(File Photo)
Story by Frank Sparks News/Program Director
Wednesday November 3, 2021 at 10:45 AM
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) UPMC announced Tuesday that its 92,000 employees will receive a $500 bonus for their dedication during the coronavirus pandemic.

CEO and President Leslie C. Davis wrote in an email to employees. “Over the past 20 months, you have risen in truly exceptional ways to meet challenges we could have never anticipated. With your critical support, UPMC continues to care for so many affirming our dedication to excellence, as well as our fundamental mission of service.”

The $46 million in bonuses is part of about $300 million the health-care provider said it plans to spend in 2022 to improve compensation and benefits. Additional enhancements to compensation are expected to be announced later this week.

(File Photo of Rochester Giant Eagle)
Story by Frank Sparks News/Program Director
Wednesday November 3, 2021 at 10:38 AM
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) All Giant Eagle, Market District and GetGo locations will be closed on Thanksgiving. Giant Eagle’s transportation and retail support centers will also be closed.
The company said the closure on Nov. 25 is to give employees the opportunity to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with their families. Because Giant Eagle’s locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, shoppers are encouraged to plan for their holiday fuel and grocery needs in advance.
Supermarket and GetGo locations will resume normal operating hours on Friday, November 26.

Wednesday November 3, 2021 at 10:04 AM

(Beaver County, Pa.) The General Election was held in Beaver County yesterday with a modest amount of the 112,744 registered voters voting. Overall 37,803 people cast a vote whether in person or by mail-in ballot for a 33.53 percent turnout. The majority of voters returned to the polls with 29,695 people going to their local polling place to cast a ballot and 8,103 people voting by mail.

Compared to 2017, the last year after a presidential election, Beaver County had an almost 5 percent increase in ballots cast. In 2017 the turnout was 28.88 percent. There are also almost 4000 more registered voters in Beaver County in 2021 with 112,744 being registered compared to 2017 the county had 108,931.

There were many races that were contested and some incumbents were beat. In the City of Beaver Falls Mayor George Quay fell short of his write-in campaign to defeat Kenya Johns who defeated Quay in the primary earlier this year. Johns received more votes, 778, than write-in votes that were cast, 580, thus guaranteeing that Johns will become the first black and women mayor of Beaver Falls.

Ambridge will have a new Mayor as Democrat Gerald “Duke” Mc Coy defeat Republican Dennis Lapic by under 100 votes and Green Party candidate Lorianne Burgess  by nearly 300 votes.

Incumbent Ambridge School Board member Denise Maganello was defeated for both a 2 year and 4 year term.

Incumbent Blackhawk School Board member Melissa Ziegler was also ousted and Rochester school board while closely contested remained for the most part the same.

You can see all of the election results by clicking the link below to go the Beaver County Bureau of Elections unofficial results page:

http://www.beavercountypa.gov/Depts/Elections/Documents/Nov2021Results/SummaryResults11022021.pdf

(File Photo)
Story by Frank Sparks News/Program Director
Novemebr 3, 2021 at 7:16 AM

UPDATE AT 2:35 pm  We now know that the bus driver was a male who is the father of young kids that worked for the company for several years and the student victim was a female. There was also believed to be 10 students on the bus.
(Muddy Creek Twp., Pa.) Two people were killed as the result of an accident involving a Rhodes Transit School bus that was transporting students home to the Hermitage area from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center yesterday afternoon, November 2, 2021. The bus rear ended a semi truck along interstate 79 near the 422 exit in Muddy Creek Township, Butler County. The 31-year-old driver of the bus along with a 14-year-old student were both killed in the wreck. Multiple people were taken to the hospital.
Pa State State Police say “severe to moderate” injuries were reported from the bus. Passengers were taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital by medical helicopter and ambulance and UPMC Presby by ambulance.
The names of the victims have not been released at this time at state police continue to investigate.
I-79 northbound was closed for hours because of the investigation. It reopened just before 5 a.m. Wednesday.

The featured photo above shows firefighters working at the rear of the house.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh. Published November 3, 2021 at 3:20 A.M.

(Nee Brighton, PA) A fire broke out sometime around 3 AM Wednesday morning at a home on 7th Avenue in New Brighton. Multiple crews responded to the scene. It is currently unknown whether if anybody was inside the home or the cause. Heavy smoke could be seen coming from the house. Crews were still on scene as of 3:25 AM. You can see video of the fire on our Facebook Page.

Tuesday November 2, 2021 at 10:16 AM
By MARC LEVY and MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania voters are poised to pick four jurists to serve on statewide appeals courts. The marquee race on Tuesday is for a seat on the state Supreme Court, but the result will not change the Democrats’ partisan control of the high court. Democrats went into Election Day with a 5-2 majority on the court that in recent years has played critical roles in election litigation and the COVID-19 pandemic response. The sole vacancy is an opening required by the mandatory retirement this year of Republican Justice Thomas Saylor. It’s being contested by two lower-court judges — Republican Kevin Brobson from Commonwealth Court and Democrat Maria McLaughlin from Superior Court.

Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at 10:12 AM
By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press
The 2020 U.S. census missed an estimated 1.6 million people, but given hurdles posed by the pandemic and natural disasters, the undercount was smaller than expected. That’s according to an analysis by a think tank. The analysis released Tuesday by the Urban Institute estimates there was a 0.5% undercount. If that modeled estimate holds true, it would be greater than the 0.01% undercount in the 2010 census but in the same range as the 0.49% undercount in the 2000 census. The official undercount of the census won’t be known until next year when the Census Bureau releases a report card on the count.

(Photos of fire crews battling pool house fire taken by David Novak. Used with permission)
(Story by Frank Sparks News/Program Director
Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at 08:53 AM
(Moon Twp., Pa.) An investigation is underway after a fire broke out in the pool house of the Thorn Run Apartments complex off of Lee Drive in Moon Twp. Monday afternoon, November 1, 2021.
Multiple police, fire and paramedic units were called to the scene.
Photos from the scene show extensive damage to the pool house.
There were no injuries were reported as crews continue to investigate.