Author: Beaver County Radio

GOP lawmakers vote for subpoena seeking voter information

GOP lawmakers vote for subpoena seeking voter information
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state Senate are preparing to test how far they can go in pursuing what the GOP calls a “forensic investigation” of last year’s presidential election. The Republican-controlled Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee met Wednesday for a party-line vote on a subpoena for detailed information on who voted in last year’s presidential election, including their driver’s license number and the last four digits of their Social Security number. Democrats say Republicans are helping perpetuate baseless claims that former President Donald Trump was cheated out of victory. They are vowing to challenge the subpoena in court, and it’s not clear whether Wolf’s administration can be forced to produce the information.

Northbound I-79 Neville Island Bridge Weekend Closure September 17-20 ​

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing the third of four northbound weekend closures on the I-79 Neville Island Bridge in Glenfield Borough and Robinson and Neville townships, Allegheny County, will occur Friday night, September 17 through Monday morning, September 20 weather permitting.

A full closure of the I-79 Neville Island Bridge in the northbound direction will occur from approximately 8 p.m. Friday night, September 17 continuously through 5 a.m. Monday morning, September 20 as crews conduct bridge and roadway concrete repairs, roadway patching, strip seal replacements, bridge jacking for steel repairs, bridge painting, and miscellaneous steel repairs.

To allow the work to occur, all northbound traffic will be detoured. Beginning at approximately 8 p.m. Friday night, the Pennsylvania State Police will begin a slow roll of northbound I-79 traffic at the Crafton/Moon (Exit 60) interchange and assist the contractor with reducing the roadway to a single lane of traffic. Police and the contractor will then close a single-lane of traffic on the southbound side of the Neville Island Bridge. Finally, at approximately 9 p.m. Friday night, another slow roll of northbound I-79 traffic will occur from the Crafton/Moon Run interchange. The police and contractor will guide all traffic to the detour route.

Posted Detour

  • From northbound I-79, motorists will exit at the Coraopolis/McKees Rocks (Exit 64) interchange
  • Turn left onto northbound Route 51 toward Coraopolis
  • Once through Coraopolis, stay in the left-hand lane and follow the signs to Route 65 Sewickley
  • Turn right and cross the Sewickley Bridge
  • Turn right onto southbound Route 65 (Ohio River Boulevard)
  • Take the left-hand ramp to I-79 toward Erie/Washington
  • At the split, stay straight toward North 79 Erie
  • Follow the 79 North Erie sign by turning left onto Kilbuck Street
  • From Kilbuck Street, take the ramp to northbound I-79 toward Erie
  • End detour

Motorists on northbound I-79 may want to consider using I-376 (Parkway West) to I-279 (Parkway North) to avoid the detour route.

Police will assist motorists at key intersections during peak travel times. Motorists should expect delays.

Work on projects along the detour route will not occur this weekend.

Additionally, a lane closure will occur on southbound I-79 on the Neville Island Bridge during the weekend construction.

The $43 million I-79 Neville Island Bridge Rehabilitation Project includes structural steel repairs, full structure painting, bearing and deck joint replacements, deck repairs and overlays, bridge barrier repair, substructure concrete work and drainage improvements.  The project also includes concrete roadway reconstruction, guide rail replacement and preservation work on four sign structures. Additionally, preservation work will occur on the I-79 bridge over Deer Run Road, north of the Neville Island Bridge.  Motorists will see ramp closures and single-lane and shoulder closures in each direction on I-79 during daylight off-peak and overnight hours. Other traffic impacts include four northbound weekend closures in 2021 and four southbound weekend closures in 2022. The overall project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.

The Trumbull Corporation is the prime contractor.

To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for the I-79 Neville Island Bridge rehabilitation including traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to stcowan@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – I-79” in the subject line.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Live Music on Thursday’s Teleforum

Thursday’s Teleforum program starts with the Huntington Bank Local Business Spotlight, then the Best of Beaver County with Mike Romigh,  followed by a live performance from Valintena Cherico.Teleforum happens every weekday from 9 til noon on Beaver County Radio.

Hopewell School Board Accepts Swim and Assistant Coaches Resignations

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Hopewell Twp., Pa) Hopewell School Board held  its work session in person and via ZOOM Tuesday night accepting the swim coach Alaina Marsha’s and assistant coach Mark Elder’s resignations effective September 1, 2021.

Some parents  expressed disagreement.
 with the district’s masking policy during the pandemic and expressed their concerns . Dr. Robert Kartychak, acting superintendent reported that  there are 6 positive cases of COVID-19  at the high school, and 31 are quarantined. He said the district is following PDE  and DOH  guidelines regarding the  virus in the district. A report on the district’s statistics is available at the end of the day  on the district’s website.
A  fourth grader from Margaret Ross Elementary . called in and  suggested it would be beneficial to have a  student representative from the school on the board.
Board meetings will be held the  second and fourth Tuesdays at 7 p.m. , not on Mondays until the end of the year. The regular meeting is Tuesday, September 28 at 7p.m.

Homeless Woman Arrested for Burglaries in Aliquippa

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Aliquippa  Police  were dispatched by 9-1-1 at 4:33 a.m. last Friday, September 10, 2021,  for a burglar alarm  at  the Dollar General Store at 601  Franklin Avenue . . When enroot they were advised by dispatch that  the defendant, caught on the security camera  a female , often mistaken as a male had  knocked in a glass  panel on the right front entry door.. The security company advised that the female, Taniya Nytese Pugh, 25 , had  a donation box containing   funds for literacy.

She was charged with 2 counts of burglary, 2 counts criminal trespass, 1 count criminal   mischief , 2 counts criminal trespass,.
At 7:59 a.m. police were dispatched to Uncommon Grounds Cafe, 380 Franklin Avenue for a burglary that occurred overnight., Pugh was again identified.  Owner Herb Bailey  reported  his glass front door  was smashed out. Approximately $60 in cash, and $15 in change was taken from the register, and a laptop was taken.Pugh was identified on video surveillance. At 9:08 a.m. officers were dispatched  to Demenel’s Bar, 728 Franklin Avenue,by owner Earl Trump , the front window was busted out. and some change was taken from the register.
At 9:20 a.m. she was spotted sitting on a bench at Eleanor  Roosevelt Apartments, 740 Sheffield Avenue., she’s on the defiant trespass list for the complex.  She saw officers approach, , began fleeing, and was taken into custody. She’s charged with 2 counts of burglary, , 2 counts criminal trespass, , 1 count criminal mischief,, 2 counts criminal trespass.
She is lodged in the Beaver County Jail on $25,000 cash bond.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday, September 27, 2021 at 8:45 a.m.  in Beaver County Central Court..

Two Ellwood City Females Charged with Assault with A Deadly Weapon and Assault on a Police Officer

(Wayne Twp., Lawrence County, Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they were dispatched to an assault with a deadly weapon that occurred on Lawrence Ave in Wayne Twp. Lawrence County at 6:34 PM Monday evening, September 13, 2021.
27-year-old Evan Gibbons told troopers that 26-year-old Katelyn Weller and and 25-year-old Lindsey Weller, both of Ellwood City, entered his garage and hit him over the head with a rock. the pair then continued to assault Gibbons and cause property damage within the garage.
Troopers then went to the two females residence to conduct interviews and they were uncooperative with Troopers. they were both arrested for Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as well as assault on a police officer. Charges are currently pending through the local District Magistrates Office.

Monaca Man Charged With DUI By Pa State Police

(East Rochester, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting via release that they conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Spruce St. and Lacock Ave. in East Rochester on September 3, 2021 around midnight on a 2006 Toyota that was being driven by 51-year-old Eric Nichols of Monaca.
During the stop for a traffic violation Nichols admitted to drinking alcohol and was found to be impaired. he was arrested for suspicion of DUI and charges are pending.

Reds’ Skid Continues with 6-5 Loss to Bucs

Miley struggles, Reds’ skid continues with 6-5 loss to Bucs
By WES CROSBY Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Wade Miley surrendered six runs on 10 hits and the Cincinnati Reds lost for the sixth time in eight games, 6-5 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Miley gave up three runs in the first and three more in the fifth before being pulled with one out. The six runs allowed were Miley’s most since the Rockies scored eight off of him May 14. The Reds entered the day half a game ahead of the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals for the second wild card in the National League.

Report: PA Lacks Universal Policy for Voting in Jails

Keystone State News Connection

September 15, 2021

Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Many Pennsylvania county jails don’t have clear policies to support voting access for people in jails, according to a new report that says this inconsistency leaves some eligible voters in the dark.

The groups All Voting Is Local, Common Cause Pennsylvania and Committee of Seventy filed right-to-know requests with 61 county jails, asking for their voting procedures for people incarcerated. They learned there’s no universal plan for providing information on voter registration or getting ballots to the 25,000 people in county jails.

Aerion Abney, special-projects director for All Voting is Local, said that without any processes in place, it leaves those prospective voters disenfranchised.

“You’re basically telling the person in jail, ‘It’s your own responsibility, it’s up to you to know who to call to even ask for a voter-registration form.’ When you don’t do that,” he said, “you have a whole segment of the voting bloc that may not even know that they have the right to cast a ballot.”

Of the 46 county jails that responded, 57% had no written policy on jail voting. The report also found in the entire state jail population, only 52 people requested mail-in ballots in the 2020 general election at 18 of the county jails.

The report suggested maintaining relationships with county election officials and providing voter-registration opportunities are pathways forward for county jails. Abney said helping people in jail determine their voting eligibility can have a major impact, even after they’re released.

“We really see this as an opportunity to create positive voting experiences for people who are in jail, and there are longterm benefits to that happening,” he said. “When they have positive experiences with voting, they tend to vote again in the future.”

Allegheny County Council Votes “NO” to Mask Mandate

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Allegheny County Council “no” on the proposed mask mandate for indoor and outdoor gatherings on Tuesday.

Allegheny County Council members Bethany Hallam and Liv Bennett had proposed legislation that would require masks at all indoor gatherings and any outdoor gathering that has 250 people or more. Those who do not comply would have faced a fine of up to $100.

Typically newly introduced legislation goes to committee after the first reading, but Tuesday night, a member made the motion to bypass that process and waive the second reading. Ten members voted in favor of that and thus a vote was taken.