Free Republic

State unemployment staffers are so busy, the Cuomo administration is asking City University of New York employees and civil servants from other agencies to help with the deluge of paperwork and callbacks. The beleaguered state Department of Labor needs additional staff to process some of the unemployment applications filed by tens of thousands of people suddenly out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic . . There are now 3,000 people working on the phones and processing applications seven days a week, he added. That’s up from the just 400 representatives in place before the health crisis. Penny Errico-Nagar, 62,...

Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration has a message for construction firms that continue to work on nonessential projects during the coronavirus pandemic: Stop building. Or pay the price. In a letter sent Wednesday to Philadelphia’s approximately 6,000 registered contractors, the Department of Licenses and Inspections warned that they could face stop-work orders and $1,000-a-day fines, and lose their licenses if they continue to flout city and state orders to halt most construction to slow the spread of the virus.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has directed businesses in the state to provide their employees with masks and has suggested that those who do not wear masks while shopping be denied service during the coronavirus pandemic. Wolf’s remarks and the order came during a news conference on Wednesday. In addition to businesses being required to provide face masks for employees, the order also states that businesses must stagger work schedules in an attempt to prevent large gatherings. According to Wolf, the order, which will begin on Sunday at 8:00 p.m., will also apply to customers and will “require all customers to...

If I remember correctly, the state of Pennsylvania liquor store employee union voted not to work during the corona state shutdown by our governor. From the standpoint of virus spread our governor's decision to close the state stores did not make a lot of sense. (I drove to Ohio and spent money out of state!!!!!!!!!!!) Does anyone know if Pennsylvania's liquor store employees are getting paid during this shutdown??? What's the chance that the public is ticked enough to now oust the State from the liquor business??

When Pennsylvania ordered coal mines closed because of the coronavirus, then reversed course and declared them to be “essential,” West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who made a fortune in coal, was quick to mock his neighbors. “Coal is so essential it is unbelievable,” said Justice, a Republican. “We have to have good electricity flowing into our homes.” The mine workers union agrees with him. So does President Trump, who has spent the past three years talking up the coal business. But in the face of the pandemic, is coal mining actually so essential? Because of the nature of the work...

On March 24, 2020, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) augmented his list of “life-sustaining” businesses to include gun dealers, allowing them to remain open as long as they adhere to certain restrictions. The new language was added under Trade, Transportation, & Utilities, in the subsection Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book, & Music Stores. It says: Firearms dealers may operate physical businesses on a limited basis to complete only the portions of a sale/transfer that must be conducted in-person under the law, subject to the following restrictions: 1) all such sale/transfers will be conducted by individual appointment during limited hours only so...

The School District of Philadelphia will not allow teachers to do “remote instruction” with students while schools are closed during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a letter sent to principals Tuesday night. Because the district cannot ensure equal access to technology among students, it’s barring individual schools from providing graded virtual instruction. “To ensure equity, remote instruction should not be provided to students, including through the internet, technology at home, by phone, or otherwise,” the letter read. On Wednesday afternoon, after backlash and confusion among teachers, Superintendent William Hite clarified the district’s position, saying that teachers cannot require students to...

How’s Grandpa Joe Biden’s gun-grabbing looking now, I mean in a world where the Democrat-led Philadelphia publicly announced there will be no jail time for burglary, car theft, vandalism… Where non-violent crimes, like someone robbing your home, will be met with a bench warrant instead of the hoosegow? Since no one’s going to prison for non-violent crime, I have a question… Is looting a violent crime? Isn’t looting merely property damage + burglary? ‘Scuse me. I may have to take a couple of days off for a trip to Philly so I can upgrade my stereo system. Meanwhile, in other...

Guns and ammunition have been flying off shelves at Lehigh Valley firearms businesses, just as supermarkets and other stores have been stripped bare by Americans panicked by the coronavirus crisis. "I think everybody’s running scared, that’s pretty much it,” Eric Koehler, owner of Eagle Arms Sports Shop, said Wednesday from his Upper Macungie Township store, blaming in part the COVID-19. "The markets are collapsing, the virus is here, and blah blah. It’s just too many things for people to accept at one time, you know?

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House passed temporary rules Monday allowing members to vote remotely, essentially putting the 203-member body on an indefinite work-from-home policy as cases of the coronavirus continue to increase. The resolution, meant to deter social contact, allows lawmakers to submit votes to their respective party leaders. Those leaders and committee chairs, however, will still need to come to the Capitol if the legislature wants to formally consider any legislation.The state Senate already had a system for remote voting in place.

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania -- Eugene DePasquale and Sean Parnell couldn't be more different politically. DePasquale is a seasoned statewide-elected official and Democrat from York County, Pennsylvania, while Parnell is a western Pennsylvania Republican newcomer who has never run for office. Yet they share one very important thing this year: They are both challenging incumbent members of Congress in Pennsylvania districts President Donald Trump won in 2016. Both of their races tell the story of not just how truly uncertain the Keystone State is politically but also how completely divided it is. They also show us how hard it is to predict...

TARRS, Pennsylvania -- Five years ago, the plot of land where the Dollar General store sits on Glades Pike was just that: a plot of pastoral greenery located near a row of neatly kept homes in an unincorporated village that once briefly boomed as a coal town. The store's familiar yellow sign with bold, all-capitalized black letters sits slightly back from rolling Pennsylvania Route 31, which runs parallel to both the turnpike and the Lincoln Highway. For many people in the area, the store serves as a quick stop for a forgotten grocery staple or deeply discounted household goods. These...

A FedEx driver was robbed/shot while making a delivery on the 600 block of Unruh. Police say the driver was armed and exchanged gunfire with the robbery suspect. FedEx driver is stable, Suspect was located and is critical. -snip It should have been a routine delivery with the 32-year-old FedEx driver dropping off a package to a home in the area, but that’s when police say, an armed gunman approached and robbed the driver, perhaps not anticipating that the FedEx driver was also armed. “He was able to tell police that he was making a delivery on the 600 block...

REDSTONE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police said a man was sent to an area hospital after being shot while trying to burglarize a home in Fayette County Friday night. State police said the suspect has been identified as 39-year-old Adam Earl Morgan. Police said he is also responsible for two other burglaries, along National Pike, in Redstone Township, that happened on Friday night. "He climbed up a table and some chairs," said neighbor Joe Shashura. The back window to Joe and Sue Shashura's home had been broken and several items stolen, minutes before police said Morgan walked into their...

SWARTHMORE — The Democrats swept every county race Tuesday night. The party will have a 5-0 majority on county council, including its first African-American member, their first Democrat Common Pleas judges and the first female African-American and Muslim judge in the county's history. There were smiles, shouts and cries of joy at the Inn at Swarthmore as the election results rolled in.

Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, October 30, 2019 Nearly Two Dozen Alleged Members of Rival Chester, PA Drug Gangs Arrested in Early Morning Takedown and Charged in Parallel Indictments CHESTER, PA – William M. McSwain, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Michael Harpster, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Philadelphia Office; Jonathan Wilson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration-Philadelphia Field Division; and Katayoun Copeland, District Attorney of Delaware County, jointly announced today the unsealing of two parallel Indictments charging 22 individuals...

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – An Allegheny County judge struck down three gun control laws that limit assault weapons and ammunition in Pittsburgh. The laws were passed after the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. In 2018, the City of Pittsburgh made three proposals to regulate firearms, ammunition, and firearms The court struck down the ordinances, saying the city didn’t have the authority to implement them. Director of Communications for the Office of Mayor Peduto says in a statement: “The City and its outside legal counsel have always expected this would be a long legal fight and will continue to fight...

Does anyone know of any Old Fashioned Amish Villages/Town in either PA()not Lancaster), NY or OH? We will be heeded east next early Summer for a Vacation with Relatives In NYC.

At about 4:10 p.m., 26 August 2019, a suspect wearing a hoodie enters a MetroPCS cell phone store in Philadelphia, PA. The store and employees have been the victim of several robberies.  On the alert, the employee watches the suspect intently as he enters the store, carrying a handgun in his left hand. The suspect throws a bag to the employee and tells him to fill it with cell phones. The employee sees his chance. The employee makes the decision to draw and engage the robber. He brought his sights on target, and the robber realized his peril. The video...

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- On 28 August, 2019, relatives of a former gun dealer called the police because they said, they were concerned the 72-Year-old man might be depressed and/or suicidal. I do not know if the man was suicidal or not, but old white men commit the largest percentages of suicides. They tend to use guns to do the deed.  The police raided the house, on the authorization of the relatives. It appears to be a nice home in a nice neighborhood. Bustleton is home to many of Philadelphia's police officers and firefighters.The wellness check turned into a full-blown media circus....