WILK-FM

Secrecy on legislator's COVID-19 illness roils Pa. statehouse

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A state lawmaker's decision to keep his COVID-19 diagnosis a secret is dividing the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Democrats say the Republican legislator needlessly put people's health at risk. The fight spilled onto the House floor on Thursday as Democrats denounced how it was handled by the lawmaker and the majority Republican leadership. Republicans defeated a Democratic effort to end the legislative session so there would be time to change policies on disclosing illnesses. And the state attorney general declined requests by fellow Democrats to criminally investigate how the diagnosis was handled. He urged lawmakers to “demonstrate common decency.”The Republican at the center of this story is Representative Andrew Lewis and he doesn't agree with the assessment from House Democrats. Lewis, who represents PA's 105th Legislative District, called into The Jason Barsky Show on WILK News Radio to discuss and dispute allegations that his COVID-19 diagnosis was covered up by his colleagues.Listen to the interview here

May 28, 2020

Boston Marathon canceled for 1st time in 124-year history

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Marathon has been canceled for the first time in its 124-year history. Organizers said Thursday that they instead will have a “virtual event” in which participants who verify that they ran 26.2 miles on their own will receive their finisher's medal. The race had originally been scheduled for April 20 before being postponed for five months because of the coronavirus pandemic. “While we cannot bring the world to Boston in September, we plan to bring Boston to the world for a historic 124th Boston Marathon," said Tom Grilk, the CEO of the Boston Athletic Association. Although the title of Boston Marathon champion is contested by a few dozen elite athletes, the field includes more than 30,000 recreational and charity runners, with as many as 1 million people lined up along the course trek from Hopkinton to Boston’s Back Bay. That presented organizers with a social distancing problem that won't be solved by the fall. The cancellation is the first ever for the race, which began in 1897 when 15 men drew a starting line in the dirt in Ashland and headed for the city to commemorate the first modern Olympic Games the previous year. In 1918, the format was modified to a relay due to World War I; the 2013 race was stopped when two bombs exploded at the finish line, several hours after the winners had finished but while many recreational runners were still on the course. For each of those years, the race was held in April on the state holiday to commemorate the battles in Lexington and Concord that marked the start of the Revolutionary War. Traditionally, the Red Sox have scheduled their first pitch for the morning so baseball fans could wander over to Kenmore Square after the game to see the runners pass by with one mile to go. In March, when the race was postponed to Sept. 14, Mayor Marty Walsh cited the desire to salvage the estimated $211 million pumped into the city’s economy each year. The Boston Athletic Association and marathon runners also raise about $40 million for charity. Walsh said at the time that there was no thought of excluding the tens of thousands of amateur runners who consider running Boston a bucket list achievement. The Tokyo Marathon went on as scheduled in March with just over 200 elite runners but not the 38,000 recreational runners who had signed up; spectators at the Los Angeles Marathon were advised to practice social distancing. “That’s not the Boston Marathon. We’re an inclusive marathon,” Walsh said. “The Boston Marathon is for everyone.” The 2021 Boston Marathon is scheduled for April 19 and the 125th anniversary edition is scheduled for April 18, 2022.

May 28, 2020

Disappointing, but not surprising. Wilkes-Barre 4th of July festivities, cancelled!

Wilkes Barre Mayor George Brown issued a press release detailing changes to the planned calendar of events during the Summer of 2020. While not surprising, the most notable cancellation was that of the city’s annual Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration at Kirby Park. There was hope that the event would be able to move forward, even in a limited capacity, but COVID-19 had other plans. This cancellation means no rides, no food and craft vendors, no entertainment, and sadly no fireworks. The Mayor also delivered some good news about two events which will go on despite the pandemic. Those two events are the City’s Farmer’s Market, and the NEPR AACA Car Cruise, both on Public Square. Here are the details about the Farmer’s Marker and Car Cruise: Farmers’ MarketThe City’s Farmers Market on Public Square will open on Thursday, June 25th at 10 AM and continue through 4 PM each Thursday. The weekly event will be subject to CDC and the Pennsylvania Department of Health COVID-19 regulations and recommendations. There will be no prepared food or non-food item vendors during the market, through at least July. This will be a produce market only. The Strawberry Festival, scheduled for June 18th, has been cancelled. The city encourages downtown Wilkes-Barre restaurants to make themselves available to the patrons of the Farmers’ Market. The city is hopeful that the Farmers’ Market will enable downtown restaurants to reestablish their businesses and connection with community. NEPR AACA Car Cruise on Public Square The NEPR AACA Car Cruise on Public Square will begin on Friday, July 31st. The event will have limitations pursuant to CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines. There will be no food vendors or other vendors during the event.

May 27, 2020

As Luz. Co. moves to yellow, officials warn of precautions

As Luzerne County moves into the yellow phase of reopening this Friday county officials say it will be a cautious reopening. The stay at home order will be lifted but there will be precautions in place including limiting the number of workers and visitors in county buildings, taking temperatures and wearing masks. Some employees will continue to work remotely and some services may continue to be appointment only. Boscov’s says it will reopen its stores in downtown Wilkes-Barre and in hazleton on Saturday at 11 o'clock. It will also feature dedicated shopping hours for “more vulnerable customers” on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The opening will also feature new safety procedures including an intensified cleaning program, plexiglass screens at each register and the temporary closing of all dressing rooms. All customers and co-workers must wear a face covering inside the store. Police and state regulators are cracking down on a handful of Pennsylvania businesses that are supposed to remain shut down but have instead opened their doors. Two gyms including Danko's All American Fitness Center in Plains Township, have reopened. They are checking temperatures of all those who enter and are following all guidelines.

May 27, 2020

Special Edition May 23 and 24 Update on COVID-19 from Geisinger, saving the honey bees, Tracey's Hope Hospice and keeping guys healthy

Special Edition May 23 and 24 Dr. Ryu from Geisinger with the latest COVID -19 update. Harold Keiner has the information on the importance of honey bees. Tracey’s Hope Hospice is there to help during the most difficult time for pet owners. Dawn Webster Physician’s Assistant from Med Express has healthy tips for guys getting ready for Father’s Day.

May 26, 2020

Gov. Wolf: Luzerne County moving to yellow. Lackawanna County stuck in red until June 5th.

Harrisburg, PA – Furthering his plan for reopening Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf today announced eight additional counties will move to yellow and 17 to green, effective at 12:01 a.m., May 29. All remaining counties in red are expected to move to yellow by June 5 at 12:01 a.m.The counties moving to yellow on May 29 include Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Schuylkill.The 17 counties moving to green, also on May 29, include Bradford, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango and Warren.Counties that remain in red on May 29 and are expected to move to yellow by June 5 include Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Montgomery, and Philadelphia.“We know not only that we succeeded in slowing case growth, but that our actions, our collective decisions to stay at home and avoid social contact – we know that saved lives,” Gov. Wolf said. “My stay-at-home order did exactly what it was intended to do: It saved lives and it bought us valuable time.”Gov. Wolf referred to a study by Drexel University that indicates that in Philadelphia alone, 60 days of staying at home resulted in more than 7,000 lives saved and prevented more than 68,000 people from needing hospitalization.Yellow MetricsIn deciding which counties to move to yellow, the state used risk-based metrics from Carnegie Mellon University combined with contact tracing and testing capability and a sustained reduction in COVID-19 hospitalizations. While the 50 new cases per 100,000 population was considered, it did not weigh any more heavily than other factors.Over the past two weeks:The state has seen sustained reductions in hospitalizations. From May 8 when the first counties moved to yellow to yesterday, the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized dropped by nearly one thousand – from 2,618 to 1,667. The number of COVID patients on ventilators shrank by about a third, from 505 to 347. New cases continue to decline: From May 8 to May 15, the state added 6,384 cases and from May 15 to 21, added 4,770. The current COVID-19 incidence rate in the state is 83.4 cases per 100,000 people. Two weeks ago, it was 113.6 per 100,000. Most other states are seeing their new case rate continue to increase or remain flat. Pennsylvania is one of just 19 states with new case-rate declines.Green MetricsCounties that have been in the yellow phase for the requisite 14 days have been closely monitored for the risk associated with transitioning to the green phase. In the green phase, we will continue to take precautions, including reducing building capacity, encouraging teleworking, limiting visitation in certain high-risk environments, and preventing large entertainment gatherings.The guidelines for moving to green are available here, and include specifics for employers, large events, and social gatherings.Moving Forward“We continue to increase testing every day and are continuing to build our contact tracing capacity, as well,” Gov. Wolf said. “We are able to do these things, to be successful, to reopen in this manner because of the Pennsylvanians who have made tremendous sacrifices since the virus emerged in our state,” Gov Wolf said. “Thank you.“I want to remember and honor all of those who we lost and give solace to their family and loved ones. The last two months have been trying and they have tested each of us, and I want to thank and acknowledge all the people of our commonwealth who have been called upon to upend their lives to keep their neighbors, friends and family safe.”

May 22, 2020

Governor eyes lifting of many more pandemic restrictions in Pa.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Some counties in Pennsylvania could see practically all of the state's pandemic restrictions on business activity and gatherings lifted in the coming days, other than social-distancing and health-monitoring guidelines that are in place to help stop the spread of the coronarivus. Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday that some counties could get to move to the least-restrictive "green" phase of his three-color traffic-signal reopening plan stages. That could become official Friday. He also says more counties could move from the red phase to less-restrictive yellow phase. It is not clear, exactly, what restrictions, if any, will remain in place in the green phase. By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARC LEVY The Associated Press

May 21, 2020

Nursing home testing a massive challenge for Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania must boost its testing numbers several times over to meet Gov. Tom Wolf's goal of administering a weekly coronavirus test to well over 100,000 people in long-term care facilities across the state. It's a gigantic undertaking that state health officials are scrambling to make a reality in less than two weeks, and some experts are skeptical. Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have struggled for months to contain the virus. Residents of long-term care homes account for roughly two-thirds of the statewide death toll of more than 4,800. Wolf insists his administration has a plan in place starting June 1 to test every employee and every patient once a week.By MARC LEVY and MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press

May 21, 2020

UPDATE: Read the Official Court Documents -- Judge says no injunction against Governor Wolf's orders

Update: Read the Official Court Documents. Click Here Attorney Marc Scaringi joined the Frank Andrews Show to discuss the latest setback in his attempts to get an injunction against Governor Wolf's pandemic orders.

May 21, 2020

Listen to the phone call that changed Jason Barsky's show

It may not always sound like it, but I always have a plan for my show. Sometimes things happen and all plans go out the window. This morning, Charlotte from Hazleton called into my show with a question. One question led to another, which led us into a full on conversation about Charlotte's life during this pandemic, and her life in general as an elderly woman, living alone, in NEPA. How do I know this phone call hit a lot of people right in the heart? I've never received the amount of follow up messages after a phone call like I did today after Charlotte's call. This phone call left me with one lingering question. How many other elderly people are in a similar situation here in NEPA?

May 21, 2020