Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published April 25, 2024 1:24 P.M.

(Beaver, Pa) Beaver County Judge James Ross heard more testimony from the Aliquippa School District’s Superintendent Dr. Phillip K. Woods and  Dr. Jennifer Damico concerning the PIAA’s decision to move the school’s football team to 5A. PIAA  Executive Director Robert Lombardi also spoke on the PIAA’s decision.

PITTSBURGH — Duquesne Light Company (DLC) has begun its 2024 season of clearing overgrown trees, shrubs and brush — the leading cause of power outages. This year, approximately 45,000 trees along 1,300 miles of power lines in Allegheny and Beaver counties will be maintained, including areas within the city of Pittsburgh. As an electric utility that consistently provides class-leading reliability in Pennsylvania, DLC continually invests in and works to enhance its vegetation management efforts to keep providing customers with safe and reliable service while also protecting critical infrastructure and ensuring public safety.

DLC applies best practices and advanced technologies from both the arboricultural and utility vegetation management industries in meeting all state and federal regulations. Various techniques are used to safely manage vegetation, including manual removal or pruning, brush clearing and selective herbicide applications. Prior to performing work, the company notifies all impacted customers and property owners via phone and door hangers. In alignment with the utility industry’s standard vegetation management practices, DLC chips and hauls away branches and limbs and leaves the remaining wood stacked in manageable pieces. Many customers use this resource as firewood for their homes or share it with their communities; others choose to contact local landscapers for removal assistance. While DLC maintains the service wire that flows to a home, the customer is responsible for pruning or removing any vines or tree branches from the service-wire area that may interfere with electric service. DLC is also not responsible for maintaining vegetation that interferes with communication lines and poles.

“Vegetation management goes beyond removing and pruning potentially harmful vegetation; it’s also about educating our customers and communities on why these practices matter,” said Brian Bieber, DLC’s senior manager of vegetation management. “Planting the right trees in the right places is key to preventing power outages, ensuring the continuation of high-quality service and keeping the public and our workers safe.”

While tree removals may be necessary to keep the electrical grid safe and reliable, DLC offers vouchers for utility-compatible trees to impacted property owners. These vouchers can be redeemed at select local nurseries and are good for trees, brush and shrubs that do not grow high enough to affect the poles and wires that form the grid..

Commitment to Community and Environmental Stewardship

DLC has been nationally recognized for 25 consecutive years with the Tree Line USA award by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, which recognize public and private utilities for pursuing best practices to protect and cultivate America’s urban tree canopy.

This award specifically recognizes efforts in:

• Promoting utility vegetation management best practices.
• Training qualified tree professionals in line clearance.
• Engaging in tree plantings and public education.
• Participating in Arbor Day celebrations.

“We recognize and share our customers’ appreciation for healthy and beautiful trees in southwestern Pennsylvania. That’s why, in addition to conducting continuous outreach and education about vegetation species that are compatible with the grid, we partner with numerous community organizations to advance environmental stewardship through volunteerism and advocacy. From parks and green spaces to tree plantings and urban gardens, DLC has invested millions of dollars over the years to protect our region’s biodiversity and natural environment,” said Christine Waller, DLC’s vice president of communications and corporate responsibility.

In 2023, DLC partnered with South Side Parks, Uptown Partners of Pittsburgh and the Borough of Carnegie to plant 31 utility-compatible trees in several local communities. The company also planted an additional 15 compatible trees last Arbor Day in the Larimer neighborhood, including varieties of red baron, royal raindrops crabapples and the American hophornbeam.

Recently, volunteers from the company participated in a tree-planting event at a Pittsburgh-area elementary school to educate students on trees and the local ecosystem. DLC’s Vegetation Management team will also partner with the city of Pittsburgh on Arbor Day, April 26, to plant 12 trees near Allegheny Commons Park. The company plans to engage in more tree plantings and other environmental stewardship efforts throughout the year.

For more information about DLC’s vegetation management program, including educational resources, visit the company’s website.

PITTSBURGH – In partnership with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District will host their “Water Safety Night” at PNC Park, May 11.

The event intends to promote safe practices on our waterways as the summer recreation season begins.

Before the game, members from the Pittsburgh District and other waterway partners will set up interactive displays and games on Federal Street to promote life jackets, water safety, and safe boating practices to the public.

Pittsburgh District will participate in the first pitch and provide a color guard team to present the colors during the national anthem. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ official mascot, Bobber the Water Safety Dog, will participate in the Great Pierogi Race during in-game entertainment. The first 20,000 fans to enter the stadium will receive a free T-shirt promoting the “Wear It” Safe Boating Campaign.

Prior to the Pirates versus the Chicago Cubs baseball game, USACE and its partners will line Federal Street from 1 to 4 p.m., with displays including a USACE patrol boat, the district’s diving program display, and a fully functional lock and dam model. Bobber will be available to take pictures and greet fans. Activities will be available for children and adults.

Water Safety Night helps to promote National Safe Boating Week, May 18 – 24, 2024.

Other groups participating in the event include the U.S. Coast Guard, Friends of the River Front, Pennsylvania Game Commination, Point State Park, Penn State, Lower Kiski River Rescue, Port of Pittsburgh Commission, Pittsburgh Safe Boating Council, Waterways Association of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Three Rivers Rowing, and the Carnegie Science Center. USACE will have more than 25 partnering agencies supporting the event.

Accidents can happen quickly while on the waterways. The water safety night and the upcoming safe boating week target males aged 18 and older, who are the most at-risk group for water-related fatalities. Despite that demographic’s risk perception, they make up a significant majority of recreation incidents, often because they are not wearing life jackets. The water safety night presents a crucial opportunity to educate and raise awareness, potentially saving lives. Statistics show that 90 percent of people who drowned may have been saved if they had worn a life jacket.

For everyone out on the waterways, the Corps of Engineers wants to remind you to KNOW. TAKE. WEAR. Know the waterways. Take a water-safety course. Wear your life jacket.

FILE – A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, Feb. 6, 2023. Norfolk Southern announced new details Monday, Sept. 18, about its plan to compensate East Palestine residents for lost home values since the fiery derailment disrupted life in the eastern Ohio town in February. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

HARRISBURG – In the wake of the recent $600 million settlement reached by Norfolk Southern in its class-action lawsuit related to its train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last year, state Sens. Doug Mastriano (R-33), Elder Vogel, Jr. (R-47), and Michele Brooks (R-50) today introduced legislation to provide a state tax deduction for Pennsylvanians who receive payments.

“Ohio has already established a deduction for their residents who received payments and I believe it’s fair to do the same for Pennsylvanians.,” said Mastriano, who serves as chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, hosted a hearing immediately following the train wreck, and subpoenaed Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw to appear before the committee. “Businesses have been shuttered, property values have plummeted, and personal medical expenses continue to accrue. This tax deduction will help put more money back into the pockets of the victims.”

Mastriano, Vogel and Brooks today introduced Senate Bill 1149 to provide a state income tax deduction for disaster relief payments provided to Pennsylvania residents by a government agency, Norfolk Southern or an insurer as the result of the Feb. 3, 2023, train wreck. The deduction would also be retroactive to any payments received by victims in 2023.

“I am pleased to be partnering with Sen. Mastriano and Sen. Brooks on this legislation,” Vogel said. “There are many residents still having to deal with negative, residual effects from the derailment, which have caused increased financial burdens on these hurting families. Through our proposal of establishing a state tax deduction for Pennsylvania residents who have or will receive future disaster relief payments, we aim to help alleviate some of the financial stress they are experiencing and continue to help these families as we navigate further through the aftermath of this tragic accident.”

The train wreck took place just across the western border of Pennsylvania and was followed two days later on Feb. 5, 2023, by the planned ignition and burning of five railroad cars carrying dangerous chemicals. The toxic plume resulted in residents reporting various medical problems including rashes, burning lips, sore throats, itchy eyes and other skin irritations. Residents reported additional medical concerns at a follow-up hearing held last month by the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.

“I’m committed to working with my colleagues in the General Assembly to provide meaningful help to the hurting residents affected by this train wreck,” Brooks said. “This bill would enable these families to keep more of the money that is intended to help them begin to try to move on from this incident. I believe this tax deduction is the responsible thing to do for these residents.”

Senate Bill 1149 has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published April 25, 2024 12:59 P.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) Joseph Trone retired on April 3, 2024 and council at it’s work session Wednesday night presented a proclamation to him for his more than 28 years of service. His son followed in his footsteps and is also a firefighter in the city.