Mansfield state police investigate theft of nearly $5,000 worth of items from Delmar Township over past several months…..theft of catalytic from vehicle parked in Hebron Township investigated by State Police at Coudersport……Elderly couple hurt in one-vehicle last week i8n Homer Township..Serious injuries reported for Eldred resident after ATV crash Saturday….Restrictions at State parks relax on Easter Sunday….Covid hospitalizations increase in PA but number of cases continue downturn here….Ne
Sunday’s high 64 Overnight low 30; .40 inches of rain over weekend; .25% snow overnight
MOSTLY SUNNY TODAY HIGH 48
CLEAR TONIGHT A LOW OF 38
SUNNY AGAIN TOMORROW A LITTLE WARMER HIGH 52
CLOUDS INCREASING TOMORROW NIGHT A LOW OF 45
WEDNESDAY OVERCAST WITH SHOWERS AND A HIGH OF 54
Tioga County
State Police at Mansfield are investigating a burglary which took place at a house on Horse Thief Run Road in Delmar Township last November between the 19th and 20th thieves stole wire, pipe ducting, and household appliances from a house belonging to a 50 year old Wellsboro man. The stolen items is approaching $9,000 in value and include household wiring electric meter, refrigerator, clothes dryer, hot water heater, cast iron stove parts, dry wall, window and other household items.
Potter County
Coudersport Based State Police are investigating the theft the West Hebron Road in Hebron township last Thursday afternoon someone stole a catalytic converter from a 2004 Ford pickup truck owned by Jess Wilson of Coudersport. The item is valued at $250. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Coudersport barracks at 274-8690.
An elderly Austin couple received minor injuries and a one vehicle accident occurring last Thursday just after 10am on the Dividing Ridge road in Homer Township. State Police say that 73 year old Russell Moore was traveling north when he fainted due to a medical condition and lost control of his 2018 Chevy Equinox the SUV went off the road, struck an embankment and then rolled over before stopping. Moore and his wife, 71 year old Jane Moore were taken by ambulance to UPMC Cole for treatment of minor injuries.
Criminal trespass charges are being filed against 20 year old Teasha Boyd and 18 year old Andrew Boyd both of Genesee occurring last Monday on Dogtown Road in Genesee Township. Troopers claim the pair was on land owned by a Muncy, PA man without his permission.
McKean County
An Eldred resident was seriously injured and in an ATV crash occurring Saturday evening on the Prentisvale Read Otto Township State Police at Lewis Run report 54 year old Joseph Green was going east on the north side of the highway when his Polaris Twin Sportsman went out of control and overturned about two times in the eastbound lane. Green suffered serious injuries when he was thrown off the machine. He was flown by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo for treatment of those injuries .
Cameron County
Troopers at the Emporium barracks are investigating a criminal mischief which took place last Thursday afternoon at a residence on West Fourth Street in that town. Someone damaged a 2009 Saturn owned by a 63 year old Emporium man.
Statewide
Some good news at last. In line with Governor Tom Wolf’s latest orders intended to prevent the spread and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced an upcoming return of outdoors programming at state parks and expansion of occupancy limits within park and state forest buildings effective Sunday, April 4, Easter Sunday. At Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests, the following will be in effect starting Sunday, April 4:
Outdoor, in-person programs will resume with a limit of 40 participants per program. Masks and social distancing are required;
Visitor center exhibit halls, interpretive areas and theaters will open with a 75 percent capacity visitation allowance. Masks and social distancing are required;
Volunteer work days will resume with a limit of 40 participants per group. Masks and social distancing are required;
Virtual and self-guided programs will continue to be offered;
Scheduled programs will be listed on DCNR’s Calendar of Events; and
Large, DCNR-sponsored events remain canceled until further notice.
State park and forest visitor centers, offices, theaters and interpretive wings will return to an occupancy limit of 75 percent of capacity. All visitors and staff must wear masks and practice social distancing and frequent hand sanitizing or washing.
Volunteer Friends group meetings must be virtual or outdoors at park or forest facilities. Outdoor facilities must be under the 50 percent occupancy limit, and social distancing must be practiced and masks worn.
Not considered organized park or forest events, volunteer work days are permitted to resume. Guidelines include maximum at 40 per group. Multiple groups are permitted in separate locations, multiple groups may attend at different times, and masks and social distancing are required.
Third-party events can continue if established guidelines are followed. DCNR staff may be present to assist with public safety and to maintain compliance with the event agreement.All occupancy changes are subject to reevaluation going forward and will maintain consistency with all applicable Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidance.
In a related development, DCNR announced last month that campsites will be available at an additional 17 state parks to accommodate fishing enthusiasts who want to stay overnight on April 2 for the new statewide trout opener the following day. A total of 34 parks throughout the state will provide camping at this time.
To help avoid exposure to COVID-19 and still enjoy the outdoors:
Don’t hike or recreate in groups – go with those under the same roof, and adhere to social distancing (stay 6 feet apart)
Take hand sanitizer with you and use it regularly
Avoid touching your face, eyes, and nose
Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with a tissue or flexed elbow
If you are sick, stay home
Visitors can help keep state parks and forest lands safe by following these practices:
Avoid crowded parking lots and trailheads
Bring a bag and either carry out your trash or dispose of it properly
Clean up after pets
Avoid activities that put you at greater risk of injury, so you don’t require a trip to the emergency room
Pennsylvania has 121 state parks and 20 forest districts; all are open year-round.
Information about state parks and forests is available on the DCNR website.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., March 26, there were 4,927 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,005,167. Here in the Black Forest Broadcasting service area, the number of cases continues to show improvement. McKean County now has 2371 confirmed cases ;Tioga County 2231; Elk 1328. Potter and Cameron held steady with Potter 839 confirmed cases and Cameron 182. In neighboring New York State Cattaraugus County has 4746 COVID cases confirmed and Allegany County has 3011.
There are 1,717 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 358 patients are in the intensive care unit with COVID-19. Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. The trend in the 14-day moving average number of hospitalized patients per day is about 4,500 lower than it was at the peak on December 25, 2020. The current 14-day average is also below what it was at the height of the spring peak on May 3, 2020. However, the moving average of number of hospitalized patients has started to increase again.Statewide percent positivity for the week of March 12 – March 18 stood at 6.5%.
The most accurate daily data is available on the website, with archived data also available.
As of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, March 25, there were 36 new deaths identified by the Pennsylvania death registry, reported for a total of 24,953 deaths attributed to COVID-19. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Pennsylvania hospitals began receiving shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine the week of Dec. 14 and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine the week of Dec. 21. The Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine was first allocated to Pennsylvania the week of March 1, and the commonwealth is using it for a special initiative involving educators. Vaccination numbers for Pennsylvania do not include Philadelphia, which is its own jurisdiction, or federal facilities, which are working directly with the federal government.
Vaccine providers have administered 4,728,527 total vaccine doses as of Thursday, March 25.
1,660,232 people are fully vaccinated; with a seven-day moving average of more than 84,500 people per day receiving vaccinations.
1,519,321 people are partially vaccinated, meaning they have received one dose of a two-dose vaccine.
3,179,553 people have received at least their first dose.
This week, a total of 5,235,140 doses will have been allocated through March 27:
281,010 first/single doses will have been allocated this week.
253,970 second doses will have been allocated this week.
To date, 4,728,527 doses total have been administered through March 25:
First/single doses: 3,179,553 administered
Second doses: 1,548,974 administered
Mask-wearing is required in all businesses, whenever leaving home, and while outdoors if social distancing is not possible, even if fully vaccinated. Health officials continue to stress consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.
There are 125,272 individuals who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 639 individuals who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.
There are 4,095,101 individuals who have tested negative to date.
In licensed nursing and personal care homes, there are 69,092 resident cases of COVID-19, and 14,176 cases among employees, for a total of 83,268 at 1,574 distinct facilities in all 67 counties. Out of total deaths reported to PA-NEDSS, 12,904 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care Note that the number of deaths reported to NEDSS is not exactly the same as the COVID-19 related deaths reported by the death registry. The number of deaths among nursing and personal care home residents and employees is taken from the PA-NEDSS death data, as this information is not available in the death registry data.
Approximately 26,288 of the total cases are among health care workers.