THIS WEEKEND’S BEAVER COUNTY SNOW SHOVEL RIDING CHAMPIONSHIP HAS BEEN MOVED TO NEXT SATURDAY – GROUNDHOG DAY, FEBRUARY 2ND, WEATHER PERMITTING. THE EVENT WILL BE HELD AT OLD ECONOMY PARK, JUST OFF ROUTE 989 IN ECONOMY BOROUGH. ANYONE CAN ENTER AND THERE IS NO REGISTRATION FEE. REGISTRATION FOR THE EVENT IS HELD ON THE SATURDAY OF THE EVENT AT 11 TO 12 NOON IN THE MAINTENANCE BUILDING AT THE PARK ACROSS FROM THE BARN. BEAVER COUNTY RECREATION & TOURISM DIRECTOR TIM ISHMAN SAYS A DECISION EACH WEEK IS MADE BEFORE 12 NOON EACH THURSDAY.

Wolf takes new step on marijuana with town hall sessions
By MARC LEVY, Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is taking a new step in its exploration of legalizing marijuana, with Lt. Gov. John Fetterman preparing a series of town hall-style public listening sessions.
Fetterman, himself an advocate for legalizing marijuana, said Thursday he’ll hold a listening session in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties in the coming months. Fetterman also says he’ll accept comments submitted through other means.
The step comes after the Democratic governor changed his tune last month, saying it’s time for Pennsylvania to take a serious look at legalizing marijuana. Before that, Wolf had said Pennsylvania wasn’t ready and gave no sign it was worth immediately studying.
Wolf now says Pennsylvania can’t ignore movement in New York and New Jersey toward legalizing marijuana. Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Legislature has been hostile to the idea.

Investigators are working to determine if the owner of Ellwood City Medical Center has committed any financial crimes. Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa is looking into bank records for a pair of open-ended mortgages taken out a few months ago totaling six-point-five million dollars. Despite that influx of cash, the medical center has had nine issues with its payroll since August, including last Friday when employees were paid minimum wage for the hours they worked.

Big Beaver Falls Area schools are getting a big grant. The 110-thousand-dollars is coming from Chevron Appalachia and their Project Lead The Way non-profit, which supports learning experiences and development in biomedical, computer, and engineering sciences. The district will split the funds between their schools to create more STEM opportunities for its students.

Crews are working to repair one of Monaca’s four water wells. The borough’s manager tells the Beaver County Times one of the wells will be down until repairs are completed next week. Some residents may notice a stronger smell of chlorine as the other wells take on the extra processing. Borough officials do say the water is safe.

PennDOT District 11 is announcing a single-lane restriction on southbound Route 65 in Baden will occur today, weather permitting. A single-lane restriction will occur from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today on southbound Route 65 between Johnson Avenue and Logan Lane. Crews will conduct inspection and cleaning activities of the sanitary sewers.

President Donald Trump has done something remarkable in the government shutdown: He’s unified House Democrats behind Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It’s not even about the wall anymore. Democrats are sticking together to strengthen Pelosi’s hand and set a tone in the new Congress. They say if they give in to Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion to build the border wall with Mexico, what will he ask for next? The White House believes Democrats will begin feeling pressure to give in to Trump’s demand.

Robots aren’t replacing everyone, but a quarter of U.S. jobs will be severely disrupted as artificial intelligence accelerates the automation of today’s work. Among those most likely to be affected: Chefs and others in food services, short-haul truck drivers and clerical office workers. That’s according to a Brookings Institution report that says about 36 million Americans hold jobs with tasks that can be mostly performed by machines using current technology.

A full year before the first round of presidential primary voting finds diversity already a hallmark of the field of possible Democratic contenders. Four of those who have either moved toward a campaign or declared their candidacy are women, and one of them is African-American. Another White House hopeful is Latino, and one is gay. The diversity is likely to expand in the coming weeks as other Democrats enter the race.