Almost every Lancaster County elected official contacted by LNP | LancasterOnline this week has received the COVID-19 vaccine or plans to once eligible.
And for the most part, these officials are actively encouraging constituents who want the vaccine to receive it once they become eligible, sharing updates about how to access the vaccine and pointing people to VaccinateLancaster.org to schedule an appointment at the county’s mass vaccination center.
Only one official who responded âstate Rep. Mark Gillen, R-Brecknock Township â said he does not plan to get the vaccine, though he would be eligible now as a 65-year-old man.
âItâs probably not a good idea for legislators to be scooping up scarce vaccines,â Gillen said. âI just feel like Iâm in good enough condition. ⦠For a 65-year-old, I run every day, I work out on the farm and I feel confident in my health, and at this point I donât think itâs necessary.â
THE ISSUE
Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA reported two stories in the past week that also were published on LancasterOnline: one detailing how Pennsylvania state lawmakers, led by House Democrats, âbanked hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional taxpayer money for meals and lodging while on official businessâ in 2020 by availing themselves of a perk called âper diemsâ; the other about the retreats that Republican state lawmakers have planned at a lavish resort in the Laurel Highlands in Fayette County. Spotlight PA is a nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer; its partners include LNP Media Group.
Over the course of a year marked by surreal and distressing disruption, one thing didnât change: the inclination of too many state lawmakers to feast on the public dime.
Courtesy of Claudia Scritchfield
Child and Migrant Services used to host weekly dinners for workers, but due to COVID-19 now makes about 150 free meals every week that it delivers to workers or makes available for pickup.
Last March, Mesa County was still bracing for impact.
Cases of COVID-19 had started to spark in resort communities and along the Front Range, but this rural swath of the Western Slope was largely untouched.
Within months, however, it would have one of the highest coronavirus infection rates in Colorado.
Maria Frausto remembers the emotional toll that took on local migrant workers, as well as the valley’s settled immigrant families.
Pennsylvania House bill would allow employees to refuse Covid tests, vaccine bizjournals.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bizjournals.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon urged all property and casualty insurers to grant deadline extensions to property insurance policyholders who are still struggling with their insurance claims from the historic 2020 storm season.