On Tuesday, Governor Wolf announced that starting September 21st, restaurants may (but are not required to) increase their indoor seating capacity to 50%. This accommodation will finally provide some relief to the industry many believe has been the most significantly impacted by the Governor’s mitigation efforts. On its face, this increased occupancy appears to be good news, but it comes with a catch that may significantly impact many operators. Restrictions and Requirements Most notably,…

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly every facet of our lives.  With many people still out of work, some are struggling to figure out how they are going to make rent while putting food on their tables.  This became even more of a reality knowing that the Governor’s temporary ban on evictions and foreclosures ended on August 31. Earlier this week, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a temporary moratorium on evictions…

Back in April, I wrote about Student Loan Forbearance During Coronavirus under the CARES Act. Under the CARES Act, federal student loan payments were put on automatic forbearance by the U.S. Department of Education until September 30, 2020. On August 8, 2020, with a little less than two months left on the original forbearance period, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum to the Secretary of Education continuing student loan payment relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.…

The COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Small Business Assistance Program is not brand new. Initially, it was anticipated to have four rounds of grants lasting until October 2020. The CARES Act passed in late March is providing the funding.  $96 million has already been distributed with about $104 million remaining for small businesses. However, like everything else in 2020, things have changed.  Additional restrictions on bars and restaurants along with the falling GDP has caused Pennsylvania to…

Since March, various entities and political subdivisions have created loan and grant programs to assist businesses and individuals facing COVID-19 related losses and damages.  We have discussed in prior blogs a series of larger programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program. However, this post focuses on funding opportunities for farmers and ranchers. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Dairy CARES Reimbursement Program The Dairy CARES Reimbursement Program is designed for Pennsylvania dairy farmers who have experienced…

The ability to quickly share information with a large number of people is one of the powerful things about the Internet. But with great power comes great responsibility. Or at least it should. Particularly for the major tech platforms, content moderation – making sure the information being shared is accurate – is vital. But for many years, a variety of actors have taken advantage of the lack of oversight to disseminate information that lacks…