(File Photo of an American Flag)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Annville, PA) The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) is offering financial assistance to veterans who are facing an unexpected financial hardship.

Therefore, the Veterans Temporary Assistance (VTA) program provides eligible veterans in Pennsylvania and their surviving dependents with financial relief for necessities of life such as clothing, food, fuel and shelter.

The DMVA has awarded over $8.6 million to assist over 9,650 service members, veterans and their families with emergent financial needs since the inception of the VTA.

Eligible veterans or their survivors can qualify for an amount not to exceed $1,600 in a period of twelve months. A veteran must have served a period of active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States and received a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable to be eligible.

A veteran who suffered a service-connected disability regardless of the length or status of their service, as well as the surviving dependents of an eligible veteran and the surviving dependents of a service member who died in line of duty or was killed in action, is also eligible.

You can get more information by clicking here and eligible veterans should contact the County Veterans Affairs Directors by clicking here.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the National Aviary in Pittsburgh)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A birthday party for Linnaeus’ two-toed sloths, Wookiee and Vivien, will be celebrated at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh on August 20th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Vivien is turning nine years old and Wookiee is turning twenty-six years old.  

You can get your tickets by clicking here.

(File Photo of the Allegheny Health Network Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Fever is common during pregnancy, with roughly 1 out of 5 patients reporting the occurrence sometime during their gestational period. 

However, a new report which was published by Allegheny Health Network (AHN) maternal fetal medicine physician Peeraya Sawangkum, MD, in Birth Defects Research Journal, highlights that hyperthermia, especially in the first trimester, may be linked to a higher risk of birth defects and other complications for newborns. 

These findings showed that maternal fever is associated with an increased risk of congenital heart defects, craniofacial anomalies, fetal growth restriction, miscarriage, neural tube defects and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. 

This review also highlighted the links between maternal fever and pregnancy loss, fetal growth restriction, as well as other complications. 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Alexandra Wimley/ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT confirms that the new Commercial Street Bridge on I-376 is tracking ahead of schedule. 

PennDOT District Executive Jason Zang said at a news conference yesterday that one of the bearing pedestals had to wait to be placed until the bridge moved into its current position. 

The bridge slid into place the final six feet since that press conference. 

Concrete for that final bearing was set and the concrete strength was being tested yesterday morning. 

PennDOT is trying to reopen Commercial Street on August 3rd because a replacement project is underway. 

(File Photo of Visit the Beaver County Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) The Genesis Collective, which is a group dedicated to expanding art and creative opportunity throughout Beaver County, is inviting all workers and residents of the county to participate in a new survey for the community.  

This initiative is designed to gather input on the role that the arts play in local life and to build a data-backed and stronger case for future programming and funding. 

The link to take the ten-question survey, which closes at 11:59 p.m. on August 1st, can be found by clicking here.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Beaver County Radio’s Curtis Walsh)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Patterson Township, PA) An event to honor local veterans who gave their lives during the Vietnam War finished up yesterday in Patterson Township at Franciscan Manor.

The Vietnam Veterans’ Moving Wall is a replica that is half the size of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington, D.C. and over 58,000 American veterans were celebrated during the ceremony of that wall from July 16th through July 20th.    

(Credit and Caption for Photo: Adult Asian longhorned ticks collected in Frick Park by a group of University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health student students completing a five-year study on a variety of ticks in the area. (Louis B. Ruediger | TribLive)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) The number of Lyme disease cases is increasing this year in Western Pennsylvania for the second year in a row.  

That area is still one of the most heavily impacted regions across the country for illnesses that are tick-borne. 

Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are leading that region with the confirmed Lyme disease cases so far this year.

Yesterday’s numbers reflect that Allegheny County has 915 cases, Westmoreland County has 560 cases and Washington County has 303 cases.

It is recommended to tuck pants into socks, wear long or light-colored clothing to identify ticks, use tick-repelling products, check for ticks, and use tweezers to remove one if they are found.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. (CDC via AP)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Silver Spring, MD) The Food and Drug Administration stated on Sunday that a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms which had tested positive for the parasite cyclospora was a false positive.

However, the FDA said yesterday that its investigation and data will “continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico.”   

The FDA noted in a subsequent statement that same day “To clarify, this false-positive lab sample DOES NOT change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”   

The CDC affirms that this outbreak was first reported in May and has spread to 34 states and sickened over 1,600 people. 

According to public health experts, cyclosporiasis is a food- and waterborne illness that is caused by cyclospora, and it causes long-lasting, watery and sometimes explosive diarrhea. 

Outbreaks are occurring in late spring and summer typically and they have historically been linked to bagged salads, cilantro, basil, raspberries, snow peas and green onions.