(Story by Beaver County News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)
(Hopewell Township, PA) Hopewell Township Police Chief Don Sedlacek reported this morning that there was a fatal shooting on Brodhead Road. The chief said police and the coroner were dispatched to the scene at 1:32 a.m. An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, Chief Sedlacek said.
(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh)
(New Brighton, PA) – An accident occurred on sunflower road near Marion Hill in New Brighton. A medicvac helicopter responded to the high school nearby. Multiple departments from the area were on scene. The scene is now clear and the road has reopened.
PUC Stresses #WaysToStayCool during Extreme Summer Heat
Easy Tips to Feel Cooler and Conserve Energy During Summer Heatwaves
HARRISBURG – As extreme summer heat continues for communities across much of the state, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is stressing a series of simple ways that residents can stay cool, conserve energy and keep their bills manageable.
#WaysToStayCool
Increase summer comfort while keeping energy costs low:
Circulating air with a fan can help you feel up to 4 degrees cooler,
without needing to lower your thermostat.
In addition to simple ways to feel cooler on hot summer days, the PUC also underscored a series of ways to help conserve energy and avoid generating unwanted heat inside your home.
Ways to Save
Conserve energy and save money while staying cool:
Every degree you raise your air conditioning thermostat
above 72 degrees can save up to 3% on cooling expenses.
In addition to cooling and conservation tips, the PUC also encouraged residents to review the hot weather safety information from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, along with tips for keeping pets safe during hot weather, from the Humane Society of the United States.
Hot Weather & Utilities
The PUC notes that hot and humid weather can prompt PJM – the region’s power transmission organization – to issue “Hot Weather Alerts”, preparing utilities and generation operators for conditions that could stress the power grid and working to ensure that resources are available to meet energy demands.
In response to hot weather alerts, electric distribution companies (EDCs) across Pennsylvania take steps to prepare for high demand and other hot-weather issues, including the postponement or rescheduling of routine maintenance-related outages, placing additional staff and equipment on stand-by in the event of outages and reaching out to customers regarding energy conservation and/or access to ice, water, cooling centers and other support services, should they be needed during any outages.
The PUC is in close communication with EDCs, PJM and other key stakeholders during these types of weather alerts and continues to actively monitor utility systems across the state.
About the PUC
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.
Visit the PUC’s website at www.puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.
(Cranberry Twp., Butler County, Pa.) Pa State Police in Butler are reporting that they made a traffic stop on interstate 79 in Cranberry Twp on August 9 at 7:56
PM on a 2015 Volkswagen Jetta.
Troopers report that during the traffic stop it was determined that 35-year-old John Proctor of Buffalo, New York was suspected of driving under the influence and also violating Act 64. He was arrested for a DUI and Act 64 violations. Charges are pending.
Extra COVID vaccine OK’d for those with weak immune systems
By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MATTHEW PERRONE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators have authorized an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in people with weakened immune systems to better protect them from the virus. The announcement Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration applies to millions of Americans who take immune-suppressing medicines because of organ transplants, cancer or other disorders. The decision does not apply to otherwise healthy individuals. Health authorities are closely monitoring if and when the general population will need a booster shot but say for now, the vaccines continue to be highly effective in most healthy people.
Census data: US is diversifying, white population shrinking
By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press
No racial or ethnic group dominates for people under age 18 in the newly released 2020 census figures. In the overall U.S. population, white people declined in numbers for the first time on record. And Hispanic and Asian populations boomed last decade. These were some of the findings from Thursday’s 2020 census data release, which will be instrumental in redrawing the nation’s political maps. The data showed there’s now no majority racial or ethnic group for people under 18. The figures also show the share of the white population fell from 63.7% to 57.8%.
Keystone State News Connection
| August 13, 2021 | g |
Emily Scott
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s Department of Health has announced an expectation that 80% of nursing-home staff in the Commonwealth be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 1.
Thursday’s announcement comes just a few days after Gov. Tom Wolf announced workers in all state health-care facilities and high-risk congregate-care facilities are required to be fully vaccinated by Sep. 7.
Employees who don’t meet the deadline will be required to get tested for COVID-19 weekly. The governor said the ‘vaccine or test’ requirement is essential to keep residents of these facilities safe.
“If you live in any community with anybody who’s vulnerable, you’re a shield only if you get vaccinated,” Wolf stated. “If you don’t choose to be vaccinated, you’re not going to serve as a shield, and you’re putting the people around you – your neighbors, your family members, your friends, your community – at risk.”
Also starting Sep. 7, any new hires at state facilities must be vaccinated before starting their job. The requirement affects 25,000 workers across the state.
Starting Oct. 1, fully vaccinated state employees will be eligible for eight hours of paid time off.
Dr. Michael Ripchinski, chief medical officer at Lancaster General Hospital, said as COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Pennsylvania, he is encouraging businesses and organizations in the state to adopt policies that encourage their workers to get vaccinated.
“It’s my growing concern that we have the Delta variant, which could increase our risk of transmitting COVID-19 and having increased hospitalizations,” Ripchinski cautioned. “And it’s those employers of any size, large and small, [that] play an essential role in making sure that we can increase those vaccination rates and put the pandemic behind us.”
He added as part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Lancaster General Health is working to vaccinate all staff by Sep. 1. Nearly 64% of adults in Pennsylvania are fully vaccinated.
(Beaver County, PA) Could it be true that your actual retirement age could be pushing 90? Tom Young from 1st Consultants, Inc. in Beaver says this is a very valid concern for many people and will discuss this topic on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 beginning at 9:10 A.M. on Beaver County Radio.
If all of the sudden you found out that you might have to work another 20 to 25 years because of disappearing value in your current 401K funds and other retirement plans, what would you do? There are things you can do today to avoid this pitfall. Tune in to Teleforum with host Eddy Crow on Beaver County Radio starting at 9:10 A.M. This Tuesday August 17, 2021 to find out more.
Your retirement might be in the process of being stolen! Find out who the culprit is and what you can do about it on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 starting at 9:10 A.M.
Do you want to know more?
You can participate in the show by calling 724-843-1888 or 724-774-1888. You can also ask your questions on Facebook Live Tuesday August 17, 2021.
Click the picture below at Tuesday’s showtime of 9:10 A.M. to be directed to the WBVP and WMBA Facebook page where the special multi media simulcast will be streamed on Facebook Live.
Hear Tom Young’s most recent radio commercial:
In the meantime, here is one of Tom’s recent daily noontime video messages:
https://www.facebook.com/100000352201581/videos/547557736275341/
Man charged with homicide after human head found in freezer
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man faces homicide charges after a human head was found in a freezer at his family’s home and a dismembered body was found in a bed. Thirty-two-year-old Donald Meshey Jr. also faces counts of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and abuse of a corpse. It wasn’t known Thursday if he’s retained an attorney. Lancaster police went to the home Wednesday morning after a woman asked them to conduct a welfare check on a relative. Authorities say Meshey showed officers the head and said later said he had stabbed a body in his father’s bedroom multiple times and then dismembered it.
Guards union warns Wolf of legal action over vaccine mandate
By MARK SCOLFORO and MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The union that represents about 10,000 guards in Pennsylvania’s state prisons is telling Gov. Tom Wolf it plans legal action to stop his effort to force them to get COVID-19 vaccines over the next month. The president of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association sent a letter to the Democratic governor Thursday. It comes two days after Wolf ordered the guards and some other state workers to get fully vaccinated by Sept. 7 or face weekly testing. Union president John Eckenrode is telling Wolf his policy announcement is “a slap in the face.” Wolf press secretary Lyndsay Kensinger says the union’s opposition to the initiative “is extremely disappointing.”