Updated on March 18
•Cray Youth and Family Services has postponed its 26th annual bowl-a-thon. The event has been rescheduled for May 16.
•PA CareerLink Lawrence County is closing through March 30 because of coronavirus concerns. Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) also is cancelled for the month of March, but this will not influence unemployment benefits, the office said. PA CareerLink Lawrence County staff will be available to provide services online to customers and employers. The PA CareerLink® website is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.pacareerlink.pa.gov.
•Facilities at state park and forests in Pennsylvania will be closed for 14 days effective today to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Closed facilities include park and forest offices and visitor centers, restrooms, campgrounds, cabins and all forms of overnight accommodations and public programs, events, and trainings are canceled. The public will still be able to access trails, lakes, forests, roads, and parking areas for passive and dispersed recreation, such as hiking.
•Human Services Center is adapting its service delivery to follow CDC and PA Department of Health guidelines for COVID-19. HSC Crisis Services are available 24/7 for those experiencing a mental health crisis by calling (724) 652-9000. For the foreseeable future, Human Services Center is suspending its “Walk-In Initial Contact and Intake” model. All initial contacts and intakes will be conducted bt telephone until further notice. Anyone interested in starting services is to call (724) 658-3578. HSC scheduled services will be delivered via the use of telehealth or telephone contact. Clients should contact their scheduled provider by phone to discuss their options. HSC staff will be reaching out to those it serves to provide support during the need for social distancing.
•The Glory Grille at First Presbyterian Church on Saturday will be a grab-and-go lunch. Bag lunches will be distributed from the porches of the church from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.. The building will not be accessible to Glory Grille patrons and there will be no clothing distribution.
•State Rep. Chris Sainato, D-Lawrence, has temporarily closed his New Castle district office to the public. Sainato’s staff will continue serving the community remotely, through phone and email communications. Please call (724) 656-1112 or email csainato@pahouse.net or dmcquist@pahouse.net.
•The paint-and-sip fundraiser to benefit the Lawrence County Animal Relief Fund scheduled for 6 p.m. March 22 has been canceled. For those who have bought tickets, hold on to them as they will be valid when the event is rescheduled.
•The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has implemented partial closures of all 17 service plazas along its 552-mile roadway. This means that no fast-food or inside dining will be available. Inside restrooms are closed. Fuel is available and the convenience stores are open. Portable toilets are also available. Special cleaning attention will be given to portable toilets which will be regularly serviced and sanitized twice daily. Each service plaza has two hand-washing stations.
•The Wilmington Township Civic League’s annual quilt show, scheduled for 10 a.m. March 28, has been canceled.
•Butler County Community College will transition to remote instruction or cancel all noncredit workforce development, public safety, lifelong learning and adult literacy courses and trainings until further notice, no matter the scheduled location. In a release sent Friday, the college noted that noncredit courses and trainings were expected to continue as scheduled if held at non-BC3 locations that have not closed. BC3 officials will contact students registered for noncredit courses that may transition to remote instruction or are canceled.
•Church of Genesis is canceling services and all programs for the next two weeks and will continue to evaluate the situation. The Neighborhood Pantry will continue to meet the needs of the food insecure with a modified program.
Updated on March 16
•The Lawrence County YMCA closed its facilities Monday night. The closure affects the downtown Y, the Preston-Chambers Y-Zone and the dek hockey rink and child development center. Individuals who would like some help to remain fit at home can visit lawcoymca.org/ywithyou.
•The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has announced the closure of all Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores indefinitely at 9 p.m. Tuesday to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Toward the end of the month, the PLCB will re-evaluate its operations, guided by the strategy developed by the Governor’s Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
•All Masses within the Diocese of Pittsburgh have been canceled until further notice. The moratorium applies to both weekday and Sunday Masses, Bishop David A. Zubik said Sunday. Arrangements are being made to live stream more Masses in the days ahead. Bishop Zubik is calling for a special day of prayer in the Diocese of Pittsburgh on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, a great feast of the Blessed Mother. More information will be forthcoming. Directives about the celebration of the sacraments of Baptism, Penance, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, as well as appropriate pastoral attention to funerals and weddings will be forthcoming as well.
•The American Legion Post 749 in Wampum has canceled its all-you-can eat breakfast scheduled for Saturday.
•The New Castle Eagles Auxiliary 455 bus trip to the Meadows Casino that was scheduled for March 23 has been postponed to a later date. The club is also canceling the anniversary dinner scheduled for April, and biweekly meetings are canceled until further notice.
• The WIMODAUSIS meeting scheduled for April 8 has been canceled.
•The Scott Township Volunteer Fire Department is canceling its bingo for at least two weeks.
•The Scott Township Volunteer Fire Department has also canceled this year's gun show that was scheduled for later this month.
•The Tamburitzans' performance, scheduled for 3 p.m. March 29 at Lincoln High School, has been postponed. There are plans to reschedule it.
•The Rochester district office of state Sen. Elder Vogel is closed to in-person service. Staff will be available to respond to phone messages and emails. Residents seeking help with state government-related issues may call (724) 774-0444 or visit www.senatoreldervogel.com/contact-me for help.
•Gov. Tom Wolf extended a shutdown order to the entire state of Pennsylvania in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus, he said Monday.
•Giant Eagle and Market District stores will operate from 7 a.m to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
•Walmart stores will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until further notice. Walmart employees will keep their regular daytime or evening shifts, the company said.
•Save-A-Lot's two New Castle locations indicate that the Butler Avenue store is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the Field Club Commons store is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Updated on March 15
•The New Castle Public Library, Ellwood City Public Library and F.D. Campbell Memorial Library, members of the Lawrence County Federated Library System will be closed to the public through March 29. The Outreach Services van will also be out of service. The New Castle Public Library will have phone service, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the closure.
•The Tax Outreach program of the Lawrence County Treasurer's Office has been suspended until further notice.
The treasurer's office itself will remain open during regular business hours in the county courthouse. However, Treasurer Richard L. Rapone is encouraging taxpayers to mail their 2020 tax statement as opposed to paying in person. The address is 430 Court St., New Castle PA 16101. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope to get a receipt. There is also a drop box located on the door of the original courthouse, which is checked daily.
Online services include dog license sales, www.padoglicense.com; tax payments, co.lawrence.pa.us/taxes/; and tax certifications, www.epaygov.com/tax/lawrco. A third-party convenience fee applies in all three case. Other online help includes applications for bingo and small games of chance, https://tinyurl.com/tbtmglu; fishing information, www.fishandboat.com; and hunting information, www.pgc.pa.gov. For more information call the treasurer's office at (724) 656-2124.
•The second annual Oneness event scheduled for March 29 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral has been postponed. Organizers plan to reschedule it for the fall.
•The Union Township Muncipal Building will be closed to the public until further notice. Township staff can be reached by calling (724) 658-7921, or the tax collector at (724) 656-8456 and hitting 0.
Taxes can be mailed to the address on the statement. A receipt will be mailed back.
Updated on March 13
•All schools in Pennsylvania will close for two weeks, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday as the state undertook sweeping measures aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus.
•The Lawrence County Regional Chamber of Commerce postponed its 117th annual dinner that had been scheduled Thursday night at the Scottish Rite Cathedral.
Also Thursday, the Mohawk High girls basketball team’s quest for a state championship was put on hold when the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association announced in the morning it was suspending its winter championships for a minimum of two weeks; the New Castle Sanitation Authority stopped accepting in-person payments; First Baptist Church suspended all church activities; Neshannock Township cancelled its April 11 Easter egg hunt and closed the Hess Ice Rink, effective immediately; and Ellwood City Borough has decided to limit the access of all non-essential employees and visitors to all borough-owned buildings until April 1.
•First Baptist Church on Maitland Lane is suspending all activities through into the first week of April. Activities tentatively are scheduled to resume April 4.
•The New Castle Sanitation Authority said Thursday that it has stopped accepting in-person payments at its East Washington Street office because of coronavirus concerns.
