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Knoebels raises pay to lure staff

ELYSBURG (AP) — Knoebels is hiking its starting pay rate by up to $1 as it seeks to hire several hundred more workers at its understaffed park this summer. The amusement resort also will give employees and new hires 16 and older a chance to win a 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer valued at more than $23,000 as an incentive to work at the park. The park, which celebrated its 95th birthday on the Fourth of July, was holding a job fair on Thursday and said it may hire employees on the spot. Knoebels’ workforce is around 1,450 heading into tonight’s job fair, park spokeswoman Stacy ...

National shortage hinders firework sales

Some would think that firework and sound ordinances within local municipalities would hurt the local firework tents and businesses but the reality for most businesses this year is that shipping delays and lack of supply is more of a hindrance, but still manageable. “There is a national ...

Demand, price for used cars increasing

LEHEIGHTON (AP) — Some used car dealers are buying certain trucks and SUVs for the same prices that they were sold for new two years ago. Used vehicles are the latest industry to experience price hikes due to the pandemic and subsequent recovery. Not unlike in the currently booming housing market, there are a lot of buyers and not a lot of inventory available — which means prices that can be as high as new cars were a couple of years ago. “There’s not enough product and way too much demand at this point. Anytime I can get a vehicle, it goes right away. It’s hard to ...

Restaurateurs contend with new challenges for survival

NEW KENSINGTON (AP) — Restaurants were hit hard by the pandemic and restrictions meant to curb the spread of covid-19 — and, for many restaurateurs, the struggles aren’t over yet. Navigating a pandemic — and the related rules and restrictions — has been a challenge April Platt never imagined she’d have to overcome. Platt manages House of 1000 Beers, a restaurant her family owns in New Kensington. “It was very hard to plan for something that was unprecedented,” she said. “You had no one to lean on as a source of expertise to guide you.” “We just went into ...

PennDOT announces employee of the month

Scott Posey has been named PennDOT District 3 Employee of the Month for July 2021. Posey is a transportation construction inspector (TCI) in the construction unit. As a TCI, Posey is responsible for inspection of all phases of transportation construction work, ensuring the department’s ...

Offices after COVID: Wider hallways, fewer desks

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The coronavirus already changed the way we work. Now it’s changing the physical space, too. Many companies are making adjustments to their offices to help employees feel safer as they return to in-person work, like improving air circulation systems or moving desks further apart. Others are ditching desks and building more conference rooms to accommodate employees who still work remotely but come in for meetings. Architects and designers say this is a time of experimentation and reflection for employers. Steelcase, an office furniture company based in ...