Category: News

PA Pilot Program Expands ATV Trail Connector Access

Keystone State News Connection

July 12, 2021

PA Pilot Program Expands ATV Trail Connector Access

Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. — North Central Pennsylvania will soon have 70 miles of new roads open to all-terrain vehicles, connecting the existing Potter and Tioga trails.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) said the pilot program will launch on July 16 and run through Sep. 26. It’s opening state forest roads, snowmobile trails, and PennDOT roads previously not designated for all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), in response to growing demand in the state for riding opportunities.

Wesley Robinson, press secretary for the DCNR, said the pilot will make longer ATV rides more accessible.

“There are a lot of people who have ATVs and might have to travel several hours to use them legally,” Robinson explained. “That was a big reason behind this, because there’s just a high level of interest in folks wanting to ride ATVs in the state.”

The DCNR acknowledged environmental and noise concerns accompany the use of ATVs. Robinson pointed out during the pilot, they will conduct environmental monitoring to gauge its impact.

Sarah Corcoran, conservation program manager for the Sierra Club Pennsylvania chapter, said she hopes the agency examines the effects of illegal riding that could occur.

“It’s going to be tough for folks to not be on those trails after the pilot’s over,” Corcoran cautioned. “I want to know what their enforcement practices are going to be during the pilot program, to make sure that folks are only riding where they’re allowed to be riding.”

She added the public comment period should open lines of communication to ensure concerns are addressed.

Henry Sorgen, president of the 1,500-member Central Mountains ATV Association in Clinton County, thinks improving ATV access can help support the local economy.

“That’s what the pilot program is to prove to PennDOT, to DCNR, to Harrisburg,” Sorgen argued. “That we can do this and bring in tourism and boost the sales of gas and food, and hotel and campground stays, in our region.”

The pilot will reconvene in May 2022 for a second round, and will include a connector to the Tiadaghton State Forest and the Haneyville ATV Trail System in Lycoming and Clinton counties.

Woman Shot To Death in McKees Rocks Early Monday Morning

(Mc Kees Rocks, Pa.) An early morning shooting in McKees Rocks has claimed the life of an unidentified woman.

The shooting happened just after midnight on Gray Street When first responders arrived, they found a woman with multiple gunshot wounds. She was taken to an area hospital where she later died.

End of Term in Sight, Gov. Wolf Sets Sights on School Funding

End of term in sight, Wolf sets sights on school funding
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — With just a year and a half left in office, Gov. Tom Wolf’s primary focus will be convincing the Republican-controlled Legislature to modernize how state aid is distributed to Pennsylvania’s public schools. Doing so would direct more money to Pennsylvania’s poorest school districts as well as to growing districts. In an interview Thursday, Wolf told The Associated Press he remains dedicated to two initiatives that have drawn stiff resistance from many Republicans. That’s adding tolls to nine major interstate bridges in need of upgrades and forcing fossil fuel-fired power plants to pay a price for the carbon dioxide they emit. The 72-year-old Democrat is term-limited.

FDA Head Calls For Inquiry Into Alzheimer’s Drug Review

FDA head calls for inquiry into Alzheimer’s drug review
By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The acting head of the Food and Drug Administration is calling for a government investigation into highly unusual contacts between her agency’s drug reviewers and the maker of a controversial new Alzheimer’s drug. The announcement Friday is the latest fallout over last month’s approval of the drug Aduhelm. The drug is an expensive and unproven therapy that the agency OK’d against the advice of its own outside experts. Dr. Janet Woodcock made the request to the Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general, the watchdog agency that oversees the FDA and other federal health agencies.

Hopewell Twp. Resident and Former District Judge, County Detective and Business Owner Dies

(Story and Photo by Sandy Giordano)

(Hopewell, Twp.) Stephen Daniel Mihalic, 96, Hopewell Township died Thursday at the Good Samaritan Hospice ,Beaver. He  was a respected former businessman in the Aliquippa area. He was  former Aliquippa School Board member for 6 years. He served as a , county detective and District Judge  serving the Aliquippa area.. He was the first district judge to preside over a preliminary hearing in Beaver County  Central Court. He also served on the Hopewell Township Civil Service Commission and interviewed police officer candidates. He served a total of 45 years in law enforcement , and 15 as a county detective. He retired  in 1993 as a district judge. Hopewell Township Police Chief Donald Sedlacek  said he had a great career   and he was recognized as being fair and honest, but firm.

He is survived by his wife Kay, daughter Mary Lou and her husband Kenny Kondracki. Granddaughters Emily and twins Jennifer and  Ashley.
Viewing  will be Sunday at Mastrofrancesco Funeral Home from 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Funeral is Monday at 9:30a.m.. . Burial will be in Mount Olivet Catholic  Cemetery , Hopewell Township,

REMINDER: Northbound I-79 Neville Island Bridge Weekend Closure July 9-12

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is reminding motorists the first of four northbound weekend closures on the I-79 Neville Island Bridge in Glenfield Borough and Robinson and Neville townships, Allegheny County, will occur Friday night, July 9 through Monday morning, July 12 weather permitting.

A full closure of the I-79 Neville Island Bridge in the northbound direction will occur from approximately 8 p.m. Friday night, July 9 continuously through 5 a.m. Monday morning, July 12 as crews conduct bridge and roadway concrete repairs, roadway patching, strip seal replacements, bridge jacking for steel repairs, bridge painting, and barrier spall repairs.

To allow the work to occur, all northbound traffic will be detoured. Beginning at approximately 8 p.m. Friday night lane closures will occur on northbound I-79 prior to the Pennsylvania State Police beginning a slow roll of northbound I-79 traffic at the Crafton/Moon Run (Exit 60) interchange. Troopers will direct all traffic to the detour route.

Posted Detour

  • From northbound I-79, motorists will exit at the Coraopolis/McKees Rocks (Exit 64) interchange
  • Turn left onto northbound Route 51 toward Coraopolis
  • Once through Coraopolis, stay in the left-hand lane and follow the signs to Route 65 Sewickley
  • Turn right and cross the Sewickley Bridge
  • Turn right onto southbound Route 65 (Ohio River Boulevard)
  • Take the left-hand ramp to I-79 toward Erie/Washington
  • At the split, stay straight toward North 79 Erie
  • Follow the 79 North Erie sign by turning left onto Kilbuck Street
  • From Kilbuck Street, take the ramp to northbound I-79 toward Erie
  • End detour

Motorists on northbound I-79 may want to consider using I-376 (Parkway West) to I-279 (Parkway North) to avoid the detour route.

Police will assist motorists at key intersections during peak travel times. Motorists should expect delays.

Work on projects along the detour route will not occur this weekend.

Additionally, a lane closure will occur on southbound I-79 on the Neville Island Bridge during the weekend construction.

The $43 million I-79 Neville Island Bridge Rehabilitation Project includes structural steel repairs, full structure painting, bearing and deck joint replacements, deck repairs and overlays, bridge barrier repair, substructure concrete work and drainage improvements.  The project also includes concrete roadway reconstruction, guide rail replacement and preservation work on four sign structures. Additionally, preservation work will occur on the I-79 bridge over Deer Run Road, north of the Neville Island Bridge.  Motorists will see ramp closures and single-lane and shoulder closures in each direction on I-79 during daylight off-peak and overnight hours. Other traffic impacts include four northbound weekend closures in 2021 and four southbound weekend closures in 2022. The overall project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.

The Trumbull Corporation is the prime contractor.

To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for the I-79 Neville Island Bridge rehabilitation including traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to stcowan@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – I-79” in the subject line.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

The Beaver County Recovery Summit

On Friday’s Teleforum program CCBC’s Kolt Codner and BC Chamber of Commerces’ Helen Kissick joined host Eddy Crow to talk about the upcoming Beaver County Recovery Summit. The event is Thursday 7/15 taking place at the Golden Dome at CCBC and Teleforum will be broadcasting live during the event; a full schedule is available at CCBC.EDU/Events.

Boil Water Advisory in Conway Lifted

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Conway, Pa.) A Conway Borough Official announced Friday morning that water service has been restored in Conway.  The Boil water advisory has been lifted and was put in place yesterday due to multiple water line breaks. The boil advisory was issued as a precaution.

48 Hour Boil Water Advisory in Effect in Conway

(Conway, Pa.) Conway residents are being asked to boil their water. Due to multiple water line breaks a boil water advisory is in effect in for the next 48 hours. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano is looking into it and will get an update as soon as possible.