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At its first opportunity, Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff said the chamber will attempt to override Gov. Tom Wolf's planned veto of a bill that would allow schools the choice to hold fall sports and decide how many spectators can attend them. Aug. 20, 2020 Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com By Jan Murphy | jmurphy@pennlive.com The Pennsylvania House Republican leader vows a veto override vote will happen in the near future if Gov. Tom Wolf carries through with his planned veto of a bill that would give local school officials the exclusive authority to decide whether to allow sports and...

An audit that examines the consistency and fairness of Gov. Tom Wolf’s controversial coronavirus waiver process that allowed some businesses to reopen after appealing the governor’s March 19 business closure order while others were told to remain closed will be released next month. State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday that his auditors have collected a significant amount of data about the more than 40,000 businesses that requested waivers from the state Department of Community and Economic Development to offer an analysis about its fairness. He said his auditors are examining the consistency...

Pennsylvania restaurant and bar owners have been waiting since mid-July for Gov. Tom Wolf to relax dine-in capacity limits. Today, the governor gave his blessing, announcing that starting Sept. 21 establishments can bump up indoor seating from 25% to 50%. However, any reason to celebrate was quickly squashed when Wolf threw the industry a curveball. As part of the updated orders, establishments with liquor licenses will have to cut off booze orders at 10 p.m., while those restaurants and bars wishing to move up to 50% will need to fill out a self-certification document to be eligible. Central Pennsylvania restaurant...

Restaurants and bars in Pennsylvania are getting some relief. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced today that starting Sept. 21 establishments can increase indoor seating capacity from 25% to 50%. But Wolf also threw in an additional caveat - restaurants with alcohol sales will have to cut off booze sales at 10 p.m. “While our aggressive and appropriate mitigation efforts have kept case counts low, we must continue to take important steps to protect public health and safety as we head into the fall. At the same time, we must also support the retail food services industry that has struggled throughout...

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives wants to guarantee school boards that they hold the power to decide whether to allow sports and extracurricular activities to occur this school year and whether spectators can attend. The House on Wednesday passed House Bill 2787 , sponsored by Rep. Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland County, by a bipartisan 155-47 vote that would school boards with the assurance that they have that authority, not the governor. A separate school-related bill, House Bill 2788, sponsored by Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford County, passed by a 197-5 vote that would allow parents to request their public or private school...

Saying Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown orders over the past 180 days have been disastrous for Pennsylvania businesses and families, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff said Wednesday lawmakers will attempt to end the COVID-19 disaster declaration that the governor renewed this week for another 90 days. “We need a change,” said Benninghoff, R-Centre County. “We are asking all our members to join us on this anniversary of the 180 days of this shutdown to override the governor’s order and open Pennsylvania in an orderly fashion, keeping Pennsylvania safe and Pennsylvanians employed and most of all allowing them to earn a paycheck...

The percentage of positive coronavirus tests continues to drop across Pennsylvania, but 9 counties bear watching for COVID-19 infections, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Monday. The statewide rate of positive tests has now dropped for five straight weeks. It dipped to 3.2% over the past week, down from 3.4% the previous week, the Wolf administration said. “Our percent positivity decreased again this week, representing the fifth straight week that the percent positivity has decreased,” Wolf said in a statement Monday. “This is a testament that our actions are working, but we still have more work to do. The virus is...

Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday presented a fall legislative agenda that included a push for legalizing marijuana for recreational use by adults. Harrisburg, PA – August 25, 2020Commonwealth Media Services By Greg Pickel | gpickel@pennlive.com A successful return to both K-12 schools and colleges could lead to an easing of the targeted bar and restaurant restrictions in Pennsylvania. Gov. Tom Wolf said as much on Monday, more than a month after he and Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine signed orders that limit indoor and outdoor occupancy, forbid bar service, and require prepared food to be purchased if a customer wants...

HARRISBURG — Thwarted by court rulings and vetoes, Republicans in the legislature unhappy with Gov. Tom Wolf’s response to the coronavirus pandemic are plotting two new efforts to curtail his emergency powers. In June, the legislature voted to force Wolf to end the state’s COVID-19 disaster declaration, which greatly expanded the Democratic governor’s powers. Wolf countered that such a move required his approval. The state Supreme Court sided with Wolf, who then vetoed the measure. But the saga isn’t over yet. Members of the GOP who control the state House now plan to advance a measure to override Wolf’s veto,...

Skip to Article pennlive’s Logo Subscribe Your support makes a difference. Subscribe to PennLive. Pennsylvania Real-Time News 9 Pa. counties bear watching for coronavirus cases; statewide, rate of positive tests drops again Updated 4:33 PM; Today 4:29 PM 34 Students return to school By Ron Southwick | rsouthwick@pennlive.com Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Monday nine counties bear watching because they have a higher rate of coronavirus infections, including some in central Pennsylvania. On the upside, the rate of positive cases continues to drop statewide. Across Pennsylvania, 3.4% of those tested for the coronavirus were positive, down from 4% the previous...

Gov. Tom Wolf is sticking with his recommendation that there be no high school sports in Pennsylvania until 2021, but he’s also not changing what he said: It’s just a recommendation. During a press conference on Thursday, Wolf was pressed on his “strong recommendation” that was released last week, and while he said he’s not sure what the PIAA could do to change his mind on the subject, he also said that they and school districts can do what they want. “I also recommended that we, this summer, Pennsylvanians avoid going to the Jersey Shore [then a facial expression suggesting...

Pennsylvania bars and restaurants were the focus of targeted coronavirus mitigation restrictions put in place by Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration nearly a month ago, and they likely won’t be going away anytime soon. That’s because the state’s goal is to have students of all ages return to at least some in-person learning this fall, and keeping coronavirus case counts from spiking is the only way that can happen, Wolf said. The governor said at a news conference in York Thursday the restrictions on restaurants and bars have made a difference. Owners and employees in the foodservice industry, along with their...

It’s a simple question, really. Do state Republicans, constantly thrashing Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf over his handling of COVID-19, pump up President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania base? And, if so, does that push the state off it’s “Leans Dem” designation (reflected in views of prognosticators from the University of Virginia’s Larry Sabato to the Cook Report to Inside Elections) and put it into the “Toss-up” group? Instinctively, you’d think, nah. Polling and most punditry suggest the structure of the state race is set, in favor of native-son Joe Biden. His VP pick of Kamala Harris further helps in that it’s likely...

Health officials in Philadelphia are calling the city’s spike in coronavirus cases a “second wave,” prompting an extension of bans on activities like indoor dining. “The second wave has simply hit us right now,” Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said, according to NBC 10. This means the ban on activities like indoor dining will be extended until at least Sept. 1, according to reports. The city had been targeting Saturday as a potential date to reopen indoor dining. The rest of the state had been allowing indoor dining at 25 percent capacity, but this had not been re-established in Philadelphia....

Chuck Moran, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, is wearing a different hat these days. Moran said he essentially acts as a counselor, consoling owners and operators of small restaurants and taverns across the state for hours a day. The restaurateurs fear they will lose their businesses and their livelihoods as a result of restrictions placed on them to try to mitigate COVID-19. “I had one member that I was so concerned about that I referred to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline,” Moran said. “That’s how serious some of them are. They’re really desperate.” Gov....

Pennsylvania’s health secretary said Thursday she expects students will return to classrooms in August. However, Dr. Rachel Levine also said school reopening is closely tied to success in quelling the recent resurgence of cases, which is highly dependent on state residents wearing face masks and following other steps intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. She said “it’s critical to drive the case counts down now … in order for schools to reopen. If we don’t do that now, we put [school reopening] in jeopardy.” Levine noted that some school districts are planning a combination of classroom and online education....

Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf and Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine rolled out new coronavirus restrictions on July 15 in an effort to slow what they feared was another surge in new cases. The order was focused, both said, and targeted one area in particular: Hospitality. Bars, restaurants, wineries, and breweries can now only serve alcohol for on-site consumption if it is purchased with a meal. Peanuts, chips, and pretzels do not count. Instead, the food has to be “prepared on the premises, sufficient to constitute breakfast, lunch or dinner,” per state law. The thinking, it seems, suggests that by...

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board released updated guidelines Wednesday for bars and restaurants in green counties that serve alcohol on-premises. The guidelines, designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, come during a recent rise in the number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases in Pa. that can partially be attributed to the places where people are drinking alcohol, Gov. Tom Wolf said. Here are the new guidelines for liquor licensees: Sales of alcohol for on-premises consumption are only permissible as part of a larger transaction that includes a meal purchase. The term “meal” is defined in section 406 of the Pennsylvania...

HARRISBURG -- No more masks. No more restrictions. And, they said, no more tyranny. That was the rally cry of several hundred people who gathered on the Capitol steps Wednesday, calling for Gov. Tom Wolf to lift all coronavirus-related restrictions. Organizers called the “Pennsylvania Assemble for Freedom” event a gathering “to call out the governor, and to demand to be set free from any and all restrictions and to return freedom of choice to ‘We the People.’” And they filled the steps on the Capitol under the hot, summer sun to cheer on and rally around a host of speakers,...

Lebanon County commissioners want their pandemic relief money and they’ve gone to court to get it. The board filed suit in Commonwealth Court Wednesday to force Gov. Tom Wolf to release approximately $12.8 million in federal coronavirus relief funding that the administration has thus far withheld. The suit was authorized during an executive session discussion earlier this week. County Solicitor David Warner said the board is making its case on an argument that the bill appropriating the funds, which Wolf signed into law May 29, very clearly sets out a formula for the distribution of federal CARES Act dollars to...