Between technical glitches and food worries, retail therapy and sheer amnesia, something has happened to shopping during the pandemic that can be summed up thusly: rubber chickens. Melissa Jean Footlick bought some while sheltering at home in San Diego with her husband and three dogs. She’s ...

At Forte, a restaurant in Jamestown, New York, presentation matters. Before March, dining out was more about the social interaction — the presentation of courses and the inevitable Instagram post to follow — than it was about the weight of the plastic to-go box. At Forte, they leaned into ...

Apple and Google on Wednesday released long-awaited smartphone technology to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus. The companies said 22 countries and several U.S. states are already planning to build voluntary phone apps using their software. It ...

WASHINGTON — Signs of renewed activity are surfacing across the country as states gradually reopen economies and some businesses call a portion of their laid-off staffers back to work. Yet with millions more Americans seeking unemployment aid last week, the U.S. job market remains as bleak as ...

Although the COVID-19 caused disturbances in many sectors of the state’s economy, little has changed for a Jersey Shore-based tree service, said the owner. “We were kind of worried as to how (the state) was going to set things up in terms of what’s essential and non-essential but we ...

When her Las Vegas hotel shut down and returned her money, and both Nevada and her home state of Ohio issued stay-home orders, Helen Moon canceled the flight that she and her husband had booked on Frontier Airlines and asked for a cash refund. No dice. Frontier offered only a travel credit ...

As Larson Design Group plans their growth into national recognition, the Williamsport-grown company now enters a new phase of leadership. David Martin, LDG’s current president and COO, will now also be the CEO as Keith Kuzio transitions into a leadership adviser role. “I’m grateful ...

NEW YORK — Sandy Jensen’s customer-service job at a Sam’s Club in Fullerton, California, normally involves checking member ID cards at the door and answering questions. But the coronavirus has turned her into a kind of store sheriff. Now she must confront shoppers who aren’t wearing ...

Helen Womer does her best not to complain about her situation. Each time she talks about how tough the COVID-19 pandemic has been on she, her family and her business, she follows it by pointing out she’s luckier than others. Womer’s Notary Message and Tag Service at 131 South Railroad ...

Some of the millions of American workers laid off because of the coronavirus are beginning to face a tough choice — return to work and risk infection, or stay home and risk losing unemployment payments. The decision is most pressing in states where governors have started allowing businesses ...

Businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis in 11 central Pennsylvania counties now have another funding option — a new loan program established by SEDA-Council of Governments. No payments are due in the first six months for the new SEDA-COG EDA COVID-19 Loan Fund. There is a limited pool of ...

Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity (GLHFH) announced Thomas Szulanczyk as executive director. He succeeds Alice Schuster, who held the post for two and a half years. Szulanczyk comes to GLHFH with a wealth of knowledge and experience. After retiring from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, ...

Like many Americans cooped up during the virus outbreak, Jeff Kardesch of Austin, Texas, is spending a lot of time on social media. It isn’t just idle talk with friends. Kardesch is struggling to find out when he’ll receive the unemployment benefits he needs. His business as a ...

Though predominantly closed, the Peter Herdic House Restaurant and Inn, located on West Fourth Street, is offering limited take out orders and is bringing in staff for cleaning and the preparation of reopening according to Liz Miele, owner. “We have limited take out, once a week if that,” ...

Some restaurants in our area, like Pier 87, are taking time to reorganize and plan before reopening to their customers. “We did some deep cleaning, and it was a good time to do projects and repairs,” said Brad Russell, co-owner of Pier 87 at 5647 Route 87 north of Montoursville. The ...

WASHINGTON — For years, personal trainer Amanda Tikalsky didn’t have to worry much about her job. The U.S. economy’s record-breaking 11-year expansion offered security to service workers like her. Then came the coronavirus, which closed the Milwaukee athletic club where she worked for ...

HUGHESVILLE — Nearly 30 years ago, Kellie Shaner-Gordner and Duane Gordner taught dance lessons to a handful of children from the basement of their church. Today, the couple has built up a base of about 300 students and opened two studios, but they worry about the detrimental toll the ...

The Marcellus Shale Coalition and several of its members donated 600 lunches recently to doctors, nurses, first responders and staff at UPMC Williamsport. The MSC, along with members Alta Resources, Cabot Oil and Gas, Chevron, Greylock Energy, Olympus Energy, Penn E&R, Range Resources and ...

(Editor’s Note: This initiative was first announced and launched on March 28 by the Williamsport Sun-Gazette and Ogden Newspapers.) Businesses throughout Northcentral Pennsylvania can apply for a grant to help them recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Ogden Newspapers ...

Some businesses have begun to offer hospitals dust masks, face shields and latex gloves to help in the battle against spread of COVID-19. When their business slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Zartman Construction in Northumberland decided to give several cases of construction dust masks ...