HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation approved Friday by lawmakers that carries over $900 million in pandemic-driven aid for hard-hit hospitality businesses, private schools and people struggling to pay rent or utility bills in Pennsylvania. This time around, landlords and advocates for renters hope the money is free of federal and state rules that plagued the rollout of the first lump of pandemic aid for renters last year. READ MORE: COVID-19 In Pennsylvania: Lack Of Vaccine Supply Forces St. Clair Hospital To Cancel First Dose Appointments Both chambers passed the bill unanimously Friday, and Wolf signed it several hours later. In addition to distributing money, the bill carries a provision designed to clear up any uncertainty over whether federal pandemic aid, including Paycheck Protection Program loans and direct federal payments to taxpayers, are taxable as income in Pennsylvania. It is not, under the bill, although the Department of Revenue said it is concerned that the loans will be taken as deductions and amount to a $220 million hit to state tax collections. Most of the $912 million being allocated in the bill is federal aid approved by Congress in December. Some of it, $145 million, is cash from a state worker’s compensation fund that Wolf asked lawmakers to send to businesses hit hard by the pandemic. That money will be available through counties in grants of up to $50,000 for bars, restaurants and hotels, although industry representatives say the cash won’t reach many of the 30,000 such businesses that remain under pandemic restrictions in Pennsylvania. It also won’t replace much lost revenue in a state where restaurants did about $27 billion in annual sales before the pandemic. Eligible applicants cannot be publicly traded businesses — a provision that might limit some larger chains, although maybe not franchisees — but it still casts a wide net, allowing businesses with as many as 300 employees at one location and ...
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Gov. Tom Wolf ‘Considering’ Loosening Restrictions On Restaurants And Bars
By: KDKA-TV News Staff HARRISBURG (KDKA) – Gov. Tom Wolf said he’s considering loosening restrictions on bars and restaurants. READ MORE: Relief On The Way For Struggling Business Owners In Pennsylvania “We’re considering everything,” he said at a press conference Tuesday about funding for businesses in the hospitality industry hit hard by the pandemic. “The question is, how fast can we move in a safe manner to get back to normal?” On Monday, Wolf loosened some restrictions , easing the gathering limits and lifting the out-of-state travel restrictions. “We’re coming down to a flattening, they call it a plateau, that is still at an unacceptably high level,” Wolf said about the CDC. “So they want to take a little more time to see how this goes and I agree with that.” READ MORE: COVID-19 In Pennsylvania: Gov. Tom Wolf Signs $912M Pandemic Relief Bill It came as Gov. Tom Wolf and leaders held a press conference to highlight $145 million in funding that will soon be available for businesses in the hospitality industry. Pennsylvania has made available more than $145 million in grants from the Workers Compensation Security Fund to the general fund for struggling small businesses. The money was transferred to all 67 Pennsylvania counties and the amount is based on population. (Photo Credit: KDKA) The grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 for businesses in the hospitality industry. Priority is being given to businesses that have not received funding through the Paycheck Protection Program. These businesses would have closed under Governor Tom Wolf’s disaster declaration and have lost more than 50 percent of business between March 31, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2020. MORE NEWS: Wolf Administration Distributing $145M In Funding For Bars, Restaurants Hit Hard By Pandemic Applications will be available on March 15. Guidelines on the program can be found here . ...
REPORT: The Chicago Bears Hire Tom Herman
Tom Herman has reportedly joined the Chicago Bears. According to Ian Rapoport, the Bears hired the former head coach of the Texas Longhorns to be an offensive analyst and deal with special projects. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football) Herman was fired and pushed out of Austin after this past season following multiple disappointing years. This is interesting: The #Bears have hired former Texas coach Tom Herman as an offensive analyst/special projects. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2021 This is a very interesting decision from Herman. From what we’ve seen, it seems like he still has a great shot at being a head coach at the college level. Even after Texas fired him, his name was seemingly attached to several openings. None of them materialized, but he clearly still has value. Texas has fired Tom Herman, per a release. pic.twitter.com/msCVLF74AK — Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 2, 2021 Yet, he’s made the decision to completely leave the college game and head to the NFL. It’s not really an upgrade, but it’s certainly going to be a much easier job. Instead of having to deal with a whole college program and recruit, he’ll just have to deal with his minor role with the Bears. I’m guessing that if another major college program comes calling, he’ll leave. Herman is meant for the college game, but him being in Chicago is certainly an interesting career decision. ...
Pennsylvania House to Investigate Gov. Tom Wolf Sending Coronavirus Patients to Nursing Homes
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives announced an oversight investigation of Gov. Tom Wolf’s (D) handling of nursing homes and long-term care facilities during the coronavirus pandemic. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Fred Keller (R-PA), Dan Meuser (R-PA), Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), Scott Perry (R-PA), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), John Joyce (R-PA), and Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) issued the following statement: The Pennsylvania Republican Congressional Delegation thanks the members of the General Assembly for taking the necessary steps to investigate the Wolf administration’s disastrous policies relating to our state’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Last March, the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued guidance requiring nursing homes to admit COVID-positive patients. Today, more than half of the state’s COVID fatalities have occurred in these facilities. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has repeatedly failed to investigate the policies that put Pennsylvania seniors living in long-term care facilities at risk. Pennsylvanians deserve a full and transparent investigation into what went wrong. Our offices remain committed to ensuring all information is brought to light so that the health and safety of our senior citizens are never again jeopardized by the careless actions of a state executive. In addition, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance on March 13, 2020, “For Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Nursing Homes.” The March 13 guidance said, “nursing homes should admit any individual that they would normally admit to their facility, including individuals from hospitals where a case of COVID-19 was/is present” only if the nursing home can follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) quarantining guidance. Former CMS administrator Seema Verma later said, “[u]nder no circumstances should a hospital discharge a patient to a nursing home ...
COVID-19 In Pennsylvania: Gov. Tom Wolf Set To Announce Plan Prioritizing Teachers For Vaccines
HARRISBURG (KDKA) – Gov. Tom Wolf is set to announce a plan Wednesday to vaccinate Pennsylvania’s teachers and get them back in the classroom as soon as possible. For weeks, we’ve been reporting on how frustrated people are in their efforts to get the vaccine, but even folks still waiting say they’re happy to let the teachers go first. READ MORE: Kennywood's Jack Rabbit Roller Coaster Gets Squeaky Clean During Offseason Don Jaworski from Carrick is 72 years old with COPD and a heart condition, but try as he might, he can’t get the COVID-19 vaccine. “I called three places and they put you on a list and nobody ever gives you a vaccine,” he says. It’s somewhat surprising then that Jaworski and others in his situation aren’t bothered by a plan to vaccinate teachers — even those younger and healthier than they. “No, I’m not against the teachers going first. I don’t want to see them give it to the kids or the kids give it to them,” he says. Wolf says a formal announcement is coming Wednesday, “but as you know, it’s already been leaked out.” READ MORE: Crash Closes Parts Of Route 22 And Route 119 In Westmoreland County What leaked out is a plan to use the state’s allocation of 94,000 doses of the newly-approved, one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to inoculate teachers at mass clinics and get them back in the classroom in short order. This would entail moving teachers and school bus drivers up to the 1A priority group with other frontline workers. Folks KDKA’s Andy Sheehan spoke with Tuesday think it’s a good plan with stipulations. “I think if the kids are going to be in school, that’s a wise thing to do, but if they’re going to continue to learn from home, I don’t see why it’s a priority to make that happen,” said Ray Matelan of Whitehall. According to details that leaked from an email sent by a member of the state coronavirus taskforce, teachers will only receive the vaccine if they commit to returning to the classroom. And that seems to ...
