Sports Editor

The House and Senate reached an agreement on the second stimulus package bill in the country. Focusing on pandemic relief, the bill will be worth $900 billion.

The bill includes a direct stimulus payment of $600 to individuals — which is half the amount of the first stimulus package in the past spring, according to CNN. 

Unemployment benefits would include a $300 weekly enhancement in benefits over 11 weeks from mid-December to March. 

The bill will reopen the Paycheck Protection Program targeted to small businesses which $12 billion will be for minority-owned and very small businesses. 

The bill will also provide $82 billion in aid for K-12 schools and colleges with an additional $10 billion for child care providers. $25 billion will be provided in rental assistance for individuals who lost their source of income as well. 

Nutrition $400 million as well will be sent to food banks and food pantries through the Emergency Food Assistance Program with $175 million for nutrition services for seniors and $13 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. 

Lastly, $20 billion will be provided for the purchases of vaccines as well as another $8 billion for vaccine distribution and gives states $20 billion to assist with testing. State and local government funding, however, is not included in this bill; as stated in the same CNN article linked. 

FDU Women’s Basketball split the round-robin yesterday against Central Connecticut State and lost 77-56. The women’s team will be back home this Tuesday, Dec. 22, to host Saint Peter’s at 7 p.m.

The men’s basketball team will be at Fairfield on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 3 p.m. before their winter break begins. 

There were a total of 5,184 new COVID-19 cases today in New Jersey bringing the total to 432,592 cases in the state with 43,375 cases in Bergen County, according to Google Statistics.

See you all tomorrow at 10 a.m. for the daily news update.

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