Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Levine speaks at a virtual press conference on Thursday, Nov 19, 2020. As coronavirus case loads continued to spike, state officials on Wednesday once again urged Pennsylvanians to avoid travel and to limit their exposure to anyone outside their immediate household. Meanwhile, state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine on Wednesday…
Information About Covid-19 Coronavirus in Lancaster County, PA
Health Secretary Levine clarifies travel order as officials reiterate advice to remain at home due to Covid-19
Fire damages EPAC’s Sharadin Bigler Theatre
Firefighters clean up following a fire at the Sharadin Bigler Threatre in Ephrata on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Source: Ephrata Pioneer Fire Co.) A fire Tuesday night caused thousands of dollars of damage to the Sharadin Bigler Theatre, home of the nonprofit Ephrata Performing Arts Center. The fire was reported around 10 p.m. In a…
Grant helps Water Street Mission serve safely
Volunteers prepare a meal in the Water Street Mission kitchen. (Source: WSM) The Water Street Mission got a grant from the Lancaster Cares fund just when it was needed most. When Covid-19 cases came to Lancaster County in March, Water Street Mission had to figure out a way to keep guests and staff safe and…
Lancaster Cares: Final grant applications due Dec. 1
Nonprofits seeking grants from the Lancaster Cares fund have just a few days left to submit requests. Applications will no longer be accepted after 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, organizers have announced. Created by the Lancaster County Community Foundation and the United Way of Lancaster County, the fund raised just over $1 million to support…
Project for the Needy holiday meal takes alternative approach
(Source: Lancaster County Project for the Needy) The 34th Annual Lancaster County Project for the Needy holiday dinner giveaway will be available for Lancaster County families on Saturday, Dec. 19. The giveaway is being organized in partnership with United Way of Lancaster County and UPMC Pinnacle Health. The project anticipates distributing over 1,200 boxes of…
Pizza, grab-n-go turkey dinners: Community meals look different during Thanksgiving 2020
Rhoda Shirk, inset, organized the pizza-centered Thanksgiving dinner hosted by the Parish Resource Center. (Source: Parish Resource Center) In lieu of providing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for Lancaster’s needy on Thursday, the Parish Resource Center is collaborating to spread cheesy cheer. The center will host a 50-pizza Thanksgiving meal from 5 to 6 p.m. on…
By the numbers: Pre-Thanksgiving report on Covid-19 in Lancaster County
At a glance: Covid-19 patients at LGH and WellSpan now number over 100 Hospitals prepared for surge continuing into December UPMC silent on its patient count Death toll rises slowly, below rate of serious cases, an indicator of improved care Among those who have tested positive, about 1 in 30 has died New infections highest…
News: Wednesday, Nov. 25
Michael Huff, Director of Testing and Contact Tracing at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, hosts a virtual media briefing to discuss Covid-19 in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Source: Pa.gov) Headlines: • Pennsylvania rations its contact-tracing efforts: “As the burden of COVID-19 worsens in an area, and the capacity to investigate new cases in…
Nominate a child for state police troop’s ‘Shop With a Cop’ program
(Source: Troop J, Pa. State Police) The state police at Troop J in Lancaster County are launching a “Shop With a Cop” program for 2020. “Many families are going to have financial hardships during the upcoming Christmas season,” said a statement released by Troop J spokeswoman Kelly Osborne. “Through experience, we know children will not…
![John Bey approved as Lancaster’s interim police chief [Update]](https://oneunitedlancaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/John-Bey-2.jpg)
John Bey approved as Lancaster’s interim police chief [Update]
John Bey Update, Nov. 25: On Tuesday evening, Lancaster City Council unanimously approved John Bey’s appointment as interim police chief. Bey said he would like to be the city’s permanent police chief, and believes he will prove to be the best candidate in the upcoming nationwide search. Should he not win the permanent job, he…
Covid-19 updates: County may set up vaccine site; schools mull their instruction options
Phil Colvin, director of the Lancaster Emergency Management Agency, speaks during a media briefing at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Photo: Tim Stuhldreher) Lancaster County may set up a mass Covid-19 vaccination site next year, if distribution through hospitals, doctors’ offices and pharmacies isn’t sufficient to handle demand,…
Lancaster County officials urge residents to help slow Covid-19 spread
Dr. Michael Ripchinski, chief clinical officer for Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, speaks about Covid-19 during a media briefing at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020. (Photo: Tim Stuhldreher) Amid concerns that Thanksgiving will further worsen a fall Covid-19 surge that is already testing the limits of local health…
News: Tuesday, Nov. 24
State Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Allegheny, speaks about a proposed election audit at the Capitol. (Source: Commonwealth Media Services) Headlines: • Gov. Wolf signs state budget bills: The $11 billion package funds state government through next June, using $1.3 billion in federal CARES Act funds to offset expenses without tax increases. (Source: ABC 27) • Shops…
No bar drinks on Thanksgiving Eve: Gov. Wolf announces tighter Covid-19 restrictions
Gov. Tom Wolf speaks to the media in Lancaster Township on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. (Photo: Tim Stuhldreher) Gov. Tom Wolf announced additional restrictions in Pennsylvania on Monday as the state sought to keep the coronavirus pandemic from spiraling out of control. The announcement updates existing orders targeting schools and business operations and setting limits…
By the numbers: Lancaster County exceeds 300 Covid-19 cases per 100K
The spread of coronavirus in Lancaster County and Pennsylvania as a whole continued unabated last week, according to the latest data. Lancaster County’s Covid-19 case load has reached 328.2 cases per 100,000 population, according to Monday’s update of Pennsylvania’s early warning Covid-19 dashboard. That’s up from a little over 200 cases per 100,000 the week…
Staying home for the holidays during Covid-19
Every year, I spend my Thanksgiving holiday with my family in South Carolina. It’s a tiring and unamusing 10-hour trek by car, yet I do it because it’s the easiest time to get down there to see everyone, and nothing can quite beat the shenanigans that go on in my sister’s kitchen when we all…
News: Monday, Nov. 23
Manheim Township students head into their first day of school on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (Source: Manheim Township School District) Headlines: • 16 Lancaster County schools to remain online for a week after Thanksgiving: With many families expected to travel for Thanksgiving despite warnings from health officials not to do so, schools from three different…
Extraordinary Give raises a record $13.4 million
Lancaster County Community Foundation President and CEO Sam Bressi, left, and Executive Vice President Tracy Cutler, right, celebrate during the Extra Give Cast livestream as the final few donations are tallied for the Extraordinary Give on Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. Lancaster County did it again on Friday, raising an extraordinary amount of money for Extraordinary…