Harrisburg’s Saturday Nights in the City outdoor dining event has been extended through August.

The coronavirus pandemic continued to have a major impact on local news this past week. Some stories showed progress in our gradual reopening, while others demonstrated the continuing destructive effect of the disease. In case you missed any of our coverage, we have it all summarized and linked below. Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Blake Lynch related his personal story of growing up as a Black man in America, part of TheBurg’s “Voices of our Community” feature. Read Blake’s compelling account in our July magazine or click here to read it online.

COVID-19 cases ticked up in the past week, though daily cases continued to be far below the early April highs in PA. Get the latest data from our weekly summary.

Harrisburg City Council began debate on a proposed citizen’s police advisory board. The discussion centered around how powerful the new board should be, as our online story reports.

Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival began this past week in a virtual format. The viewing experience may be different than usual, but the quality remains high, as our magazine story relates.

Harrisburg Senators threw in the towel on a 2020 baseball season, as Major League Baseball cancelled the minor league schedule. The Senators promised to be back next year, better than ever, as our online story details.

Harrisburg’s MLK City Government Center will re-open next week after being closed to the public since March. Per our online story, the city still encourages residents to avoid visiting unless unnecessary and to employ safety measures if they do.

Independence Day is this weekend, and the city has numerous events planned. Therefore, we’re relinking to our story from last month so that readers are reminded what’s happening in Harrisburg for the Fourth.

Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority lost another of its original members this past week. The resignation underscored the friction between Harrisburg and its state-appointed financial oversight board, which, according to our story, has been escalating over time.

Jeff Woodruff has stepped down after many years as executive director of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. Our feature story explains what’s next for him and for the organization he led.

Middletown’s Press & Journal printed its final issue this past week, ending a publishing tradition stretching back more than 160 years. In a blog post, our editor paid tribute to the venerable weekly, which fell victim to several forces of destruction.

“Out in Central Pennsylvania” tells the history of the Harrisburg area’s LGBTQ+ community and its struggle for equality. To get the gist of the new book, we covered Midtown Scholar’s virtual author talk, which was held recently.

Resilience is a key trait for muddling through these difficult pandemic times. Our magazine feature interviews therapists and families who offer advice on how to cope with this huge disruption to our lives.

Sara Bozich has the skinny on the July 4 weekend, with many special events planned in her weekly to-do list. So go out, but mask up and be safe, she says.

Saturday Nights in the City has been extended throughout the summer. Our online story states that Harrisburg cited the success of the outdoor dining event in announcing the extension.

TheBurg distributed our July issue this past week, revving up the printing press once again as most our of delivery locations reopened. You can find a copy at hundreds of locations around the Harrisburg area or read it online here.

TheBurg’s editor welcomes our readers to the July issue with his editor’s note, with the welcome news that life seems to be creeping back to some sense of normalcy, even if it is a strange new kind of normal.

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