Hits and misses
We are encouraged that Gov. Tom Wolf is easing some of the restrictions placed on restaurants July 15, when COVID-19 cases were surging across Pennsylvania. Starting Sept. 21, restaurants will be permitted to seat diners at 50% of their occupancy limit – up from the current 25% – but bar service will still be prohibited, and alcohol consumption will remain limited to food sales until 10 p.m., an hour earlier than mandated in the previous order. Wolf’s update requires restaurants to certify they are complying with social distancing, masking and other requirements to help slow the spread of the virus. Those who refuse to do so will have to adhere to the 25% occupancy rule. Though a far cry from a return to business as usual, we tend to agree with Mike Williamson, operations manager for Solomon’s Seafood in Washington, who said, “50% is a step in the right direction.”
Striking members of United Auto Workers Local 1311 marked their one-year anniversary on the picket line at Langeloth Metallurgical Co. last week. The work stoppage over senior rights and safety, initiated Sept. 9, 2019, by 80 union members at the ore processing facility in Smith Township appears to be no closer to ending, with no new talks scheduled since December. “Guys are down, but they’re sticking together and going to fight it to the end,” said Joe Avolia, vice president of the union local. We encourage both sides to return to the bargaining table in an effort to get workers back on the job.
Kudos to the Greater Washington County Food Bank for its forward thinking and efforts to “go green,” which eventually will save thousands of dollars that can be put to use to help feed the hungry in our area. The food bank recently began installing solar panels at its 22-acre site in Centerville, which is expected to generate about $30,000 in annual savings and nearly offset the nonprofit’s energy costs and needs to fuel the five hydroponic and aquaponics units on its farm. “We’re dealing with a lot of economic uncertainty across the country, including here, because of COVID, and in those times, nonprofit organizations see changes in the levels of giving and fundraising,” Morgan Livingston, food bank farm manager, told our reporter. “We still have a lot of corporations and individuals supporting us, but we’re seeing a decline. It’s important to reduce our operational expenses when we’re going through times like this.”