“In a few short weeks the adult debate over school opening policy will be over and then we will be left to face the true reality as our children set off with backpacks in hand to face this deadly coronavirus.”
Coronavirus
Posted inNews
New rent and utility relief assistance program open for county residents
The Lebanon County Coalition to End Homelessness is providing assistance for applicants looking to receive some of the $800,000 in relief money from state and federal sources.
Posted inNews
Pa. education secretary will step down in October to lead Lancaster technical college
Education Secretary Pedro Rivera will be Thaddeus Stevens College’s next president, the school said in a press release.
Posted inNews
Pa. cancels on volunteer coronavirus contact tracers, moves to hire 1,000 paid staff
Despite the state’s struggles to keep case counts low, the department told volunteers it planned to wait until the fall to resume trainings.
Posted inNews
Tax collections in Pa. rebound on pent-up shopper demand, but state still faces huge budget deficit
Without additional federal aid, the state will probably have to make serious budget cuts or significantly increase borrowing to make ends meet.
Posted inNews
Pa. pursuing new cleaning plan for Capitol Complex after custodial worker tests positive for the coronavirus
State officials say the six-month contract is needed to give workers and visitors greater confidence that the facilities are safe.
Posted inNews
Minority-owned small businesses were largely shut out of Pa.’s first coronavirus loan program
State officials are trying again, this time with a grant program targeted at the smallest and most vulnerable operations.
Posted inNews
Lawmaker mimics top health official’s call for transgender acceptance to defend not wearing a mask
GOP Rep. Russ Diamond denied he was mocking the official, though he falsely equated being transgender to a “lifestyle choice.”
Posted inEducation
New Annville-Cleona superintendent stepped into role mid-pandemic
Antonis stepped into the leadership role in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — and nothing about her first several weeks in the chair has been simple.
Posted inNews
Pa. health secretary denounces transphobic attacks: ‘Our children are watching’
As the face of the state’s COVID-19 response, Health Secretary Rachel Levine has been the subject of numerous personal attacks.
Posted inNews
Gov. Tom Wolf will allow transparency bill to become law despite veto threat
State agencies stopped processing public-record requests in mid-March as Wolf shut down much of Pennsylvania.
Posted inNews
Citing ‘overwhelming’ spread, Pa. moves to add staff, app to trace the coronavirus
There are currently 661 contact tracers across the state. The health department wants to add potentially thousands more.
Posted inOpinions & Letters
[Letter] Why did Lebanon County lose $13 million CARES funding?
Chair of Lebanon County Dems argues that public anger over loss of CARES funding should be directed “where it truly belongs.”
Posted inNews
Lebanon County files lawsuit over Gov. Tom Wolf withholding millions in coronavirus relief funding
The lawsuit represents another test of Wolf’s emergency powers, which have been unsuccessfully challenged several times.
Posted inNews
More financial assistance may be on the way for Pennsylvanians struggling to pay utility bills
There’s currently a moratorium on utility shutoffs, though regulators have started to debate when it should come to an end.
