Some schools are canceling fall sports. Some conferences are delaying the start of the fall sports calendar. Gov. Tom Wolf Thursday said all schools should go a step further. "The guidance from us, the recommendation, is we don't do any sports until January 1st," the governor said. Wolf says any event that brings people together puts Pennsylvanians at risk of getting the coronavirus and spreading it.
PIAA officials say they're tremendously disappointed with Gov. Tom Wolf's recommendation to suspend all sports until January 2021. They say they've worked diligently to develop health and safety plans to allow students the safe return to interscholastic athletics. Their board of directors will meet this afternoon to review Wolf's recommendation. A spokesperson for the governor says the administration is providing this strong recommendation, but it is not an order or mandate.
Perhaps the most electric atmosphere in all of college football is having the plug pulled. Penn State's athletic director Sandy Barbour announced Thursday morning that all fall sports events, including football, will be played without fans. Barbour says regardless of whether there are games or not, revenue losses will be in the high eight figures, reaching nine figures if there are no games at all.
The Greater Lehigh Valley YMCA and Lehigh Valley Children's Centers are offering an Edu-Childcare program for kids choosing to learn remotely in the fall. With the program, children in kindergarten through age 13 can complete their work in a classroom setting with support and supervision from their staff. The program will be available in several locations in the Lehigh Valley and they will be following CDC guidelines for these spaces.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reporting 807 new COVID-19 cases across the state. That brings the statewide total to 116,521. Thursday's announcement also added 38 coronavirus-related deaths, increasing that number to 7282.
Lower Macungie Township officials say they're getting reports of people visiting homes and claiming to be with Lehigh County and sent to assess flood damage. Lehigh County says nobody from the county is going house to house to assess flood damage and you should not allow anybody into your home unless you know who they are and they can show proof of who they say they're working for.
Sections of the Delaware and Lehigh Trail remain closed after damage caused by Tuesday's heavy rain and strong wind. The largest shutdown runs nearly 59 miles from Route 611 in Easton all the way to Bristol. Other sections still closed are a 1.5-mile stretch in Freemansburg and a 2.1-mile portion in Bethlehem.
More than half of New Jersey residents who lost power in Tropical Storm Isaias have had their power restored but it may not be until Tuesday before all power is back. That's the latest assessment by utility officials who say damage from this storm is second only to Superstorm Sandy.
Public comment is being accepted until August 17th for the state's offshore wind strategic plan. The environmental group, Clean Ocean Action, has been holding webinars to educate the public on the plan, which would develop offshore wind farms and floating wind turbines to provide energy for the region. The group says it expects to see almost 23,000 megawatts generated by offshore development by the year 2035, with New Jersey and Hew York projects accounting for 70 percent of the total capacity.
Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is out indefinitely with a knee injury. The 76ers are in the midst of finishing their regular season schedule before beginning the playoffs.