The Pennsylvania Department of Health added 510 new coronavirus cases to its statewide total. That brings the number of positive tests to 82,696 since the beginning of the pandemic. 38 news COVID-19-related deaths were reported Tuesday, bringing the state's death toll to 6464.
Cedar Crest College has announced its plans for the fall semester. Cedar Crest says in-person classes will resume, as originally scheduled, on August 24th. The 15 week semester will continue up until the Thanksgiving holiday, at which point classes will shift online.
One more Phillies player and two more Phillies staff members at the team’s Spring Training facility in Clearwater, Fla., tested positive for COVID-19. Another player not recently based in Clearwater also tested positive. The announcement follows news Friday that five players and three staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. Overall, it puts the announced tally of those who have tested positive at seven players and five staff members. None of the 12 were hospitalized.
NBCSports Philadelphia is reporting that the Phillies would use Coca-Cola Park in addition to Citizens Bank Park to space out the team for Spring Training 2.0. Major League Baseball plans to hold a 60-game season, beginning July 23 or 24, in empty ballparks. It is expected the second Spring Training installment would start on July 1. This will be the league's shortest season since 1878.
Republican St. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe chairs the Bipartisan Management Committee and prior to Tuesday's meeting, he told fellow committee members he didn't care if they wore masks during that meeting. "Let me be clear. Neither the governor, the BMC or any level of government has the authority to force citizens to wear masks," Metcalfe said. He said he's taking the approach of the pro-abortion crowd with his 'my body, my choice' approach to wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says amusement parks, waterparks and playgrounds can reopen July 2nd. Jersey Shore boardwalk rides will also be allowed to resume. Murphy says the state has reached the latter part of the second stage of its reopening. The governor says face masks will be required and strict hygiene practices will be implemented. Capacity will be limited to 50-percent.
Unemployment continues to be a problem for a lot of Pennsylvanians. Jerry Oleksiak, the head of Labor and Industry, says his department's employees have worked more than 157,000 hours of overtime since mid-March. He's asking for continued patience. "We know people are having difficulty to get through, but people are getting through. So, we're getting to it," Oleksiak says. He says since March 15th, L&I has answered more than 100,000 online chats, 200,000 phone calls and some 425,000 e-mails.
The Parkland School District Board of Directors adopted the $192 million 2020-21 budget Tuesday night. It contains no tax increase. The vote was unanimous.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is planning to review part of Bill Cosby's sexual assault conviction. The Office of the Victim Advocate says the court is reviewing the prior bad act victims who came forward at Cosby's trial to show a pattern of abuse by letting them share their experiences and review their validity in the case. Acting Commonwealth Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm says the survivors in the case deserve to be heard in the courtroom for a better understanding of Cosby's pattern of abuse as many victims are forced into silence for so long that their statutes of limitations expire.
State lawmakers are expected to review a bill that will allow mail-in ballots to be counted prior to Election Day. That measure comes amid the fallout of concerns over timely reporting of returns following the primary election. More than 21-percent of all registered voters in Pennsylvania requested a mail-in ballot for the June 2nd primary, according to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.
The state Senate is considering a plan to expand gaming opportunities in Pennsylvania. Sen. Jake Corman wants to regulate so-called games of skill and video gaming terminals, tax them and allow any place with a liquor license to have them. A spokesperson for Gov. Tom Wolf says he's concerned new gaming could siphon money from the Pennsylvania lottery and other existing gaming.