Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Biden hasn’t announced a reelection campaign, but some of the themes of his likely bid should be on display when he addresses a national Democratic Party meeting. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President Joe Biden hasn’t announced a reelection campaign, but some of the themes of his likely bid should be on display when he addresses a national Democratic Party meeting. The White House says the president will focus on championing his administration’s accomplishments when he and Vice President Kamala Harris appear at a Democratic National Committee gathering Friday night in Philadelphia. With the State of the Union address coming next week, Biden has renewed calls for political unity. But Biden’s pledges to bridge the country’s ideological divide can quickly pivot to broadsides against his predecessor, Donald Trump, and sharp criticism about the Republican Party’s continued fealty to him.

Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 137th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

He gets most of the PR, at least nationally, but Punxsutawney Phil isn’t the only groundhog to purport to predict the weather. Not hardly. From Staten Island Chuck in New York City to Jimmy the Groundhog in Wisconsin, there are a lot of them. And their predictions, which of course is a generous term, can be all over the map just as they are. And please do remember Charlotte, a groundhog who died in 2014 a week after the New York City mayor dropped her during festivities.

BEIJING (AP) — China says it is looking into reports that a Chinese spy balloon has been spotted in U.S. airspace and urged calm, adding that it has “no intention of violating the territory and airspace of any sovereign country.” A Foreign Ministry spokesperson says she has no information about whether a planned trip to China by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken next week will proceed as scheduled. She says that politicians and the public should withhold judgment “before we have a clear understanding of the facts.” Blinken had been due to arrive in China on Sunday amid a sharp downturn in relations between Beijing and Washington over trade, Taiwan, human rights and China’s claims in the South China Sea.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published February 2, 2023 2:15 P.M.

(Beaver Falls, PA) The manager of Athens Family Restaurant in Beaver Falls is speaking out about thefts that have recently occurred by Door Dash drivers. Marina Apostolis spoke to Beaver County Radio during “Live Mic” to discuss the issue. She says Door Dash has been wonderful for them, especially during the pandemic, but the lack of connection to the service has proved to cause problems. Delivery drivers have been taking extra orders while picking up their assigned order, not only costing the restaurant time and money but also slowing down service for the customer. Apostolis said she knows numerous other local business have also had the same problem recently.  Businesses routinely place pick up orders in a centralized place to make the pick up process quicker and simpler for drivers, customers, and the staff. The only information the business knows besides the order, is the first name of the driver.   Surveillance footage caught the thefts, and the business knows the first names of the drivers. Beaver Falls police are investigating to find out the full names of the drivers who took the food.  It’s just disappointing, and not encouraging she says.  Door dash has reimbursed Athens for the door dash orders that were stolen, but the standard customer pick up orders stolen result in the business taking a loss.  Apostolis says Athens will continue to work with door dash and she hopes the thieves are now deterred.
Listen to the full interview below:

Published by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio news Director

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman on Wednesday attended his first Senate hearing in the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry to discuss challenges facing Pennsylvania’s family farms and other issues relating to the upcoming Farm Bill. “I was honored and proud to join my first Senate Agriculture Committee hearing today. I am looking forward to advocating for Pennsylvania’s farmers in the upcoming Farm Bill. Thank you to Senators Stabenow, Boozman, and the rest of my committee colleagues for the warm welcome,” said Fetterman. Senator Fetterman asked Alexis Taylor, Undersecretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, about how to strengthen the country’s trade programs to protect Pennsylvania’s farmers. He also asked Jenny Moffitt, Undersecretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, about steps the administration is taking to bolster the organics industry.  

FILE – Hunter Biden walks along the South Lawn before the pardoning ceremony for the national Thanksgiving turkeys at the White House in Washington, Nov. 21, 2022. Lawyers for President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, have asked the Justice Department to investigate close allies of former President Donald Trump and others who they say accessed and disseminated personal data from a laptop he dropped off at a Delaware computer repair shop in 2019. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, has asked the Justice Department to investigate close allies of former President Donald Trump and others who accessed and disseminated personal data from a laptop that a computer repair shop owner says was dropped off at his Delaware store in 2019. The request was made in a letter Wednesday. In a separate letter, Hunter Biden’s attorneys have also asked Fox News host Tucker Carlson to retract and apologize for what they say are false and defamatory claims made about him on-air. The request for a criminal inquiry comes as Hunter Biden faces his own tax evasion investigation by the Justice Department.

FILE – The access road to President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Del., is seen from the media van on Jan. 13, 2023. A new poll shows that more U.S. adults disapprove than approve of the way President Joe Biden has handled the discovery of classified documents at his home and former office. Yet that seems to have had little impact on Biden’s overall approval rating. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll shows that more U.S. adults disapprove than approve of the way President Joe Biden has handled the discovery of classified documents at his home and former office. Yet that seems to have had little impact on Biden’s overall approval rating. The new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 41% of Americans say they approve of how Biden is handling his job as president. That’s about the same as the 43% who said that in December. In the new poll, 77% of Democrats approve of how Biden is handling his job, while 91% of Republicans disapprove.

Colombian shaman Taita Pedro Davila, leads an ayahuasca ceremony with Hummingbird Church, in Hildale, Utah, on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. Following the traditions of his grandfather in Colombia, Davila prays, chants, and sings in Spanish and the language of the Kamëntsá people over the psychoactive brew before serving it to individual participants. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

HILDALE, Utah (AP) — Growing numbers of people are flocking to U.S. churches that center their practice around a psychedelic tea known as ayahuasca. Organizers and their legal advisers argue a 2006 Supreme Court ruling protects them from prosecution and participants say they are taking part in a religious service. Some experts raise concerns that the benefits of ayahuasca haven’t been well studied. Many who attend the ceremonies, which can last for days, argue their experience on the illegal substance brings them closer to God than they ever felt at traditional religious services. Surveys have also found many come away feeling better afterwards, with some saying it helped with depression and problems with risky substance use.

FILE – Democratic National Committee chair attends a DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting Dec. 2, 2022, in Washington. A week after bitter divisions dominated a national Republican gathering, Democrats holding their own meeting are anxious to showcase just how much they agree on. There will be no party chair fight since Harrison isn’t up for reelection until 2025.(AP Photo/Nathan Howard, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bitter divisions dominated a recent national Republican Party gathering. And come this weekend, Democrats are holding their own meeting, and they’re eager to showcase just how much they agree on. There’ll be no party chair fight since Jaime Harrison isn’t up for reelection. There’s no candidate jostling for a White House bid since President Joe Biden is expected to seek a second term. And there’s no national reckoning after a surprisingly strong midterm showing. The only real point of contention for the Democratic National Committee is an overhaul of the 2024 presidential primary calendar. But even that’s largely moot because Biden isn’t expected to face a major challenge for the nomination.