FILE – Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks to reporters after passing the GOP’s sprawling energy package that would counter virtually all of President Joe Biden’s agenda to address climate change, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is vowing to pass legislation to raise the nation’s debt ceiling — but only coupled with a cap on future federal spending. In a speech Monday at the New York Stock Exchange, the Republican leader lashed out at President Joe Biden for refusing to engage in budget cutting negotiations to prevent a debt crisis. McCarthy said Biden is “missing in action.” The high-profile Wall Street address comes as Washington is heading toward a fiscal crisis over the need to raise the nation’s debt limit, now at $31 trillion, and avert a federal default.

FILE – The David’s Bridal shop is shown Nov. 19, 2018, in Tampa, Fla. David’s Bridal filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, April 17, 2023 the second time that the firm has sought such protection in the last five years. The announcement came just days after the company, one of the largest sellers of wedding gowns and formal wear, said it could be eliminating 9,236 positions across the United States. The Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based retailer employs more than 11,000 workers, (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, file)

CONSHOKOCKEN, Pa. (AP) — David’s Bridal has filed for bankruptcy protection, the second time the firm has sought such protection in the last five years. The announcement came Monday, just days after the company reported that it could be eliminating 9,236 positions across the United States. The Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based retailer is one of the largest sellers of wedding gowns and formal wear and employs more than 11,000 workers, David’s Bridal is looking to sell the company, but its stores remain open and its fulfilling orders without delay, The company last filed for bankruptcy in 2018 but reemerged a year later. Monday’s filing was made in New Jersey.

April 17, 2023 — It’s National Volunteer Week and the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania is recognizing the work of the selfless individuals who generously give their valuable time to support people in need.

Across the country, more than 275,000 Red Cross volunteers serve their communities by responding to thousands of disasters of all sizes; supporting the collection of blood to help patients receive the critical care they need; supporting members of the military and their families; helping communities prepare for emergencies around the globe and much more.

Last year, Red Cross volunteers across the Greater Pennsylvania region provided food, shelter, comfort and hope to more than 8,000 people who faced emergency situations. Local Red Cross volunteers also trained Pennsylvanians in lifesaving skills and provided services to military members, veterans and their families.

“National Volunteer Week is a time to honor these community heroes for their constant service and support,” said Jorge Martinez, Regional CEO, American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania. “They are the true heart of the Red Cross.”

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Volunteers are more critical than ever as the climate crisis worsens and the need for shelter, hot meals, health services, emotional support grows. The Red Cross is now launching nearly twice as many relief operations for major disasters than we did a decade ago, and with hurricane and wildfire seasons on the horizon, we have a critical need to fill vital volunteer positions.

• Disaster Action Team Member: As a Disaster Action Team volunteer, you can be a source of refuge and support when it’s needed most. From home fires to storms, unexpected emergencies happen every day, but you can help as a Red Cross volunteer.
• Shelter Services: Support the day-to-day activities within an emergency shelter by helping with reception, registration, feeding, dormitory, information or other areas within a shelter. Free online training will be provided.
• Disaster Health Services: These valuable volunteers use their professional skills as licensed healthcare providers to deliver hands-on care to people in shelters. There is also a need for Mental Health Services volunteers.

Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday to get started today. Training is free, but the hope you provide as a Red Cross volunteer to people in need is priceless. Join us at a virtual volunteer information session on Tuesday, April 18 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET, to learn more about our most-needed volunteer positions and talk with a Red Cross representative. Register today.

PLEASE GIVE BLOOD The Red Cross invites the public to sign up to become a volunteer blood or platelet donor. To schedule an appointment to donate blood or platelets, people can download the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Story by Sandy Giordano and Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published April 17, 2023 10:23 A.M.

(New Brighton, PA) Christopher M. Boswell was issued an arrest warrant Thursday, April 13, 2023 by New Brighton Police on aggravated assault charges and attempt or attempts to cause or causes bodily injury with a deadly weapon. He is also charged with reckless endangerment of another person and simple assault. Police were dispatched to 753 Grove Avenue, New Brighton where a male, Steve Matthews reported that he was assaulted by an unknown male.  He said the same male approached him and his girlfriend in the 900 block of Third Avenue at 1910 hours on April 10, 2023.  He said the male, identified as Boswell, asked about the location of a bar. As he continued to his vehicle driver’s side door when someone was walking behind his vehicle, he recalled the male mumbling something about a knife, and confirmed it was the same man from earlier in the evening, he made a stabbing motion to Matthew’s car door. Matthew’s was able to physically direct the male’s motion and arm away from him, and he stumbled toward the vehicle’s front side. Matthews directed his girlfriend to go inside, as the male staggered north on Grove Avenue toward Valley Avenue. Matthew’s went inside his home, and was bleeding heavily from his left hand, and noticed a clean 1 inch laceration between his index finger and thumb, he reported that the cut had to have come from a very sharp blade, because the cut wasn’t jagged.

A group of small nursery school children sitting on floor indoors in classroom, raising hands. Keystone State News Service.
Danielle Smith

As families enrolled in Medicaid transition to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, it is important for them to know Pennsylvania has changed how it will process enrollees.

Becky Ludwick, vice president of public policy for the group Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said families who want to enroll their children should be aware starting today, the Department of Human Services is going to be deciding who qualifies for the program.

She emphasized they are very concerned about the timing the department has chosen to make changes in the midst of the Medicaid unwinding.

“They’re going to be processing all new applications for CHIP, as well as all of the renewals for the more than 130,000 CHIP families that are currently enrolled,” Ludwick noted. “As of Monday, CHIP families will need to go through DHS instead of the CHIP health insurance plans to determine eligibility.”

Ludwick pointed out a number of different ways families can enroll such as via phone or the county assistance offices, or online applications through the Department of Human Service’s Compass website, as well as the Compass mobile app.

Ludwick explained the program can cover any uninsured child who is not eligible for the state Medical Assistance or Medicaid programs. She noted no family makes or earns too much money to qualify for CHIP, and the state determines which families are eligible to receive no-cost monthly coverage.

“There’s a free level where families don’t pay any monthly premium or any copays,” Ludwick explained. “Actually, the majority of families fall into that category. But then there are other categories of CHIP where they would have to pay a small fee for their child to be enrolled.”

Ludwick said there is no deadline to sign up for CHIP. It is an ongoing process, so families can enroll year round. She stressed with continuous coverage, and some provisions ending, there is a lot going on right now in the health insurance landscape, and they are working to get the word out, so families know where to go to sign up for CHIP.

FILE – The Coco Palms Resort retail annex where one shop on the second floor was gutted by fire in Wailua on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, is pictured on Dec. 3, 2009. Demolition will soon begin on the resort once favored by both Hawaiian and Hollywood royalty before it was heavily damaged by a hurricane three decades ago. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the Coco Palms Resort on the island of Kauai will be torn down for a new 350-room hotel. Construction is expected to take about three years. (Dennis Fujimoto/The Garden Island via AP, File)

HONOLULU (AP) — Demolition will soon begin on a resort once favored by Elvis Presley and other Hollywood royalty before it was heavily damaged by a hurricane three decades ago. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the Coco Palms Resort on the island of Kauai will be torn down for a new 350-room hotel. Construction is expected to take about three years. The resort is where Elvis Presley and Joan Blackman’s characters married in the 1961 movie “Blue Hawaii.” It was frequented by Hollywood stars like Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Bing Crosby. The 46-acre grounds were once home to Kauai’s last queen. A cultural center is planned to honor the property’s history.

FILE – Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall takes questions during his end-of-season NHL hockey news conference, Monday, May 23, 2022, in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pa. The Penguins fired Hextall on Friday, April 14, 2023, after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have fired general manager Ron Hextall, director of hockey operations Brian Burke and assistant general manager Chris Pryor after the club failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. The decision came after a disappointing season in which Pittsburgh went 40-31-11. The Penguins finished ninth in the Eastern Conference to end the longest active postseason streak in major North American professional sports. Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry and company chairman Tom Werner said in a joint statement that “the team will benefit from new hockey operations leadership.”

FILE – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters following a closed-door policy meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 28, 2023. McConnell will be back at work in the Capitol on Monday, April 17, almost six weeks after a fall at a Washington-area hotel and undergoing extended treatment for a concussion. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell will be back at work in the U.S. Capitol on Monday, almost six weeks after a fall at a Washington-area hotel and undergoing extended treatment for a concussion. The 81-year-old Kentucky Republican has been recovering at home since he was released from a rehabilitation facility March 25. He fell after attending an event earlier that month, injuring his head and fracturing a rib. On Friday he visited his office for the first time since his injury, and is expected to be working a full schedule in the Senate this week.

FILE – A portion of the 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return form is shown July 24, 2018, in New York. The IRS has been tasked with looking into how to create a government-operated electronic free-file tax return system for all. Congress has directed the IRS to report in on how such a system might work. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s that time of year when throngs of taxpayers are buckling down to file their income tax returns before Tuesday’s filing deadline, and many often pay to use software from private companies such as Intuit and H&R Block. Almost one-quarter of Americans wait until the last minute to file their taxes. There could be a new, free option in future years. The IRS has been tasked with looking into how to create a government-operated electronic free-file tax return system for all. But that doesn’t sit well with the big tax-prep companies. The idea has been batted around and hotly debated for a long time. Congress now has directed the IRS to report in on how such a system might work.

The Rev. Dale Snyder sits in the pews at Bethel AME Church where he is pastor, in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Bethel, considered Pittsburgh’s oldest Black congregation, lost its previous sanctuary when much of Pittsburgh’s historic Lower Hill District was razed in the 1950s, making way for an arena and expressway in an urban renewal project. More than 60 years later, in what’s being called a step toward “restorative justice,” the church is poised to obtain use of a 1.5-acre parcel near its former site in an agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team has reached an agreement with a historic Black church to provide it development rights to a 1.5-acre parcel near the church’s former property. Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church’s old sanctuary was demolished along with much of the surrounding Black neighborhood in the 1950s in a now-lamented urban-renewal project. The Penguins hold development rights in the area near the arena where they currently play. Bethel says public authorities compensated it in the 1950s for a fraction of its property’s value. The Penguins only came in existence a decade after that happened. But the agreement is being called “restorative justice.”