The "ReOpen PA" protest outside the capitol in Harrisburg on Monday, April 20, 2020, featured numerous signs criticizing Gov. Tom Wolf's actions to shut down much of Pennsylvania's economy to contain the coronavirus epidemic. (Kate Landis / PA Post)
Ed Mahon comes to Spotlight PA from PA Post, where he covered state politics and policy, produced radio stories that were broadcast on public media stations throughout the state and on NPR’s national newscasts, and co-wrote a weekday newsletter. Prior to joining PA Post, Ed worked for six years as an investigative and political reporter for the York Daily Record, part of the USA Today Network. His reporting on failures in Pennsylvania’s system for protecting domestic abuse victims was a finalist in the national 2018 Livingston Awards for Young Journalists in the local reporting category. He was also part of a team whose coverage of the criminal justice system, including the aggressive use of civil asset forfeiture by York County prosecutors, received the 2018 G. Richard Dew Award for Journalistic Service from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Before joining the York Daily Record, Ed covered K-12 education at the Centre Daily Times in State College and worked as a stringer for suburban sections of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Kate Landis / PA Post
The "ReOpen PA" protest outside the capitol in Harrisburg on Monday, April 20, 2020, featured numerous signs criticizing Gov. Tom Wolf's actions to shut down much of Pennsylvania's economy to contain the coronavirus epidemic. (Kate Landis / PA Post)
North-central and northwestern Pennsylvania could see coronavirus restrictions lifted beginning May 8, Gov. Tom Wolf said last night as he provided some details on a regional approach to lifting coronavirus mitigation efforts. I broke down how the new red, yellow and green system works, what factors Wolf is considering and what life will look like for people across the state. —Ed Mahon, PA Post reporter
Kate Landis / PA Post
The “ReOpen PA” protest outside the capitol in Harrisburg on Monday, April 20, 2020, featured numerous signs criticizing Gov. Tom Wolf’s actions to shut down much of Pennsylvania’s economy to contain the coronavirus epidemic. (Kate Landis / PA Post)
Here are five ways they are trying to reopen more businesses.
Construction
Details: The state Department of Community and Economic Development would have to allow all public and private construction activities to resume as long as they follow safety measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Status: Passed the House on a 111-91 vote. On Wednesday evening, Gov. Wolf announced that he would allow construction to resume on May 1, one week earlier than previously announced. House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) welcomed the governor’s announcement. “Working with him on this issue showed we can move forward together on fighting COVID-19, while rebuilding the economy,” Turzai said late Wednesday evening.
Bipartisan support: Some. Seven Democrats voted in favor. Five Republicans voted against.
Details: Wolf on Monday signed legislation authorizing remote online notarization, which he said would allow online car sales. But a bill from state Rep. Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny/Washington) would allow car dealerships to open if they provide hazard pay to workers, adequate personal protective equipment, paid sick leave and meet other requirements.
Bipartisan support: Some. Four republicans voted against. Eight Democrats voted in favor. What to read: CBS Philly spoke with car dealer Gary Barbera who said limited online auto sales have been allowed in New Jersey, Delaware and New York. He also said while dealers can’t meet people in person, clients could still look at what they want at lots.
Marinas and golf courses
Details: State Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) wrote a letter to Wolf urging him to allow boatyards and marinas to open for personal use — which he noted is an important issue for many boaters and fishers on the shores of Lake Erie. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have allowed marinas and boatyards to remain open. He also urged Wolf to allow golf courses to reopen.
Status: Laughlin’s letter to the Wolf administration is dated Monday. A spokesperson for Laughlin wasn’t aware of any legislation specifically targeting marinas and golf courses, but he said legislation Wolf vetoed would have covered them.
Details: Lawmakers can revoke the governor’s disaster emergency power through a concurrent resolution, and some Republicans have prepared that “nuclear option,” Spotlight PA reports.
Status: The legislation has been introduced, but even if the House and Senate passed a concurrent resolution, Wolf could veto it, and Democrats are unlikely to help Republicans on an override vote.
Sandra Thompson, right, speaks alongside Sandra Harrison, both golfers and members of a group of local women known as Sisters in the Fairway, during an interview with The Associated Press, Tuesday April 24, 2018 in York, Pa. A worker at the Grandview Golf Club in York called police on the group, accusing them of playing too slowly and holding up others behind them. Harrison has filed a lawsuit against the club in federal court, and Thompson has started a case in the York County Court of Common Pleas, the York Daily Record reports. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)
our black women have sued Grandview Golf Course in York County, two years after a worker there twice called 911 on them. The case gained national attention. Steve Chronister, a former York County commissioner who called police, told the YDR that he looked forward to taking the case before a judge. “I look at it as a fraudulent accusation of racism and discrimination that never happened,” he said.
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Pennsylvania State Police have seen bip drops in crashes and arrests, The Morning Call reports. The number of crashes that state police responded to dropped from 1,235 the week of Feb. 22 to 391 last week.
Brad Bumsted of The Caucus looks at how Gov. Tom Wolf is handling news conferences amid social distancing. A former press secretary in Democratic Gov. Robert P. Casey’s administration suggested Wolf hold press conferences with fewer reporters in order to allow follow-up questions.
Coronavirus stories from around the state and world
Commercial news companies across Pennsylvania are struggling in the era of coronavirus shut downs and stay-at-home orders, just like most other businesses. Given the important role that news organizations play in their communities — as watchdogs and documentarians — PA Post is beginning a series of short Q&As with Pennsylvania news leaders. The first two interviews were published on Wednesday: Eric Ebeling with The Indiana Gazette, and Chip Minemyer with The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown. We’ll publish more in the coming days and weeks. (Shout out to Kate Landis for the idea and conducting the interviews.)