Author: Beaver County Radio

Pirates in MLB’s 1st Minority Lineup Honored 50 Years Later

Pirates in MLB’s 1st minority lineup honored 50 years later
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The members of the Major League Baseball’s first all-minority lineup say they didn’t set out to make history. The Pittsburgh Pirates started nine Black or Latin players on Sept. 1, 1971, in a 10-7 win over Philadelphia. The surviving members of the team say they didn’t know they were making history at the time. Fifty years later, however, they understand the significance of their landmark night. First baseman Al Oliver says the lineup that night showed the “unity” the team had in the clubhouse. The 1971 Pirates went on to beat Baltimore in the World Series.

High court divides 5-4 to leave Texas abortion law in place

A deeply divided Supreme Court is allowing a Texas law that bans most abortions to remain in force. The court’s action for now strips most women of the right to an abortion in the nation’s second-largest state. In an unsigned order just before midnight the court voted 5-4 to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others that sought to block enforcement of the law that went into effect Wednesday. The Texas law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before most women know they’re pregnant.

VIDEO: The 25th Annual Good Samaritan Parish Festival Runs September 2-5

A variety of cultures, a variety of homemade food, and a variety of entertainment–all in one place for one weekend.

After a year off, the Good Samaritan Parish Festival returns to Ambridge from Thursday, September 2 to Sunday, September 5. The four-day event features live music every night, a homemade dinner every night, a big-money raffle, bingo, and much more.

Rose Filipponi & Leah Lesak joined Matt Drzik to talk about the festival and all of its different parts, from the team of cooks who prepare the hundreds of meals every night, to the diverse mass celebrations taking place over the weekend (one is the traditional polka mass, another a Latin mass featuring a mariachi band), and the litany of local flair being presented through song, food, and faith over the festival’s history.

For more information on the Good Samaritan Parish Festival, visit greatgrouping.org or visit Good Samaritan on Facebook.

And speaking of Facebook, click on the Live video below to see the full interview with Matt, Rose, and Leah:

Pennsylvania’s Carbon-pricing Plan at Last Regulatory Hurdle

Pennsylvania’s carbon-pricing plan at last regulatory hurdle
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight climate change will confront its last regulatory hurdle in a fight pitting Democrats, nuclear power plant owners and the renewable energy sector against Republicans, fossil fuel-plant owners, blue-collar labor unions and heavy industry. The plan to impose a price on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants in Pennsylvania is going before the Independent Regulatory Review Commission on Wednesday. The jury is out on whether it would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A key feature is that it would generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the state, possibly to flush into clean-energy subsidies and energy efficiency programs.

PennDOT Enhances 511PA for Labor Day, Encourages Motorists to Plan Ahead for Safe Holiday Travel

 

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is encouraging motorists to visit the “Historic Holiday Traffic” page at www.511PA.com to plan optimal travel times on major roadways across the state this Labor Day weekend.

“Our goal is to not just minimize congestion, but to also focus on safe travel by providing motorists with as much as information as possible,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “We encourage the public to use 511PA ahead of their trip to plan optimal drive times and to also slow down, drive sober, and always buckle up.

The Labor Day travel tool allows the public to see how traffic speeds on the Friday before and on Labor Day in 2018 and 2019 compare to traffic conditions during a typical, non-holiday week. Users can choose their region and view an hour-by-hour, color-coded representation of traffic speeds to help determine the best times to travel during the holiday. 511PA also offers real-time, traffic speed information for thousands of roadway miles throughout Pennsylvania.

While PennDOT will remove lane restrictions and suspend construction projects wherever possible, the “Historic Holiday Traffic” page also allows the public to view interstate restrictions that will be in place during the holiday travel period.

The public can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles in Pennsylvania by visiting www.511PA.com. The service, 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.

Beaver Chamber President Helen Kissick’s August 2021 Message

Below is Beaver County Chamber President Helen Kissick’s August Message.

(Beaver County, Pa.) The Chamber’s Board met in August to set the course for the organization for the next 3 to 5 years.  As an outcome of that session, we are pleased to offer the evolved mission of the Chamber:  

​To lead and advocate for economic growth and community vitality, through collaboration, networking and education, in order to foster the best, most diverse and inclusive environment for our members.  

Stay tuned to a further evolution of the Chamber’s vision statement.  For now, we landed on:  ​To positively impact Beaver County to be the chosen place to live and work.  ​We say ‘for now’ in that we plan to work with other entities such as Beaver County’s Corporation for Economic Development, Beaver County Tourism, The Beaver County Regional Council of Governments, the Beaver County Commissioners Office and others to jointly develop a common vision (or brand) statement for the county.  Speaking with voice will more readily facilitate our county to become ALL that it can be.

Shifting gears, you’ve likely heard about the large infrastructure bills that are being moved through various government bodies at the federal level.  But what does that really mean for Pennsylvania?  The infographic summarizes it well: 

Our Chamber, and in particular the Government Affairs Committee has been steadfast in its commitment to advocate for the infrastructure needs of this county, with traditional emphasis on, for example, locks & dams, roadways and bridges. More recently our advocacy efforts have put a spotlight on the need for a more expansive and reliable internet connectivity in all parts of our county.  (Re)location decisions for businesses commonly now include as a key decision factor the level of internet connectivity, and we must invest in broadband / 5 G in order to attract and retain business.  We are grateful for all of the support legislative delegates are providing this region at the local, state and national levels.  

 

An August 18th, our Chamber teamed up with the Beaver County Regional Council of Governments in hosting a Legislative Welcome picnic at Monaca’s Antoline Park.  Many thanks to PA House of Representatives Rob Matzie, Aaron Bernstine, Josh Kail and Jim Marshall as well as Beaver County Commission Jack Manning for an engaging discussion.  The roughly 60 Chamber members and guests in attendance took full advantage of this great networking opportunity.  Here are a few photos from the event:

Lastly, we’re excited to announce that the 4th cohort of our Beaver County Leadership program will start in September.  With a diverse group of 20 participants, we anticipate being able to connect deeply with multiple communities and projects around the county, teaming up once again with Paramount Pursuits and its Main Streets programs.  We received tremendous sponsorship support also for program, for which we are very thankful.  Look for a feature article on this key program in next month’s issue of our digital newsletter, helping us celebrate much of the good that is our very own Beaver County!  

Pittsburgh District of Army Corps of Enigneers performs controlled releases to manage water levels from Hurricane Ida

(Photo courtesy of US Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District)

PITTSBURGH – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is informing the public that due to recent and anticipated rainfall from Hurricane Ida, water levels along the Cheat, Monongahela, Ohio and Youghiogheny rivers will be higher than normal and are expected to remain so throughout Labor Day weekend.

 

Monongahela riverfront communities, such as Charleroi and Point Marion, may experience localized flooding due to increased water levels in uncontrolled waterways. All residents near small creeks, streams and tributaries should monitor local weather stations for up-to-date information.

 

The Point of Pittsburgh, located at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, is forecasted to have a high-water event and crest above flood stage on Thursday afternoon. During this high-water event, the Monongahela Wharf, 10th Street bypass and parkway “bathtub” are anticipated to be out of service from Wednesday through Friday afternoon.

 

The Monongahela River is forecasted to crest above flood stage on Thursday morning. The Braddock, Charleroi, Elizabeth, Grays Landing, Maxwell and Point Marion locks and dams along the lower Monongahela River are expected to be temporarily out of service until water levels recede. The Hildebrand, Morgantown and Opekiska locks and dams will remain in service.

 

Personnel at locks and dams along the Monongahela River are taking precautions associated with high water to mitigate impacts to navigation. The district recognizes there is a potential for uncontrolled flows and is monitoring water levels to ensure the district’s facilities are prepared to react to any possible changes. No facilities along the Allegheny or Ohio rivers are expected to see impacts to navigation

Recreators are encouraged to review river conditions and ensure their safety gear is prepared prior to participating in activities on the water.

 

The corps is performing controlled releases at the Conemaugh, Stonewall Jackson, Tygart and Youghiogheny reservoirs to retain water, reduce downstream water levels, and mitigate potential flooding in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.

 

The Corps of Engineers is coordinating with the National Weather Service, Coast Guard, navigation industry and other river partners to monitor and respond to increased water levels within the district. The district will keep the public informed of any further changes in weather conditions or water levels.

 

For more information about flood preparedness visit: https://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Management/Flood-Preparedness/.

 

For water management information including daily reservoirs reports and river gage data, please visit: https://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Water-Management/.

 

RESOURCES: For more information, visit; www.lrp.usace.army.mil

Wampum Man Faces Multiple Charges in Domestic Violence Incident

(Wampum, Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they responded to a call for a domestic disturbance on Beaver Street in Wampum Boro around 3 AM Tuesday morning, August 31, 2021.
Upon arriving on the scene and investigating it was determined that 43-year-old Justin Norris of Wampum engaged in a dispute with a 42-year-old female victim, also from Wampum, and it escalated into physical violence.

Norris was charged with simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and harassment. He was subsequently incarcerated at the Lawrence County Jail. Charges were filed and are pending through the office of Magisterial Judge Jerry G. Cartwright Jr.

State police are not naming the victim or the exact location of the incident because it is an incident of domestic violence.

Coming Flu Season Will Likely Be Severe, Increased Vaccination Could Help

(Photo Courtesy of UPMC)
(PITTSBURGH,Pa.) The 2021-22 influenza season is likely to be more severe than average—and hit young children particularly hard—due to waning population-level immunity from the near-lack of a flu season during last winter’s COVID-19 surge, two new analyses led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health revealed.

Both studies suggest that increased flu-related hospitalizations and deaths can be mitigated if vaccination rates are between 20% and 50% higher than those in recent flu seasons.

To quickly inform public health and clinical decisions, the scientists published the findings of both studies in medRxiv, a preprint website, and announced their results today, ahead of peer-reviewed publication.

“As COVID-19 containment measures—such as masking, distancing and school closures—are relaxed around the world, we’re seeing a fierce resurgence of other respiratory viruses, which does not bode well for the coming flu season,” said Mark Roberts, M.D., M.P.P., director of the Public Health Dynamics Laboratory at Pitt Public Health and senior author on both studies. “In a worst-case situation with a highly transmissible flu strain dominating and low influenza vaccination uptake, our predictive models indicate the potential for up to nearly half a million more flu hospitalizations this winter, compared to a normal flu season. Vaccinating as many people against flu as possible will be key to avoiding this scenario.”

Roberts and his colleagues performed two independent analyses, using different mathematical modeling platforms and publishing the results separately. Both models produced consistent, complementary results.

Using the Framework for Reconstructing Epidemiologic Dynamics (FRED) simulation platform, Pitt Public Health research assistant professor Mary Krauland, Ph.D., led a team that found the 2021-22 flu season could have around 20% more flu cases than normal, though there is the potential for as high as double the typical caseload, which is between 9 million and 45 million illnesses in the U.S.

In the 2019-20 flu season, about half of Americans got vaccinated against the flu. FRED showed that increasing that vaccination rate by as little as 10% resulted in a 6% to 46% predicted decrease in hospitalizations, depending on the transmissibility of the dominant flu virus this season.

With a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) model, Pitt Public Health postdoctoral associate Kyueun Lee, Ph.D., led a team that found the coming influenza season will likely bring about 600,000 hospitalizations, at least 100,000 more than would happen in a normal season. In a worst-case scenario where vaccine uptake is low, there would be more than 400,000 additional hospitalizations. Getting 75% of Americans vaccinated against flu, rather than the typical 50%, would be needed to avoid the additional hospitalizations, according to the model.

Lee also went a step further and examined what would happen in future years if COVID-19 precautions persist and this flu season also is blunted. As would be expected, natural immunity against flu continues to plummet, further increasing the odds of an ever-larger flu outbreak with high hospitalization rates whenever social activity returns to normal.

“This is not to suggest that we should stop COVID-19 mitigation efforts to avoid a severe future flu season,” said Roberts, who also is a distinguished professor of health policy and management at Pitt Public Health. “Instead, it shows that more of us—particularly young children—will be susceptible to the flu and that vaccination is absolutely essential to avoiding bad outcomes.

“The ‘twindemic’—a coinciding flu and COVID-19 epidemic—overwhelming our hospitals was thankfully avoided last year. But that does not mean it is no longer possible,” he continued. “If anything, our models show that we should be more concerned this year about the possibility of a surge in COVID-19 hitting at the same time as a massive flu outbreak in areas of the country with low vaccination rates against both diseases.”

Additional authors on one or both of these studies are David D. Galloway, M.S., Jonathan M. Raviotta, Ph.D., Richard K. Zimmerman, M.D., Hawre Jalal, M.D., Ph.D., and Donald Burke, M.D., all of Pitt.

Both studies were supported by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant U01-IP001141-01.