>>The Latest
(Undated) -- Here's the latest news: Officials say the Lancaster area has set a record for new COVID-19 cases last week. Reading's Police Department will shorten officers' work shifts in 2022. The Lancaster County amusement park known as Dutch Wonderland will host its first New Year's Eve Party this year
>>Lancaste rCounty Sets Record For Weekly COVID-19 Cases
(Lancaster County, PA) -- County officials say the Lancaster area has set a record for new COVID-19 cases last week. Nearly 29-hundred infections were reported for the seven-day period ending December 25th according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The case total for that week surpassed the 2,846 cases detected in a one-week period in early December 2020. The county's seven-day case average reached about 416 new cases per day on Dec. 26th. Officials say that was its second-highest mark of the pandemic and nearly double what it was just a month ago.
>>Length of Police Shifts to Change in Upcoming Year
(Reading, PA) -- The Reading Police Department has announced that it will shorten work shifts for its officers in 2022. During the Reading City Council's Committee of the Whole meeting Monday, Police Chief Richard Tornielli says the department will be switching to a 12-hour shift schedule. The move is part of an effort to avoid having police work seven to ten-day stretches. The year-long trial period will begin Jan. 3 and will allow police to work no more than three days in a row. Tornielli also says the new shifts will help prevent excessive overtime.
>>Work on Schlegel Park Pool to Proceed, Open Late Next Spring
(Reading, PA) -- City councilors have approved funding to resume work on Reading's Schlegel Park pool. Monday night, the council adopted an ordinance to amend the 2021 capital improvement fund budget to use half a million dollars to cover the cost of the project. The pool has been closed for the past two seasons, but city officials said the renovation of the pool will be completed in time for it to open by Memorial Day. A one-point-four-million-dollar contract was awarded for the project in 2020, but work was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
>>Reading City Councilors Say Yard Waste Must Not Be Dumped in Public Spaces
(Reading, PA) -- Reading's City Council has amended its code to prohibit the dumping of yard waste in city parks, playgrounds, preserves and public spaces. District Two Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz says some residents think it is safe and even helpful to dump organic waste in natural areas. But she says this is not the case and that yard waste should be collected by the city. She says the public-space dumping practice causes the growth of invasive plant species and other problems in parks and open areas. The councilwoman also stresses that yard waste must be gathered in biodegradable bags and placed curbside for the weekly collections.
>>Dutch Wonderland To Host New Year's Eve Party
(Lancaster, PA) -- The Lancaster County amusement park known as Dutch Wonderland is open all this week for its winter wonderland event and will also host its first New Year's Eve Party this year. Park officials say Friday's festivities will be the first time the park will be open on New Year's Eve. The children's New Years Eve party kicks off at 3:30 with a 4:00 p.m. diamond drop to bring in the new year. Marketing Manager Nate King says the New Year's Eve event is included with park admission.