(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

For the majority of 2023 so far, the New Brighton School Board meetings have been largely focused towards the return of a competitive spirit team to the school district to compete in the WPIAL.

The nucleus of the dialogue has shifted back and forth between the citizens and students in support of the measure, to the school board’s wary concerns over funding and participation. In the last meeting, superintendent Dr. Joseph Guarino presented the facts and potential outcomes of restoring a WPIAL-level competitive spirit team to New Brighton. The final decision was to be rendered at their voting meeting for February 27.

As was the case throughout the entire process, a larger-than-normal crowd came out for support of a “yes” vote by the school board. Also similar to prior meetings (as is the case with all meetings of the New Brighton School Board), the citizens had the chance to speak first; allowing for one final chance for those in support of the measure (or against it, had there been any) to make their voices heard.

Four individuals came forward in support, including two of the leaders of New Brighton Cheerleading in Lindsay Johnson and Brittany Briancesco. “[The] Little Lions…have no financial backing from the school and remain successful with parents doing it all,” Briancesco stated. “All of the squads in the community are asking for is the opportunity to try.”

Briancesco also noted that the funding that the school would need to provide wouldn’t be a major issue, which Johnson echoed: “We’re just asking for a shot. There’s nothing you could actually lose concretely by giving us a ‘yes’.”

Going a step further was Little Lions coach Micah Dawn-Rombold, who pointed out that the budget for the school’s football team was at $50,000 while the budget for cheerleading was at $4,000. “If you think about it, most school programs are built strong from kindergarten to high school,” she noted, “but here in New Brighton, everyone seems to only care about the football team that hasn’t seen the section championship in how long.”

After the speaking was done, those in attendance waited patiently as the school board went ahead with their agenda, voting unanimously to finalize approval of the 2023-24 school calendar, the operation of a K-12 summer school, and renewing agreements with Penn State Beaver and the Community College of Beaver County for dual enrollment programs.

The board also unanimously approved two measures with the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit: a $55,520.67 third-installment payment for Special Education Programs & Services for the 2022-23 school year, and a general operating budget for the 2023-24 school year at an amount of $1,608,913. Also approved were new partitions for two Middle School restrooms at a cost of $9,406 and stair tread replacements at the Middle School for $48,735 (using Costars funds).

Finally, the time to decide on New Brighton’s return to competitive cheer had come. With no further discussion from the board, the first two votes were a “no”. The next six, however, were “yes” votes. By a final count of 6-2, the New Brighton School Board voted to create a Competitive Spirit team. (Board member Amy Fazio was absent from the meeting and did not vote). No further details or discussion was provided at the meeting.

New Brighton also approved the stipend hirings of Stephanie Chioochi and Jocelyn Cornman as Student Council Sponsors for the Elementary School and Brittany Caldwell as an Instructional assistant for the current school year before adjourning to a round of applause to those who attended.

The next New Brighton school board meeting is scheduled for March 13 at 7:30 PM.

FILE – This aerial photo shows the movie set of “Rust” at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., on Oct. 23, 2021. Prosecutors have dropped the possibility of a sentence enhancement that could have carried a mandatory five-year sentence against Alec Baldwin in the fatal film-set shooting, according to new court filings made public Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

A weapons supervisor charged with felony involuntary manslaughter for her alleged role in the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie has made her first formal court appearance. While the judge did not take Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s plea of not guilty Friday, she set conditions of release that allow Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to keep a gun at home for self-defense. A defense attorney says Gutierrez-Reed received threats after the October 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by actor Alec Baldwin. Separately, producers of “Rust” have agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to settle allegations of workplace safety violations.

FILE – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks, Feb. 15, 2023, at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla. Gov. DeSantis has signed a bill to give himself control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district, punishing the company over its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. The bill requires DeSantis, a Republican, to appoint a five-member board to oversee the government services that the Disney district provides in its sprawling theme park properties in Florida. The governor signed the legislation on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, file)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that gives him control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district, punishing the company over its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. The bill requires the Republican DeSantis to appoint a five-member board to oversee the government services that the Disney district provides in its sprawling theme park properties in Florida. The governor signed the legislation on Monday. The move comes as DeSantis gears up for an expected presidential run and marks a high-profile legislative victory for a governor whose leveraging of cultural and political divides has pushed him to the fore of national Republican politics.

Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published February 27, 2023 1:01 P.M.  

(Beaver County, PA) The Shapiro Administration, with help from Sen. Elder Vogel, Sen. Camera Bartolotta, and Rep. Jim Marshall have announced a Health Resource center will open in Darlington Township Tuesday, February 28th at the Darlington Township Building, 3590 Darlington Road, at 10am and will be open weekdays from 10am to 8pm through March 10th.
The following press release was issued Monday:

Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration announced today that the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is opening a Health Resource Center in Darlington Township, Beaver County for residents of Beaver and Lawrence counties who have health concerns following the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, OH on February 3, 2023. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will also be on hand at the Center to help interested residents sign up for free, independent water testing and to provide guidance on food and animal safety, respectively.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is working with local leaders and healthcare providers to open the center starting Tuesday, February 28 at the Darlington Township Building, 3590 Darlington Rd., Darlington, PA 16115. The Center will be open weekdays from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and is scheduled to operate through March 10.

“Today, my Administration is taking another step to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of every Pennsylvanian affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment,” said Governor Shapiro. “Starting Tuesday, Pennsylvanians who are concerned about the impacts of the derailment on their health will have an additional resource to turn to, where they can talk to public health experts right in their own community from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Human Services, to receive treatment should they need it. From the beginning of our response to Norfolk Southern’s derailment, my Administration has worked hand-in-hand with first responders and emergency management personnel, our partners in Ohio, and the federal government to ensure our citizens in Western Pennsylvania have the resources and information they need to be safe and healthy.”

The Shapiro Administration has been working closely with leaders from both parties to help protect Pennsylvania communities affected by the Norfolk Southern train derailment — and the input and support from Sen. Elder Vogel, Sen. Camera Bartolotta, and Rep. Jim Marshall has been critical in opening this Health Resource Center.

This week, DOH is inviting healthcare providers in the region to join an educational webinar to provide information on what they should be looking for in patients who visit their offices, and how to address any health concerns from residents affected by the derailment aftermath. Healthcare providers, including family/primary care physicians and nurses, emergency department staff, and urgent care providers who are seeing patients with health concerns related to the derailment – and who are interested in joining the webinar – can register online here.

On Sunday, February 26, DOH began partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct door-to-door visits, starting with residents who were evacuated within the one-mile radius of the train derailment. They are conducting Assessment of Chemical Exposure (ACE) surveys that include discussing symptoms, experiences, and concerns about the impact of the train derailment. If residents aren’t available, information will be provided, and clinicians will schedule a follow-up visit. The ACE surveyors are expected to reach other residents in the coming days and weeks, including residents who visit the Health Resource Center.

Health, environmental, and safety officials from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and multiple federal agencies are working together to continually monitor air and water quality in the region. Monitoring has been in place since the incident began. Pennsylvania continues to see no concerning air or water quality readings following this incident.

Two weeks ago, the Shapiro Administration announced DEP will conduct its own independent water sampling to closely monitor water contamination risks.

Visit the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s (PEMA) online train derailment dashboard for details about the derailment response.

A view of the scene Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, as the cleanup continues at the site of of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Federal environmental authorities say shipment of contaminated waste from the site of a fiery train derailment will resume Monday to two Ohio sites. An Environmental Protection Agency administrator said Sunday that some liquid waste will be taken to an underground injection well in Vickery, while solid waste will go to an incinerator in East Liverpool. The agency had ordered a ‘pause’ in shipments a day earlier after material was taken to sites in Michigan and Texas. A state official said all rail cars except for those held by federal transportation officials had been removed, allowing collection of more contaminated soil and installation of monitoring wells.

FILE – The Pennsylvania state Capitol is seen on Dec. 14, 2020, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

WHO: House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster), Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia), Rep. Kristin Marcell (R-Bucks), Others.
WHEN: Monday, February 27, 2023, starting at 1:15 p.m.
WHERE: Ryan Building Atrium, Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg.
LIVE WEBSTREAMING: Will be available, barring technical difficulties, at www.PAHouseGOP.com.