Author: Beaver County Radio

House Republicans Post Record Fundraising Ahead of 2022 Race

By JILL COLVIN and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The committee charged with helping Republicans wrest control of the House next year raised $45.4 million over the last three months, a record quarterly haul during a year without a national election. That total was bolstered by $20.1 million raised in June, the highest ever monthly off-year total. The fundraising numbers were shared with The Associated Press before a public filing deadline. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last week announced that it had raised $14.4 million in June, bringing its second-quarter total to $36.5 million — its best ever for that stretch.

More Showers And Thunderstorms Today, Thursday Only Dry Day in Next Five Days

(Photo of Rochester-Bridgewater Bridge taken by Frank Sparks in August 0f 2019)
Today
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9am. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Calm wind.
Thursday
Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 3 to 8 mph.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of showers between 2am and 5am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday
Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Saturday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

ATI and United Steelworkers Ratify New Contract Ending A Strike That Started In March 2021

United Steelworkers members that have been on strike since March 30 will be back on the job by the end of the week at local ATI facilities.
Union members went on strike over disagreements about pay and health care coverage.
The union workers ratified a four-year contract that gives the workers a raise and preserves their health care coverage without premiums to the workers. ATI has two facilities in Beaver County with one in Rochester and the other in Monaca.

Ambridge Man Diagnosed with Delta Variant Home After 22 Days in Hospital

(Ambridge, Pa.) An Ambridge man who was diagnosed with the Delta variant of Covid-19, despite being fully vaccinated is finally home after spending 22 days in the hospital.
73-year-old Joe Pucci was experiencing some Covid-19 symptoms on his birthday, June 21, and went to the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center despite being fully vaccinated he was diagnosed with the Delta variant of Covid-19
Pucci was discharged from the VA hospital on Monday night but is now using an oxygen machine to help him breathe.

Biden Administration Provides Pennsylvania $6,459,400 to Support Rural COVID Response Efforts

As part of the Biden Administration’s ongoing efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is providing Pennsylvania with $6,459,400 to support COVID response efforts in rural areas. While vaccinations continue to increase, this funding through the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) will go to 25 small rural hospitals in Pennsylvania for COVID-19 testing and mitigation, important parts of the COVID response especially as the country faces new variants.
“The Biden Administration recognizes the important role that small rural hospitals have in closing the equity gap and ensuring that rural Americans can protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Today’s funding will help small rural hospitals continue to serve their communities in this critical role by expanding their COVID-19 testing capacity and mitigation efforts.”
State Offices of Rural Health, which work with small rural hospitals to implement quality and operational improvement efforts, will receive the funding announced today to distribute to eligible small rural hospitals in their state. Small rural hospitals—those with fewer than 50 beds and Critical Access Hospitals—are key health care access points and trusted community resources. Hospitals will use the funds to maintain or increase COVID-19 testing, expand access to testing for rural residents, and tailor mitigation efforts to reflect the needs of local communities.
“Our state-based SHIP grantees are important partners in helping to support small rural hospitals,” said HRSA Acting Administrator Diana Espinosa.  “HRSA is committed to mitigating the spread of the virus in rural areas by supporting and empowering local providers to tailor their responses to COVID-19 to what works for their communities.”
To view a state-by-state breakdown of this funding visit: https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/rural-hospitals/arp-covid19-awards
To learn more about the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program, visit: https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/ruralhealth/state-support-rural-hospitals.pdf
For information about HRSA’s coronavirus response in rural communities visit:  https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/coronavirus
For more information about HRSA’s rural programs, visit the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy website: https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/index.html

Names Released of Two Fatalities: Five Shot All Together in Monday Night Beaver Falls Shooting

(File Photo)

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier sent out a press release Tuesday evening identifying, what is now two fatal shooting victims names and saying that five people all together were shot.  In the statement Lozier said that : At about 9:30 Monday night, Monday July 12, 2021 there was an exchange of gunfire in the vicinity of 10th Street and 10th Avenue in the City of Beaver Falls. 

We can confirm that 5 people were shot. Two of those were fatalities. Two were life flighted to Pittsburgh Hospitals, underwent surgery and we are monitoring their condition. A fifth individual was treated at the hospital and released. 

The two fatalities were: Dwayne Lee Wells, age 31, of Beaver Falls and Youngstown. Monte Carlos Warren, age 30, of Michigan. 

The Coroner has ruled the causes of both death to be homicide. 

We will not at this time identify the other individuals involved. 

No charges have been filed as of this time and the investigation is ongoing. 

The investigation is being led by the City of Beaver Falls Police Department with the assistance of the Beaver County Detective Bureau. 

Both New Brighton Police, Brighton Township Police, Chippewa Township Police and the Sheriff‘s Department were of great assistance last night.

Stay tune to Beaver County Radio as this story continues to develop.

State Police Seizes More Than $19.6 Million in Illegal Drugs During the Second Quarter of 2021

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) announced today that troopers confiscated $19,601,549 worth of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamines, and other illicit drugs in the second quarter of 2021.
From April 1 through June 30, PSP seized 306 pounds of fentanyl and more than 285 pounds of cocaine, both with a combined street value of $11.1 million. Troopers also seized 167 pounds of methamphetamines and 22 pounds of heroin from Pennsylvania communities.
Second Quarter Drug Seizure Totals
 Drug
Total Seized
Total Value of Amount Seized
Cocaine
281.13 lbs.
$6,184,860
Crack Cocaine
4.08 lbs.
$65,280
Heroin
22.18 lbs.
$754,120
Fentanyl
306.49 lbs.
$4,903,840
LSD
1,219 doses
$24,380
Marijuana THC – Liquid
71.05 pints
$476,035
Marijuana THC – Solid
365.79 lbs.
$1,828,950
Marijuana Plants
130 plants
$21,450
Processed Marijuana
831.3 lbs.
$2,493,900
Methamphetamines
167.73 lbs.
$1,677,300
MDMA – Ecstasy
2.38 lbs.
$7,854
MDMA – Pills
2,601 pills
$39,015
Other Narcotics
42.57 lbs.
$85,140
Other Narcotics (Pills)
41,577 pills
$1,039,425
Total Value
$19,601,549
State police also collected 910 pounds of prescription and other medication as part of its drug take-back program in the second quarter of 2021. There are 65 drug take-back boxes at state police stations throughout the commonwealth, providing a safe way to dispose of unused or unwanted medication 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Additional Information

Pa. State Police Strengthens Community Engagement, Develops Public Dashboard

State Police Strengthens Community Engagement, Develops Public Dashboard
 
Harrisburg, PA – Colonel Robert Evanchick, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), announced today two new community-based initiatives, the Office of Community Engagement (OCE) and the Community Access to Information Dashboard (CAID).
“Pennsylvania State Police personnel are always considering and developing initiatives that will improve the department’s transparency and community engagement,” said Colonel Evanchick. “The development of the OCE and the CAID assists our department in strengthening in-person community relations and public access to statistical data.”
The OCE was established to proactively engage with community members and organizations and to collaboratively identify and problem-solve local challenges to increase the safety of residents, visitors, and law enforcement. Outreach efforts include all segments of communities, including people of diverse faiths, races, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, cultural traditions, gender, and sexual orientation.
OCE is comprised of the Community Affairs Section, which consists of a section commander and 17 Community Affairs Officers (CAOs) and supervisors, and the Heritage Affairs Section, which consists of a section commander and four Heritage Affairs Liaison Officers (HALOs).
CAOs and HALOs work with community leaders, non-profit organizations, legislators, and other law enforcement agencies to build positive, proactive relationships with residents and visitors of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition, CAOs strive to develop relationships within underserved communities across the commonwealth, commonly working together with minority groups, mental health advocacy groups, and those in need. HALOs focus on educating the public on the role of law enforcement to create stronger relationships and to increase trust within the community, as well as working with local law enforcement agencies to prevent and investigate hate- and bias-related crimes. HALOs also lead the department’s training on implicit bias awareness and de-escalation techniques.
OCE command staff and personnel are interested in the public’s ideas for developing strategies that may be employed to improve police community relations in your neighborhood. Contact information is found on the OCE page, visit psp.pa.gov.
CAID was designed to allow the public to access and search PSP aggregated incident-related data. There are two primary goals of the CAID in sharing data with the public. One is to provide transparency to the media and public regarding traffic crash and enforcement, crime, and calls for service data. The second is to provide the communities PSP serves with an ownership stake in their quality of life by demonstrating significant police-related incident trends and some of the mitigation efforts taken to impact those trajectories.
“Due to the advancement of technology and current electronic reporting, data can now be collected, analyzed, and displayed utilizing multiple dashboards,” said Colonel Evanchick. “I want to thank all of the personnel who contributed to developing the public dashboard.”
Future enhancements to CAID will include state police commercial vehicle enforcement data, crime data, and calls for service.  For more information and to access the dashboard, visit CAID.
PSP is interested in the public’s feedback. The “Contact Us” button located at the top of the CAID, provides the opportunity to submit suggestions for dashboard enhancements. The feedback will be provided to the dashboard development team for consideration.