AUGUST 5, 2020 • PHILLYFREEPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • 3
Overly tight restrictions in Pennsylvania hampered ability to recover, according to policy analysis Review 218 South 45th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (215)222-2846 tel (215)222-2378 fax
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By Dave Fidlin The Center Square
T
(The Center Square) – he Pittsburgh region’s slow climb out of the economic fallout incurred by months long lockdowns amid COVID-19 precautions could have been lessened with fewer restrictions, a recent policy analysis states. In the policy brief, researchers with the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, a conservative think tank, delved into the payroll jobs numbers within the Pittsburgh statistical metropolitan area for the month of May. Within the snapshot in time, overall numbers were on the mend from the April figures – when widespread lockdowns forced all nonessential
businesses to close their doors amid government regulations. In the jointly authored brief, Frank Gamrat, executive director of the Allegheny Institute, and Jake Haulk, president-emeritus, were critical of Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf’s policies in the initial months of the coronavirus and their impact on various areas of the state, including Pittsburgh. “Despite a loosening of restrictions in May, with all counties in the (Pittsburgh) metro area being moved into the governor’s yellow phase by midmonth, ongoing dramatic job declines from pre-virus levels continued,” Gamrat and Haulk wrote. As with most area of Pennsylvania and across the U.S., jobless claims in the Pittsburgh region
declined between April and May – a trend that has continued in some areas of the U.S., depending on state’s specific mandates. In the Pittsburgh area, there were 15 percent fewer payroll jobs in May in year-over-year comparisons. The month prior, there were 18 percent fewer payroll jobs in the same comps. While all areas of the country are grappling with higher-than-average unemployment figures at an unprecedented time, Gamrat and Haulk said the numbers within Pittsburgh and other areas of Pennsylvania point to deeper issues that predate the coronavirus. “The area’s economy has seen sluggish growth for the last few years and has been unable to keep up with national growth
rates,” Gamrat and Haulk wrote. “The business-unfriendly, high-tax and regulatory environment in the state and area that was responsible for the pre-virus sluggish growth will also hamper the economy’s recovery.” On a more granular level, Gamrat and Haulk also delved into different sectors of the Pittsburgh area’s economy. The job losses, whether temporary or permanent, were widespread, they wrote in the policy brief. The so-called “eds and meds” category – accounting for such jobs as health care and social assistance – incurred a loss of 30,400 positions between May 2019 and May 2020. This category, according to Gamrat and Haulk’s analysis, accounted for a 79 percent of the overall
jobless numbers within the Pittsburgh area in May. “Part of this huge drop can be attributed to the governor’s orders to shut down non-essential medical practices, which included elective procedures at hospitals and outpatient centers,” Gamrat and Haulk wrote. The new Allegheny Institute policy brief came on the heels of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s June jobs report. According to the state agency, overall unemployment across Pennsylvania was 13 percent, as of June 30. In the report, state officials said 40 percent of the nonfarm jobs lost in March and April had recovered by the end of June.
Graphic Designer Kelly Kusumoto Kasia Gadek Contributing Writers Bob Behr Haywood Brewster Marc Holmes III Richard Lord Dea Mallin Thom Nickels David Traub Columnists John Lane Henry Lazarus Tim Legnani Contributing Editor Thom Nickels Correspondent Nicole Contosta Nathaniel Lee Sales Claudia Christian Social Media Kelly Kusumoto
District Attorney Krasner announces charges following shooting of 7-year-old in West Philly Review UNIVERSITY
D
istrict Attorney Larry Krasner on Monday announced Attempted Murder and related charges against Christopher Linder (DOB: 4/14/1993) for his role in an incident on Saturday resulting in the shooting of 7-year-old Zamar Jones, who remains in serious condition. At least two additional people are wanted by Philadelphia Police for their roles in this tragedy; the public is asked to relay any information about them or this incident to law enforcement. The District Attorney’s Office (DAO) has opened three criminal cases against Linder for his alleged attempt to murder
an adult man; his role in an ensuing shootout involving others during which Jones, a child, was shot in the head; and his alleged theft of a vehicle as he fled the scene. For his role in the alleged targeting of an adult man and shooting of Zamar Jones, Linder is charged with two counts each of Attempted Murder (F1), Aggravated Assault (F1), Simple Assault (M2), Recklessly Endangering Another Person (M2), Possessing an Instrument of Crime (M1), Obstruction of Justice (M2), Unsworn Falsification to Authorities (M2), Tampering with Evidence (M2), as well as Violations of the Uniform
Firearms Act (VUFA) for unlawful possession, unlawful carrying, and unlicensed carrying. Linder has also been charged with Theft of a Motor Vehicle (F3) and Receiving Stolen Property (F3). “I join Philadelphians across the city in expressing sadness and outrage that senseless gun violence has once again caused grievous injury to a child. Every kid deserves to live free of violence, harm, or fear. All children deserve an opportunity to develop and grow into healthy, happy adults. As long as our communities are flooded with firearms, and as long as the conditions exist that spur people to
pick them up with little care for their futures, these tragedies will occur,” District Attorney Krasner said. “We still can be the caring society we purport to be by taking meaningful action on gun safety, and by addressing the structural conditions that often underlie interpersonal violence – such as poverty, unemployment, and substance use disorder. My office’s Victim/Witness Unit is in touch with Zamar’s family and will be offering support for them during this terrible time. This case has been specially assigned to the joint Gun Crimes Strategies and Prevention Collaborative, as the search for additional
suspects continues.” Members of the public who have information about the August 1st incident on the 200 block of North Simpson Street or the two suspects still at large are urged to contact Philadelphia Police by calling 911 or 215-686-TIPS (8477), where they can remain anonymous. The DAO is a member of the PA Safety Alliance, a new statewide coalition of organizations committed to preventing and reducing gun violence in Pennsylvania, which ranks 5th in the nation for registered firearms and has the 3rd-highest firearm death rate among Northeastern states.
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