Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is advising motorists that line painting operations on I-376 (Beaver Valley Expressway) in Beaver County, will occur Tuesday and Wednesday, July 20-21 weather permitting.

Lane restrictions will occur on the I-376 between Hopewell/Route 151 (Exit 48) and Center (Exit 42) interchanges as crews conduct line painting operations. Work will occur from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Roadway line painting is an important part of PennDOT’s highway safety initiatives. Paint lines provide direction, delineation, and guidance to motorists.

Motorists who accidentally get paint on their vehicles should immediately wash the paint off with a high-pressure water stream and detergent.  Dried paint can be removed with de-natured alcohol and a soft cloth.  Generally, PennDOT is not responsible for paint on vehicles.

Motorists should use caution and be aware of changing traffic patterns when driving through the area.

Visit 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on major roadways before traveling.

TAYLOR, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a man died after he was struck by lightning while playing golf in northeastern Pennsylvania last week. Lackawanna County Coroner Timothy Rowland said Monday that 71-year-old Joseph Slivinski of Blakely was at Pine Hills Golf Course when severe weather rolled through at about 1:30 p.m. Friday. Rowland said Slivinski was apparently attempting to seek shelter when he was struck by lightning and died at the golf course. Golf course owner and general manager Scott Kozar told WBRE-TV that when a storm is near, a ranger tries to alert golfers, but Friday’s storm came in so fast that there was little time for people to get out of harm’s way.

Pennsylvania smashes record for gambling revenue in a year
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania smashed its record for gambling revenue in the most recent fiscal year. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported Monday that casinos, truck stops and fantasy sports operators collected nearly $3.9 billion in revenue. The rebound comes after pandemic-related shutdowns knocked casino revenue down significantly. The total for the fiscal year ending June 30 beat the previous high, two years ago, by about 17% and last year’s take by more than 40%. Revenue from slot machines and from table games remains lower than record highs. But online casino gambling and sports betting leaped to new record highs. Gambling revenue also benefited from the opening of two new casinos.

(AMBRIDGE,Pa.) Pa. State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, has written to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection urging it to deny Penn Energy’s request to withdraw water from Big Sewickley Creek.

In a July 16 letter to DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell, Rep. Matzie expressed his opposition to the permit application, which would allow Penn Energy to withdraw 3 million gallons of water daily from the creek.

(Beaver, Pa.) A State Trooper who is facing charges stemming from an incident that occurred in Rochester is scheduled to be in court today.

According to a criminal complaint Trooper Trask Alexander is charged with trying to withdraw a traffic citation issued to one of his friends that was issued by another state trooper after a traffic stop that happened in Rochester.

When the woman was pulled over by the other Trooper she allegedly told the Trooper that she and her boyfriend are friends of Trooper Alexander. The complaint states that the female then sent a photo of the citation to Alexander.

The District Court found inconsistencies, including a signature that didn’t match on a withdrawal form that Alexander then allegedly sent to the district court.

Alexander is suspended without pay pending the results of an internal investigation and what happens in court.

Lancaster, PA – This week, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding will travel the commonwealth to visit 11 urban farms and ag operations in the cities of Reading, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. At these and many more urban agriculture sites across the commonwealth, Pennsylvanians are coming together to tackle both local and global challenges like climate change, food insecurity, and poor health associated with a lack of access to nutritious foods.

“Food production in our urban spaces – from rooftops or vacant lots, to vertical or indoor farming – plays a critical role in advancing food and nutritional security, while also working to effectively dismantle the hold of systemic discrimination that has created cases of the ‘haves and have-nots’  for low-income communities whose residents are predominantly Black and people of color,” said Redding. “This week, we’ll meet the people who have recognized need in their communities and leapt into action to grow food and opportunities, to nourish people and neighborhoods, and cultivate resilience for the future.”

Over the past two years, the Wolf Administration has invested $1 million in urban agriculture through the Pennsylvania Farm Bill’s Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Program. That $1 million investment has leveraged an additional $1 million in local investments through matching dollars. In total, 70 projects have been funded in 16 counties across the state. (2019-20 funded, 2020-21 funded)

“Lack of access to food, especially nutritious food, is much more than an inconvenience: it is detrimental to the health and well-being of families, and to entire communities,” said First Lady Frances Wolf. “Urban agriculture and infrastructure projects – like the ones we are highlighting during Urban Ag Week – are crucial in attacking the root of this very issue. They are thoughtful in addressing food access and insecurity, and they can ensure a healthier future for generations to come.”

This week’s tours are during Pennsylvania’s fourth annual Urban Agriculture Week. The designation of Urban Agriculture Week in PA began in 2018 in recognition of the invaluable contributions of urban agriculture to their communities, one year before Governor Tom Wolf signed into law the Pennsylvania Farm Bill which created the Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program which invests $500,000 annually into projects that address urban food insecurity and increase access to fresh, nutritious foods for communities affected by apartheid.

Joining Redding at various stops along the way will be First Lady Wolf, members of the legislature including House and Senate Agriculture Committee members, and leaders and commissioners from the Governor’s Commissions for Women, Latino Affairs, LGBTQ Affairs, African American Affairs, and Asian Pacific American Affairs.

“We often think of large farms in rural areas when we are talking about agriculture, but through the creativity and ingenuity of Pennsylvania farmers, our cities are becoming productive and profitable locations for high quality fruits, vegetables and value-added food products,” said state Senator Judy Schwank, Democratic chair of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. “Urban Ag has huge potential in the commonwealth, and I believe it can help mitigate food insecurity and have a positive impact on climate by reducing the distance food travels to reach our tables. It’s exciting to see our cities becoming virtual garden spots and I hope we continue to help them grow.”

Tour dates and locations include:

• Monday, July 19: Goggle Works in Reading along with Treasures of Hope Foundation and DECA City Farms in Lancaster
• Tuesday, July 20: Garden Dreams, Hilltop Urban Farm, Freeman Family Farm, and Sankofa Village Community Garden in Pittsburgh
• Thursday, July 22: Pinwheel Group, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Philadelphia Orchard Project, and the Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Association Coalition’s Growing Home Gardens in Philadelphia

“No matter who you are or where you live, if there’s food on your table thank a farmer,” said state Representative Eddie Day Pashinski, Democratic chair of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. “Pennsylvania Urban Ag Week is a time to highlight the diverse growers and producers providing quality locally grown food in our urban areas. It’s also a chance to emphasize how the Historic Pa Farm Bill and Pa Department of Agriculture have awarded $1 million to support our urban farmers in just the past two years – including our very own Earth Conservancy’s Community Garden in Ashley, PA.”

To learn more about the Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Program that’s growing and nourishing Pennsylvania’s cities, visit agriculture.pa.gov/pafarmbill.

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two more Texas lawmakers who left their state to hobble efforts to pass new voting restrictions have tested positive for the coronavirus, raising to five the number of infected people in the delegation. State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio said in a statement Sunday that he had tested positive and was quarantining. A person familiar with the delegation tells The Associated Press that the number of infected members has risen to five. The person was not authorized to discuss the matter and requested anonymity.

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer
TOKYO (AP) — Toyota won’t be airing any Olympic-themed advertisements on Japanese television during the Tokyo Games despite being one of the IOC’s top corporate sponsors. The extraordinary decision by the country’s top automaker underlines how polarizing the Games have become in Japan as COVID-19 infections rise ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony. Being a corporate sponsor for the Olympics is usually all about using the games as a platform to enhance the brand. But being linked with a pandemic-era Games may be viewed by some as a potential marketing problem. Toyota signed on as a worldwide Olympic sponsor in 2015 in an eight-year deal reportedly worth nearly $1 billion.

(Photo courtesy of Pa. Media Services)

(Philadelphia, Pa.) Governor Tom Wolf thanked members of Pennsylvania-Task Force 1 (PA-TF1), who returned to Philadelphia after spending two weeks assisting with search and rescue efforts at the site of the recent deadly building collapse in Surfside, Florida.

“I want to thank the men and women of PA-TF1 for assisting at the site of terrible tragedy. This was a dangerous mission but they understood the risks and worked long hours at the site of the building collapse to provide critical emergency services. Pennsylvania is proud and grateful for their service, and I was pleased to be able to welcome them home.”

PA-TF 1 is one of 28 teams that are part of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System and is a federal resource that can quickly be mobilized to deploy to incidents anywhere in the country. The team is sponsored by the Philadelphia Fire Department.