456 new cases of coronavirus were added Monday to Pennsylvania's total, bringing that number to 82,186. Three additional deaths were reported as well. 6426 Pennsylvania deaths are now being attributed to coronavirus.
Officials with PennDOT say hopeful drivers who need to take their skills test can now schedule their appointment. The test for drivers has been modified to limit the exposure of PennDOT staff while maintaining the test's integrity. The test can be scheduled on line or by calling PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services Call Center.
The state Department of Labor and Industry is still working to get its call center up to handling demand. Beginning today, the call center at PHEAA will begin to assist handling the growing number of calls coming in with questions or needs regarding unemployment. The department says it has fielded about 200,000 calls since mid-March.
While the Lehigh Valley Zoo isn't opening until Lehigh County reaches the green phase of reopening on Friday, one Pennsylvania zoo has already reopened its doors. Zoo America has reopened with some changes in place to help keep people safe. Hershey Entertainment officials say the indoor exhibits remain closed and visitors won't be able to pet any animals. Zoo America is home to more than 200 animals native to North America.
Republican officials from Lebanon County say their county will remain in the yellow reopening phase because of politics and not health metrics. St. Rep. Frank Ryan says his was among a number of counties fighting the governor on his pandemic closure orders. "And that hotbed of activity where there's been resistance has been Lancaster County, Lebanon County and York County, it's where it somewhat started. I think of all of them, we're the smallest county to be able to take some sort of retroactive action against the citizens of Lebanon County," Ryan says. He says he remains confident a recent vote to end the governor's emergency declaration will be upheld.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says outdoor gatherings of up to 250 people are now allowed as he continues lifting restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Murphy also announced that indoor dining and Atlantic City casinos can reopen, with 25-percent occupancy limits, on July 2nd. He says higher limits of up to 500 people could be in place by July 6th, which would allow for outdoor high school graduation ceremonies.
A study by Rutgers University and three other universities shows more than 76-percent of New Jersey residents trust the state's management of the COVID-19 pandemic. A little more than six-percent of residents did not trust the state's policies at all and 17-percent said they did not have too much trust. Nationwide, the study shows confidence in advice from medical professionals exceeds 90-percent.
Pennsylvania's new Speaker of the House is asking fellow House members to remember and honor the man who started it all more than 300 years ago. "William Penn would expect us to act on behalf of those who believe nobody is listening. William Penn would expect us to build a stronger commonwealth and lift up the voices of every resident," says Lancaster County Republican St. Rep. Bryan Cutler, who was voted in Monday to replace Mike Turzai, who resigned last week to take a job in the private sector. The 45-year-old Cutler is in his 15th year in the House.
An arrest has been made in connection to a fight involving Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert at a restaurant in South Dakota. A 29-year-old Florida man has been charged with simple assault. A video shows Goedert apparently being sucker punched, which caused him to collapse to the ground. The assault is considered simple because it didn't do serious bodily harm.