Pennsylvania says it's making steady progress on the vaccine front. Over the weekend, the state reached a milestone of having more than 3,000,000 Pennsylvanians fully vaccinated from COVID-19. Another 2.5-million are partially vaccinated. State health officials say nearly seven-million doses of the vaccine have been administered here.
While the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine remains on hold after six women reported cases of blood clots after receiving that vaccine, Gov. Tom Wolf urges Pennsylvanians not to overreact to the pause. "There have been almost 7-million Johnson & Johnson vaccines that have been given out in this country and there have been six cases. Six. Out of nearly seven million," the governor says. Wolf says it's too early to say that, statistically, the J&J vaccine is causing an increase in hesitancy, but hesitancy was an issue they have been looking at since day one.
Every New Jerseyan 16 and older can now sign up to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Gov. Phil Murphy says New Jersey is ahead of its vaccination schedule. More than six-million COVID-19 vaccines have already been administered across the Garden State.
A New Jersey man is dead after a skydiving accident in Monroe County. 74-year-old Ed Harney jumped with Sky's the Limit Skydiving Center Sunday morning. Witnesses say his parachute opened, but it separated from thim before he fell into a wooded area near East Stroudsburg. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
Organizers say the 2021 Pennsylvania Cannabis Festival went off without a hitch this weekend in Berks County. The event, which is the largest in the state, had 250 vendors at Renninger's Antique and Farmer's Market near Kutztown. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman was in attendance Saturday.
Work to replace a bridge over the Pohopoco Creek in Monroe County is set to get underway. Construction to replace the Mill Pond Road Bridge in Polk Township begins today. Mill Pond Road will be closed and traffic will be detoured on Route 209 and Gilbert Road during the construction.
The Pennsylvania National Guard is in Philadelphia today for the closing arguments in the Derek Chauvin trial. The former Minneapolis policeman is charged with killing George Floyd while in police custody last May. Gov. Tom Wolf activated more than 1000 guard members last Friday, saying it allows the commonwealth to take preemptive steps to ensure the safety of fellow Pennsylvanians. Guard members will be at critical infrastructure sites for security and manning traffic control points.
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry is going to be expanding its workforce again to handle over 40,000 unresolved unemployment claims. The department announced last week that is is looking to hire about 80 more claim investigators. It has expanded its workforce by hundreds since the beginning of the pandemic. A new unemployment compensation system is expected to launch in June.
An online forum is being held today for Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court candidates. Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts and Dauphin County libraries put this event together. The online forum begins tonight at 6:30. Those interested in joining the Zoom session can register online at www.dcls.org. The primary is May 18th.
Knoebels Amusement Resort plans to open on time this year. Knoebels will open for the 2021 season this Saturday. Last year, Knoebels didn't open until July due to pandemic restrictions. A new ride, which was supposed to debut last year but was delayed by the pandemic, will be ready to go. Tornado can seat 32 people per ride and will move in a circle, tilt 20 degrees and lift the cars up to 15 feet from ground level and allow for passengers to control how the ride spins.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority is offering small businesses another round of relief. Pre-registration for phase four of the Small Business Emergency Grant Program opened this morning and ends Thursday, April 29th. Small to medium sized businesses could be eligible for up to $20,000 in aid. Officials say businesses will only be able to apply for the grant if they pre-register.
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola did something Sunday he had never done before in his big league career. Throw a complete nine-inning game and on top of that it was a 2-0 shutout win over St. Louis. Nola says he'd like to go nine every time he gets the ball. "I think that's my mentality every time I go out. The longer I go, the longer we go as starters, the better position we are to win," Nola said. Bryce Harper homered in the win for the Phillies, who host San Francisco tonight.