WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is calling the violent chaos at Kabul’s airport “gut-wrenching,” but he’s standing by America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden spoke from the White House on Monday in his first in-person remarks since the Taliban over the weekend rolled over an Afghan military and government that American forces had spent two decades building. Despite it all, Biden said he stands squarely behind his decision to end the United States’ longest war. He faulted leaders of the Afghan government and military for its swift collapse, saying he had warned President Ashraf Ghani to prepare to fight a civil war with the Taliban after American troops left.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government. The militants are seeking to reassure a wary population that their rule will be different this time. Tuesday’s comments come a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. Following a blitz across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a brutal rule in the late 1990s. But many Afghans remain skeptical. While there were no major reports of abuses or fighting in the capital of Kabul as the Taliban now patrol its streets, many residents have stayed home and remain fearful.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are lining up to blister President Joe Biden’s handling of Afghanistan as they try to turn violence and chaos there into political opportunity back home. That’s despite many agreeing that it was ultimately time for U.S. forces to leave that country. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, negotiated a peace deal that would have seen U.S. forces withdraw months earlier, one that was cheered by much of his party. But many of those leading Republicans are now criticizing Biden, not for what he’s doing in sending U.S. troops home but for how he’s doing it. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called the chaotic withdrawal “an embarrassing spectacle, a diplomatic humiliation and a national security catastrophe.”

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Authorities in western Pennsylvania say a man was found shot to death in a car that had crashed into a Pittsburgh home over the weekend. Allegheny County police say officers were called to the Beltzhoover neighborhood shortly before midnight Saturday after a gunshot detection system indicated gunfire. A 911 call soon afterward sent them to an address where they found a vehicle crashed into a home. Inside, they found the lone occupant of the vehicle with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later. The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office on Monday identified him as 29-year-old Darren Green of Sheraden. Police are investigating and no arrests were immediately reported.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A former employee of a western Pennsylvania hospital accused of secretly filming patients and co-workers in a bathroom has been sentenced to 11 to 22 months in jail. An Allegheny County judge also ordered 53-year-old Guy Caley of Canonsburg to spend 10 years on probation and to register as a sex offender for 15 years after his release. The former West Penn Hospital medical technician pleaded guilty in May to 89 felony and misdemeanor counts of intercepting communications and invasion of privacy. In court Monday, he called his actions “reprehensible, hurtful, inexcusable.”

The Sheriff’s Office of Beaver County is warning residents of a jury duty phone scam.  The office reported that a woman in Montgomery county received a phone call stating that she missed jury duty and needed to contact the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or face arrest.  The woman called back the number that was left to her in a voicemail, and she was contacted again from a different number.  The Sheriff’s Office wants residents to know that they should call back any number claiming to be law enforcement to verify that it is in fact a law enforcement agency.  Phone scammers have been known in the past to clone phone numbers to appear legitimate when they show up on caller ID.

Harrisburg, PA –

Federal data representing all 67 counties:

• According to the CDC, as of Sunday, Aug. 15, Pennsylvania ranks 5^th among all 50 states for total doses administered.
• According to the CDC, as of Sunday, Aug. 15, 64.3% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated.

 

Statewide data representing the 66 counties within the Department of Health’s vaccine jurisdiction:

• Pennsylvania’s vaccine dashboard was updated on Friday, July 9 to more accurately reflect the number of people who are partially and fully vaccinated in each county outside of Philadelphia, along with demographics of those receiving vaccine. For state-to-state comparisons, refer to the CDC vaccine data tracker.
• Vaccine providers have administered 11,899,922 total vaccine doses as of Monday, Aug. 16.
• 5,826,058 people are fully vaccinated; with 52,551 vaccinations administered yesterday and a seven-day moving average of more than 14,900 people per day receiving vaccinations.

The department continues to urge Pennsylvanians to follow CDC guidance for wearing a mask where required by law, rule and regulations, including healthcare, local business and workplace guidance. For the protection of themselves and others, individuals who have not yet been vaccinated or are partially vaccinated are still encouraged to wear a mask when in public. CDC also recommends all individuals wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

Harrisburg, PA – In its July 2021 report, the Pennsylvania Department of Health notes that nursing home surveyors conducted 466 inspections, including 289 complaint investigations, of 329 separate nursing homes. Of these inspections, 30 were COVID-19-specific investigations. There were five new sanctions finalized against nursing care facilities in the past month resulting in a total of $40,150 in fines.

“Throughout the COVID-19 response, the department has continued to investigate any complaint made to the department to ensure  residents receive the best quality of care,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. “We encourage staff, residents and visitors, if you see something, please say something by contacting the department.”

Individuals can file complaints about a nursing home with the department in several ways: anonymously by calling 1-800-254-5164, filling out the online complaint form, emailing c-ncomplai@pa.gov, or sending the complaint in the mail to the department.

The inspections include information on nursing home patient care and building inspections. If a facility is cited for not following regulations during the survey, it must submit a plan of correction that includes what will be done to fix the issue(s) and a completion date for the resolution. The department will conduct a surprise follow-up inspection to ensure issues are resolved. Surveys are posted to the website 41 days after the survey is completed.

The Department of Health also conducts surveys on behalf of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). These surveys include federal certification and recertification, complaint surveys, building safety surveys and others.

The department also may issue sanctions that could include a civil penalty, a ban on admissions, a license being revoked, or a facility being put on a provisional license, which requires, among other things, being subject to additional inspections. A provisional license can be renewed no more than three times. The department can return the facility to a regular license if it is satisfied that all issues have been corrected and it is warranted.

The department maintains a searchable database, which allows the public to view patient care surveys, building safety surveys, size of the nursing home, type of ownership and additional information about each of the nursing homes in the state. The department oversees 692 nursing homes with more than 88,000 beds in Pennsylvania, in addition to other facilities, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, home care agencies and others.

The Wolf Administration has taken a three-pillar approach to protecting the vulnerable residents living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities (LTCF) from COVID-19:

• Ensuring resident safety through testing, education, and resources;
• Preventing and mitigating outbreaks; and
• Working in partnership with state agencies, local health departments and long-term care facility operators.

To best understand COVID-19 impact in nursing homes, the department requires facilities to self-report the cumulative number of cases and deaths of staff and residents to the department. To access that data, along with county level data, visit the department’s LTCF data page.

On August 12, the Department of Health set a minimum goal for all nursing homes to have at least 80 percent of staff fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Oct. 1, 2021, to help vulnerable residents. Currently in Pennsylvania, 12.5 percent of facilities have staff vaccinated at or above 80 percent. You can find the vaccination status of all current nursing home staff and residents reported from the nursing home facility to the CMS on our dashboard to easily analyze this self-reported data to the federal government.

While residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities are receiving vaccine, it is essential that everyone remain vigilant regarding the potential spread of COVID-19 in congregate care facilities.

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

(Hopewell Township, PA) Regardless of what one group of parents doesn’t want, their children to wear masks in school and on the buses, the district is following CDC guidelines, according to Acting Superintendent Robert Kartychak.  He said “During the level of transmission which is high in the county, everyone is to be masked, this is an attempt to keep students in their seats  in school in front of our teaching staff.”

The upcoming school board meeting has been changed to Tuesday, August 24 at 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The meeting was originally scheduled for Monday.

Center Township Supervisors adopted their new updated dog ordinance Monday night prepared by Solicitor Nicholas Urick. The new ordinance  went into effect today. Residents can pick up a copy of the ordinance in the township office between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.