The injunction filed Thursday, which received a hearing Friday afternoon, specifically requested the court order the school district to stop reassigning teachers before the contractual reassignment process was followed and stop refusing to accept accommodation requests under Gov. Tim Walz’s Executive Order 20-82.
It also stressed that schools shouldn't reopen until more safety measures are in place, including ramped up vaccine availability for teachers and staff members.
The court granted a limited temporary restraining order enjoining the district from requiring that members return to work in person on Monday if they have already obtained accommodations to work from home or are currently seeking them. The court also agreed that the district appears to have unilaterally changed the teacher contract’s reassignment procedures. The union is likely to succeed on this issue with the PERB and will pursue this issue in their unfair labor practices complaint.
In its conclusion of the law pertaining to this order, the court stated that accommodations should be permitted due to the balance of harms.
"The risk of contracting a serious illness which has killed almost a half-million persons in the United States is axiomatically a profound harm," District Judge Susan Robiner wrote in the ruling.
The order also stated that because it understands at least 40% of Minneapolis students have chosen to remain distance learners, the district should be able to have educators provide remote instruction to remote learners instead of reporting to a school building to do so.
“Here, remaining at home has been an acceptable, reasonable accommodation since March 2020," the ruling states. "And while Members working from home will likely not be able to perform essential functions for classroom learners, they have already demonstrated they are able to perform the essential functions without undue hardship for students who remain remote learners."
Robiner clarified that her ruling was not directed at the school district's plan to return students to in-person classes.
Minneapolis Public Schools issued a statement Sunday applauding the ruling and reiterated the district's intent to bring students and staff back into the classrooms starting Monday.
"We are confident in our decision to return to in-person learning, as is our state-mandated Regional COVID Support Team, because MPS has taken all the steps and more that health experts have recommended to prioritize the health and safety of our staff and students," the statement read, in part.
A Minneapolis Public Schools survey found nearly 50% of parents wanted their children to return to school.
When Bryce Monkivitch was 25, his family sent him to China to work in his uncle's factory. That adventure didn’t turn out as planned. “He thought I was too immature and said, ‘Go home and get an education,’” Monkivitch recalls.
Monkivitch was hurt and disappointed. "It was a huge knock to my ego," he says.
But Monkivitch, who lives in Queensland, Australia, realized his uncle meant to help him and decided to get practical. He enrolled in accounting classes at TAFE Queensland. Six months into studying, however, he gave in to the temptation to start a business selling dog hats online through Facebook and Instagram. He had found a supplier for the hats through Alibaba, the online marketplace.
Sister and brother Joy and Bryce Monkivitch turned their juniors fashion brand Sincere Sally into a ... [+]million-dollar, two-person business.
Marie Mcmahon
Sales took off, thanks to the pictures he posted of the pooches in their cute headgear. He'd soon ventured into selling trendy clothing to teens and young women, creating an online store on the platform Shopify using $5,000 he saved from doing freelance concrete work. That was in March 2018.
That business, Sincere Sally, now brings in the equivalent of more than USD $1 million annually. Monkivitch, 30, runs it with his sister, Joy. They sell their apparel in both the Australian market and the U.S. The store competes with brands such as Nasty Gal, Fashion Nova and Princess Polly.
Monkivitch is part of a trend that keeps on growing and is becoming increasingly global—the growth of million-dollar, one- and two-person businesses and partnerships.
According to U.S. Census statistics, 41,666 "nonemployer" firms—those staffed only by the owners— hit $1-2.49 million in revenue in 2018—the largest number on record and 48% increase since 2011.
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I was not able to find an exact equivalent to this data in Australia, but to give you some context, 62% of the 2.3 million small businesses in 2019 were "sole traders" —a category similar to nonemployer firms. Among this 2.3 million, 34% bring in revenue from $200,000 to less than $2 million, according to the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman.
So how has Monkivitch been able to succeed so quickly? Here were some of his growth strategies.
Embrace mobile apps. Monkivitch, who learned coding growing up,built an app—similar to a bot—thatstarts conversations with people on Facebook and Instagram. It talks with them about what styles they like and gives them offers and discount codes to attract them to his shop. Once he started using it, he says, “it was selling huge quantities.”
Build strong relationships with suppliers. With only a small amount of startup capital, Monkivitch hunted for a factory that was willing to take on some of the risk of making clothes before he sold them. That was critical to getting off to a strong start. “If we got an order, they would go and fill the order,” he says. “They would have the stock there.” As the company grew, that changed and he began stocking up on his own inventory.
Learn to love online marketing. Monkivitch taught himself how to use paid Facebook ads to spread the word. Knowing his way around the platform has come in handy, with ads getting more expensive and merchants competing with the Australian government for ads. “You have to learn pretty quickly,” he says.
Monkivitch spent last year traveling around the globe with other young entrepreneurs and influencers involved in online selling. “Hanging out with them and people who are really engaged in marketing has helped me to become much better,” he says. “I’m pretty much obsessed with marketing. It’s pretty much all I do every day—figuring out more effective marketing techniques.”
Tap the power of micro-influencers. Through his app, Monkivitchworks with individuals, known as micro-influencers, who start conversations on Instagram with potential customers. The micro-influencers are given a discount code they can place on their own Instagram account, so the company can track sales they drive and pay them a commission.
With many micro-influencers based in the Philippines, Monkivitch has traveled there to offer training. "We're building communities there," he says. "That's also why we're getting rapid growth."
Team up. For the first two years, Monkivitch ran the business solo. Then he joined forces with his sister Joy. And she was also in the same age group as his target customers and up on the latest fashions. “My sister was intrigued by it,” he says.
With his store thriving, Monkivitch is glad his uncle encouraged him to "quit mucking around" and get serious about this direction in life. When COVID hit, Monkivitch expected business to be a nightmare. To his great surprise, when stimulus money started flowing, many of customers spent it on new clothes at his store. "Our sales went through the roof," he says. Fortunately, he’s got the accounting skills to keep track of it all.
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) is seen at the international medical humanitarian organisation MSF logistique centre in Merignac near Bordeaux, France, December 6, 2018. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau
SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has temporarily suspended its operations in El Salvador after one of its teams came under attack from an armed gang, the medical NGO said on Sunday.
“All of our medical activities are suspended for the time being, but not canceled, until we can investigate this, and it’s clear we can carry out our interventions safely,” MSF said.
MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said the attack occurred in the municipality of Ilopango on the eastern fringe of San Salvador, as its team was traveling by ambulance in response to an emergency call. Local media described the assailants as suspected gang members.
Members of the MSF team suffered some light injuries and bruises, but no one was seriously injured, the NGO said.
It was unclear what provoked the attack, which was condemned by the government of El Salvador.
Ilopango is regarded as potentially dangerous area in El Salvador, one of a group of Central American countries that has for years battled to keep chronic gang violence in check.
Reporting by Nelson Renteria; editing by Diane Craft
But the song "Lady Day" made most famous had nothing to do with love.
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
"Strange Fruit," first recorded in 1939, was a protest song about the lynching of African Americans in the South. The song rankled some elements of the White establishment, and Holiday was told to quit singing "Strange Fruit" … or else.
"And they communicated this to her? The feds communicated this to her, 'Stop singing the song'?" asked correspondent Tracy Smith.
"In the beginning, yes," said director Lee Daniels. "Yeah. 'Be a good girl, stop singing the song.'"
"And she said …?"
"'Okay, bye. See ya' in church.'"
Daniels, the Oscar-nominated director of "Precious," is the force behind "The United States vs. Billie Holiday," a new film debuting next month on Hulu, about Lady Day's prosecution by what was then the Federal Bureau of Narcotics.
Daniels said, "They sent her to jail. They planted drugs on her. They gave her boyfriends, her managers drugs to plant on her. They were after her."
The lead role of Billie Holiday is practically inhabited by singer-songwriter Andra Day. In fact, her last name, Day, is actually a stage name she picked years ago as an homage to Lady Day.
By the way, this is her first acting job, ever.
To watch a trailer for "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" click on the player below:
Smith asked Day, "So, when you first heard about this role, playing Billie Holiday, did you think, 'I have to do this'?"
"No. I thought, 'I definitely have to get out of this somehow. I have to not do this!'" Day replied. "You know, I don't, there's probably no better way to say this: I didn't want to suck."
"And you thought you might suck?"
"I was certain that I was gonna be terrible."
And Daniels wasn't exactly keen on her, either: "Everyone was telling me that I had to meet with her. So, I begrudgedly met with her."
"Really? It was reluctant?" asked Smith.
"Yeah. I'd interviewed some incredible actors. And, I don't like being told what to do."
But Daniels said his heart melted once he met her, and she got the part.
To make up for her lack of acting experience, Andra became kind of a Billie Holiday expert. She read just about everything ever printed about her, and carried it around with her in an over-stuffed shopping bag. She laughed when asked if she will ever through the bag away. "Probably never!"
Until now, Andra Day was best known for the song "Rise Up":
It might as well have been soundtrack of her own upbringing in San Diego, California.
"We didn't have much money," she said. "Oftentimes, we didn't have any money. You know, I look back at memories sometimes of us like, for instance, sleeping in our van or, you know, but it's like I don't remember any of that. As kids, none of that really touched us, because I think both of our parents made sure we had a lot of love and a lot of support."
Her big break came in 2010 when Stevie Wonder happened to hear her sing, which led to her first album, a pair of Grammy nominations, and eventually the role of a lifetime.
You might remember the first big-screen bio-pic about Billie Holiday: 1972's "Lady Sings the Blues." For Daniels, that movie was a life-changer.
"I saw 'Lady Sings the Blues' when I was 13 years old in Philadelphia," he said. "And that movie inspired me to become a director. I had never seen anything like it. It was two Black people in love. Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, the most beautiful couple ever. Fashion. Music. It just felt like the world that I knew. And I had never seen that before."
But Daniels said the story he wanted to tell was about how Billie Holiday risked her career and her freedom for civil rights.
Smith asked, "Do you hope that this changes how people see Billie Holiday?"
"Yeah, Yeah. They see her as a bad ass. They see her as a hero, a civil rights hero."
But the film doesn't pull any punches in showing the reality of Holiday's life – a woman who endured decades of abuse and drug addiction, until her untimely death at age 44.
For Andra Day, just playing Holiday was an emotional roller-coaster ride, and when Smith spoke with her recently, it was clear that the ride hasn't quite ended.
"It's life-changing, totally?" Smith asked.
"Completely life-changing. And I get emotional, thinking and talking about it, because I'm very, very grateful to everybody on the set," Day said, tearing up. "S***. Sorry."
"It's okay. What gets to you?"
"Honestly, I was not ready to let her go."
"What do you think it is? Why do you think you're not ready to let that go? To let her go?"
"I don't know,' Day said. "There were just places of freedom that I feel like I was able to go to, as her, that I was never comfortable going in my own personal life."
But Day told us that the torment was worth it, and right now her name is part of just about every conversation about awards.
Smith said, "I know this is an awkward question, but I'm going to ask you anyway: You know there's Oscar buzz."
"Oh, gosh, yeah. I've been hearing here, little birdies here and there. Yeah."
Billie Holiday knew that if you risk nothing, you gain nothing. It seems the woman who plays her knows that, too.
As Daniels said, "She trusted me. And I trusted her. And she was willing to jump off the ledge with me. That's rare. When you can find an actor to jump off the ledge with you, you'll end up with Billie Holiday."
For more info:
Story produced by John D'Amelio. Editor: Remington Korper.
Holiday had 21 points (7-17 FG, 5-10 3PT, 2-2 FT), five rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in Saturday's loss to Charlotte.
While Holiday was under 50 percent from the field overall, his five three-pointers were this second-most in any game this season, while his 10 attempts tied a season high. Holiday has now topped 20 points in four of his last six games, averaging 18.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.2 steals during that span (36.8 MPG).
Did procrastination get the best of you for holiday returns? Fortunately, Amazon made returning a bit more stress-free and convenient this year.
But, customers should not wait much longer to make those returns. The company extended the last day for holiday returns until Jan. 31.
This only applies for purchases made between Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.
Amazon will automatically refund up to $20 for postage costs when sending items back.
If customers return a defective, damaged or incorrect item, they will be refunded the full postage cost, as well as the import fees deposit once the return is processed.
According to their store policy, it may take up to 25 days for an item to reach them once returned. Once the item is received, it takes two business days for the refund to be processed and three to five days for the refund amount to show up in the customer's account.
WASHINGTON – He was an arm-draping pol as a senator. He hung out in the Senate cloakroom chatting up legislators as vice president. He pitched himself during the presidential campaign as someone who could “get people working together” and lower the temperature in a Washington overheated by Donald Trump.
Now, after his first full week as president, Joe Biden is coming face to face with the potential limitations of his ability to work across the aisle as he pushes for a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that is the first big test of his tenure.
Republicans are balking at the price tag and Democrats are sending signals that they’re willing to push the bill through without GOP help as Biden’s campaign pitch to be a deal-maker appears to be giving way to the reality of a Senate that does not resemble the one he once inhabited.
In a nod to reality, Biden told reporters on Friday: “I support passing COVID relief with support from Republicans if we can get it. But the COVID relief has to pass -- no ifs, ands or buts.”
The White House has not given up hope of landing some GOP support for the package, and Biden’s call list bears that out. But some of Biden’s courtship is also directed at members of his own party to make sure a deal gets done.
He has called Sen. Susan Collins of Maine several times since his inauguration, and the moderate Republican says she has a “closer relationship” with Biden than she did with Trump.
Biden has made repeated calls to senators in his own party, including two centrists -- Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona -- who have expressed some concerns about the package, according to three people familiar with the calls who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversations.
A retail politician who never misses a chance for small talk or schmooze, Biden has been penned in somewhat by the pandemic, which limits the face-to-face interactions on which he thrives. But there’s still his peerless phone book, built over four decades of dealing with senators on both sides of the political divide.
“When he decides to make one of those calls, he doesn’t really require a call sheet, a sheet that tells him exactly what to say to a member of Congress and how to outline the bill,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in an interview on MSNBC. “He knows. He’s known a lot of these people for decades.”
Claire McCaskill, a former Democratic senator from Missouri, says Biden is “workman-like in terms of his outreach and it was not unusual for me to run into Joe Biden in the Senate cloakroom when he was vice president” to Barack Obama.
“He burned up the phone lines,” McCaskill said. “Obama was terrible at that part of the job, while Biden was good at it, to both parties.”
Having spent 36 years in the Senate and eight as vice president, Biden made bipartisan outreach a central promise, even when many in his party argued that Republicans no longer were interested in working across the aisle.
Biden’s most notable deal-making success came in the Obama-era fiscal showdowns during the rise of the tea party Republicans. The landmark agreements locked in tax and spending cuts for a decade -- and soured some progressive Democrats on Biden’s brand of compromise.
As vice president, Biden was a trusted emissary to Capitol Hill for Obama, who had served just four years in the Senate.
Biden arrived as a presence in the halls of Congress at several critical junctures. He helped cut a 2010 deal to prevent the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts, then negotiated on the landmark Budget Control Act of 2011 that slashed spending and walked the country back from the 2012 “fiscal cliff” of looming tax increases and budget reductions.
“Biden’s chief virtue as a negotiator is the understanding that ‘Look, you have politics on your side, I have politics on my side, we both have to live within our political constraints,’” said Rohit Kumar, former deputy chief of staff to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “His pitch: ‘I know there are certain things you can’t do and I am not going to make them deal breakers. We have to get a deal I can sell, a deal you can sell.’”
As senator, Biden also prized his relationships with colleagues, even though his nightly commute home to Delaware cut into his ability to socialize with other lawmakers.
“Well, I don’t want to ruin him, but he did work with us on occasion,” said former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss.
Lott said Biden was not someone he recalls as often being in the room when Senate leadership was trying to work out a deal on major bills. But Lott pointed to two major instances when he was: the 1994 crime bill and the 2002 Iraq War resolution, a pair of measures for which Biden has since expressed regret.
Still, Lott said Biden’s relationship with McConnell was real and could pay dividends again.
“They worked out an agreement that basically is what they’ve been working off ever since,” Lott said. “Somebody in the media referred to Biden then as the McConnell whisperer.”
Still, the Senate has changed markedly since Biden first joined decades ago, with different skills now in currency as senators gain status on social media, raise money beyond their home states and spend less time socializing with one another in Washington.
Biden’s style of old-school, one-on-one cajoling may be less persuasive for senators from either party who cultivate their own brands and don’t necessarily rely on proximity to presidential power to raise their profiles.
And, of course, policy matters. The parties are more split than ever over the legislative remedies for the nation, a partisan divide that political scientists see as on par with the rifts of the Civil War era.
Biden aides worry that Republicans will continue to balk no matter how many personal phone calls they get from the president or post-pandemic invitations they receive to high-profile events at the White House.
Their boss may be the last one to buy in to that.
“There’s people who say you can’t work with the other side,” Biden said a year ago. “And if that’s the case, prepare your children for a totally different U.S., a totally different world. I don’t believe it.”
___
Lemire reported from New York.
___
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Alexandra Jaffe contributed to this report.
Cheerful business team having morning briefing in office.
getty
The Covid-19 pandemic has wiped a lot of people out emotionally. That’s why fostering a positive, empowering work culture will be a critical component of your organization’s success in 2021. If you want to attract and retain the best talent, you will need to create a work culture worth embracing.
Culture starts from the top down. Managers can begin to effect positive changes in their organization by making it a personal commitment. Be the change that you hope to see in others — but only if you can do so with authenticity. Employees will be quick to spot hypocrisy.
Below are five practices that are key to bringing about a work environment that others will envy. I’m convinced that a deep commitment to these ideals has helped my companies thrive despite all Covid-19’s challenges.
Reward Prosocial Behavior
Most companies already reward employees based on their performance. There’s nothing new or innovative about that. I’ve found that many managers miss out, though, by not rewarding positive behaviors that don’t directly affect the bottom line.
While it’s obviously important to celebrate efforts that advance your company’s financial health, money shouldn’t always be your highest priority. Your top sales rep might be head and shoulders above the closest competitor, reliably ringing up sales where others come away empty-handed. But if that person is an incredible jerk, treating other employees as if they were worthless, that’s not behavior you want to promote.
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Instead, look for what a psychologist might call “prosocial behavior”—words and actions that are intended to help others. When you see it, call it out immediately, before the occurrence slips your mind. If you can’t stop to offer an employee specific praise at that moment, jot something down that will jog your memory later. By investing effort into acknowledging this type of behavior, you’ll encourage collaborative and supportive relationships.
Look Beyond Credentials
The best employee for your company might not be the one who comes to the interview process with the most extensive experience or impressive degrees. Your hiring practices should take non-obvious criteria into account. What are the people skills you should consider when adding someone new to the team?
You may find more long-term success by teaching and guiding a less experienced candidate with stronger soft skills than taking on an MBA with an ego problem. Work with your executive and HR teams to determine how best to weigh both credentials and intangibles in the hiring process.
Of course, we can’t hire people just because they seem nice, much as we might want to. When building my team, I look to strike a balance between soft and hard skills. I’ve learned that going to either extreme invariably leads to problems I easily could have avoided had I paid closer attention during the vetting process.
Promote Autonomy
Micromanagement lowers morale, stifles innovation, and kills creativity. It also creates a high and expensive turnover rate.
Managers can engage in demoralizing micromanagement behavior without even realizing it, setting strict guidelines and requirements where they’re not needed. In a pandemic-battered economy, where workers are already feeling stressed, smart managers will reward good work performance with an increase in personal autonomy.
Remote work arrangements during the peak of the pandemic gave numerous companies an opportunity to embrace autonomy and flexibility with their teams. One happy result of the pandemic-fueled rush to at-home work was the fact that many employees performed better when released from the 9-5 birdcage. I know plenty of people doing higher-quality work because their new remote lifestyle allows them to focus in ways that weren’t possible in an office setting.
The first quarter of 2021 strikes me as the perfect time to step back and let your employees figure out for themselves what suits them best. If that’s working from home, great. If it’s a return to the office, that’s fine, too. Ask your people to propose their own solutions to the work-life balance issue.
Make Your ‘Open Door’ Policy a Reality
I’ve found that it’s one thing to say, “My door is always open” and another to actually mean it. To make a positive work culture a priority, you will need to solicit feedback and, when appropriate, act upon it. This requires you to sharpen your active listening skills.
Even if you’re swamped, resist the impulse to be short with a worker who takes you up on your open door policy. Stay engaged when someone comes to you with an idea for improvement. If you don’t have the mental bandwidth at the specific moment they show up, schedule a time to follow up. You might be surprised to find that they have some really good ideas to implement.
As appropriate, spend time getting to know more about your employees’ lives outside the office. What are they interested in? What do they do for fun? Asking questions like these will help you connect on a more personal level and make office life a more natural extension of who your people are. Workers who are allowed to be their authentic selves at work will be happier and, thus, more productive.
Embrace Technology
While promoting a healthy work culture primarily involves soft skills, technology can really help bring your vision to life. Communication is an essential part of any healthy organization, and you’ll want to invest in technology that makes that easy, especially with remote workers in the mix. Something as simple as a company-wide messaging system will keep employees in touch with you and each other.
Your work culture can (and should) spill over into your customer relationship strategy as well. The happier your team, the better they’ll treat your customers. But that’s not to say tools can’t offer an assist. Effective CRM tools improve communication between businesses and the consumer, helping to develop long-lasting relationships that convert to sales.
A positive work culture will benefit everyone in your company as we navigate into 2021 and beyond. Begin noting the changes you’d like to make, but don’t make the mistake of pushing too far, too fast. If you set a reasonable pace, the changes to your work culture will gain greater buy-in and be more likely to stick.
Andrew joined Community Impact Newspaper in early 2019 after moving from Indiana. He is a 2015 graduate from Indiana State University, where he received degrees in English and journalism. He has written for a number of small town publications throughout his career as a reporter.
Littleton was poised to get to work on a $10 million project to relieve congestion at one of its most troublesome intersections. Then the pandemic hit — upending government budgets across the state.
Now officials in the south metro Denver city are scrounging to find about $2 million to fulfill the local contribution required for a federal grant on the project, which would build a reliever road to route some traffic away from the Santa Fe Drive and West Mineral Avenue intersection. Money is tighter for some other projects, too.
“The picture wasn’t particularly rosy before COVID,” said Keith Reester, Littleton’s director of public works and utilities, with longstanding challenges facing the city’s capital projects fund. “Now we’re kind of in a waiting period to see what happens for a bit, as we plan for the future.”
The financial hit from the pandemic has forced cities and towns across the state to put off projects, cut back on investments in their infrastructure or defer more maintenance to better economic times. In a recent survey organized by the Colorado Municipal League, the most common fiscal challenges expected by local officials in 2021 included unfunded street maintenance and improvements as well as waterworks projects.
The dynamic is playing out in varying ways, according to interviews with local officials in several regions of the state. In Denver, city leaders decided to accelerate projects from a huge multiyear bond package, which is insulated from the downturn. But declining tax revenue has forced trims for regular capital programs, including road resurfacing, and for annual maintenance programs.
In Fort Collins, city officials worry about getting too far behind on maintenance, facility upgrades and replacement of aging city vehicles.
And in Breckenridge, wildly fluctuating tax revenue last year has prompted caution — a common posture in tourism-heavy mountain towns, many of which drew normal summer crowds while other months rated among their worst ever. Breckenridge has a major parking garage project underway downtown, but town officials have put accompanying streetscape upgrades, including signage and heated walkways, on hold until they see how the ski season pans out.
Littleton has a potential relief valve on the horizon. Its voters last fall allowed the start of recreational marijuana sales, and City Manager Mark Relph says the resulting tax money could fill the gap for some projects or help keep the city vehicle fleet up to date. But with competing priorities, that decision hasn’t been made yet.
Protecting services came at a cost
When shut-down orders last March stanched the flow of tax revenue to cities and towns across the state, local officials feared the worst. They went to work slashing their operating budgets and put off some capital projects, too — preparing for the biggest economic hit since the Great Recession.
Though their worst fears didn’t come to pass, significant budget challenges arose.
In many cases, cities were able to ease up on employee furloughs and cuts, aided in part by federal relief money that also enabled community aid programs. The loosening of public health restrictions during the summer allowed for more normal economic activity — though restrictions tightened again in some parts of the state, including metro Denver, when coronavirus cases skyrocketed in the fall.
“With how scared we were, we’ve done much better than we expected,” said Heather Brooks, the city manager for Alamosa in southern Colorado’s agriculture-rich San Luis Valley.
But Kevin Bommer, the Colorado Municipal League’s executive director, said the results from the group’s annual survey, released Jan. 19, show that resiliency is reflected more in cities’ operating budgets than in the capital funds that cover projects and maintenance. He noted that many local governments already had extensive backlogs of deferred maintenance and infrastructure projects, thanks in part to the lingering effects of the Great Recession.
“What that tells me is that municipalities rallied to protect core services,” Bommer said, which meant prioritizing workers’ salaries. “They did everything they could to keep the people providing services — and then made decisions about paying for projects.”
That’s in keeping with cities’ and towns’ priorities during past downturns.
The CML has 270 cities and towns as members, and 173 — nearly two-thirds — participated in the survey through early fall, as they were crafting their 2021 budgets.
36% of cities and towns that responded cut back spending on capital improvements during 2020, and another 13% were considering the move at the time of the survey.
Heading into 2021, 78% expected unfunded street and road maintenance and other improvement needs to be a fiscal challenge, making it the most common concern. Thirty-five percent rated this as a major challenge.
68% said unfunded water and wastewater utility improvement needs would be a challenge in 2021, including 28% that rated it as a major challenge. This was the third most common concern, behind the lack of affordable housing, which came in second at 76%.
Cities also consider impact of projects
Fort Collins city officials share some of those worries, though they have some insulation — their annual capital program has been buoyed by its own dedicated sales tax, safeguarding many projects.
But the city delayed work on major portions of one prominent project, a $3.5 million rehab of Linden Street in its Old Town area that aims to make it more pedestrian-oriented. City Manager Darin Atteberry and Travis Storin, the city’s chief financial officer, said shops and restaurants in the area still were reeling from pandemic restrictions.
“Had we started it, it would’ve slammed a lot of businesses right during the holiday season,” Storin said.
It might not be the right time for such a disruptive project for another year or more, Atteberry said.
In the state’s largest city, the bottom line looks downright optimistic — Denver’s 2021 budget calls for $482.6 million in spending on capital improvements, up more than $20 million over last year.
But that reflects efforts made by city officials to offset declining revenue and the end of an annual transfer from the general fund to support projects. Julie Smith, a spokeswoman for Denver’s finance department, said city officials decided to add $100 million to supercharge what would have been a $70 million bond issuance. It’s the latest phase of the $937 million Elevate Denver bond program that is paying for a raft of specific projects across the city.
The city capitalized on low interest rates, she said, and considers the extra spending, which would’ve happened in coming years anyway, a local stimulus program.
Also on a strong footing overall is Grand Junction, the Western Slope’s most populous city. That city’s leaders also credit a bond program approved by its voters prior to the pandemic.
The city budget has recovered quicker than most, due in part to Mesa County’s looser public health restrictions compared to other large counties during much of the pandemic, allowing businesses to operate more normally. The bond program raised $50 million last year, with many projects getting underway this year as part of Grand Junction’s $85 million budget for capital projects.
“It’s the largest capital expenditure budget in a number of years, and maybe even ever,” City Manager Greg Caton said.
Still, the construction industry is watching municipal-level spending warily across Colorado.
Roughly a third of the workload in Colorado comes from projects initiated by local governments, according to the Colorado Contractors Association, which says it’s bracing for a moderate downturn in spending on road, bridge, transit and other non-building projects this year.
But that will depend heavily on whether Congress approves a third round of COVID relief with aid for state and local governments — a prospect also being watched by city officials in Littleton, Fort Collins and other cities that might benefit. Separately, state officials are discussing proposals for more spending on highway projects, some of which may seep down to local projects.
“We’re definitely bracing for a bit of a downturn in 2021 due to the pandemic,” said Tony Milo, the association’s executive director. ” At the same time, we are hopeful that due to some help from the federal government and work by our governor and our General Assembly, we can cobble together some additional infrastructure money … and keep the economy moving forward.”
Happy birthday (Jan. 31): No one teaches the bird to make a nest. You, like the bird, will tap into those instincts that came part and parcel with the collective knowledge of Mother Nature and build a beautiful structure of protection, solace and nurturing. From there, you'll sing yourself to the sky, attracting the right company to share it with.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Resolve problems quickly regardless of how small and inconsequential they seem. Otherwise, tiny tangles of troubles in the corners of your mind will have a way of slowing your thought processes.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When the map disagrees with the ground, even the best cartographer in the world knows which is at fault. You'll be given instructions. Feel free to forget them all in favor of reacting to what's going on.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21): The day brings a happiness trifecta: something to do, someone to love and an event on the horizon to look forward to. Your appreciation of life's balance makes this steadiness all the sweeter.
CANCER (June 22-July 22): The picture looks better when the image is defined. Bringing more light to it isn't necessarily bringing more clarity. You need the darkness, too. It's the interplay of light and shadow that provides definition.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You tend to take any responsibility as seriously as if you were getting paid to fulfill the order. However, your attitude can get a little lax with your responsibilities to yourself. Fight this. Show up stronger for yourself.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Through meditation, you can sweep out your mind. However, as with most things that get swept, it only stays clear for the few moments it takes to set the stage for a glorious torrent of ideas.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Even though you don't have all the tools you need to make what you want to make, start anyway. While you're already moving, you'll learn what you need and who has it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): Conversation comes from the subconscious. This is why you sometimes are very surprised at what you say. For instance, today a thought occurs to you for the first time just as it leaps from your tongue.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Your critical eye will be helpful in many tasks of the day, but use it judiciously. It won't always be appropriate to offer an opinion. And when working alone, save the critical phase for after the creative brainstorming.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Words can intrigue, delight, offend and portend — but they can't actually do. You'll be made aware of just how much can happen only in the thrust of action.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In some faiths, it is believed that there is, at our deepest level, a part of us that cannot be stained. This eternal purity within, if you can imagine it exists, will be accessible. One touch can fuel your day.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A while back when you were reorganizing the pantry of your mind, an expensive little nugget of bitterness got pushed to the back wall. It's still there, though without potency, as faded as an old spice.
MOON OF FOCUSED POWER
It is the very nature of power to change hands. Like an Olympic torch, the point is to take it as far as duty allows and then pass it on. Does your awareness of the temporary nature of authority make you want to use yours very well while you can? Under this industrious Virgo moon, take charge with great focus and effectiveness.
FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
This Mercury retrograde has changed the rules of communication to a randomized algorithm. Don’t let that frighten you. This isn’t a limitation so much as a twist. Sure, things may not land as intended, but that’s where the thrill comes in. The greater the risk, the better chance you have at reaching straight into a person’s heart — or offending deeply. What if you used it as an opportunity to try something different? Take stab at making someone laugh or skip boring small talk to get right to the point of the interaction. Flirt with a new vernacular. How brave you are will correlate with the way you want to be seen and understood by another person.
It’s the same with moods as it is with playground swing sets. There is no way to widen the range without widening it in both directions. You cannot swing very high forward without also experiencing the stomach-dropping dip and opposite backward rush. Accept the high-low reality, and then consider giving up any struggle or resistance to the backward ride. Why dread what is only setting you up to soar into the sky?
CELEBRITY PROFILES
Justin Timberlake is starring in a new movie for Apple TV, “Palmer” about a convicted felon who takes on the responsibility of caring for a 7-year-old boy whose interest in dolls, fairies and tea parties make him a target for bullying. Timberlake has the sun and Mars in socially conscious Aquarius and expressive Mercury in Pisces, a highly artistic and intuitive placement perfect for actors.
DEDHAM, Maine (WABI) - Whether it’s at his day job or in his budding side business, one Dedham man puts his heart into everything he does.
However, Justin Upton’s introduction to woodworking didn’t exactly set the stage for his future success.
“I did some (woodworking) in high school,” Upton said. “I actually shaved part of my finger off with a sander. So, I kind of stopped for a while there.”
About five years ago, Upton found his way back to the workbench.
“I just really wanted to make something,” Upton explained. “I like working with my hands, I like creating stuff. So I started with a couple small tools, made a couple small projects.”
Upton’s portfolio now includes planters, cutting board, Adirondack chairs, and other custom pieces. A few months ago, he converted part of his garage into a workspace. It allowed him more space and the ability to work through the cold Maine winter months.
He had the skill and the space. All he needed was a name.
Late last year, while standing in line at Subway, it came to him: Heartwood Designs.
“Heartwood is the center of a tree. This is a piece of walnut here,” Upton said, holding up a cutting board. “The center, this darker color, is the heartwood.”
There’s a second meaning, too. Upton is a cardiac sonographer, a calling he went back to school for nearly a decade after graduating from Bucksport High.
“Echocardiography is challenging. There’s so many variables,” Upton said. “There is a little bit of pressure, especially when you’re up in the operating room and they’ve just placed a new valve and they say, ‘How’s it look?’ And you have to find a picture right away, and it has to be good, and it has to be clear. It can be a little high-pressure, but I enjoy that.”
It’s a challenging profession, made even harder by COVID-19. Lucky for Upton, he’s found an outlet.
“At work you really kind of have to be ‘on,’ so to speak,” said Upton. “When I come out here -- I mean there’s a lot of thinking involved in this -- but I can kind of go into autopilot. Like, this is a lot more relaxed. It’s soothing, it’s almost therapeutic to come out here. I know what I’ve got to do, and just do it. Put some good music on and just kind of go.”
As for what’s next for his business, Upton is looking to expand further. He tells TV5 he wants to begin crafting dining tables and other larger-scale projects.
(WETM) – New York State Department of Labor has implemented a new rule that redefines how part-time work impacts unemployment benefits.
The change makes the partial unemployment system more neutral and more equitable for New Yorkers who have the opportunity to work part-time while collecting regular Unemployment Insurance and PUA benefits.
According to the DOL, the new system is also an “hours-based” approach.
Under the new rules, you can work up to 7 days per week without losing full unemployment benefits for that week. According to the DOL, this is if you work 30 hours or less and earn $504 or less in gross pay, excluding earnings from self-employment.
DOL said, with the change, benefits, will not be reduced for each day you work part-time instead, the benefits will be reduced in increments based on your total hours of work for the week.
I was very surprised by the editorial of January 20, “Chico can teach Washington a thing or two.” Would you have the city council teach Washington to create problems, leaving non-profits to fix them as best they can?
Even with life-threatening weather forecast, the city council continues to oust homeless people from their camp sites before adequate alternatives are ready. I’m glad the council will temporarily change restrictive building codes, but it was the Fire Marshall who closed down the successful Safe Space Program in the first place by insisting codes applied to them.
The newly available Safe Spaces will shelter maybe 30. The Torres Shelter’s new program of quarantining in motels and then allowing residence at the shelter may eventually house approximately 80 more, but not right away. What should the other evictees do?
Chico government shows little support for the excellent work of our non-profits. Safe Space is 100% supported by private donation. The Jesus Center is about 99% privately funded with a small block grant from the city. The Torres Shelter had great support from the City in 2000-2003 when it was built, but not so much now.
On January 21 the Sacramento Bee headline was “City Council OKs ‘Safe Grounds’ homeless ordinance,” for which it will pay costs. If Chico’s city council would follow Sacramento’s example, and also provide more financial support for the nonprofits, that would be reason for Chico to congratulate itself.
Hard work more-than paid off for Lucinda Brand at the cyclocross world championships Saturday.
Having been bettered by compatriots Annemarie Worst and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado at both the 2020 worlds and last year’s Dutch nationals, Brand turned the tables to top an all-Dutch podium Saturday and cap a standout season that has also landed her the World Cup overall.
Brand’s first-ever cyclocross world title and rise to the top of the Dutch pecking order was, ironically enough, forged under the eye of Belgian CX legend Sven Nys and a block of tune-up sessions in the heart of Nys’ home country.
“This title is indeed the fruit of hard work,” Brand said in her post-race press conference. “Months of hard work with Sven has paid off. All those training sessions with him have paid off.”
“In recent weeks I was more in Belgium than in Rotterdam,” she continued. “I almost feel Belgian! And because of that, I drove around confidently. I was not always in the ideal position, but I knew I could make it up.”
When coronavirus put a stop on the 31-year-old’s road season with Trek-Segafredo last spring, Brand turned her attention to tuning up her ‘cross form. Having long been elbowing with the best of her Dutch compatriots through her cyclocross winters, Brand took the pause in road racing as an opportunity to balance up her raw road power with the technical efficiency that had previously left her lagging against cyclocross specialists.
The result was regular skills sessions under the guidance of double world champ Nys and rides with male Belgian teammates from her Trek-Baloise Lions ‘cross team. For the final build to the Ostende worlds, Brand based herself in the heart of rival territory in the bid to make the difference on her Dutch colleagues.
Brand’s success over her Dutch rivals came after training in Belgium with under the mentorship of CX legend Sven Nys. Photo: Luc Claessen/Getty Image
After seeing her chances at a world title go up in smoke in Dubendorf last winter as mechanicals hindered her progress in the final lap, Brand was the most consistent across the tricky Ostende course and its combination of deep sand, high bridges and technical grassy passages this weekend.
The race came down to a tense three-way fight with Worst and Denise Betsema, and while her younger rivals each had sectors where they stood out and others where they suffered, Brand was able to stitch each passage together flawlessly.
The consistency landed her the victory she had long been so close to having finished in the top-4 of the previous four world championships.
“After so many times being so close, and now finally after such a great season is really great,” Brand said after the race.
“The intention was to give everything [in the last lap],” she continued. “I stayed very focused until the end, and I am very proud of myself. Finally, it worked – it’s very liberating to be able to put your hands in the air. I had no part of the course where I could really make a difference, but the hardness of the combination of all the parts was in my favor.”
2021: From Roubaix to the USA, with a stop-off in Tokyo
Brand will center her road season around Paris-Roubaix and the Tokyo Olympics Photo: Luc Claessen/Getty Image
With a world title and World Cup overall in her pocket, Brand will trade her ‘cross rainbow jersey for the blue and white of her Trek-Segafredo road team. The Dutchwoman is slated to start her classics season at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad late February in what will make for an early taste for the cobbles ahead of her major goal: the inaugural women’s Paris-Roubaix.
“I want to have a nice spring, with Paris-Roubaix as the main goal, to help force my qualification for the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” she said.
Whether Brand squeezes into the all-star Dutch road team in Tokyo or not, she’s hoping to get back into her cyclocross champion’s jersey as soon as possible in the fall. Having typically enjoyed a short reset between her road and CX schedule, the prospect of rocking the rainbow bands is pulling Brand toward the early-season ‘crosses in the U.S.
“I definitely want to participate in the American crosses at the start of the new cyclocross season, if they come,” she said. “Having this title doesn’t mean I’ve achieved my goal in cyclocross. On the contrary, I want more. ”
Apple's Q1 2021 results were the highest ever for the Cupertino giant, with a later iPhone release schedule and many other factors supersizing typically huge results. Here's a breakdown of the key figures Apple disclosed about its holiday quarter fortunes.
On Wednesday, Apple held its usual release and analyst conference call to discuss its holiday quarter results. Usually, the quarter proves to be high-earning due to seasonality, but other elements came into play to help push the company to new heights, and into the hundred-billion-dollar range of revenue for the first time.
Revenue and Net Profit
For the quarter, Apple disclosed it had earned $111.4 billion in total revenue across all of its businesses. This set a new record for the company among others, eclipsing its previous-highest revenue of $91.8 billion from Q1 2020. This represented an improvement of 21.4 % year-on-year, which is also the highest YoY increase in quarterly revenue for the company since Q4 2015.
The graph shows Apple's ongoing growth, as well as its extreme seasonality for revenue, driven by iPhone releases. Of all of the quarters in a year, Q1 has always been the highest for Apple, and was the most likely candidate to go past the $100 million revenue milestone.
Net profit increased to $28.8 billion, which is an increase of 29.3% year-on-year. This increase in net profit relative to revenue may be good for investors, as it may show that Apple is earning more profit in general than last year.
Gross Margin
The gross margin is also typically a good indicator of Apple's profitability. For Q1 2021, the gross margin of $44.3 billion is up 25.9% from the same period in 2020.
As a proportion of revenue, the gross margin percentage is 39.78%. This isn't as massively exciting as the net profit increase, as gross margin generally sits in the range of 37.5% to 40%, and while the quarter is certainly at the high end of the range, it's still below 40%.
The last time Apple saw a gross margin percentage above 40% was Q1 2016, when it hit 40.1%.
Products
Regular observers of Apple's financial results will be familiar with the way Apple's product revenue is dominated by the iPhone, and for Q1 2021 there's no exception. Putting all of the product categories together, there's obviously a difference in how much iPhone pulls in over the rest.
Even so, it is worth keeping track of the Services and Wearables, Home, and Accessories units, as they are continuing to steadily grow.
Following a year of COVID-19 and increased demand for hardware, it is to be expected for all of Apple's arms to see positive revenue changes over the previous year. The outlier of the group is iPad, which has enjoyed stellar sales for the period.
In this graph, it's much easier to see the growth of the Services and Wearables, Home, and Accessories arms from quarter to quarter, generating a larger proportion of revenue each time.
iPhone
The later launch of the iPhone 12 range in the quarter helped boost the holiday quarter's sales a bit, rather than affecting the tail-end of the previous quarter. This, as well as higher demand for the more expensive models, improved the revenue for the quarter to $65.6 billion, up 17.2% year-on-year.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is confident that there's more room to grow, as "everybody doesn't have an iPhone," as well as the company not reaching a majority share in any market as yet. Cook did comment that there are now over 1 billion iPhones in active use, which will help its Services arm grow.
iPad
While not as high-revenue as the iPhone, it's probable many would consider the iPad to be the most impressive unit for the company in the quarter. While its $8.4 billion is a far cry from the iPhone revenue, it's also a staggering 41.1% YoY increase.
Even more sod, this follows the Q4 quarter, when the unit saw a 46% YoY growth spurt, again driven by COVID-19 social distancing and work-from-home initiatives.
Mac
Much like the iPad, the Mac segment continued to benefit from social distancing measures, and has done so for the third successive quarter. Revenue of $8.7 billion gives it growth of 21.2%, which isn't quite the 29.2% seen last quarter, but still considerably better than Q1 2020's "growth" of 0.2%.
Services
The Services arm has always been a reliable business for Apple since it started counting it as its own segment in 2014. For Q1 2021, it's reached its highest level, at $15.8 billion of revenue, with it again most likely benefiting from people staying at home and using their devices more often.
More importantly for Services, this is yet another quarter that it saw YoY growth. Furthermore, at 24%, it's a considerable improvement over the sub-20% growth seen in the last eight quarters.
Unlike the other physical product-led categories, the Services arm is more likely to be a stable financial source for Apple, since it relies on devices that are in use for App Store purchases and subscriptions, rather than hardware sales. While other categories may wane in the future, Services will probably keep chugging along for a long time without too much change, short of a major negative event for the company.
Wearables, Home, and Accessories
The relative newcomer to the units, the Wearables, Home, and Accessories category is still seeing high revenue gains, exceeding $10 billion for the second time with $13 billion. Within a few years, the category, which covers AirPods, the Apple Watch, and other products, has managed to more than double in value for the company, eclipsing iPad and Mac with Services firmly in its sights.
Much like Services, this category is enjoying considerable year-on-year growth that is quite reliable, but with higher percentages. For the quarter, it saw 29.6% growth YoY, a percentage that again has likely been influenced by consumer trends prompted by the Coronavirus.
Regional Revenue
On a territorial basis, Apple's main revenue stems from the Americas primarily at $46.3 billion, followed by Europe at $27.3 billion, Greater China at $21.3 billion, Japan at $8.26 billion, and then Rest of Asia Pacific with $8.23 billion.
All regions enjoyed YoY growth, but some are considerably higher than normal. Along with China's massive 57% growth spurt, Japan also saw a YoY increase of 32.8%, with Europe up 17.3% YoY, the Americas with 11.9%, and Rest of Asia Pacific rounding out the group at 11.5%.
If you look at it in terms of proportional revenue, you can see that both Europe and the Americas dropped by a few percentage points to 24.5% and 41.6% respectively, both for sequential quarters and when put against Q1 2020. By contrast, China saw its revenue share balloon from Q1's 14.8% to 19.1%.
Once again, China is becoming more of a big deal for Apple.
China
While China is susceptible to the same seasonality as other regions, it is the most volatile among the group. Just looking at revenue in China for Q1 in 2019 and 2020, you can see a drop from what was observed in 2018, something this year's figures firmly counter.
It seems that the last two years were disappointing for Apple, and something about the holiday quarter energized the China market. As Cook said, it was "more than an iPhone story," though he also admitted there was a pent-up demand for a 5G iPhone that helped matters.
Looking at China's YoY growth, it's plain to see some stagnation in the last few years, a trend the latest results certainly buck. It may be a far cry from the stratospheric growth seen in 2015, but it's certainly a sign such heights are entirely possible for the company in the future, under the right circumstances.
Did procrastination get the best of you for holiday returns? Fortunately, Amazon made returning a bit more stress-free and convenient this year.
But, customers should not wait much longer to make those returns. The company extended the last day for holiday returns until Jan. 31.
This only applies for purchases made between Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.
Amazon will automatically refund up to $20 for postage costs when sending items back.
If customers return a defective, damaged or incorrect item, they will be refunded the full postage cost, as well as the import fees deposit once the return is processed.
According to their store policy, it may take up to 25 days for an item to reach them once returned. Once the item is received, it takes two business days for the refund to be processed and three to five days for the refund amount to show up in the customer's account.
Pennsylvania State Police on Friday announced citations against Lehigh Valley bars and restaurants for allegedly violating the three-week ban on indoor dining over the holidays.
Gov. Tom Wolf and Dr. Rachel Levine, then the state’s health secretary, instituted the temporary ban that also affected businesses like gyms and casinos as well as high school sports, from Dec. 12 to Jan. 4.
“This virus continues to rage in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said at the time. “And over the past several weeks it’s become clear that we need to take further mitigation actions to protect Pennsylvanians and stop the spread of COVID-19. We all hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”
Pennsylvania’s count of new coronavirus cases is now beginning to slow following a surge that coincided with the holiday period, with the latest numbers showing 839,239 cumulative cases of COVID-19 statewide with 21,606 deaths.
The state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement in Allentown announced the following citations were issued this month, related to state COVID-19 mitigation measures. The charges will be brought before an administrative law judge who can impose penalties of $50 to $1,000, and up to $5,000 for more serious offenses. Liquor-license holders could also face suspension or revocation, or mandated training.
Lehigh County
Frederick’s Sports Page Inc./Corner Pocket, 1102 Lehigh St. in Allentown, was cited for allegedly failing to provide face masks for employees or require that they be worn by employees at all times while at the establishment; selling or serving alcohol in a transaction that did not include a meal; allowing bar seating; and serving, selling or allowing the consumption of food or alcohol inside the premises on Dec. 23.
The bar’s owner, Rob Clark, told lehighvalleylive.com he thinks the holiday shutdown was unconstitutional.
“I am doing what my constitutional rights tell me I can do, which is run my business,” he said Friday. “I didn’t spend all this money to open a bar and not be able to run a business based on somebody’s fear.
“Any citation that will be coming along will be given to my attorney and will be fought in court,” Clark said.
A lawsuit brought by business owners and a state House candidate alleging Wolf’s springtime shutdown order was unconstitutional was rejected in the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
DiGiacomo’s Inc.’s Greg’s West End Saloon, 1837-39 Tilghman St. in Allentown, was cited for allegedly failing to require all customers to wear face masks while entering, exiting or walking around inside the establishment; failing to provide masks for employees or require that they be worn by employees at all times while at the establishment; selling or serving alcohol in a transaction that did not include a meal; permitting consumption of alcohol or food while not seated; allowing patrons in excess of 25% of capacity without self-certifying for a higher capacity under its fire code limitations; and selling or providing alcohol for on-premises consumption after 11 p.m. on Dec. 4 and after midnight on Dec. 5.
A woman tending bar there Friday declined to comment.
Anderdre Corp.’s Leather Corner Post Hotel, 6855 Horseshoe Road in Orefield, Lowhill Township, was cited for allegedly failing to require all customers to wear face masks while entering, exiting or walking around inside the establishment; failing to provide masks for employees or require that they be worn by employees at all times while at the establishment; and serving, selling or allowing the consumption of food or alcohol inside the premises on Dec. 26.
Lauren Anderson, who manages the bar owned by her father, told lehighvalleylive.com they are trying to keep their family business running, and that 2020 was a “struggle for us all year taking a big, big hit.”
Brooke Derek Inc.’s Riley’s Restaurant & Pub, 4505 Main St. in Whitehall Township, was cited for allegedly serving, selling or allowing the consumption of food or alcohol inside the premises on Dec. 23.
Owner Bert Charlie on Saturday said he could fight the citation “but it’s also easier to pay the $50 fine.”
Charlie further said that the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office on Friday dismissed separate citations against Riley’s and other businesses for allegedly violating the holidays ban on indoor dining. The AG’s office was not immediately available for comment Saturday, and court records show that the case was dismissed Jan. 21 against only one establishment.
“It seems like the state is ready to get back to work as usual,” Charlie said of the further dismissals Friday for his and the other businesses previously cited.
Legends Valley at Best Station Hotel, 4425 Best Station Road in Washington Township, was cited for allegedly serving, selling or allowing the consumption of food or alcohol inside the premises on Dec. 29.
A message left seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Commix Hotel, 3245 W. Emmaus Ave. in Salisbury Township, was cited for allegedly serving, selling or allowing the consumption of food or alcohol inside the premises on Dec. 31.
Efforts to reach Commix for comment were unsuccessful Friday and Saturday.
Northampton County
Seven Sirens Brewing Co. LLC, 327 Broadway in Bethlehem was cited for allegedly failing to require all customers to wear face masks while entering, exiting or walking around inside the establishment; and serving, selling or allowing the consumption of food or alcohol inside the premises on Dec. 23; and serving, selling or allowing the consumption of food or alcohol inside the premises on Dec. 26.
Co-owner Joshua Divers said Friday they had gotten warnings but he was unaware of any citations filed. Divers ahead of the holiday shutdown told lehighvalleylive.com that Seven Sirens could not afford to close down over the holidays, but that it would follow the state’s other COVID-19 mitigation requirements.
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