taking precautions despite exemption from COVID-19 restrictions

Published on in People

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Religious services are exempt from new coronavirus mitigation measures that Pennsylvania issued Dec. 10. Many houses of worship, however, are still limiting their in-person capacity and adapting winter holiday celebrations during the pandemic.

Chabad Lubavitch of Harrisburg was forced to cancel its annual Hanukkah celebration in the Capitol East Wing Rotunda, which usually includes singing, games and potato pancakes called latkes. Its director, Rabbi Schmuel Pewzner, instead is lighting the public menorah alone each evening.

Luckily, he said, this particular holiday is meant to be celebrated at home.

“We gather in public that we should recognize that it’s Hanukkah, so we also light the menorah in public,” Pewzner said. “But the root of the mitzvah, the way our rabbis instituted it and wrote it into the Talmud, was that each person at home lights the menorah.”

Continue Reading on Fox 43

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Warm weather to grace central Pa. this weekend

Published on in weather

Central Pennsylvania will be leaving the chilly, windy weather behind this weekend for several days of warmth and sun.

Temperatures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday are projected to climb into the low to mid 50s — a noticeable upgrade from last week’s gusty winds and 40-degree weather.

Patchy fog hanging over the region through late Friday morning will clear for a sunny day, with highs near 53, according to the National Weather Service.

The sunshine and warmth will be briefly interrupted by a chance of showers overnight Saturday. Snow and rain showers are also possible Sunday into Monday.
Continue Reading on Pennlive

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Orthopedic Institute of Pa. help raise funds for Central Pennsylvania Food Bank

Published on in Business

CAMP HILL, Pa. (WHTM) — ABC27 has teamed up with the Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania for the Feed a Local Family campaign.

On Thursday, OIP helped raise funds for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, which works in turn to help provide meals for Pa. families.

“Our job is to make sure nobody goes hungry, so we’re gathering food — really healthy food– and getting it out to people in need,” said Joe Arthur, executive director of the Central Pa. Food Bank.

According to Arthur, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the food bank has seen about a 40% increase in people seeking assistance, and most seeking help for the first time.

Continue Reading on ABC 27

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Pennsylvanians could see northern lights

Published on in Environment

Some Pennsylvanians could see the northern lights – also known as the aurora borealis – tonight if an approaching solar storm is strong enough and the cloud cover clears.

A strong solar storm is expected Wednesday through Friday, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It could be a G3 storm on Wednesday and that could produce a value of 7 on the Kp index, which ranges from 0 to 9 with a value of 0 indicating very little geomagnetic activity and a value of 9 indicating extreme geomagnetic storming.

A Kp value of at least 7 is required for the northern lights to be seen south of the Pennsylvania-New York state line, in only northern areas of the state.
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Churches, synagogues take precautions in a COVID-19 holiday season: ‘Put the needs of others first’

Published on in Holidays

In early April of this year, faith leaders and religious organizations were forced to take drastic safety measures to suspend in-person Easter or Passover services at churches and synagogues due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Eight months later, COVID-19 numbers continue to climb throughout the state, reaching numbers far higher than those seen in the spring. And as the end-of-year holiday season approaches, those same religious organizations are weighing their options for the safety and well-being of their congregations.

On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf issued a video message asking Pennsylvanians to keep each other safe during the holiday season. He was joined in the statement by many religious leaders from across the state and across several faiths.
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Snow to shower central Pa. Wednesday morning, forecasters say

Published on in weather

Central Pennsylvanians may see snow showers outside their windows through late Wednesday morning, but shouldn’t expect it to turn into a blizzard.

The National Weather Service said there will be little to no accumulation from snow and rain showers that are expected to wrap up before noon. By the afternoon, the inclement weather will be solely rain.

The rest of the week will be slightly warmer than central Pennsylvania has recently experienced. Highs hover in the low to mid 50s, with temperatures peaking near 55 on Sunday.

Continue Reading on Pennlive

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Families are facing a food crisis; soon Pennsylvania’s food banks will, too

Published on in People

Christina, a single mom of two kids under the age of six, was laid off from her job at a medical practice soon after the coronavirus outbreak started. A month into the lay-off, the Cumberland County resident no longer had any money left in her savings and was still navigating the unemployment process.

Christina is just one of the numerous people – many for the first time – who receives help from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, a member of Feeding Pennsylvania, with putting food on the table during these hard times.

Since early spring, Feeding Pennsylvania’s member food banks, along with the rest of the Feeding America nationwide network of 200 banks, have been at the frontlines of providing food assistance to help people like Christina weather unimaginable conditions: the largest U.S. public health crisis in a century, staggering unemployment numbers, and a 50-year high for grocery prices. While Gov. Wolf and the General Assembly stepped up to help fill the need this past summer by providing a much-needed influx of $25 million to our state food assistance programs, more help will be needed.
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New event replaces First Night State College with holiday decorating contest and more

Published on in Holidays

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts’ annual New Year’s Eve celebration, First Night State College, was canceled this year, but a weekslong, socially-distanced and partially virtual event will take its place.

Rick Bryant, executive director for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, said the organization’s board decided in September to approach the New Year’s Eve festivities from a different angle, making use of their various assets to support artists and spread holiday cheer throughout the month of December.

December to Remember includes a range of events and activities, including streamed performances, an online artists’ marketplace featuring more than 240 artists from around the country and the Puttin’ on the Glitz home decorating contest.

Continue Reading on Centre Daily Time

Penn College to launch hybrid paramedic program in Jan. 2021

Published on in People

Williamsport, Pa. – In order to provide flexible options to EMTs who want to complete a paramedic education program while continuing to work, Pennsylvania College of Technology will be launching a new hybrid instruction option combining in-person and online learning in January of 2021.

The lecture portion of the paramedic coursework will be live streamed and recorded for later viewing by hybrid instruction students. Traditional students will still have the option of attending in-person lectures. All students will still receive the same hands-on clinical experiences, including over 1,000 hours in field and clinical settings like the Little League World Series, Penn State home football games, and a rotation in a cadaver skills lab.

Students will also spend over 200 hours in the program’s dedicated simulation labs featuring a family of lifelike manikins, a unique crash car that simulates accident scenes, and an ambulance. Labs can be toured virtually on Vimeo or by contacting Christopher T. Boyer, paramedic program director, at paramedic@pct.edu.

Continue Reading on North Central PA

Overwhelmed health workers have simple request amid COVID-19

Published on in Health

Each day for the last nine months, WellSpan Health’s doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and other team members have been caring for family, friends and neighbors affected by COVID-19 in south central Pennsylvania.

At our WellSpan hospitals in Chambersburg, Gettysburg and Waynesboro, nearly one out of every two hospital beds is occupied by patients with COVID-19. The strain on hospitals is intense, impacting their ability to perform routine surgeries and keep services open.

Our team members are amazing people caring for people they know and love. That’s the commitment made by our care teams. It is WellSpan’s mission in action. Their mantra has been the same from the beginning of the pandemic: Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stand 6 feet away from others.

Continue Reading on Herald Media Mail

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Pennsylvania Department of Education: All required schools completed attestation form

Published on in School

Harrisburg, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced today that all public school entities in the 63 counties with a substantial rate of community transmission for at least two consecutive weeks have submitted their attestation forms to the department.

“The department issued a call to its school communities to submit an attestation form and they all responded commendably,” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. “I am proud of the diligent work our schools have done to answer this call and to help protect their communities during this unpredictable time while maintaining safe, accessible, and compliant quality education.”

While PDE recommends fully remote learning for school entities in substantial, the attestation form creates a path for those that want to continue to provide any in-person instruction.

Continue Reading on North Central PA

As COVID-19 cases rise, parts of PA are running low on hospital beds

Published on in Health

PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Pennsylvania reported its highest single-day increase on Thursday with more than 11,000 new cases of COVID-19.

State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the state is running low on hospital beds in the Southwest and Central regions of the state.

“The people who make our health care system work are relying on you to do the right thing,” Dr. Levine said.

She issued this warning as just under 5,000 people are being hospitalized with COVID-19.

“You might not need hospital care right now. You might not have a loved one in the hospital right now, but what is happening in our hospitals has a direct impact on you,” Dr. Levine said.

In Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania, it is not quite at that stage.

Continue Reading on WNEP

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Historical societies in Central PA receive grants

Published on in People

(WTAJ) — Nearly $2 million in grants have been distributed to 155 museums and historical societies across Pennsylvania.

The money comes from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. All county historical societies will each receive a minimum of $4,000, calculated based on the percentage of the eligible operating budget of the museum/society from the previous year.

“Pennsylvania’s wonderful museums and historical societies continue to preserve and share the state’s rich history and culture through the stories they tell,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “These funds, awarded to museums and historical societies across the commonwealth, at a time when many of our cultural and historical institutions have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, will help ensure these facilities are able to continue serving as educational resources for all Pennsylvanians.”

Continue Reading on We Are Central PA

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