(AP Photo)
Thursday, January, 13, 2022 at 7:17 AM
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — After several months of positioning himself to run, ex-hedge fund CEO David McCormick is entering Pennsylvania’s campaign for U.S. Senate. He brings a glittering resume and high-level connections across finance and politics to a topsy-turvy GOP primary field. The 56-year-old McCormick has the support of various state party stalwarts in a contest that’s expected to help determine Senate control. To run, McCormick, who grew up in Pennsylvania, moved from Connecticut and bought a house in Pittsburgh. That’s raising carpetbaggery cries from GOP primary rivals. Also moving from out of state to run is Mehmet Oz, the heart surgeon best-known as the host of daytime TV’s “The Dr. Oz Show.”

(File Photo of Accused Tree of Life Shooting suspect Robert Bowers)
Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 7:02 AM
(Pittsburgh, Pa.)  Senior U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose, the federal judge involved in the case of the alleged Tree of Life shooter Robert Bowers is retiring and will transfer to inactive senior status on February 1, 2022.
Once Ambrose retires, all of her cases will be reassigned at random.
Judge Ambrose was the first woman to serve as Chief Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

(Photo of 37th Street on College Hill in Beaver Falls on December 18, 2019 during a snow storm, taken by Frank Sparks)
Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 6:52 AM
Story by Frank Sparks, Beaver County Radio News/Program Director

(Moon Twp., Pa.) The National Weather Service in Moon Twp. has issued a Hazardous Weather outlook for Sunday Night into Monday. The bulletin stated that:
” ***Hazardous Weather Outlook has been issued by the
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
Accumulating snowfall is likely Sunday into Monday. Uncertainty
remains with regards to the strength and exact track of the system,
which will affect snowfall amounts. Please monitor later forecasts” 
It’s still unclear at this time which track the snowfall will take. Below is a detailed forecast for Today thru -Tuesday according to the National Weather Service in Moon Township.

House votes for GOP-favored congressional redistricting plan
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A plan to redraw lines for Pennsylvania’s congressional districts to account for a decade of population shifts is advancing in the Legislature with a partisan vote that signals lawmakers have more redistricting work ahead. Two suburban Philadelphia Republicans joined every Democrat in voting Wednesday against the proposal. It would reshuffle the state to take into account 2020 census results that dropped the state’s congressional delegation from 18 members to 17. The schedule is getting tight for lawmakers to produce congressional maps without delaying the May 17 primary election. In Pennsylvania, congressional maps are handled as regular legislation that need approval from lawmakers and the governor.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Two weeks after the announcement of the increase in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for Beaver County municipalities from $10 million to $17 million, the revelation for which municipalities receiving the money is finally coming.

Solicitor Garen Fedeles, while previewing the 57 resolutions to be decided on at the public meeting on Thursday, made mention of Resolution 56, which will give the green light to the municipalities set to receive their share of the $17 million; the County Commissioners have yet to reveal which municipalities they are. The public meeting is scheduled for 10:00 AM on January 13.

Commissioner Tony Amadio made his return to the regular work sessions at the County Courthouse on Wednesday, and in doing so provided a good-news announcement in regards to one of the county’s most notable structures.

“PennDOT has selected our own Beaver County bridge, the Ambridge-Aliquippa bridge, to be placed in a historic bridges and highways book to be published this year,” Amadio said. “It’s an honor, with the bridge about to be 100 years old.”

The bridge was built in 1926 (96 years old), and recently underwent emergency construction between November and December of 2021.

Following the public meeting tomorrow, the next Commissioners’ work session is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Wednesday, January 19.

By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The title of “Pennsylvanian” may not carry quite the cachet of declarations of fighting socialists or getting tough on China, but it’s increasingly the go-to weapon for Republican primary candidates in one of the nation’s premier U.S. Senate contests. A wide-open race for the swing-state seat has attracted wealthy and well-connected transplants, and homers Jeff Bartos and George Bochetto are seizing on it. Bartos, a real-estate investor from suburban Philadelphia, derides them as “political tourists” and reminds audiences that he’s a “lifelong Pennsylvanian.” Bochetto, a lawyer who has lived in Philadelphia for 45 years, suggests that his out-of-state rivals should just be honest and tell voters that they aren’t really Pennsylvanians.

US shoppers find some groceries scarce due to virus, weather
By DEE-ANN DURBIN and PARKER PURIFOY AP Business Writer
Shortages at U.S. grocery stores have grown more acute in recent weeks. New problems like the fast-spreading omicron variant and severe weather are piling on to the supply chain struggles and labor shortages that have plagued retailers since the coronavirus pandemic began. The shortages are widespread, impacting produce and meat as well as packaged goods like cereal. And they’re being reported nationwide. U.S. groceries typically have 5% to 10% of their items out of stock at any given time. According to the Consumer Brands Association, the unavailability rate is hovering around 15%.  Experts are divided on how long grocery shopping will sometimes feel like a scavenger hunt.

(AP Photo)
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Prices paid by U.S. consumer jumped 7% in December from a year earlier, the highest inflation rate since 1982 and the latest evidence that rising costs for food, gas, rent and other necessities are heightening the financial pressures on America’s households. Inflation has spiked during the recovery from the pandemic recession as Americans have ramped up spending on goods such as cars, furniture and appliances. Those increased purchases have clogged ports and warehouses and exacerbated supply shortages of semiconductors and other parts.

(AP Photo)
By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is increasing federal support for COVID-19 testing for schools in a bid to keep them open amid the omicron surge. The White House said Wednesday the administration is making a dedicated stream of 5 million rapid tests and 5 million lab-based PCR tests available to schools starting this month. The goal is to ease supply shortages and promote the safe reopening of schools. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona tells CBS students need to be in their classrooms and the announcement shows the administration’s commitment to helping schools stay open. The initiative comes after Chicago public schools closed for days amid an impasse between teachers and officials over reopening policies.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that all driver license and photo centers, including the Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg, will be closed Saturday, January 15, through Monday, January 17, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services, including all forms, publications and driver training manuals, online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website.

Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; driver license and photo ID duplicates; and driver exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services.

A complete listing of PennDOT driver and photo license center closings in 2022 is available online.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadway 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.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.