Sample ballots now available

REGION — Sample ballots ahead of the 2020 General Election are now available on county websites in Sullivan, Wayne and Pike counties.

Sullivan residents can find their sample ballots at www.sullivanny.us/Departments/Elections, Wayne residents can find them at www.waynecountypa.gov/203/Home and Pike residents at www.pikecounty.org/elections.

Cahill calls for census completion

REGION —  Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (AD-103) is reminding residents that the 2020 Census Count is continuing until Saturday, October 31.

“While it has been reported that the Trump administration is appealing this decision, my office will continue monitoring the case and keep constituents apprised of any further changes to the ending date of the census count,” said Cahill. “A complete count ensures the tax dollars we work hard to generate get allocated in a fair way. If we do not have a fully enumerated census, we can lose everything from representation in Washington to local funding.”

Those who have not yet been counted can go to www.my2020census.gov or call 844/330-2020 for English or 844/468-2020 for Spanish.

Wolf revises restrictions

HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Wolf set new sliding scale restrictions for indoor and outdoor gatherings last week, replacing his previous restriction that more than 25 people cannot gather indoors and more than 250 people could not gather outdoors.

Instead of a hard limit, the Wolf administration has come out with a maximum occupancy formula. Indoor spaces that can hold: Up to 2,000 people can hold 20 percent maximum occupancy; 2,001 to 10,000 people can hold 15 percent maximum occupancy; more than 10,000 people can hold 10 percent maximum occupancy up to 3,750 people.

Outdoor spaces that can hold up to 2,000 people can hold 25 percent maximum occupancy; 2,001 to 10,000 people can hold 20 percent maximum occupancy; more than 10,000 people can hold 15 percent maximum occupancy up to 7,500 people.

The new rules apply to events like sports, fairs and concerts, but not to “regularly occurring operations of a business or organization.”

NEPA legislators secure first responder funding

EAST STROUDSBURG, PA  — With Pennsylvania first responder companies suffering heavy financial losses due to COVID-19, Reps. Rosemary Brown (PA-189), Jonathan Fritz (PA-111 and Mike Peifer (PA-139) announced today that first responder companies located in Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties collectively will receive more than $1 million in state grants from the Office of the State Fire Commissioner to help counter these losses. 

First responders in Monroe County will be receiving a collective $110,095. Those in Pike County will receive $388,040. Those in Susquehanna County will be getting $214,852. And Wayne County responders will be getting $401,878.

Cuomo announces ‘cluster initiative’

ALBANY, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a new cluster action initiative to address COVID-19 hot spots that have cropped up in Brooklyn, Queens, and Broome, Orange and Rockland counties. 

Working with public health experts, New York State has developed new rules and restrictions directly targeted to the most severe cluster areas. The initiative is composed of three steps: 1) take dramatic action within the cluster; 2) take action in the area surrounding the cluster to stop the spread; 3) take precautionary action in the outlying communities.

“A cluster is just that: it’s a cluster of cases, a high density of cases, and it seeps and grows from that cluster almost in concentric circles,” Cuomo said. “Our strategy is to crush the cluster and stop the spread.”

The new rules, which include increasing the fine for sponsors of mass gatherings to $15,000, will be in effect for a minimum of 14 d`ays.

NYS signs two ag bills into law

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed two agricultural bills sponsored by NYS Sen. Jen Metzger (SD-42) and Assemblymember Aileen Gunther (AD-100). The first ensures farmers negatively affected by COVID-19 do not lose their agricultural property tax assessments due to reduced sales, even if sales drop by half. The second bill, signed in time for the fall holiday season, provides marketing assistance to promote products widely used in holiday celebrations that are produced by New York farms. The bill requires the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets to provide a listing of New York growers and producers of holiday products to New York vendors and to municipalities where these products are sold.

Post Office announces new winter stamps

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Postal Service is celebrating “the beauty and serenity of the snowy winter season” with new stamps depicting winter scenes.

“In the United States, winter officially begins on December 21 or 22. But in some parts of the country, the snow begins falling and the temperatures plummet long before the solstice. Winter is not only a season but also a state of mind,” USPS released in a statement. “With Winter Scenes, the 10 photographs featured on the stamps showcase the special allure of winter with iconic scenes from the Northern United States. The stamps are being issued as Forever stamps in booklets of 20.”

Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps with existing images taken by various photographers. Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price. Visit www.usps.com/winterscenes for more information.