Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing inspection activities on the Rochester-Monaca Bridge (Route 18) over the Ohio River in Rochester and Monaca boroughs, Beaver County, will begin Friday, July 7 weather permitting.
Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on the bridge weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Friday, July 14.
Crews from Mackin Engineering will conduct the inspection activities. Please use caution when traveling through the area.
Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published July 5, 2023
(Hopewell Township, PA) The annual park fest is scheduled for Saturday, July 8, 2023 from 3 to 9:30 pm. One of the highlights of the day-long event that features attractions including The Project Band with Frank Piscopo from 5:30 to 7:15 pm, food, and other attractions, and amusements. will be featured for all ages.
(Pittsburgh, PA) Today McDonald’s debuts a sizzling new take on the classic Quarter Pounder: The Cheesy Jalapeño Bacon QPC.
Available only for a limited time, the sandwich features a 100% fresh beef Quarter Pounder patty that’s cooked right when you order so it’s hot and juicy every time. It includes two slices of melty American cheese, thick cut applewood smoked bacon, pickled jalapeno coins and it’s topped off with a creamy cheddar cheese sauce — all served on a sesame seed bun. The Cheesy Jalapeno Bacon QPC is available as a single or double.
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced a change in Medicaid, also known as Medical Assistance in Pennsylvania, that will allow certain enrolled medical providers to provide care outside a clinical setting to Medicaid beneficiaries who are experiencing homelessness – a practice known as street medicine. Street medicine uses physical and behavioral health services to address the unique needs and circumstances of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness that are delivered directly to them in their own lived environment.
“As a physician, I understand that people experiencing homelessness often have complex needs and face many barriers to health care,” said DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. “At DHS, we are consistently working to improve access to care and to ensure that all Pennsylvanians receive high-quality and compassionate health care that can stabilize circumstances and help improve their overall quality of life. By creating a path for Medicaid to cover street medicine, we are making it easier for health care providers to meet people where they are, and to provide the care they need and deserve.”
Street medicine seeks to build trust and ease barriers to care by meeting people experiencing homelessness exactly where they are with the goal of increasing utilization of services and follow through on care. Medical services are provided by health care professionals who are equipped with portable medical equipment and can be rendered to anyone covered by Medicaid who is experiencing homelessness. Services could include but are not limited to primary care, vaccine administration, wound care, preventive services, counseling, medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder (also referred to as medication assisted treatment), and diagnostic services, such as rapid blood screening for diabetes and high cholesterol, rapid COVID-19 and flu testing.
This change applies to Medicaid enrolled physicians, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, and mobile mental health treatment providers, who render services in the Medicaid Fee-for-Service or Managed Care delivery systems.
Investments in street medicine will provide life-saving health care while also building trust within one of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable populations. People experiencing homelessness in the United States die, on average, three decades earlier than their peers with housing, most commonly due to preventable and treatable chronic medical conditions. By allowing providers to bill for services rendered during visits with people experiencing homelessness, DHS aims to increase access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries and improve health outcomes.
Street medicine visits will provide low-cost, high-impact resources that will also divert people from costly visits to frequently overwhelmed emergency rooms. Health care utilization costs for people experiencing homelessness are five times the national average, mainly due to an over reliance on the emergency room for routine medical care and increased hospitalization rates for illnesses presenting in advanced stages.
Additional resources for individuals experiencing homelessness available through DHS can be found through the Homeless Assistance Program, and more information about other assistance programs administered by DHS is available at www.dhs.pa.gov.
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Annville, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) works to assist veterans with locating their lost DD Form 214 (DD-214) and other military documents so they can get credit for time served and receive important benefits they have earned.
The DD-214 is a Department of Defense document issued upon a service member’s retirement, separation, or discharge from active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. It contains information needed to verify military service for benefits, retirement, employment, and membership in veterans’ organizations. Without this key document, there could be significant delays when a veteran seeks benefits earned through their service to our nation.
“The DMVA understands how important it is for veterans to have their military paperwork. That is why our staff is available to assist veterans who have lost their DD-214, or family members who cannot locate it on a veteran’s behalf,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “We want every veteran to receive the benefits they earned through their service to this nation, and that starts with having the right documents in hand.”
The DMVA can also assist with locating the DD-215, which is used to correct errors or make additions to a DD-214, helping to assure that veterans have accurate discharge documentation.
The easiest way to manage military documents and avoid having to frantically search for them is to make sure they are filed in a safe place immediately upon leaving the military.
“Safeguarding military documents should be a priority for every servicemember transitioning to civilian life,” said Brig. Gen. (PA) Maureen Weigl, deputy adjutant general for Veterans Affairs. “Without question, the best place to file the documents for a lifetime of safekeeping is your county courthouse. This way you and\or a family member will always have access to them when the time comes that they are needed.”
Anyone needing assistance from the DMVA to locate their DD-214/215, or other military documentation, can call toll-free 1-800-547-2838 or e-mail RA-REQ@pa.gov. More information about locating military documents can be found by visiting the Records Request Program.
Another way to stay in touch is for veterans, family members and people who work with veterans to sign up for the DMVA’s Veterans Registry by visiting www.register.dmva.pa.
PITTSBURGH – Effective July 1, 2023, Robert DeMichiei was elected chairman of the board of directors of AAA East Central which is headquartered in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh. DeMichiei, who has served on the board since 2019, steps into the role previously held by Richard Hamilton, who retired after serving as chairman for 23 years.
Before retiring in 2020, DeMichiei spent 16 years as executive vice-president & chief financial officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He also served in various executive roles at General Electric Company (GE) from 1997 through 2004 and at PwC from 1987 to 1997.
In addition to his service on the AAA East Central board of directors, DeMichiei is currently a board director at the Automobile Club of Southern California, Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation and Waystar, Inc. He is a strategic advisor for Health Catalyst and Omega Healthcare Management Services. He is also a board director at several non-profits, including the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Seton Hill University and The Advanced Leadership Institute.
DeMichiei attended the University of Pittsburgh where he graduated with a bachelor of arts in business economics. He currently resides in Hampton Township with his wife, Amy.
Hamilton retired from the AAA East Central board of directors at the end of May 2023. He began his career at AAA East Central directly out of high school in 1963 as a travel-touring counselor. He spent decades working in various departments and positions and was promoted to President and CEO of West Penn AAA in 1990. Hamilton led mergers with other AAA Clubs which grew West Penn AAA into AAA East Central. In 2010, AAA East Central became affiliated with Los Angeles based Auto Club Enterprises.
Richard Hamilton
AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 69 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, serving 2.7 million members. The Club serves its local communities through emergency road service, automotive services, travel, insurance, and Discounts and Rewards. Past news releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey raised more than $4 million in the last three months — his best fundraising quarter ever — as he awaits a Republican challenger to his reelection bid in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania, his campaign said Wednesday.
Casey’s campaign said the fundraising result beat the previous best quarter of his career by more than $1.2 million.
The campaign is reporting nearly $6 million in its bank account. That cash could prove crucial in ensuring Casey has the resources to successfully navigate a campaign in one of the nation’s most politically competitive states.
The second-quarter haul is giving Casey’s campaign some optimism that Democrats still enjoy support in the state following John Fetterman’s 5-percentage-point victory in last year’s race for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat.
Casey, 63, is gearing up to seek his fourth term in office. He is a key ally of labor unions and President Joe Biden and gives Democrats a strong candidate in their defense of a seat in what is otherwise expected to be a difficult 2024 campaign to keep their 51-49 Senate majority.
Fetterman, who was Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, also reported raising $4 million in his first quarter as a Senate candidate in 2021. Fetterman eclipsed that with a $22.4 million third quarter in 2022 on his way to beating Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Last year’s Senate race was Pennsylvania’s most expensive ever, at $420 million total, according to OpenSecrets, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that tracks campaign finance and lobbying data.
Casey comes into the 2024 race with strong name recognition — his father was a two-term Pennsylvania governor — and Republicans do not have a deep pool of potential recruits.
One Republican who may run is former hedge fund CEO David McCormick, who narrowly lost a bruising and expensive GOP nomination for the Senate in 2022 to Oz.
McCormick has said he is “seriously considering” running. He brings deep pockets and connections across the worlds of government, finance and Republican politics following a career on Wall Street and at the highest levels of President George W. Bush’s administration.
But many Republicans acknowledge that it will be difficult — or impossible — to beat Casey.
In Pennsylvania, Casey has run statewide seven times already, winning six of those races, and has never run a close race for the Senate. He won his 2018 race by 13 percentage points and kept an active schedule on the campaign trail last year by helping Fetterman.
(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
The Fourth of July is mostly known as a driving holiday, but many drivers across the northeast United States, including hundreds in Western Pennsylvania, spent yesterday fueling up.
Following the late Monday announcement that participating Sheetz locations were setting the prices of all gasoline to $1.77 and 6 tenths of a cent in honor of the Independence Day holiday, many of its locations throughout Beaver and neighboring counties caused traffic jams and long lines on Tuesday. Some lines extended into active traffic, where cars were forced to move around the eager consumers.
The patriotic price dip was nearly two full dollars less than the latest averages reported by AAA East Central, including an average of $3.72 in Beaver County.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pinch-hitter Josh Palacios came through with a tiebreaking two-run double in a three-run ninth inning that rallied the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night to snap a three-game skid.
“July Fourth baseball is always lit, and to have a comeback like that with the boys and be able to finish it off is a blessing,” Palacios said. “It just shows the boys if you keep working hard, you keep trusting in your processes, you keep grinding and keep staying resilient, good things happen.”
Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips struck out Carlos Santana, then issued consecutive walks to Jack Suwinski and Nick Gonzales. Suwinski scored on Jared Triolo’s single off Phillips that tied it at 7.
“If a player says he feels good, then you’ve got to trust him and quite honestly we didn’t have anyone else,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was the right spot for him, he was ready to go and it didn’t work out.”
Triolo had struck out three times in his first four at-bats.
“You’ll never know if he’s having an 0-for-5 or a 5-for-5 day,” Gonzales said. “When he comes up for that sixth at-bat, he’ll be ready.”
Palacios batted for Rodolfo Castro and doubled into left field, scoring Gonzales and Triolo for a 9-7 lead.
The Pirates bounced back after pinch-hitter Jonny Deluca’s solo homer in the eighth gave the Dodgers a 7-6 lead.
David Bednar (3-0) got five outs for the win after being added to the NL All-Star roster earlier in the day as an injury replacement.
The Pirates rallied three times to tie the game.
“That was one of our most intense,” Suwinski said. “A lot of fight in there, good comeback win for the guys. Just shows that we can do it — we can play in these type of environments.”
James Outman slugged a pair of two-run homers, both times giving Los Angeles the lead, and Mookie Betts added his 23rd homer for the Dodgers. Jason Heyward went 2 for 3 and scored twice.
Deluca batted for Heyward and went deep to left field off Angel Perdomo for his first major league homer. The 24-year-old outfielder from Thousand Oaks in Ventura County took a curtain call in front of 51,487 cheering fans.
The Pirates tied the game at 6 in the sixth. Henry Davis singled to left off Gavin Stone, and David Peralta’s throw kicked off the glove of catcher Will Smith as Austin Hedges made a headfirst slide home. The throw put runners at second and third before Stone walked Santana to load the bases.
Suwinski took a called third strike. Gonzales grounded into a fielder’s choice to shortstop and Santana was out at second to end the inning.
Suwinski went deep for the Pirates leading off the fourth — his 442-shot was the longest of the game — and Hedges’ bases-loaded sacrifice fly tied it at 4. Bryan Reynolds’ RBI single off Caleb Ferguson put the Pirates ahead 5-4.
The Dodgers rallied to take a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the inning on Outman’s 407-foot shot that scored Heyward, who singled leading off against starter Luis Ortiz.
Outman’s first homer in the second traveled 436 feet to right-center and scored Heyman, who singled. Two batters later, Betts homered for a 4-1 lead.
Will Smith’s sacrifice fly in the first scored Betts and left the Dodgers trailing 2-1.
Dodgers rookie Emmet Sheehan had a shaky 37-pitch first. After he loaded the bases on three consecutive two-out walks, Gonzales hit a ground-rule double to left, scoring Davis and Santana for a 2-0 lead.
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for ozone for July 5, 2023, in the Philadelphia Area, which includes the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Pittsburgh Area, which includes the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland.
Partly to mostly sunny skies along with residual smoke, increasing weekday emissions, light winds, and temperatures of 90 degrees of higher will combine to produce ozone concentrations in the code will likely contribute to 8-hour average concentrations of ozone in the Code Orange range on Wednesday. Residents are encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area.
Ozone is formed when airborne chemicals such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (called “precursors”) react with sunlight. High ozone levels are most common during summer months when there are long days with plentiful sunshine and high levels of ozone precursors combine. Although ozone precursors are most often generated by car exhaust and industrial air emissions, wildfire smoke can provide additional precursors. Ozone pollution is most common in densely populated areas with higher amounts of car exhaust and industrial air emissions.
On a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.
Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce ozone air pollution by:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all. An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher.
For more information, visit DEP at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/