Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health added 1106 new COVID-19 cases to the state's overall total, which is now at 1,205,989. Those new cases are over a three day reporting period as are the 35 new COVID-related deaths added Monday. One of the key numbers in the pandemic fight is the statewide percent positivity for the seven days ending June 3rd. That number was only 2.9-percent.
OraSure Technologies has received emergency use authorization for three of their COVID-19 rapid antigen tests. OraSure reports that the tests detect active COVID-19 infection.
A new report from the Commonwealth Foundation shows which sector's received the biggest percent of covid relief in Pennsylvania and it's not healthcare. Education took in 29-percent. Healthcare was second at 24-percent. Meanwhile, the foundation's Nathan Benefield says there's still $7 billion that's not been spent. "It's now become excessive. There's more money than the state needs and the school districts need to deal with some of these problems. It's going to have some negative consequences," Benefield says.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says the public health emergency is over but the coronavirus pandemic is not. He made his remarks at the latest coronavirus briefing, reporting 165 new infections and confirming five new deaths related to COVID-19.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says students don't need to wear masks in extreme heat. It comes as the Garden State surpassed 90 degrees Monday and won't feel much cooler today. Murphy says the exception applies both indoors and outdoors given weather conditions.
A man is fighting for his life after being stabbed just before 3 o'clock Sunday morning. Bethlehem police were called to East Third Street for reports of a large fight that started inside a home and spilled into the street. The man, who has not been identified, was rushed to St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill with what are described as very serious stab wounds. No arrests have been made yet.
A church in the Poconos is warning its worshippers about a new email scam that is making the rounds. Our Lady Queen of Peace in Brodheadsville says the scam involves a DropBox attachment in the email and its sender is listed as 'Deacon Bob.' Deacon Bob O'Connor says it's not him, but the fake email address and his real one are very similar. If you receive such a link, do not open it.
Someone on Sunday bought a winning Pennsylvania Lottery Fat Wallet game ticket at the Friendly Food Mart on William Penn Highway in Bethlehem Township. That ticket is worth more than $1.4 million. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket.
The City of Allentown Department of Parks and Recreation said the Bucky Boyle spray park opens today. The planned May 29 opening had been delayed by a broken pipe. The Old Fairgrounds spray park opened Memorial Day weekend. The city’s Cedar Beach and Mack pools will open for the season on Saturday, June 19.
Pennsylvania's new Unemployment Compensation system is launching today. Department of Labor and Industry officials say months of hard work and testing have helped them eliminate many potential issues but they'll continue to have staff ready to help resolve any issues that may still pop up. The new system will replace the decades-old system and is expected to be faster and easier to use.
State lawmakers are advancing a bill to reform education in the state. The Excellence in Education for All Act aims to increase transparency measures for charter schools, improve the quality of charter schools and increase funding for Education Improvement and Opportunity Scholarship tax credits. However, members of the Pennsylvania State Education Association say some of the money for this act will come from public schools, which are in need of resources now more than ever. The legislation has passed a Senate committee and will head to the full Senate.
The call is out for poll workers in New Jersey for today's primary election. Due to a fear of a shortage, lawmakers sweetened the deal and now will pay 400-dollars a day if you sign up to staff a polling place. This year there are four Republican candidates for governor, all challenging Gov. Phil Murphy, who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Also up for election, all 120 seats in the state legislature and dozens of town and county races.
New Lehigh Valley Phantoms coach Ian Laperriere says the time was right to move from assistant coach in Philadelphia to head coach in Allentown. "After a while when you're an assistant coach you want to do your own thing and when the job became available two weeks ago I knew it was my time to make that move. I reached out to management and told them I'd like to talk to them about the way I see things. I know I'm ready," Laperriere says. Laperriere had been an assistant with the Flyers since 2013. He is the fourth head coach in Phantoms history.