Author: Beaver County Radio

IndyCar hoping debris deflector helps protect drivers

IndyCar hoping debris deflector helps protect drivers
By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — IndyCar drivers will be using a new safety device starting with next month’s Indianapolis 500.
Series officials say each car will be fitted with a ¾-inch-wide titanium debris deflector, which is intended to protect the driver’s head in the open cockpit.
A handful of drivers got a brief chance to work with the deflector during Wednesday’s test session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But seven hours of scheduled track time was cut short because of rain. Nobody turned more than five laps in the scheduled two-hour morning session.
IndyCar President Jay Frye says additional safety measures could be announced next month. The 500 is scheduled for May 26.
__
More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Roethlisberger to remain with Steelers through 2021

Roethlisberger to remain with Steelers through 2021
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have reiterated repeatedly during an eventful offseason that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remains the team’s unquestioned leader. They have handed him a new deal to prove it.
The Steelers and the two-time Super Bowl winner agreed to terms on a contract extension Wednesday that will keep Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh through the 2021 season. Roethlisberger had been set to enter the final year of a contract he signed in 2015. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Roethlisberger figures to get a significant pay bump over the $12 million he was due (with a $23 million cap hit) in 2019.
“It has always been a goal to play my entire career in Pittsburgh,” Roethlisberger said in a statement. “This is home for me and my family, and we love this city. I am as excited to be a Steeler in Year 16 as I was when they drafted me. They will get my absolute best.”
The deal gives Pittsburgh some stability going forward after the high-profile departures of wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell. Brown pouted his way into a trade with the Oakland Raiders in March while Bell signed with the New York Jets as a free agent after sitting out all of 2018 when he opted not to sign his franchise tender.
Roethlisberger, who turned 36 last month, is coming off the finest statistical season of his 15-year career. His 5,129 yards passing led the NFL and his 34 touchdown passes broke his own franchise mark. Yet his once-solid relationship with Brown appeared to deteriorate during a late slide that culminated in a 9-6-1 finish, a swoon that caused the Steelers to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
Brown sat out a crucial Week 17 game against Cincinnati and in the aftermath lashed out on social media, blaming Roethlisberger for having an “owner mentality.”
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert went out of his way to defend the quarterback, saying that in a way, Roethlisberger was dealing with “52 kids” on the roster, a challenge for some of Roethlisberger’s teammates to take on a greater role in the locker room. Not that Roethlisberger minds the responsibility. He has been unapologetic in his approach and unafraid to call out himself and others when the team fails to play to the standard it has set for itself during his largely successful tenure.
Roethlisberger flirted with retirement after the 2016 season but has found a renewed sense of energy in his mid-30s. Having an offensive line that has kept him upright has certainly helped. Roethlisberger has been sacked an average of 20½ times over the last four years — compared with an average of 42 times per season between 2006-13 — due in part to stellar play in front of him and an approach predicated on getting the ball out faster while shying away from the “Ben being Ben” stuff that led to a mix of big plays and big mistakes earlier in his career.
The announcement of the extension came on the 15th anniversary of the Steelers making Roethlisberger the seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft. After taking over the starting job in Week 2 of the 2004 season following an injury to veteran Tommy Maddox, Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to three Super Bowls, along with seven AFC North titles and 10 total playoff berths.
“Ben is one of the most productive quarterbacks in NFL history, and he continued to climb the lists among the all-time passing leaders in the league last season,” team president Art Rooney II said. “But I know Ben’s focus is on only one goal — to bring another Lombardi trophy back to Pittsburgh.”
Roethlisberger will lead an offense in the midst of a generational shift at other skill positions. JuJu Smith-Schuster replaces Brown as Pittsburgh’s top receiver and the running back combination of James Conner and Jaylen Samuels combined to put up numbers in 2018 similar to Bell’s at his peak. There is stability, however, along the offensive line. Four of five starters return and there are plenty of potential in-house replacements for right tackle Marcus Gilbert, who was traded to Arizona in March.
Pittsburgh has toyed with finding Roethlisberger’s eventual successor, drafting Josh Dobbs in the fourth round in 2017 and Mason Rudolph in the third round last year. Dobbs won the backup job last summer over Rudolph and veteran Landry Jones, who was cut on the eve of the 2018 season. Having them in place means the Steelers are likely to avoid drafting a quarterback with one of their 10 selections in the draft that starts Thursday.
Inside linebacker, cornerback and wide receiver figure to be Pittsburgh’s biggest needs early.
Quarterback, for the 15th straight year, will not. Not with Roethlisberger still very much in charge early into the next decade.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/tag/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Tensions High At Commissioner’s Work Session

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Though it was nice and sunny outside, the vibes were less so inside the Beaver County Courthouse on Wednesday.

Things started off decently enough with an update from Tim Ishman regarding the County’s celebration of Earth Day, following Ishman was a very defensive District Attorney David Lozier. The reason for DA Lozier’s defensiveness was that he was addressing a recent rumor that the County was considering dropping the number of detectives in the county from a possible 8 (7 are currently employed) to possibly 6 or fewer detectives.

Lozier was staunch in defending his detective unit’s place in keeping the public safe–particularly from the public themselves:

[table id=70 /]

Then Cory Trautman–who is the representative of Susquehanna Consulting and working with the County on their budget (having done so since the firing of Ricardo Luckow in 2018)–gave an update on the current financial status in the county. Trautman said that the budget was in decent health, but still needed work:

 

But one part of the released numbers didn’t sit well with Hopewell resident Carl Hughes, who felt that the county’s financial situation will push residents away:

 

And lastly, the debate over the future of Beaver County’s K9 unit dogs continued, with Sheriff Tony Guy and several members of the Sheriff’s Department having a back and forth with Commissioner Sandie Egley about the issue. One such example of the dialogue featured Commissioner Egley still feeling like the details were unclear:

 

Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp said that he’d like to have the final decision on the addition of a K9 unit, whether leased or bought, by the May 9 public meeting.

Assistant County Solicitor Nathan Morgan was absent from this April 24 work session.

Has The NRA Become Too Political? Organization Said To Be At War With Itself

UNDATED (AP) — The National Rifle Association is gathering this week for its annual meeting amid inner turmoil the likes of which have not been seen in decades. The NRA is used to battling outside forces. But these days, NRA insiders and longtime observers describe an organization at war with itself. The central question: Has it strayed too far from its original mission of gun safety and outdoor shooting sports and become too political?

President Trump Vows To Fight ‘All The Subpoenas’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his White House will be “fighting all the subpoenas” issued by House Democrats in their investigations into his administration. Trump is criticizing those investigations and telling reporters that he “thought after two years we’d be finished with it.” Democrats have stepped up their inquiries in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference. Trump says “it’s enough” and that “we’re fighting all the subpoenas.”

GOP 2020 Presidential Candidate William Weld: We’d Be Better Off With Pence As President

The first Republican to announce a GOP 2020 primary challenge to President Donald Trump says “we would be much better off with a President Mike Pence.” Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld told NSNBC’S “The Last Word” Tuesday night,

“For the good of the country, if he had the self-awareness that Richard Nixon had, sense of shame is too strong a word, but self-awareness is probably too soft a word, he would resign. The truth is: We would be much better off with a President Mike Pence than a President Donald Trump.”

 

East Rochester Mayor Discusses Flood Damage With Beaver County Radio News

THE MAYOR OF EAST ROCHESTER SAYS THERE’S NOT MUCH HE CAN DO FOR BOROUGH RESIDENTS VICTIMIZED FROM LAST WEEKEND’S VIOLENT STORMS…UNTIL THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING. MAYOR BOB KNOX SPOKE WITH BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWSMAN PAT SEPTAK ABOUT THE FLOODING……AND GAVE THIS ASSESSMENT:

HE TOLD US THERE WAS ONE RESIDENT IN PARTICULAR – TERRY MASON – WHO RECEIVED THE MOST AMOUNT OF PROPERTY DESTRUCTION…

HE TOLD PAT THAT HE HAS ALREADY HAD THE STREETS DEPARTMENT CHECK THE BOROUGH’S DRAIN PIPES…

MAYOR KNOX INVITES ALL RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY THE STORMS TO ATTEND NEXT WEDNESDAY’S COUNCIL MEETING – MAY 1ST AT 7PM…AT THE LACOCK DWELLING COMMUNITY BUILDING IN EAST ROCHESTER.

Police Officer, High School Teacher Among 16 Men Arrested For Seeking Out Teens For Sex

HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey police officer and a New York City high school teacher are among 16 men who allegedly tried to set up sexual encounters with people they thought were teenage boys and girls. New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir announced the arrests Wednesday. He said most of the defendants were arrested when they arrived at a residence in Bergen County, where they expected to find their victim home alone. Seven defendants travelled there from New York State, while another came from Philadelphia.

Woman Falls Into Meat Grinder At Processing Plant In Northern PA

MUNCY, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a woman was killed when she fell into a meat grinder at a processing plant in northern Pennsylvania. It’s not clear what caused the accident at the Economy Locker Storage Company in Muncy. The Lycoming County coroner’s office says 35-year-old Jill Greninger fell late Monday morning. Her body was found by a co-worker who heard strange noises coming from the commercial machine. Greninger may have been standing on a set of wheeled stairs prior to the fatal accident.