Pennsylvania State Police Reports Memorial Day Weekend Crashes, Enforcement Results

Harrisburg, PA –The Pennsylvania State Police investigated 651 vehicle crashes resulting in four fatalities and 142 injuries during the four-day Memorial Day travel period, which ran from May 26-29. Alcohol was a factor in 59 of the non-fatal crashes.

All four of the fatalities reported were in the Troop D sector of the PSP, which covers Beaver, Butler, Armstrong, Lawrence, and Mercer counties. Nine of the alcohol-related crashes took place within the Troop D sector.

Additionally, troopers across the state made 547 arrests for driving under the influence and issued 31,128 total traffic citations to include 1,318 individuals for not wearing seat belts and 224 tickets to people for failing to secure children in safety seats.

Table 1: Memorial Day Weekend Crash Statistics

Year

Total Crashes

Fatal Crashes

People Killed

People Injured

Alcohol-Related Crashes

Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes

2023 (4 days)

651

3

4

142

59

0

2022 (4 days)

775

3

3

191

66

0

 

Table 2: Memorial Day Weekend Enforcement Statistics

Year

DUI Arrests

Speeding Citations

Child Seat Citations

Seat Belt Citations

Other Citations

2023 (4 days)

547

10,820

224

1,318

18,766

2022 (4 days)

526

9,905

233

1,080

16,616

 

Vogel to Host Veteran’s Assistance Specialist in Cranberry Township Office on June 8

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA – Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr. (R-47) has announced that Robert Lee from the Pennsylvania American Legion Veterans Assistance Program will be available on Thursday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at his Cranberry Township District Office, 8001 Rowan Rd, Suite 205, Cranberry Township. No appointment is necessary.

Lee can help veterans and their families with understanding the benefits they have earned, enroll in the VA health care system, assist with the appeals process, and more. Participants are asked to bring any documentation and paperwork they may need.

For more information, contact Vogel’s Cranberry Township District Office at 878-978-2575.

Teachers Leaving Their Jobs At An Accelerating Rate In Pennsylvania, New Study Finds

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Teachers are leaving their jobs at an accelerating rate in Pennsylvania, amid fears of a nationwide exodus of burned-out teachers and a collapse in enrollment in recruitment programs that is making teachers increasingly difficult to replace.

A new analysis by Penn State’s Center for Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis shows that the rate of teacher attrition in Pennsylvania grew faster in the 2022-23 school year and hit its highest point in a decade of tracking.

That reflects a pattern that is starting to emerge in other states and as schools across the country struggle to find teachers.

Ed Fuller, the Penn State education professor who conducted the analysis, said he has seen data from 12 states with similar increases in this school year.

Over the past two years, schools saw relatively modest changes in attrition even as teachers reported more dissatisfaction with the job amid the travails of the COVID-19 pandemic, growing workloads, shrinking autonomy and increasingly hostile school environments.

But now, labor markets are tight and it’s much easier for teachers to find jobs near where they live, Fuller said.

Fuller’s analysis shows that Pennsylvania saw a 1.5 percentage point increase in teacher attrition this year, the largest increase in the past decade.

All told, the attrition rate was 7.7% in 2022-23, up from 6.2% in 2021-22 and 5.4% in 2020-21. That comes out to nearly 9,600 leaving their jobs in 2022-23, nearly doubling the number of newly certified teachers in Pennsylvania in 2022.

The previous high was 7.5% in 2014.

The figures include terminations, resignations and retirements. The study did not track whether a teacher left for a teaching job in another state or took a non-teaching job in the education profession, for instance as an administrator.

Amid lackluster enrollments in colleges and programs that train teachers, the drop-off in teacher certifications is particularly steep in Pennsylvania, tumbling from 15,000 in 2011 to under 6,000 in 2021.

Fuller’s analysis found a number of long-term trends that he said are similar across states: teachers showing the highest rate of leaving the profession are Black and Hispanic.

In those cases, male teachers left at a higher rate than their female counterparts.

Attrition rates were also higher at charter and cyber-charter schools and poorer public schools. Those schools tend to suffer higher turnover, pay less and hire newer teachers, including many teachers of color.

In addition, middle school teachers left at a higher rate than teachers at other levels, Fuller found.

By county, Philadelphia had, by far, the highest attrition rate, at 16.4%. That is due primarily to high attrition rates of charter schools in the city, Fuller said.

In addition to the time and effort required to find a replacement, research has shown that teacher turnover has a negative effect on student outcomes, school climate and teacher quality, Fuller said.

Usually a less experienced teacher is hired as a replacement, Fuller said.

At the moment, state lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro are looking at ways to address the teacher shortage, including stipends for student teachers and tax credits for newly certified teachers.

In the Upper Darby School District, Superintendent Daniel McGarry wants to start a “grow your own” program to start paying 24 high school graduates or community members to work as apprentices in the schools while the district pays for their education to get certified.

Sherri Smith, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, said attrition comes up in every conversation as she travels the state to talk with school officials.

“I don’t go into a meeting where we don’t talk about educator workforce and what we’re facing,” she said.

Tomas Hanna, an associate superintendent for the Philadelphia School District, said at a news conference this month that the district that once had 1,200 student teachers now is down to 362.

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said teachers are leaving because they feel overwhelmed and not supported.

Paying teachers more and boosting school funding is vital, he said.

When schools can’t find fully certified teachers, they hire teachers who aren’t fully credentialed. Those teachers have limited skills, and it’s tougher for them, resulting in constant turnover, Jordan said.

“It becomes a real cycle of putting in teacher after teacher with an emergency certification,” Jordan said. “The teachers become frustrated and they leave because they’re not getting support they need and they’re not making a lot of money, so they move on. You have a revolving door.”

Congressman Deluzio Votes to Avoid National Default, Protects Veterans from Republican Efforts to Defund VA, Toxic Exposures Fund

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) voted to pass the Bipartisan Budget Agreement negotiated between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy to prevent a disastrous default on our nation’s debt.

After months of vocal opposition to Republican efforts to strip away funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund, House Republicans ultimately folded to pressure from President Biden, House Democrats like Rep. Deluzio, and veterans’ advocates to fully fund veterans and the VA.

Following the vote, Congressman Deluzio released the following statement:

“The people of Western Pennsylvania sent me to Washington to govern and to fight for them. This deal to avert economic disaster is far from perfect, but I refuse to risk tanking America’s economy in the race against time to avoid a default.

“Time and time again throughout this process, Republicans attempted to use my fellow veterans as a bargaining chip to advance their radical right-wing agenda. Thankfully, the pressure from President Biden, House Democrats, and veterans’ advocates to protect the VA and to stop Republican efforts to underfund the PACT Act’s Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund worked. In the end, we protected veterans from the worst of the Republican-proposed attacks—and the American people saw plainly that extremist Republicans are more than willing to play politics with veterans’ health care.

“Speaker McCarthy manufactured a crisis to try to hold hostage our economy, working families’ retirements and livelihoods, veterans care, and the full faith and credit of the United States—and failed.

“The agreement that I voted for today achieves the most important task at hand, avoiding a debt default, but it does not tackle the underlying issue of Republican fiscal recklessness. The Republican tactic to hold our economy hostage while protecting obscene tax cuts to the wealthiest and massive corporations is fiscally irresponsible. It was a dereliction of duty and set a dangerous precedent.

“The path to long-term fiscal health is not through the fairy tale of trickle-down economics, but instead through fair taxation that requires the ultra-wealthy and biggest corporations to pay their fair share. Every single American ought to know that House Republicans prioritized tax cuts for the rich over programs that millions of hardworking families and count on.

“The American people should decide the path forward: the Republican plan—fiscal irresponsibility and slashing all of government to protect tax cuts for the richest people and corporations in human history—or a government and economy that grows our shared prosperity and rewards work, not just wealth. I will keep fighting for the latter.”

Reynolds’ 3 RBIs, Great Catch Lead Pirates Over Giants 9-4, Back Over .500

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bryan Reynolds drove in three runs and made a leaping catch against the wall, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants 9-4 on Wednesday to climb back above .500.

Former Giants Andrew McCutchen and Connor Joe each went 3 for 4 with an RBI as the Pirates (28-27) won consecutive games after dropping below .500 for the first time since they were 1-2. Pittsburgh is 8-19 following a 20-8 start.

“I’m proud of our group,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Pretty resilient. Started this road trip off swinging the bats well, had a couple of tough games in Seattle, and came in here and beat probably the team that’s playing the best in baseball two of three.”

Mitch Keller (7-1) improved to 4-0 in his last five starts, allowing four runs and 10 hits in six innings with eight strikeouts. It was his seventh consecutive outing with at least eight strikeouts and his 93 strikeouts are the most before June in Pirates history.

“You always want to win the series, especially to cap off the month,” Keller said. “Definitely coming in trying to throw up zeros, keep us in the game and give us a chance to win. Our offense kind of took care of that.”

Added Shelton: “I think the maturation of Mitch Keller has been one of the most exciting things that we’ve had this year. The way he goes out and competes is really important and I think we’ve really seen him grow up and do that.”

Alex Wood (1-1) allowed a season-high six runs, eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings as the Giants fell back to .500 at 28-28.

“I think Alex is at his best when he’s really attacking the strike zone,” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said. “He fell behind a couple of times and it wasn’t his best outing.”

Pittsburgh outhit San Francisco 14-12.

Reynolds hit a two–run single in the fourth and an RBI grounder in a two-run sixth. He made a spectacular leaping catch at the top of the left-field wall with two on in the sixth, holding Casey Schmitt to a sacrifice fly.

“That changes the complexion of the game if he doesn’t make that catch,” Shelton said.

Patrick Bailey’s RBI single put San Francisco ahead in the second, but Pittsburgh took a 4-1 lead in the third when McCutchen hit an RBI double and scored on Rodolfo Castro’s single, and Ke’Bryan Hayes tripled down the left-field line, taking third when San Francisco left the base uncovered.

Wilmer Flores had a broken-bat RBI single in the bottom half.

Keller threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the fifth that cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 6-3. Joe had an RBI double in the sixth.

Owens Remembered At Aliquippa City Council Meeting, CDBG Funding Discussed

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Aliquippa Police Captain Don Lane led city council in prayer to begin last night’s city council meeting, and a moment of silence was observed to remember Council of Men and Fathers coordinator Shon Owens who died last Friday.

Mayor Dwan B. Walker presented information about the CDBG program requalification for 3 years. After a brief explanation of the program by Councilman Donald Walker, he told council the program has been beneficial to the city and added, “We have to get our fair share.” He said this is the third application for funding for the roads, and they haven’t received the funding. City Engineer Ron Rizzo reported that the funds depend on a community’s needs.

It was also announced that a Juneteenth observance will be held at Lefty Cepull Field on Saturday, June 17, 2023. The event is being held from 2 to 10 p.m. There will be entertainment and food, and fireworks will end the day- long celebration.

Council meets in regular session on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 7 p.m.

RIVERSIDE PANTHERS WIN THEIR 6TH WPIAL TITLE

The Riverside Panthers and the Neshannock Lancers go scoreless and little offense except for 2 hits from the panthers Bo Fornataro both singles and to hits on the Neshannock side of things kept both teams  scoreless until the 5th inning were the Lancers scored on a hit from the their pitcher fry for the first run of the game, and in the bottom of the 5th the Panthers score their first run. In the 6th Neshannock was held scoreless and , Riverside responded to that with Bo Fornataro getting his 3rd hit and getting things started with a base hit up the middle 3 straight hits a balk and another hit to get 6 0f the last 10 batters had hits and Riverside breaks out to a 4to 1 lead and still at bat, Hays hits a long fly ball to make it 5 to 1 with the sac fly ball and Evan Berry hits a shot into right field to bring in a run and the Panthers Fornataro comes back up as the Panthers bat around and makes the out but not before  the Panthers get 5 runs on 7 hits and many of them hard hit balls, and the Panthers get their 6th WPIAL title and remain 21 and 0 they win 6 to 1.

Provident Charter School Receives Historic $1.5 Million Grant, Award to Support Launch of PCS West for 2023 School Year

PITTSBURGH – May 30, 2023 – Provident Charter School today announces it has been chosen as a recipient of a $1.5 million Pennsylvania Charter Schools Program Grant (PACSP), the first of its kind in the state.

This grant was awarded by the Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools (PCPCS) during National Charter Schools Week in recognition of Provident’s commitment to educational excellence and innovative practices for children living with dyslexia and other reading-based learning challenges. The grant will play a pivotal role in facilitating the launch of Provident Charter School West, set to open its doors in Baden, PA, in the fall of 2023.

According to Maria Paluselli, CEO, Provident Charter School, the PACSP Grant is a highly competitive grant program designed to foster the development and expansion of high-quality charter schools throughout the state. A PACSP Peer Review Team reviewed grant applications and identified Provident Charter School as one of the outstanding institutions deserving of this substantial funding.

“We are honored to be the recipients of the Pennsylvania Charter Schools Program Grant,” said Paluselli. “It will provide invaluable support in our efforts to establish Provident Charter School West and ensure students across the Beaver County area have access to an exceptional educational experience.”

The $1.5 million grant will be instrumental in bolstering the successful launch of Provident Charter School West. The funds will be allocated towards hiring specially trained educators, procuring state-of-the-art educational resources and technology, and establishing comprehensive student support services.

“We extend our deepest thanks to PCPCS for recognizing our vision and commitment to education,” added Paluselli. “With the support of this grant, we can create an innovative and transformative learning environment, which nurtures each student’s academic, social, and emotional growth and prepares students for success.”

The purpose of the PACSP is to enable eligible applicants to open and prepare for the operation of new charter schools and to replicate existing high-quality charter schools. Since 2016, Provident Charter School has operated its flagship location in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood – serving more than 300 students in grades 2nd through 8th. Provident Charter School West is the school’s second location.

Provident Charter School has gained widespread recognition for its dedication to academic excellence, personalized instruction, and fostering a strong sense of community. Provident Charter School West will build upon this foundation, offering students in the Beaver County region, among other area communities the same exceptional educational opportunities and the chance to thrive in a supportive and engaging setting.

According to Paluselli, the new location is the second for Provident. Its first location in the Troy Hill section of Pittsburgh, which opened in 2016, serves approximately 330 students grades 2nd through 8th every year and was the Commonwealth’s only public school designed for students living with dyslexia or other language-based learning differences until Provident West was approved by the Ambridge Area School District.

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder impacting word decoding, spelling tasks and reading fluency. Individuals with dyslexia may also present problems with processing and manipulating sounds, expressing themselves clearly or have difficulties understanding others when they speak.

The school is publicly funded and provided free of charge to families and features small group instruction with specialized lessons provided by educators who are specially trained in multi-sensory teaching. Provident School educators utilize the Wilson Reading System® (WRS), which is based on Orton-Gillingham principles of instruction and accredited by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA).

Provident West will be located at the former home of Quigley High School, 200 Quigley Drive, Baden, PA, and will begin enrolling students in grades 1-4 for the 2023-2024 school year immediately. Students and families interested in applying should contact Julie Ewing: jewing@providentcharterschool.org.

Connor Joe Homers Against Former Team As Pirates Beat San Francisco 2-1

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Connor Joe homered against his former team and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat San Francisco 2-1 on Tuesday night to snap a five-game losing streak against the Giants.

The Pirates moved back to .500 (27-27) after falling under for the first time since they were 1-2. Pittsburgh has gone 7-19 after starting the season 20-8.

Joe, who played for San Francisco in 2019, homered off John Brebbia in the first inning.

“It feels good doing that against any team, honestly,” Joe said. “No bad blood. I’m grateful (for) the opportunity they gave me to debut.”

Michael Conforto tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

Pittsburgh scored the go-ahead run in the fifth, aided by a Giants error. With Rodolfo Castro on first and one out, Jason Delay singled to left. The ball bounced past left fielder Mitch Haniger, allowing Castro to advance to third and Delay to second.

Sean Manaea delivered a wild pitch, allowing Castro to score.

“Rudy did a good job getting a break on a ball that he saw down and did a good job base-running,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “We didn’t have a ton of opportunities and we capitalized on a ball in the dirt.”

Josh Palacios followed with a ground ball to first, but Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. threw Delay out at the plate. The call was challenged and confirmed upon review.

Manaea (2-3) allowed just an unearned run in four innings of relief.

Pirates starter Johan Oviedo struggled with his command but held the Giants to one run in 4 1/3 innings. He walked five and struck out five.

“He executed pitches when he had to,” Shelton said. “When he put runners on base, he did a good job executing.”

Dauri Moreta (2-1) relieved Oviedo in the fifth and was credited with the win following a scoreless inning.

David Bednar retired the side in order in the ninth with two strikeouts for his 10th save in 11 chances.

San Francisco went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position after going 9 for 18 in Monday’s win. The Giants left nine runners on base.

“There are going to be nights when we’re not able to cash in on those (opportunities),” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said. “I thought we had a good, quality first inning, had a couple of moments where we were threatening. We just weren’t able to get the big hit.”

Lawyers For Pittsburgh Synagogue Defendant Admit He Carried Out Deadliest US Antisemitic Attack

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Robert Bowers carried out the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history when he killed 11 people and injured seven others by storming a Pittsburgh synagogue and shooting everyone he could find. On that, everyone agrees.

Even though Bowers’ defense acknowledged at the outset of his federal trial Tuesday that he was the gunman, they hope to spare the suburban truck driver from a possible death sentence over the Oct. 27, 2018, massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue.

Bowers “shot every person he saw” that day in the building, his lead lawyer, Judy Clarke, said in her opening statement. But she questioned whether Bowers had acted out of hatred, as prosecutors contend, or an irrational belief that he needed to kill Jews to save others from the genocide he claimed they were enabling by helping immigrants come to the U.S.

“He had what to us is this unthinkable, nonsensical, irrational thought: that by killing Jews, he would attain his goal,” Clarke said. “There is no making sense of this senseless act. Mr. Bowers caused extraordinary harm to many, many people.”

Prosecutors — who rejected Bowers’ offer to plead guilty in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table — opened their case by describing the terror he sowed as he moved through the synagogue, opening fire indiscriminately.

Jurors heard a 911 call played by Tree of Life Rabbi and attack survivor Jeffrey Myers, who took shelter in the first minutes of the attack.

“I hear people screaming,” he said on the call, his voice shaky and urgent. “The person is still shooting.”

On the witness stand, Myers testified that he was in front of the congregation at the start of the service and, after hearing gunfire in the lobby, urged worshippers to flee if they were able — and told those who were elderly and frail to lie down or hide.

He wiped away tears as prosecutor Eric Olshan asked him about a portion of the 911 recording in which he could be heard whispering.

“I was praying,” Myers explained, adding after a long pause: “I expected to die.”

He said he was trying to decide whether to make a last phone call or video for his wife, but decided that leaving such a legacy “wouldn’t be fair to her.” Instead, he stayed on the line with 911 and prayed an ancient Jewish profession of faith.

“I thought about the history of my people, how we’ve been persecuted and hunted and slaughtered for centuries, and how all of them must have felt the moments before their death, and what did they do,” Myers testified.

He said he knew some of his congregants had been killed, and “I asked God to forgive me because I couldn’t save them.”

Prosecutors say Bowers made incriminating statements to investigators and left an online trail of antisemitic statements that they say shows the attack was motivated by religious hatred. Police shot Bowers three times before he surrendered.

“The depths of the defendant’s malice and hate can only be proven in the broken bodies” of the victims and “his hateful words,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Soo C. Song told the 12 jurors and six alternates hearing the case.

Song described in detail how worshippers from three congregations who shared the synagogue — Dor Hadash, New Light and the Tree of Life — arrived that Sabbath to pray and socialize in what should have been a safe place.

As she spoke, some of the survivors in the somber courtroom dabbed tears. Bowers, seated at the defense table, showed no reaction.

The jury also heard a 911 call from congregant Bernice Simon, who reported “we’re being attacked!” and that her husband, Sylvan Simon, had been shot. Bernice Simon was shot while still on the line — her last, labored breaths clearly audible.

“Bernice, are you still with me?” Shannon Basa-Sabol, the dispatcher who took the call, asked in the recording, There was no answer. Neither of the Simons survived.

In a filing earlier this year, prosecutors said Bowers “harbored deep, murderous animosity towards all Jewish people.” They said he also expressed hatred for HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, a nonprofit humanitarian group that helps refugees and asylum seekers.

Prosecutors wrote in a court filing that Bowers had nearly 400 followers on his Gab social media account “to whom he promoted his antisemitic views and calls to violence against Jews.”

In the long run-up to the trial, Bowers’ lawyers did little to cast doubt on whether he was the gunman and instead focused on trying to save his life. As an indication that the trial’s guilt-or-innocence phase would be almost a foregone conclusion, they spent little time during jury selection asking how potential jurors would reach a verdict.

Instead, they focused on the penalty phase and how jurors would decide whether to impose the death penalty in a case of a man charged with hate-motivated killings in a house of worship. The defense lawyers, who recently said Bowers has schizophrenia and brain impairments, probed whether potential jurors could consider factors such as mental illness or a difficult childhood.

The families of those killed are divided over whether the government should pursue the death penalty, but most have voiced support for it.

The three congregations have spoken out against antisemitism and other forms of bigotry since the attack. The Tree of Life congregation also is working with partners on plans to overhaul its current structure, which still stands but has been closed since the shootings, by creating a complex that would house a sanctuary, museum, memorial and center for fighting antisemitism.

The death penalty trial, which is being presided over by Judge Robert Colville, is proceeding three years after now-President Joe Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he would work to end capital punishment at the federal level and in states that still use it. His attorney general, Merrick Garland, has temporarily paused executions to review policies and procedures, but federal prosecutors continue to vigorously work to uphold death sentences that have been issued and, in some cases, to pursue new death sentences at trial.