Phil Graeser Fire Chief for the Patterson Township Fire Department will talk with Matt Drzik about the recent shortages of volunteer firefighters, why the shortages came to be, and what can be done to remedy the situation. The interview will take place following the 8:30 news on Wednesday.
Wolf heads into last budget season with flush state coffers
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is sitting on a fat budget reserve, a healthy and growing surplus in the current budget year, and billions in unspent federal coronavirus relief funds. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is about to lay out his eighth and final state budget proposal. For him, Pennsylvania’s healthy account balances make this a “magical year” in “budget surplus territory” that won’t require higher taxes or the pain of spending cuts. The governor’s annual budget address is scheduled for Feb. 8. It will be followed by weeks of hearings by the appropriations committees in the House and Senate. The deadline to get a deal is July 1.
Shapiro backs Pittsburgh-area lawmaker to be running mate
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic Party’s presumed nominee for governor this year, is endorsing a Pittsburgh-area state lawmaker to be his running mate and lieutenant governor. Shapiro on Tuesday endorsed 32-year-old Austin Davis, who is in his third term in the state House of Representatives and has connections to Allegheny County’s party leaders. If elected, Davis would be the state’s first black lieutenant governor. Also seeking the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor is five-term state Rep. Brian Sims of Philadelphia. Sims made history in 2012 when he became Pennsylvania’s first openly gay candidate to be elected to the Legislature. The primary election is May 17.
Court asked to require accredited lab in GOP ‘investigation’
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Dominion Voting Systems wants to restrict any inspection of its voting machines as part of what Republican lawmakers call a “forensic investigation” of Pennsylvania’s 2020 election to a laboratory that has specific credentials. The Denver-based voting-system manufacturer filed paperwork in court Monday evening as Republican lawmakers are planning to inspect Dominion’s machines and software in southern Pennsylvania’s sparsely populated Fulton County using an unaccredited contractor that has no election experience. Dominion’s voting equipment has been at the center of conspiracy theories about the presidential election and it has filed defamation lawsuits against right-wing broadcasters and Trump allies.
Brobson takes oath as state’s newest Supreme Court justice
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A lower-court judge elected in November is the newest justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Republican Kevin Brobson was sworn in on Monday in the high court’s Harrisburg courtroom. Brobson won a squeaker of an election against Democrat Maria McLaughlin, prevailing by nearly 25,000 votes out of almost 2.8 million cast. He replaces fellow Republican Thomas Saylor, who reached the mandatory judicial retirement age of 75 last year. The court currently has five Democrats and two Republicans. Brobson is a Montoursville native who now lives in Dauphin County.
Wednesday’s Teleforum program with Eddy Crow starts with Lisa Diaz; Lisa is the entrepreneurship coordinator for Job Training for Beaver county. If you’re considering starting a small business in 2022, you won’t want to miss it! Teleforum is every weekday from 9 till noon on 99.3fm presented by St. Barnabas, 1230WBVP, 1460WMBA, and streaming live on Beavercountyradio.com.
(Published by Matt Drzik)
“New year, new me.”
That phrase, being uttered by several thousand Americans per year, is usually paired with the desire to lose weight and become a “new” person. But as Chris Cosky stated on A.M. Beaver County, “with such a big change comes many, many little changes that aren’t thought out…and if you don’t have that blueprint, you quit.”
Cosky, the owner & operator of B-Well Nation in Patterson Township, joined Matt Drzik to debunk the supercharged nature of “new year, new me” and instead focus on starting small and building up a regular, consistent, and positively reinforced exercise training and daily routines. She also talked about the crucial element of finding motivation and balancing the workload in order to maintain a regular routine.
“You have to have that backup plan,” Coski said. “No matter how passionate you feel today or you felt last week into the new year…you’re going to have that moment where you look at that treadmill or weight set and say ‘I don’t feel like that today.’ So what’s the plan when you don’t feel it? That’s what we need to focus on.”
B-Well Nation is located on the corner of Darlington Road and 6th Street in Patterson Township, and they are on Facebook along with other social media platforms.
To watch the full interview with Chris and Matt, click on the Facebook feed below!
(File Photo)
Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News Correspondent
Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 7:49 AM
(Center Twp, Beaver County, Pa.) The Center Twp. Board of Supervisors met Monday afternoon, January 3, 2022, and reappointed Bill DiCioccio as the board’s chairman, Mike “Doc: Sisk was voted as vice chairman is Mike “Doc: Sisk.
Meetings are held the first Monday of every month at 4:30 p.m. and third Monday of every month at 7 p.m.
(File Photo)
Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News Correspondent
Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 7:43 AM
(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Dandy Giordano is reporting that The Hopewell Twp. Board of Commissioners held their reorganization Monday night, January 3, 2022, and welcomed business owner Barbara Michna as a new commissioner. She will serve a 4 year term in office. Board Chairman Rich Bufalini, who was renamed chairman, said Michna replaces Dave “Scooch” Ciccone who retired from the board. Joe Kusnir was also renamed the Vice chairman.
Hopewell Twp. Board of Commissioners meets the second of every month Monday at 7 p.m. for a work session, and the regular meeting is the fourth Monday at 7 p.m., unless a holiday falls on a meeting night.
(File Photo)
Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 7:00 AM
(PITTSBURGH, PA.) – In response to the once again surging COVID-19 pandemic across the communities of western Pennsylvania, Allegheny Health Network (AHN) officials announced the reinstatement of temporary restrictions on patient visitation at its hospitals to help further protect patients and caregivers.
Effective immediately, and until further notice, AHN is allowing just one inpatient visitor in its facilities per day during regular hospital visitation hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The patient’s visitor/support person cannot change throughout the day. Clergy visitation is also permitted in addition to the one support person.
Some exceptions to the temporary patient visitation policy may be made for those in the following areas or special circumstances:
Visitors to any AHN facility must be age 18 or older and will be asked to present a valid identification upon entering. Visitors will also continue to be screened for associated COVID-19 symptoms upon arrival and must always wear a mask.
“With the emergence of the highly infectious Delta and Omicron variants, COVID-19 is once again spreading rapidly throughout every community we serve and filling our hospital beds,” said Brian Parker, MD, AHN’s Chief Quality & Learning Officer. “It is essential that we continue to take every measure that we can to protect our patients and caregivers from this virus, and we greatly appreciate the support and cooperation of our patients’ loved ones with those efforts, including limited visitation privileges at this time.”
Digital channels such as FaceTime and Snapchat are being recommended as options for remotely connecting with loved ones during their stay at the network’s hospitals.
AHN also asks individuals who may be sick themselves, including those experiencing symptoms such as fever, cough, or sore throat, to not visit its facilities unless they are seeking medical treatment, while reminding facility visitors that the best way to prevent the spread of illness is appropriate hand washing and sanitizing when entering and exiting patient rooms.
Dr. Parker stressed the need for more people to be vaccinated so that future surges of the pandemic can be avoided.
“The single most important thing that we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19 is to be fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Parker. “Currently the vast majority who are getting sick and being hospitalized because of this virus are the unvaccinated. Low vaccination rates are also contributing to the development of increasingly transmissible variants like Delta and Omicron and preventing us from bringing this pandemic to an end.”
Information about access to COVID vaccinations at AHN can be found at https://www.ahn.org/