PA election and COVID-19 news

While Joe Biden was accepting the Democratic nomination for president last Thursday, President Donald Trump visited Northeast Pennsylvania. During a speech in Biden’s hometown of Scranton—Trump accused his opponent of abandoning the city. Experts are predicting Pennsylvania will be a key battleground state in November.

In Wayne County, officials are concerned about COVID-19’s effect on housing. In an effort to enhance its affordable housing capabilities, the county has increased the fees for services offered by the recorder of deeds. 85 percent of this revenue will go toward increasing affordable housing.

With the General Election drawing near, many questions remain unanswered about the status of PA’s vote-by-mail system. Wayne County Commissioner and Election Board Chair Jocelyn Cramer has announced that she will be issuing weekly updates to residents about what will be new and what will be the same in this year’s presidential election.

In Pennsylvania school news, the Department of Education recently published a memo stating that facial coverings will be mandatory the entire school day—even while students are sitting six feet apart. The only exceptions include during meals and designated mask breaks. As guidance and requirements continue to change in Harrisburg, school officials throughout Pennsylvania are concerned about the legal liabilities of reopening during a pandemic. Lawmakers have not yet indicated whether they would pass legislation to protect schools from COVID-19 lawsuits.

NYS election and COVID-19 news

New York State recently signed three pieces of legislation which will make it easier for New Yorkers to vote by mail. The bills allow residents to request an absentee ballot due to risk of illness more than 30 days before an election, and allow ballots to be postmarked on the day of the election, November 3. One of the new laws, also states that any absentee ballot should be presumed timely even if it does not bear a dated postmark, as long as the ballot was received and time-stamped by the day after Election Day. 

Last week, the Sullivan County Legislature unanimously agreed to create the Broadband Access Local Development Corporation. They took this vote in preparation for the county’s upcoming wireless broadband project, which is projected to reach up to 60 percent of the local population with high-speed internet access. The county aims to roll out the service, funded by both grants and revenue from subscribers to the service.

The Loch Sheldrake college, SUNY Sullivan, has announced that its residence halls will not be opened for the fall semester. It has also announced that most classes will be done remotely. Courses at SUNY Sullivan which require in-person learning will be front-loaded so that they can conclude by Thanksgiving week.

And Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order last Friday, extending his moratorium on commercial evictions until September 20.