The day Graffiti Highway died in pictures
CENTRALIA — On Monday, crews from Fox Coal Co. began dumping the first of 400 loads of earth to cover over Graffiti Highway. Here's what that looked like, from the ground and the air.
Contractor covering over Graffiti Highway
CENTRALIA — Workers say that 400 loads of dirt, dumped over the next three days will cover over the Graffiti Highway — a closed section of Route 61 that has become a tourist destination.
Wise Food tells employees worker had coronavirus
BERWICK — An employee at the Wise Foods plant here has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus, the company told workers in a letter Thursday.
Meanwhile, the head of the union representing most of the workers at the snack food plant said that while Wise is taking some measures to protect workers from the illness, there’s no way to make it completely safe short of closing it.
A Wise spokesman did not respond to message seeking comment.
The company’s letter said employees working with the ill individual may have been exposed to the virus, it said.
All of Pennsylvania now under orders to stay home
HARRISBURG (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday placed all of Pennsylvania under an order to stay at home, dramatically expanding the geographic footprint of the quarantine as state officials combat the coronavirus pandemic.
In one stroke, Wolf added 34 counties to his stay-home edict, meaning that residents of all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties must now stay home as much as possible to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Fourth COVID-19 death reported in Luzerne
HARRISBURG — Luzerne County reported a fourth COVID-19-related death in numbers released by the Department of Health on Tuesday, as the number of positive tests in the county increased to more than 200.
In Columbia County, cases increased from six to seven. In Montour County, the number of reported cases actually decreased from 10 to nine.
Montour COVID-19 cases spike
The number of reported cases of the new coronavirus in the region spiked in Monday’s state report.
Montour County, home to Danville’s Geisinger Medical Center, reported 10 county residents with the virus. That was up from 4 in previous reports.
Luzerne County saw a third death reported Monday, along with a jump from 94 to 150 cases.
Columbia County stayed steady at six cases, while Northumberland remained at 1 case.
Across the state, there have been 33,777 negative COVID-19 tests, along with 4,087 positive tests and 49 deaths.
Governor orders Luzerne residents to "stay at home"
Luzerne County on Friday was added to the list of Pennsylvania counties under Gov. Tom Wolf’s “stay at home” order after the county recorded its second coronavirus death in three days, and confirmed cases of the illness jumped 53 percent.
The order, which started 8 p.m. Friday and will be in effect until at least April 6, means Luzerne residents — including those in East Berwick, Nescopeck and Shickshinny — can leave home only to perform tasks essential to maintain health and safety.
Vandals cause up to $8G damage to Hess Recreation Area
MAHONING TWP. — Vandals tore up sports fields at the Hess Recreation Area here sometime late Thursday or early Friday, with what appears to be one truck and one car, police say.
They caused up to $8,000 worth of damages, according to Montour Area Recreation Commission director Bob Stoudt.
“Based on the tire tracks and patterns, it looks like two vehicles hitting the wettest parts of ground,” Stoudt said last night.
Berwick Hospital sees its first COVID-19 case
BERWICK — Berwick Hospital confirmed Thursday it has treated its first patient testing positive for the new coronavirus.
That infected patient was separated from non-infected patients while at Berwick Hospital and ultimately discharged for home quarantine, according to a memo distributed Tuesday by Berwick Hospital owner Commonwealth Health to its employees.
The number of area coronavirus cases continued to climb yesterday as Evangelical Hospital in Lewisburg announced that two of its patients had tested positive for the potentially deadly respiratory illness.
One man dies from COVID-19 in Luzerne
WILKES-BARRE -- A 70-year-old Luzerne County man is the area's first confirmed death from the new coronavirus strain. Officials said he recently traveled outside the country and had pre-existing health problems.
Luzerne County Manager David Pedri did not have any more information about the man, and didn't know where he lived.
But Pedri said that with the death and Luzerne’s number or reported cases swelling — it had 27 reported cases as of midday Wednesday — "every single citizen should be under the assumption it is present in their municipality.”