WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is asking U.S. intelligence agencies to “redouble” their efforts to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic’s origins. After months of minimizing the possibility the coronavirus emerged from a lab accident, Biden’s administration is responding to U.S. and world pressure for China to be more open about the outbreak. Biden said Wednesday there’s insufficient evidence to conclude “whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a laboratory accident.” Biden directed U.S. national laboratories to assist with the investigation and called on China to cooperate. Biden held out the possibility a firm conclusion may never be known. China on Thursday accused Biden of playing politics.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are ready to deploy the filibuster to block legislation establishing a commission on the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. Thursday’s would be the first successful use of a filibuster this year to halt Senate action. That’s despite both a bipartisan effort to salvage the bill and a last-minute push by the mother of a Capitol Police officer who died after the siege. The filibuster is a time-honored Senate tradition that requires a vote by 60 of the 100 members to cut off debate and advance a bill. With the Senate evenly split 50-50, Democrats would need support of 10 Republicans to move to the commission bill.

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

(Aliquippa, PA) Aliquippa City Council met via ZOOM Wednesday night for its work session and approved Fire Chief Dave Foringer’s request to purchase new air packs for the department.  He reported he has 40 old cylinders and will try and  find someone to take them and dispose of them.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Department of Health has dropped its legal action against more than 40 restaurants accused of defying state orders to close indoor dining and maintain social-distancing protocols. The Health Department had filed two separate complaints alleging that restaurants were violating Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic restrictions. Wolf had imposed the indoor dining ban in December in response to a winter surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Health Department officials say the pandemic has since eased, with nearly all restrictions to be lifted on Memorial Day.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf has pardoned an eye doctor who said he began growing marijuana to help his dying wife reduce her use of opioids. Dr. Paul Ezell served six months in jail in 2014 after pleading guilty to a felony drug charge. Ezell has said he began growing marijuana to help his wife reduce her use of prescription opioids. After her death, Ezell was in the process of dismantling his basement operation when a tipster spotted clippings in the trash and turned him in to police. Ezell pleaded guilty less than two years before Pennsylvania legalized medical marijuana. The pardon could allow him to return to medicine.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. pipeline operators will be required for the first time to conduct a cybersecurity assessment under a Biden administration directive. It’s in response to the ransomware hack that disrupted gas supplies in several states. The Transportation Security Administration directive being issued Thursday will mandate that the owners and operators of the nation’s pipelines report any cyber incidents to the federal government. They’ll also be required to have a cybersecurity coordinator available at all times to work with authorities in the event of an attack like the one that shut down Colonial Pipeline. Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline says it paid a ransom of $4.4 million to retrieve access to its data from hackers.

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Robert Morris University is cutting its men’s and women’s hockey programs, effective immediately. The school says the decision is part of a strategic initiative ahead of the university’s 100th anniversary. The move affects 55 athletes and seven staff members. The school says it will honor the scholarships of those athletes wishing to remain on campus and will assist others who wish to transfer.

(New Castle, PA) PA State Police in New Castle report that they initiated a traffic stop on a blue 2007 Dodge Caliber traveling west on Woodside Avenue and Argonne Boulevard, because it crossed the double-solid yellow line momentarily. Upon further investigation, they realized that the front-right passenger had a warrant for drug paraphernalia out of the Lawrence County Sheriffs Office. The rear-right passenger was also wanted for a warrant for unpaid child support out of Domestic Relations in Lawrence County. Both men were safely and successfully taken into custody and subsequently transported to the Lawrence County Jail.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“We still have a labor issue in the county.”

Those were the words of Commissioner Jack Manning, who spoke at Wednesday’s work session about the numbers he learned in regards to the amount of Beaver County citizens looking for jobs as opposed to the job openings that are still available. These numbers were presented by PA CareerLink in a meeting attended by Manning.

The numbers:
433 Job Openings
152 Job Seekers

“There’s a multitude of reasons for that,” said Manning on the nearly 3-to-1 ratio. “People are concerned about if it’s safe to go back to work, they have child care issues, they have transportation issues, and it’s clearly been exacerbated by the extra money that they’re getting from the federal government.”

A change to that might draw those numbers back to even, as it was announced earlier in the week that the qualifications for unemployment benefits will stop being waived by the Wolf administration starting in July. That, however, doesn’t ease the concerns displayed at the May 26 work session.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it,” said Manning. “I think we’re going to have a tough time this summer with our small businesses, particularly with finding the employees they need to expand horizons and really open back up post-pandemic.”