New coronavirus cases again exceed 500; first deaths in central PA reported

March 28, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

The first coronavirus-related fatalities has been reported in central Pennsylvania, a patient from Cumberland County and another from Lancaster County.

The state Department of Health today reported that 12 people have died statewide from the disease since yesterday, including the midstate’s first fatalities. Overall, 34 people in the commonwealth have died from the COVID-19 epidemic.

The department also reported that another 533 cases have been confirmed since yesterday, with 2,751 cases statewide. That’s up from 2,218 positive COVID-19 cases yesterday.

“Our notable increase in cases over the last few days indicate we need everyone to take COVID-19 seriously,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said.

Friday marked the third straight day that new cases have exceeded 500 throughout the commonwealth.

The virus has now spread to 56 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, with another six counties reporting cases since yesterday.

Locally, Dauphin County now has 23 confirmed cases, Cumberland County has 22 cases, Lancaster County has 45 cases, York County has 37 cases, Lebanon County has 15 cases and Adams County has eight cases. Perry County reported its first case, as well.

Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 709 positive cases, followed by Montgomery County with 411 cases. These counties each have reported five deaths from the disease, the most statewide.

Moreover, Gov. Tom Wolf today expanded his “stay at home” orders to three additional counties: Beaver, Centre and Washington counties. This expands the order to 22 counties statewide, including Lancaster and York counties in central PA.

“We’re beginning to see this disease rear its ugly head in every corner of the commonwealth,” Wolf said today.

Statewide, 28,005 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 25,254 testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 23,234 had been tested for the virus.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date, the age breakdown is as follows, according to the health department:

Less than 1 percent are aged 0-4
Less than 1 percent are aged 5-12
1 percent are aged 13-18
Nearly 11 percent are aged 19-24
39 percent are aged 25-49
Nearly 28 percent are aged 50-64
19 percent are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are aged 25 to 49, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date.

“Pennsylvanians have a very important job right now: stay calm, stay home and stay safe,” Levine said. “We have seen case counts continue to increase and the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to stay home.”

Levine continued to emphasize that Pennsylvanians should do the following:

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
Clean surfaces frequently.
Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.

For more information, visit the PA Department of Health’s COVID-19 website.

The Week that Was: News and events around Harrisburg

March 27, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Bottles of hand sanitizer are ready to ship from Gettysburg’s Mason Dixon Distillery.

You know the drill: the news was all coronavirus, all the time. So, let’s cut to the chase with the weekly recap of our coverage, all listed and linked below for your reading pleasure.

COVID-19 cases skyrocketed this past week in Pennsylvania. We summarized the increasingly grim numbers each day, and you can read our latest story from Saturday by clicking here.

Distilleries in our area have stepped up to convert their facilities to the manufacture of hand sanitizer. Our online feature describes how several craft distilleries are uniquely filling a niche during the health crisis.

Harrisburg has put a moratorium on residential evictions for the duration of the city’s emergency declaration. Our online story offers all the details.

Harrisburg University still has students in its residence halls, and they need to be fed. This week, the Central PA Food Bank showed up to offer supplies for these students, and we carried several pictures of the event.

Harristown and the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District are teaming up to install temporary comfort stations near Market Street. They hope the portable toilets and basins will assist the area’s transient population and help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Click here for our online story.

Lancaster and York counties became the first midstate counties issued “stay at home” orders by Gov. Tom Wolf. What does that mean? We have a list of permissible and non-permissible activities in our online story.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore held its first virtual book talk this past week. Our writer sat in to see if technology could mimic the experience of a live author event. She shares her experience in our online story.

Parking in Harrisburg will remain free for the foreseeable future, as the city and its parking operator have extended their enforcement moratorium. Get the details from our online news story.

Pennsylvania’s primary election has been delayed about five weeks, to early June. This past week, Gov. Tom Wolf also signed significant bills regarding the school year and funding for medical supplies. We have the rundown in our online story.

Sara Bozich, like everyone else, is stuck at home, which may not be her natural way of doing things. Nonetheless, in her weekly column, she has some ideas on virtual events, as well as ways to support our community during this time.

School and state issues were in focus during Harrisburg’s second Facebook Live event, hosted by Mayor Eric Papenfuse. Click here to find out what he discussed with school district and elected officials.

Schools in PA were ordered to remain closed for at least two more weeks. The state Department of Education ordered schools to be shut down until at least April 6. Get the details from our online news story.

Small businesses are getting hit hard, as stores have been shut down and people mandated to stay home. To help, the state announced a new small business loan program with a zero-percent interest rate. Click here to find out more.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox? If not, sign up here to keep informed each day.

Harrisburg’s Facebook Live event focused on school, state issues

March 27, 2020 | by Maddie Conley

A screen shot of Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, left, along with school district Acting Superintendent Chris Celmer and Chief Academic Officer Susan Sneath.

While Harrisburg students are not in school due to the coronavirus pandemic, district officials today made it clear that they are working on continuing education outside the classroom.

“This is not a weeklong blizzard, this is not a Christmas vacation,” said Susan Sneath, chief academic officer for the Harrisburg school district. “We still have a lot of work to do.”

Through a Facebook Live event on Friday, Sneath and Acting Superintendent Chris Celmer sat down with Mayor Eric Papenfuse to discuss developments within the school district in light of the COVID-19 health crisis.

District teachers reached out to about 5,000 Harrisburg students and families and discovered that over 95 percent had access to television, Celmer said.

With that in mind, Sneath announced a new partnership with WITF, the Harrisburg area’s public broadcasting station, to link the district’s current curriculum with the station’s resources. This allows for television programming catered to all grades, K-12.

“When you can work with such an expert partner like WITF, who already has tried-and-true educational programming in place, maybe we can do something together,” Sneath said.

Papenfuse added there have been discussions with the district to use the city’s TV station, Channel 20, as a tool, as well. Sneath mentioned the possibility of having teachers broadcast lessons through the channel.

“If we are going to stay closed, we would like to take the opportunity to customize what we broadcast as much as humanly possible to truly meet the direct needs of our students,” Sneath said.

While the district is officially closed until April 9 with a return date for students of April 14, Papenfuse acknowledged that it likely could be longer. Wolf signed a bill this week that waives the 180-day requirement for school to be in session.

To support students during the crisis, Celmer announced a teacher parade for Monday at 4 p.m. Students and families are encouraged to watch from their porches as Harrisburg educators drive through the streets.

Also on Friday, Harrisburg city held another “Community Conversation” via Facebook Live. In it, Papenfuse spoke with state Rep. Patty Kim and Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries.

Kim brought to attention a few other bills passed on Friday regarding the COVID-19 crisis. They include additional funds for medical equipment in the state and a postponed Pennsylvania primary election date.

Wolf added two more central Pennsylvania counties to the “stay-at-home order” and, while Dauphin County remains off the list, Kim sees it as a looming possibility.

“I think we should all follow the same shelter-in-place order,” she said. “I’m sure the shelter-in-place will happen eventually, but why not practice it now to slow the spread?”

The following are a list of resources mentioned by the city from today’s event:

Mental health assistance, text PA741741
Dauphin County Crisis Intervention
COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program
Filing for unemployment benefits (717) 783-9342
Educational resources for Harrisburg School District students
Information on Food Assistance for students

Click here to watch the full Facebook Live event with Harrisburg school district officials.

Click here to watch the full Facebook Live event with state Rep. Patty Kim and Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries.

Harrisburg plans to continue Facebook Live events each Friday at noon during the COVID-19 health emergency.

Harristown, HDID team up to install comfort stations in downtown Harrisburg

March 27, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

The comfort stations will be located on the plaza near the escalators at 333 Market Street.

The streets of downtown Harrisburg are largely empty, and most buildings are locked up.

While this means no restaurant or bar patrons for businesses, it means something else very important–nowhere for the city’s under-housed and transient community to wash up or use a bathroom.

Therefore, two downtown organizations are teaming up to provide comfort stations for homeless men and women to use.

On Saturday, Harristown Enterprises and the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District will install comfort stations consisting of four Port-a-Potties and two wash stations. They will be located in the plaza area adjacent to the escalators at the 333 Market Street office building, according to Harristown.

“We are all facing challenges in this situation that are new to us,” said Harristown CEO Brad Jones. “We thought this would be a positive way to try to help people in need during this difficult time.”

Jones said that he hoped the comfort stations would help in two principal ways. First, they will provide support for the transient population that often relies on facilities in buildings that are now closed. And, secondly, they might help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus by allowing people to wash up.

The stations will remain in place for at least two weeks, Jones said. Afterwards, the partners will determine, based on public health recommendations, whether to extend the service, he said.

For similar reasons, the city recently set up portable sinks in two city facilities–Riverfront Park and Reservoir Park.

“Our top priority is the health and safety of our residents, especially the elderly and most vulnerable,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse, in announcing installation of the sinks earlier this week.

For more ways to assist the homeless population in the Harrisburg area, please read our feature story from our March issue.

Nine more PA counties, including two in midstate, added to “stay at home” order

March 27, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A screen shot today of Dr. Rachel Levine (right) during a virtual press conference.

Nine more counties were added today to the state’s “stay at home” order, including the first two counties in central Pennsylvania.

Gov. Tom Wolf today added Lancaster and York counties to the directive, as well as Berks, Butler, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne and Westmoreland counties. The order takes effect at 8 p.m. today and will remain in place until at least April 6.

“As those [positive COVID-19) numbers increase to a significant level, and we have evidence of community spread . . . the governor issues the order,” said state Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, during a press conference this afternoon. “In those new counties, we were seeing those trends.”

The orders will remain in place until the number of COVID-19 cases plateaus and then begins to decrease, Levine said.

“When it goes down in a significant way, then we’ll discuss that with the governor, and we’ll slowly relax some of the mitigation orders,” she said.

As of today, the state has reported 33 positive COVID-19 cases in Lancaster County and 29 in York County. Neither county has reported a fatality from the disease.

The other counties under this order are Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton and Philadelphia counties

Under the “stay at home” order, people may leave their residence only to perform any of the following allowable activities and travel:

Tasks essential to maintain health and safety, or the health and safety of their family or household members (including pets), such as obtaining medicine or medical supplies, visiting a health care professional, or obtaining supplies they need to work from home
Getting necessary services or supplies for themselves, for their family or household members, or as part of volunteer efforts, or to deliver those services or supplies to others to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences
Engaging in outdoor activity, such as walking, hiking or running if they maintain social distancing
To perform work providing essential products and services at a life-sustaining business
To care for a family member or pet in another household
Any travel related to the provision of or access to the above-mentioned individual activities or life-sustaining business activities
Travel to care for elderly, minors, dependents, persons with disabilities, or other vulnerable persons
Travel to or from educational institutions for purposes of receiving materials for distance learning, for receiving meals, and any other related services
Travel to return to a place of residence from an outside jurisdiction
Travel required by law enforcement or court order
Travel required for non-residents to return to their place of residence outside the commonwealth
Anyone performing life-sustaining travel does not need paperwork to prove the reason for travel.

The following operations are exempt:

Life-sustaining business activities
Health care or medical services providers
Access to life-sustaining services for low-income residents, including food banks
Access to child care services for employees of life-sustaining businesses that remain open as follows: child care facilities operating under the Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning waiver process; group and family child care operating in a residence; and part-day school age programs operating under an exemption from the March 19, 2020 business closure Orders
News media
Law enforcement
The federal government
Religious institutions

People experiencing homelessness are not subject to the order but are strongly urged to find shelter and government agencies are urged to take steps needed to provide shelter for those individuals, according to the governor’s office.

Coronavirus cases top 2,000 in PA, six more deaths reported

March 27, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Coronavirus cases show no sign of easing in Pennsylvania, as the state Department of Health today reported 531 new positive cases.

The latest data bring the total to 2,218 cases statewide since the pandemic began, up from 1,687 yesterday. Moreover, the state Department of Health today reported six additional deaths from the virus, bringing that total to 22 fatalities.

“Our notable increase in cases over the last few days indicate we need everyone to take COVID-19 seriously,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said.

The virus has now spread to 50 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

Locally, Dauphin County now has 18 confirmed cases, Cumberland County has 16 cases, Lancaster County has 33 cases, York County has 29 cases, Lebanon County has 12 cases and Adams County has eight cases.

Philadelphia County continues to have the most confirmed cases with 530 cases, followed by Montgomery County with 374 cases.

Statewide, 23,234 coronavirus tests have been performed, with 21,016 testing negative, according to the state health department. Yesterday, the state reported that 18,128 had been tested for the virus.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date, the age breakdown is as follows, according to the state health department:

Less than 1 percent are aged 0-4
Less than 1 percent are aged 5-12
Nearly 2 percent are aged 13-18
11 percent are aged 19-24
40 percent are aged 25-49
Nearly 28 percent are aged 50-64
18 percent are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are aged 25 to 49, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date.

In addition, the Pennsylvania State Police yesterday issued 21 warnings for failure to comply with Gov. Tom Wolf’s order that “non life-sustaining” businesses shut their physical locations. The police have now issued 78 warnings since Monday, but have not yet issued any citations.

Levine continued to emphasize that Pennsylvanians should do the following:

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
Clean surfaces frequently.
Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.

For more information, visit the PA Department of Health’s COVID-19 website.

Wolf signs bills moving primary election to June, waiving school requirement

March 27, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Screen shot of Gov. Tom Wolf, right, at a recent online press conference.

Pennsylvania has officially moved its primary election up by about five weeks, as the state tries to reduce public contact due to the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency.

Today, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill for a new election date of June 2, up from the original date of April 28.

“Delaying this year’s primary election as several other states have done is in the best interests of voters, poll workers and county election officials,” Wolf said. “I commend the General Assembly for acting quickly on this critical legislation. The Department of State will continue to work with local election officials to ensure Pennsylvania has a fair and accessible election.”

Voters also have the option to vote by mail rather than going to a polling place.

According to the state, more than 215,000 registered voters have signed up for either a mail-in or absentee ballot, with nearly 78 percent using the new online application. Those voters do not need to file new applications despite the change in primary date, Wolf’s office said today.

Wolf signed another bill waiving the 180-day requirement for schools to be in session. Most schools have been out for two weeks, and the state recently pushed up the closure order until “at least” April 6.

Wolf also signed a bill that provides $50 million for the state to purchase medical equipment and supplies for hospitals, nursing facilities and emergency medical services to meet the needs of patients and staff.

“This funding will allow Pennsylvania to get more beds, ventilators and other personal protective equipment that our health care system needs for a surge in patients,” Wolf said, in a statement. “The state and our health care system are mobilizing as fast as possible to provide medical workers with the equipment they need to care for patients.”

Harrisburg extends ticketing moratorium through emergency

March 26, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A parking meter along N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg.

Harrisburg will suspend parking enforcement through the remainder of the city’s disaster declaration, it was announced this afternoon.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said today that the city and parking operator SP+ will extend its moratorium on ticketing for on-street parking meters, residential zone parking and street sweeping until the disaster declaration is lifted.

On March 16, Papenfuse declared a disaster emergency in the city due to the COVID-19 health and resulting economic crisis.

The declaration halted ticketing through March 29, a date that has now been extended indefinitely, until the emergency ends.

The declaration also closed public access to city buildings and has resulted in a number of other actions, including a temporary halt to residential evictions throughout the city.

By state mandate, schools are also shut down, and “non life-sustaining” businesses have been ordered to close their physical locations.

Today, the state Department of Health reported a nearly 50-percent increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases since yesterday, to 1,687 cases statewide.

Community Spirits: Area distillers swap bottling spirits for sanitizer.

March 26, 2020 | by Karen Hendricks

Chad Butters of Eight Oaks Farm Distillery

Dan Healy is anxiously awaiting a shipment of hydrogen peroxide. It was due to arrive at Harrisburg’s Midstate Distillery sometime today.

You read that right. Hydrogen peroxide isn’t something the head distiller and co-owner normally orders. But then again, he’s normally producing whiskey, vodka, rum or gin. For about a week, he’s switched to production of hand sanitizer instead.

“Unfortunately the supply chain is getting taxed right now,” Healy said via phone Thursday afternoon. “I’ve also placed orders for more ethanol—close to a thousand gallons.”

The basic recipe for hand sanitizer calls for high-proof alcohol (ethanol), hydrogen peroxide and glycerin, following the World Health Organization’s guidelines. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the germ-fighting mixture is in short supply.

“It’s a blending process, calculating ratios and volumes, checking for purity standards—the process is basically what we do every day, but with slightly different chemicals,” Healy said.

On Wednesday, he bottled 34 gallons of hand sanitizer, each in a bulk-size, one-gallon bottle. He was hoping to bottle another 34 gallons today, then ramp up to several hundred gallons daily. At that point, volunteers will come in to assist his staff which includes three full time and several part time employees.

Midstate’s hand sanitizer is in good hands—Healy is distributing it to first responders including the Harrisburg police and fire bureaus, health care workers, area senior homes, and an ever-growing list of those who call and put in requests.

“The need is way outweighing our supply,” said Healy.

He estimates that at least 50 of Pennsylvania’s 100 distilleries are currently producing hand sanitizer to supply their communities to potentially protect them from COVID-19.

One of the first distilleries in the state to begin bottling hand sanitizer was Eight Oaks Farm Distillery, located in New Tripoli, in the Lehigh Valley. Midstaters may be familiar with the name because Eight Oaks operates a stand in Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market.

“I saw the price of hand sanitizer was being jacked up, and I thought it was ridiculous,” said Chad Butters, Eight Oaks’ founder.

That was about two weeks ago.

“We made the decision to shut down distillery operations on Sunday [March 15], and we had our first small batch Monday,” he said. “Also by Monday, it was very clear this was a significant crisis we were facing as a country.”

By the end of the week, the craft distillery produced 1,000 bottles, each filled with eight ounces of sanitizer.

“Now, we’re scaling up,” said Butters.

Yesterday’s grand total was 2,000 bottles—and he was predicting a batch of 8,000 bottles today. If that sounds like a lot, wait till you hear where he’s headed.

“Next week we’re aiming for 10,000 bottles a day—conservatively, and 40,000 bottles per day the week after that, then scaling up to 50,000 per day after that,” Butters said.

Three of Eight Oaks’ 25 employees are working full time to keep up with hand sanitizer orders. The precious liquid is being distributed to emergency management personnel in four counties, cancer centers including those treating pediatric patients, homeless shelters, Second Harvest Food Bank and other nonprofits.

They’re limiting points of contact by having individual representatives pick up the hand sanitizer from Eight Oaks’ facility.

Donations in all dollar amounts, to help offset costs, are being accepted on Eight Oaks’ website.

As of Wednesday, Lehigh County residents were included in Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order.

“This is absolutely mission-critical stuff,” Butters said. “This is no different than a nurse or doctor suiting up and protecting the community—we have a job to do too and it’s the right thing to do.”

Yianni Barakos, co-owner of Gettysburg’s Mason Dixon Distillery echoes those thoughts. He likened the movement to the past: During World War II, distilleries produced alcohol for the war effort.

“All of a sudden, we’re part of something bigger than ever before,” said Barakos.

He just finished his first week of hand sanitizer production, equaling just over 200 gallons.

“We are selling it to a single source—a health care system,” said Barakos. “We’re not making much if any money—but by charging we’re helping our staff.”

Bottles of hand sanitizer are boxed and ready to be shipped at Mason Dixon Distillery.

He declined to identify the health care system but said it was regional. He’s been overrun with requests for sanitizer.

“It’s been a constant emotional rollercoaster, fielding dozens of messages and requests from people, hearing their stories—I’m welling up right now,” said Barakos. “But I’m trying to put it where I think it’s going to do the most amount of good.”

While the state liquor stores are shut down, distilleries are still allowed to sell their products. Currently, Eight Oaks is not selling their spirits; Mason Dixon is shipping products via UPS; and Midstate Distillery is taking orders and offering curbside pickup.

“We still have a good supply at the moment, but unfortunately while we’re putting our resources into sanitizer, it’s going to be tough to replace our products as we run out,” said Healy. “We’ve been getting great feedback from the community—for most people, we’re their only resource for spirits right now.”

For more information, see midstatedistillery.com, eightoaksdistillery.com and masondixondistillery.com.

Distance Learning: Midtown Scholar hosts its first virtual book talk.

March 26, 2020 | by Yaasmeen Piper

Authors Katherine Stewart and John Fea

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing people to stay home and businesses to close their doors, it seems as if the entire Harrisburg area has gone dim.

However, that didn’t stop Midtown Scholar Bookstore from bringing its famous book talks to the community. They just had to get a bit more creative.

On Wednesday evening, Midtown Scholar hosted its very first virtual book talk. The new series kicked off with New York Times bestselling author Katherine Stewart and fellow author and American history professor at Messiah College, John Fea.

“Our event series is such a foundational piece of what we do here at the Scholar,” said Alex Brubaker, bookstore manager. “We couldn’t let it die simply because we couldn’t meet in person. If we can contribute some semblance of normalcy to our lives at this moment, it’s worth it.”

Almost 200 people tuned into the bookstore’s Crowdcast, a live video platform used for webinars, Q&As and more. Some audience members were streaming the book talk from places outside Harrisburg, as far away as Chicago and even Canada.

Stewart discussed her latest book, “The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism.” Fea, author of “Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump,” led the discussion surrounding religion, politics and their intersection with religious nationalism.

“It’s not just about evangelicals,” Stewart said. “[The religious nationalism movement] includes many evangelicals, but also excludes evangelicals and includes a variety of both Protestant and non-Protestant forms of religion.”

Stewart’s book dives into how America’s religious conservatives evolved into the Christian nationalist movement, which, she said, is better funded and more organized than many people realize. She reveals how the movement relies on think tanks, advocacy groups, pastoral organizations and even other religious nationalists around the world.

Both authors and Brubaker sat in their own rooms, with books lining the walls and dim lighting, almost giving the feeling of being back in the bookstore. Aside from very few technical hiccups, the conversation flowed smoothly. Audience members were able to chat amongst themselves using the live chat on the right-hand side of their screens.

For the Q&A portion of the talk, people were able to submit questions using the “ask a question” button at the bottom of the screen, and Brubaker then read them aloud.

“The live-stream was smooth,” Brubaker said. “The questions from the audience were thought-provoking, and the authors were on the top of their game. The outpouring of support and positivity from our attendees and viewers has been humbling, and we’re so, so thankful.”

The moments before closing Midtown Scholar’s physical store were surreal and scary, Brubaker said. However, it inspired this move to a more virtual presence, which can reach even more people.

“I think what makes indie bookstores so special is their presence in the community,” he said. “To see the wider network of indie bookstores still prioritize that sense of community and education to their customers in a time like this is really awe-inspiring. We’re all fighting. We’re all in this together, and we’ll continue to try to bring some sense of normalcy to our lives.”

During these tough times, the future of many small businesses may seem up in the air. According to Brubaker, the best way to support them is to make an online order or purchase a gift card. Midtown Scholar is currently adding an extra 10 percent to every gift card purchase.

“We’re still shipping books across the country, we’re still processing gift cards, answering emails, and we’re still hosting virtual events,” he said. “Tune in, buy some books, show us some love (even an uplifting note goes a long way!), and we’ll try to make it out of the other side of this thing.”

Next up in the virtual book talk series is author Casey Schwartz with her novel, “Attention, A Love Story,” on April 6 at 7 p.m. For more information, follow Midtown Scholar’s Crowdcast account at www.crowdcast.io/midtownscholar.

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