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COVID-19

Utility regulators leave moratorium on shutoffs in place

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania state utility regulators have effectively extended a moratorium preventing utilities from terminating service to non-paying customers for three more weeks while the state fights the spread of the coronavirus. The four-member panel of two Democrats and two Republicans postponed a vote on Thursday’s agenda until Sept. 17, after deadlocking twice on motions to lift the moratorium over the summer. The Public Utility Commission slapped a moratorium on shutoffs in March as Gov. Tom Wolf was in the midst of a cascade of shutdown orders to help stop the ...

Communities struggle from coronavirus impact

With much needed revenues diminishing to keep them sustainable, municipalities across the state are feeling the financial impact from the coronavirus pandemic. Pennsylvania Municipal League Executive Director Rick Schuettler said the challenge is to ensure that local governments will be able to provide services for its people. Speaking with state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on a Facebook discussion, he noted that property taxes are the main revenue sources for many cities, boroughs and townships. Unfortunately, many people were thrown out of work due to COVID-19, preventing ...

Bloomsburg to move to remote instruction

With 90 cases of coronavirus reported, Bloomsburg University will switch to largely online instruction beginning Monday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. All but one of the COVI-19 cases are among students, most of whom live off campus. The change comes less than two weeks into the ...

Funding for small businesses affected by COVID-19 available

Lycoming County will begin taking applications for small business relief made available through federal COVID-19 funding, according to a county official. County Planning Executive Director Shannon Rossman apprised the commissioners of the funding stream at their meeting Thursday. A total of $1 million is available to businesses in the form of grants of between $5,000 and $50,000, she said. The dollars can be used for a variety of purposes by businesses impacted by COVID-19. “We want to be able to help as many people as possible,” said Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce ...

Water and Sewer Authority executives: Stay on water shutoffs is over

The grace period or moratorium since March on water shutoffs by utilities is about to come to an end, as the Williamsport Municipal Water and Sanitary Authority tries to recuperate from losing $1 million it can’t retrieve due to COVID-related financial hardships. “We’re going to start ...

Loyalsock Township OKs fall athletics, extracurricular activities

By a 7-0 vote, the Loyalsock Township School board approved the continuation of PIAA fall athletics and extracurricular activities as scheduled. The vote was taken at a special meeting of the board held virtually Wednesday night. Voting for the motion were: Charles Edmonds, Christina Kiessling, John Raymond, Carolyn Strickland, Melvin Wentzel, Paul Young II and Michael Zicollelo. Valerie Komarnicki and Robert Leidhecker were absent for the vote. The vote came after a lengthy discussion of the measures being implemented to safely enable student athletes to participate in the ...