LEHIGH COUNTY

DROP BOXES: On Thursday, Oct. 15, the Lehigh County Election Board voted to approve the current drop box preparations and distribution protocol. The boxes will be available to Lehigh County residents once this vote has been approved by the Election Board. Five drop boxes will be available in each Lehigh County district, including the Lehigh County Government Center.

Preparations were in place to have the boxes available to accept completed ballots at the five Lehigh County municipality locations by Friday, Oct. 16, with the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Department set for courier pick-up starting Monday, Oct. 19. Lehigh County sheriff deputies will be undergoing training to ensure all drop boxes and ballots will be handled properly.

The safe and secure Government Center Lobby ballot box is currently available 24-hour, seven days per week for ballot drop- off.

Please be advised that citizens are currently able to mail in their ballot through the U.S. Postal Service or by handing their ballot in directly to the Lehigh County Voter Registration Office. Voters are encouraged to follow through with these two methods if they are unable to wait for a Lehigh County drop box.

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

CORONER’S REPORT: As of Oct. 13, 287 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded by the Northampton County Coroner (257 residents/30 non-residents). An additional 55 deaths of Northampton County residents have been reported by the Lehigh County Coroner as of Sept. 28. Between the two counties, they have recorded 312 deaths of Northampton County residents from COVID-19.

LEHIGH VALLEY

FREE WALK-IN COVID-19 TESTING: In collaboration with St. Luke’s University Health Network and other community partners, the CATE Mobile Response Unit will visit various Lehigh Valley locations to conduct COVID-19 testing on-site for individuals who are showing symptoms or who have been exposed to COVID-19 while also educating the public on how to stay healthy and safe.

Through a shared vision for healthcare equality and a commitment for supporting diverse and underserved communities, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Highmark Blue Shield, Independence Blue Cross, and Latino Connection partnered to create a COVID-19 Mobile Response Unit, CATE, with the unified purpose of building healthy communities through accessibility to knowledge and care. CATE, which stands for Community-Accessible Testing & Education, focuses on providing testing, education, and resources to individuals in low-income, vulnerable communities.

The mobile response unit’s tagline is “Sharing knowledge to erase fear,” which it intends to do through widespread community healthcare and health education offered for free and with no insurance required.

CATE’s schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday, Oct. 14, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Bethlehem -- Marvine ES, 1425 Livingston St.

• Monday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Bethlehem -- Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley 520 E. Fouth St.

• Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Easton -- Easton Neighborhood Center, 902 Philadelphia Rd

• Monday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Tuesday, Nov, 10, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

In addition to St. Luke’s, other community partners supporting these events include State Rep. Pete Schweyer, Allentown Health Bureau, Bethlehem Health Bureau, Bethlehem Area School District, Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, Easton Neighborhood Center and Star Wellness.

PENNSYLVANIA

PLCB ENFORCEMENT: Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement Officers visited 315 licensed liquor establishments from Tuesday, Oct. 13 through Thursday, Oct. 15 to ensure businesses are abiding by COVID-19 mitigation requirements that include social distancing, masking, and other health and safety requirements of the liquor code.

Liquor Control Enforcement Officers issued seven notices of violation and 26 warnings for failing to follow COVID-19 requirements.

RENT/MORTGAGE RELIEF: Governor Tom Wolf has announced the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is improving the COVID Relief Mortgage and Rental Assistance Grant Program to help more renters and homeowners remain in their homes. Effective Oct. 17, landlords and mortgagees have a new option to reach agreements with renters and homeowners for repayment of rent and mortgage payments above the program’s $750 monthly cap. The program previously required them to forgive the balance of the payment.

Last week the governor signed an executive order extending the application deadline to Nov. 4.

GAMING: Figures released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board show total gaming and fantasy contests revenue generated in the Commonwealth during September was $284,235,444, which represents an increase of 1 percent compared to revenue generated in September 2019.

2021 VIRTUAL FARM SHOW: The Department of Agriculture has expanded on competitive event opportunities for the virtual 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show. More than 20 opportunities are available, with every competition having modified rules and regulations to effectively mitigate against COVID-19.

The virtual Farm Show will hold the following competitive events: Agriculture Education; Apiary; Beer; Christmas trees; Corn and small grains; Family Living; Jr. Market Cattle; Maple syrup; Mushrooms; Potatoes; Vegetables; Wine; and Wool.

In additional to these Farm Show staple competitions, new opportunities include a Coloring Contest, Educational Video Contest, Public Speaking Contest, and additional Skill-a-thon contests.

Competitors are encouraged to review the rules and regulations prior to entering, as they feature changes to classes, registration requirements, entry deadline, and method of getting items to the Farm Show Complex.

The virtual 2021 Pennsylvania Farm Show is scheduled to take place from Saturday, Jan. 9-Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021. Virtual events will be focused on education and awareness for both the general public and the agriculture industry.

INSPECTING AND TESTING: Hundreds of Department of Agriculture employees continue to work from home and serve the public faithfully and efficiently.

In many ways, the Department of Agriculture was ready for this. The department has been investing in employee mobility since 2015, when it started a department-wide hardware refresh focused on laptops with docking stations rather than desktop computers, noted Agriculture Deputy Secretary Cheryl Cook.

Agriculture employees can also answer public calls from anywhere through Skype.

Approximately one-third of commonwealth employees are either teleworking full-time or splitting their time between telework and working onsite based on their job duties. The Office of Administration has also developed resources to support employees and supervisors while teleworking.