FILE – A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file)

(East Palestine, Oh) The EPA and Ohio EPA say that the East Palestine clean up efforts are reaching an important milestone, which is returning the natural flow of water back into Sulphur Run. To prepare for rainwater and water from the upstream wetlands to flow naturally on-site, the north and south ditches alongside the tracks will be evaluated in areas, starting at the western-most end of the derailment site. Robust testing under EPA and Ohio EPA guidance, oversight, and approval will ensure the soils around and within the ditches have no remaining contamination.

Once testing in one area of the ditch shows naturally flowing water is safe to enter Sulphur Run, flow will be restored for that area. The testing process will repeat area-by area until the full natural flow of water is restored. Surface water testing in Sulphur and Leslie Runs will continue through the process. None of the water flow will come from water currently contained on site.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is inviting the public to attend a career fair on Wednesday, March 6 to learn about available maintenance positions the department offers in Beaver County.

The event will be held at PennDOT’s Rochester Maintenance Building located at 155 Stewart Avenue Rochester, PA 15074 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6.

Available positions in Beaver County include full-time, permanent Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Operators, seasonal CDL Operators, and full-time and seasonal Diesel Mechanics. Commercial drivers must have a valid Pennsylvania CDL Class A or B with the Air Brake Restriction (L) removed and a current medical examiner certificate.

PennDOT representatives will be on-hand to discuss openings in Beaver County. Onsite application completion, on the spot interviews, driving skills testing, and conditional job offers for select positions will occur. Applicants are asked to bring two forms of identification.

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced $20 million from the Capitol Projects Fund, established under the American Rescue Plan, to expand high-speed internet access by providing laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and wi-fi devices for roughly 12,000 Pennsylvanians each year.

“As our world becomes more digital, closing the digital divide in our communities is more important than ever. Pennsylvania’s economic future depends on reliable high-speed internet access for every community—rural, urban, and everything in between,” said Senator Casey. “This funding won’t just provide more laptops and wi-fi devices to people who need them, it will help break down the barrier that’s keeping a young mother from a higher education, a small business from reaching a new market, and a grandparent from staying in touch with their grandkids.”

Senator Casey has consistently fought to close the digital divide and make sure that every single Pennsylvanian has high-speed internet access in their home. Casey has delivered $2,036,121,823 to Pennsylvania for high-speed internet in the last two years. That includes $1.16 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to bring high-speed internet to high-cost, unserved and underserved communities, as well $20 million specifically for the Southern Alleghenies region. In addition to the funding announced today, Casey has also secured $200 million from the Capitol Projects Fund to expand high-speed internet access for more than 44,000 homes and business throughout Pennsylvania, particularly in rural communities.

The American Rescue Plan provided $279 million to Pennsylvania for critical projects to provide high-quality modern infrastructure, including reliable, affordable broadband infrastructure. Together with the funding in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, these programs are helping to deploy high-speed internet to those without access, lower costs for those who cannot afford it, and ensure that businesses stay competitive in a changing economy.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 1, 2024 12:40 P.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) David Askew, 43, of Aliquippa who was wanted on a warrant issued by Aliquippa Police turned himself in at the Beaver County Jail this morning, according to Aliquippa Police Chief John Lane.

Story by Gary Miller – Beaver County Radio. Published March 1, 2024 12:35 P.M.

(Hopewell Township, Pa) The 2024 Republican Committee of Beaver County Lincoln Dinner last night at The Fez was a packed event despite lead speaker Ohio Senator JD Vance not in attendance, due to needing to be in Washington DC last minute to vote on the stopgap spending bill before the looming and pending government shutdown. Senator Vance addressed the crowd via zoom from his car 15 minutes post vote and outside of Washington DC. Many other notable names were also in attendance. The headline topics of the event included Beaver County turning red. Twenty years ago democratic voters outnumbered republicans by more than 40 thousand. In 2016 it was by more than 8 thousand and now there are more than 1000 registered republican voters than democrats. Furthermore, in the 18-24 year old group registered Republican voters in beaver county hold the majority. The RCBC also raised more than 40k last year and opened two new offices the most recent being in Vanport. The Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to former district attorney David J Lozier.

(Beaver County, Pa) A local Western Pennsylvanian woman decided to celebrate her 60th birthday by giving gifts, rather than receiving gifts.

Sherry Sainovich-Slem of Beaver County was offered a trip or a party, by her husband Butch Slem, to celebrate turning 60 years old on March 7th. But she declined and decided to prepare 60 backpacks for the homeless in her area. The backpacks included a variety of necessary daily items.

Sherry teamed up with Outreached Arms, an organization that provides help to Pittsburgh inner city homeless and working poor, for the distribution of the backpacks. She has volunteered previously with Outreached Arms and hopes that this will bring awareness to their organization and inspire others to help the less fortunate.