FILE – Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a Coolidge and the American Project luncheon in the Madison Building of the Library of Congress, Feb. 16, 2023, in Washington. On Saturday, March 11, Pence harshly criticized former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, furthering the rift between the two men as they prepare to battle over the Republican nomination in next year’s election. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence has unleashed his harshest criticism yet of former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Pence made the remarks Saturday at the annual white-tie Gridiron Dinner, where politicians and journalists gather in Washington. Pence said, “I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day.” The former vice president added, “And I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.” Pence is expected to challenge Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in next year’s election.

FILE – In this Feb. 21, 2015 file photo, an Oscar statue appears outside the Dolby Theatre for the 87th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)
Story by Sandy Giordano and Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published March 13, 2023 11:30 A.M.

(Los Angeles, CA) Center Township graduate Joe Letteri won his fifth Oscar for visual effects Sunday night. Letteri was born in Aliquippa and graduated from Center High School in 1975. Lettari has had a lengthy career in movie visual effects working on over 30 big screen movies since 1989.  He has been nominated for an Oscar 11 times, and won his fifth Sunday for “Avatar: The Way of Water”.  Letteri previously won Oscars for the first “Avatar” movie, King Kong (2005), and two “The Lord of the Rings” movies.

(Pittsburgh, PA) Reports say a Pittsburgh Post Gazette worker on strike ended up in the hospital with a broken jaw following an altercation with a PG delivery driver. The incident was said to have happened Saturday night outside of the PG distribution center on the south side. There have been conflicting reports of what caused the incident. The driver claims that he was verbally and physically attacked. The Union says the driver assaulted two strikers, with one needing medical treatment. The Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council is expected to hold a press conference today, saying that they are seeking answers and accountability.

FILE – The Caterpillar Inc. “CAT” logo adorns an excavator at the Milton CAT dealership in Londonderry, N.H., Feb. 20, 2020. Unionized workers at Caterpillar Inc. have approved a new six-year contract with the company that includes a $6,000 ratification bonus, 19% in pay raises and 8% worth of lump-sum payments. Members of the United Auto Workers union approved the deal over the weekend that covers 7,000 employees in Central Illinois and York, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, file)

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Unionized workers at Caterpillar Inc. have approved a new six-year contract with the company that includes a $6,000 ratification bonus, 19% in pay raises and 8% worth of lump-sum payments. Members of the United Auto Workers union approved the deal over the weekend that covers 7,000 employees in Central Illinois and York, Pennsylvania. The new contract is effective immediately. Workers will get 7% pay raises immediately, plus 4% general wage increases in March of 2025, 2027 and 2028. They’ll also get 4% lump-sum payments in March of next year and in 2026. The Irving, Texas, company also agreed not to close any factories for the life of the agreement.

President Joe Biden speaks about the banking system in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Monday, March 13, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is telling Americans that the nation’s financial systems are sound. This comes after the swift and stunning collapse of two banks that prompted fears of a broader upheaval. Biden said Monday: “Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe.” He says people’s “deposits will be there when you need them.” U.S. regulators closed Silicon Valley Bank on Friday after it experienced a traditional bank run, where depositors rushed to withdraw their funds all at once. Then New York-based Signature Bank also failed.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (March 13, 2023) – Allegheny Health Network (AHN) will begin celebrations this week to commemorate the 175^th anniversary of West Penn Hospital, a landmark institution that has served patients throughout the western Pennsylvania region for nearly two centuries.

 

West Penn is the network’s oldest hospital and was one of the first hospitals established in the region. Founded on March 18, 1848, West Penn was Pittsburgh’s first publicly chartered nonsectarian hospital, and in its early years, it treated many patients who were injured by industrial accidents in Pittsburgh’s mills and rail yards.

 

The hospital also played a pivotal role in the American Civil War, serving as a triage center for Union forces after being commandeered by the United States government. By the end of the Civil War, approximately 3,000 soldiers had been treated at West Penn.

 

“West Penn Hospital has deep roots in the greater Pittsburgh community, and a rich history of providing exceptional care to the millions who have called this region home over the past 175 years,” said David Holmberg, President of Highmark Health. “One of the first steps we took on our journey to create a world-class healthcare provider system in western PA was to make significant investments in West Penn. Everyday our grateful patients and the amazing professionals at the hospital who care for them remind us of how important that decision was.”

Located on Friendship Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, the 356-bed hospital includes an emergency department; obstetric care and advanced gynecological surgery; a Level III neonatal intensive care unit; a burn trauma center; an extended-hours oncology clinic featuring innovative cancer treatments; and dozens of other services.

 

Additionally, West Penn’s one-of-a-kind Autoimmunity Institute, its Alexis Joy D’Achille Center for Perinatal Mental Health, its stem-cell transplant program, its AHN Comprehensive Hypertension Center, and its leading-edge Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) program draw patients from across the state and country. Meanwhile, West Penn’s labor and delivery unit is one of the busiest in Pennsylvania, delivering around 4,000 babies a year.

 

The original West Penn Hospital was built in Polish Hill, overlooking the Strip District. The current facility opened in 1912 after moving from its original location. Since then, West Penn has added several new structures on its campus, including a nursing school, Mellon Pavilion, the East Tower, and finally, a patient care tower that opened in the 1990s.

 

“Western Pennsylvania is fortunate to have access to the exceptional health services offered by AHN’s West Penn Hospital,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “As this region has transitioned to an ‘eds-and-meds’ economy over the last few decades, Allegheny County has become a premier destination for both patients and medical professionals. Institutions like West Penn Hospital have helped to lead that transformation by establishing renowned clinical programs, leading innovative research, and educating the next generation of doctors and clinicians.”

 

West Penn has received numerous accolades over the years. In 2022, it was named the region’s top hospital and one of the Nation’s Top 50 best hospitals for OB-GYN care by U.S. News & World Report. West Penn was also recently named one of the top 100 hospitals in the U.S. – and one of the nation’s top 25 teaching hospitals – by IBM Watson Health.

 

West Penn was the first hospital in southwestern Pennsylvania to receive the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s prestigious Magnet Recognition Program award for nursing excellence in 2006. It is also the first in the region to be re-designated a Magnet hospital for a fourth consecutive time earlier this year.

 

“West Penn Hospital has been a wonderful neighbor to the residents of Bloomfield and surrounding communities for generations,” said Christina Howell, executive director of the Bloomfield Development Corporation. “We are incredibly proud to have such a vital institution, right here in the heart of our neighborhood, that provides convenient access to high-quality health care. The Bloomfield Development Corporation wishes West Penn Hospital a happy anniversary and well-wishes for the next 175 years.”

 

West Penn’s future is bright today, but that wasn’t the case when the hospital’s emergency department closed in January 2011. Just 13 months later, West Penn’s emergency department reopened, and other essential services were also restored, thanks to Highmark Health’s historic affiliation with AHN. Next month, AHN and Highmark Health will celebrate their 10^th anniversary and the many additional significant investments that have been made in West Penn, and across the network’s footprint, over the past decade to advance their high-value, high-quality “Living Health” care model.

 

“It’s hard to imagine where West Penn would be today without Highmark Health’s vision and commitment to such an indispensable community asset,” said Brian Johnson, MD, West Penn Hospital President. “Our clinical programs and caregivers have received international recognition over the last decade for the outstanding care we provide to our thousands of patients.  We are proud of the incredible progress West Penn has made in recent years, and we look forward to building upon that success, and our 175-year legacy of clinical excellence, in the future.”

 

To commemorate the anniversary, West Penn will hold various internal events for staff throughout the year, and a social media campaign to celebrate the history of the facility will be featured on AHN’s various platforms.

 

West Penn’s 175^th anniversary shares the date with the City of Pittsburgh’s incorporation on March 18, 1816.

 

To learn more about West Penn Hospital, visit https://www.ahn.org/locations/hospitals/west-penn.

Photo of Tristan Donica, submitted by Beaver Valley Choral Society

Beaver Valley Choral Society awards the 2023 Philip H. Inman Excellence in
Choral Conducting Arts Scholarship to Grove City College student, Tristan
Donica, of Meyersdale, Somerset County. The award ceremony takes
place on Sunday, March 26 at 4pm during the Choral Society performance
of “God So Loved the World” at Our Lady of the Valley Saints Peter & Paul
Parish, 200 Third Street, Beaver.
Tristan, son of Travis and Victoria Donica, Meyersdale, is a junior Music
Education major with concentration in vocal studies at Grove City. He is a
2020 graduate of Meyersdale Area High School. In addition to his vocal
studies Tristan is proficient at playing the saxophone and tuba.
Tristan’s interest in music began when he first performed in high school
musicals and leading worship at his home church, Meyersdale Grace
Brethren Church. He fell in love with choral music while singing in the
honors choir festivals sponsored by the Pennsylvania Music Educators
Association.

At Grove City College Tristan is featured vocalist with the Jazz Ensemble
and was baritone soloist in Faure’s Requiem Mass during the joint
performance of the Concert and Touring Choirs. Tristan also sings with
the College Chamber Singers and is a musician with the College Marching
and Concert Bands, Orchestra and Sax Quintet. Tristan frequently
performs at various Grove City recitals and events.
Tristan furthers his studies as featured vocalist with the Mercer Community
Band; as a student assistant for the Pittsburgh Youth Choir; volunteer youth
leader at Meyersdale Grace Brethren Church; and by assisting high school
choir and marching band students. He plans to become the director of a
junior or senior high school choir after he graduates from Grove City.
Tristan’s outside interests include spending time with friends, being with
nature, reading, listening to music, and going for drives.
The Inman Scholarship was established in 2001, in recognition of Philip H.
Inman (1932-2019), Artistic Director of the Beaver Valley Choral Society.
He was a former music educator at Rochester Area High School, in addition
to directing the Choral Society for 30 years. The $500.00 scholarship is
awarded annually to a music student who is focusing on the Choral Arts.
Colleges participating in the scholarship program are Carnegie Mellon and
Duquesne Universities and Geneva, Grove City and Westminster Colleges.

NATRONA HEIGHTS, PA – Allegheny Health Network (AHN) has embarked on a $12 million expansion project to enhance the imaging and radiology department at Allegheny Valley Hospital (AVH).
The new 8000-square-foot imaging center at AVH will expand the hospital’s current imaging department capabilities and absorb the services currently offered at AVH’s outpatient radiology center, located just a short two miles away from the hospital at 2801 Freeport Road in Natrona Heights. The Freeport Road radiology center will close in late summer.

 

When completed, the new AVH imaging facility will offer a full spectrum of radiology services and technologies, including additional breast imaging and mammography capabilities, as well as dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning. DEXA measures bone density and helps to diagnose conditions such as osteoporosis.

 

AVH’s current imaging services include ultrasound, 3D mammography, CT scanning, MRI, and general radiography.

 

“This investment in Allegheny Valley and its radiology department will further advance our caregiving team’s ability to make the most accurate diagnosis possible for our patients, which helps us to address their health needs in a timely and clinically appropriate manner,” said Vicenta C. Gaspar-Yoo, MD, MBA, CHCQM-PA, Allegheny Valley’s president.

 

AVH is also in the process of building a new mobile imaging pad, which will allow for rotating MRI and PET-CT scan capabilities starting in August.

 

The Allegheny Valley service region continues to see robust demand for imaging services. In the last year, the Freeport Road radiology center performed 12,000 outpatient imaging procedures, and the AVH radiology department performed 31,000 imaging procedures.

 

“To better serve our diverse patient populations and communities, it is critical to have comprehensive imaging care close to home,” said Bethany Casagranda, DO, chair of the AHN Imaging Institute. “By combining our Natrona Heights location with AVH, patients will have everything they need conveniently located under one roof. This arrangement will help our patients live their best and healthiest lives. And that’s what our Living Health model is all about.”

 

Staff currently working at the AVH Freeport Road outpatient imaging location will be joining the expanded AVH imaging center, or they will have the opportunity for redeployment elsewhere within the AHN footprint.
AVH’s renovated radiology department is the latest in a series of recent investments in the hospital by AHN and Highmark Health. In January 2023, the hospital began a $3.4 million parking garage project to upgrade the structure’s integrity and drainage.

 

AHN and Highmark Health have invested approximately $400 million over the past several years to enhance the technological capabilities of the AHN Imaging Institute and expand its patient care capacity across the region.