(File Photo)
Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 10:33 AM
(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Beaver County Commissioner Jack Manning joined Mike Romigh on Teleforum Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 9:10 AM to discuss “The State of The County” Breakfast that was held by the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce on Friday, January 7, 2022 and replayed on Beaver County Radio at 12:30 PM Monday, January 10, 2022.
Manning told Romigh “I think it was pretty positive and I echo Commissioner Camp’s comments that Beaver County is going to be the fastest growing county in the state.” 
The pair also spoke about broadband, infrastructure, jobs, wages, the Shell Cracker, housing, and how Beaver County is adapting as we are coming out of the pandemic.
You can listen to Mike’s interview with Jack by pressing the play button below.

 

 

(File Photo)

(Midland, Pennsylvania) – The 2022 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day commemoration,  hosted by the Midland Women’s Civic Club, will celebrate perseverance and Dr. King’s quote;  “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience,  but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”. For the second consecutive year,  and due to the pandemic, it will be streamed live as a virtual event via Lincoln Park Performing  Arts Center’s Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/LincolnParkArts) and YouTube  (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYEzxy0Vg4DuH_pp6l7xKnA/videos?view=0&sort=da)  platforms on Monday, January 17th beginning at 1:00 p.m.  

Those reflecting on the theme of perseverance will include Jen Mura Miller, Executive Director  of The Center, a non-profit organization addressing the needs of children and families in  Midland; Valerie Mc Elvy, the founder of Professional Outfitters and Variety Shoppe under the  Agency of the Franklin Center of Beaver County and sole proprietor of We’re At Your Service in  New Brighton; Aisya Washington, a Midland-native and former scholarship winner who now  works as a fashion stylist in New York City; and special guest Najee Harris, the Pittsburgh  Steeler rookie running back out of the University of Alabama.  

The signature underwriter of the event is Lincoln Learning Solutions. Key sponsors include the  Midland Borough School District, the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, Baden Academy  Charter School, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, Midland Innovation + Technology  Charter School, and Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center which is producing the event.  Proceeds directly benefit students bound for college through the MWCC’s Greater Midland  Scholarship Foundation.  

The Midland Women’s Civic Club invites the general public to make MLK Day a “day on” of  fellowship and enlightenment to benefit local students through scholarships from the safety and  comfort of their homes, offices, and any COVID-safe environment.  

(File Photo)
Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 9:54 AM
HARRISBURG – Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) ordered a special election  to be held on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, to fill the vacant seat in the 24^th Legislative District in Allegheny County.
The seat was vacated when Rep. Ed Gainey was sworn as the Mayor of Pittsburgh.
House rules state the speaker shall issue a writ for a special election to be held on a date which shall occur on or before the date of the first municipal election which occurs not less than 60 days after the issuance of the writ.
“Voters in Pennsylvania are already receiving a lot of information about new districts and major elections this year,” Cutler said. “This special election is to complete the term under the current, or old, map. Therefore, holding the election on its own unique date, and not coinciding this special election with the primary, eliminates potential confusion for voters.”
Candidates for the office will be selected by a process designated by their respective political parties, and the winner of the special election will take office after the results are confirmed.

(Photo Courtesy of Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium)
Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 9:45 AM
(Pittsburgh, PA) -Guests to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium may notice a unique penguin among the black and gold colony: a one-winged, one-year-old gentoo penguin named Floppy. Floppy, named by a donor shortly after his birth, is the only known penguin with an amputated wing at a zoo or aquarium in the United States. The prodecure took place in late 2021 and the penguin’s recovery is progressing well.
In August 2021, aquarists at the PPG Aquarium noticed some swelling near the young penguin’s shoulder. Floppy was given an X-ray and it was confirmed that he had broken a wing bone. The vets and aquarists offered care and monitored the injury for signs of natural healing for several weeks. However, it became apparent that the bone was not healing properly. Surgical repair was ruled out due to the location of the break, so the Pittsburgh Zoo’s Animal Care staff diligently consulted with other institutions before it was decided that the best avenue of recovery was to have the wing amputated.
Floppy’s surgery successfully occurred on September 8th. While amputation was the best option for Floppy, he had to re-learn how to swim, dive, float, navigate his habitat, and exit the water. The Animal Care team has closely monitored his progress and has been pleased every step of the way. He is able to perform most activities fairly well, and the staff of the PPG Aquarium has installed a ramp so that he that can better enter and exit the water. In late 2021, Floppy was reintroduced to the colony and can now often be seen publicly in his habitat.
Floppy continues to make progress towards a full recovery every day. The life expectancy of penguins in the wild is 10-15 years, but living in aquariums, they can reach over 30 years of age. He and his fellow
penguins can be seen in their habitat at the PPG Aquarium year-round. Floppy is expected to remain indoors at this time, though on weather-permitting weekends through February, other members of the penguin colony can be seen exploring outside during the Penguins on Parade event.

(Photo courtesy of PA Media Services)
Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 09:13 AM
Wolf: Vaccine is strategy to fight COVID-19, not shutdowns
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is brushing aside questions about whether he’ll issue more orders for shutdowns as cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 spread quickly and fill Pennsylvania’s hospitals with unvaccinated patients. Wolf, speaking on KDKA-AM radio in Pittsburgh, reiterated Tuesday that the vaccine is his administration’s strategy for fighting COVID-19. He says people need to get vaccinated. Wolf’s Department of Health expects new cases to peak in January, followed by a peak in hospitalizations in February and a peak in deaths in late February to early March. Hospitals hit by severe staffing shortages have been sounding the alarm as largely unvaccinated COVID-19 patients fill hospital beds.

(AP Photo)
Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 6:44 AM
(Harrisburg, Pa.) A Pennsylvania court won’t block an entire subpoena to state election officials in what Republican state lawmakers call a “forensic investigation” of 2020′s presidential election. The statewide Commonwealth Court that issued the seven-page order Monday also did not appear to immediately greenlight the release of some information that Democratic state Attorney General Josh Shapiro challenged as being protected by privacy laws. In the unsigned order, the court said state officials did not persuade it that the subpoena issued in September by a Republican-controlled Senate committee had no legitimate legislative purpose.

The featured image above shows the main entrance to the Rochester School District.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Correspondent. Published January 10, 2022 at 9:36 P.M.

(Rochester, PA) The Rochester School Board met Monday night for a work session.  Superintendent, Dr. Jane Bovalino, along with the board and administrators discussed a plan to reintroduce a masking mandate within the district.  A two week mandate was first suggested, followed by a month, and finally an agreement was made to mandate masks until further notice.  The decision was based on rising numbers of Covid cases within the district staff and students, as well as numbers reflecting the general area.  Masking had been optional at Rochester after the state mandate was lifted in early December.

(File Photo)
Monday, January 10, 2022 at 2:23 PM
PITTSBURGH and ERIE, Pa (January 6, 2021) – Allegheny Health Network’s (AHN) Perinatal Hope Program is pleased to announce today its expansion into Butler and Erie counties to support and care for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorders (OUDs). The program’s expansion was made possible thanks to a recent federal grant, announced by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf late last year, of more than $583,000 as part of a $55 million federal block grant program awarded to the state via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services SAMHSA.
The Perinatal Hope Program, a part of the AHN Women’s Institute, currently operates out of AHN West Penn, AHN Jefferson and AHN Forbes hospitals. It will now open sites aligned with AHN Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie (232 W. 25th Street) and AHN’s Northern Regional OB/GYN in Butler County (125 Emeryville Dr., Cranberry Township).
Perinatal Hope will further enhance and expand upon AHN Saint Vincent’s Growing Hope program, which has helped opioid-addicted moms in the northwest Pennsylvania Erie for more than five years.
The grant will also be used to bolster the Perinatal Hope program’s overall services and clinical staff – including the addition of a peer recovery specialist, behavioral health consultant, social worker and certified nurse practitioner – across its existing footprint in Allegheny, Beaver and Fayette counties.
“On behalf of AHN, we truly look forward to offering our integrated services and support to even more pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders,” said Krista Flaherty, LCSW, MSW, Manager of the AHN Perinatal Hope Program. “Purposeful resources – accessed early and often – can be integral to mitigating potential long-term impacts on the health and well-being of mother and baby. It’s important to note that today’s announcement also comes at a critical time against the backdrop of the ongoing opioid epidemic.”
The rate of hospitalizations with opioid use disorder per 100,000 residents in 2019 was 293.2 for Pennsylvania, 296.9 for Butler County and 344.3 for Erie County. The rate of babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) – a set of complications caused by a newborn’s drug withdrawal due to a mother’s substance use disorder – is two times higher in Pennsylvania when compared to the national average.
Designed to be a “one-stop shop,” Perinatal Hope works to brings together different services, health care professionals and educational materials so women can get maximum support from a routine prenatal visit. The program’s clinical team also works closely with the AHN Center of Inclusion Health and Women’s Behavioral Health to provide holistic care.
Enrolled prenatal patients may access medication assisted therapy for opioid use disorder, care coordination, education on relevant chronic conditions and drug and alcohol counseling through POWER, among other resources during their routine OB/GYN exams. The program also extends its services through postpartum.
“New mothers with substance use disorders often face unique challenges, including the relative lack of specialized and prioritized postpartum treatment resources, the stigma of having an infant exposed to substances, postpartum hormonal changes, and postpartum depression,” said Marcia Klein-Patel, MD, PhD and Chair of AHN Women’s Institute. “For these reasons, among other factors, overdose rates during the postpartum periods are notably elevated which is why it’s so important to continue access to health care and other community-backed programs to better support the entire family, even after delivery.”
Additional services currently offered by AHN Perinatal Hope include newborn education, lactation support and eased access to care for postpartum depression. The program also plans to launch services to include smoking cessation, STD/HIV education, financial empowerment and safe sleep education.
Perinatal Hope is slated to enroll first patients across Butler and Erie offices by early 2022. For more information, please go to ahn.org/NotAlone or call 412-578-5575.

(Photo provided by CCBC)
Monday, January 10, 2022 at 2:13 PM
Monaca, PA – Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) is announcing the appointment of Angela Hamilton as vice president of student affairs. She will be responsible for overseeing all student affairs functions, including student life, student services, and enrollment services. Hamilton reports directly to President Dr. Roger W. Davis and serves as a member of the Senior Executive Cabinet. 

“We are thrilled that Angela is once again expanding her role at CCBC and joining the senior leadership team,” said Dr. Davis. “She has a proven track record of putting students first, improving processes that advance the college wholistically and departmentally, and collaborating to build effective teams. Her experience and passion throughout her career will play a key role in benefitting our students and culture as we continue to look to the future.”

As a Beaver County native and CCBC alumna, Ms. Hamilton has 14 years of progressive experience at CCBC. Previously, she was associate vice president of student affairs, registrar, and director of enrollment services, as well as served on the admissions staff. She joined CCBC in 2007 and has also taught as a part-time instructor on campus. 

During her time at CCBC she has spear-headed such initiatives as the degree audit, online registration, a remodel of the Enrollment Services area for concierge-style service, and most recently, the launch of community classrooms and the return of athletics post-pandemic.

“Angela exceeds her commitment to CCBC and the students, so this promotion is well-deserved,” stated CCBC’s registrar Rose Whelpley. As a supervisor, she encourages me to achieve my goals and promotes a positive work environment.”

Hamilton is one of only 50 individuals internationally to earn a Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers. 

“I am proud to be a part of the CCBC community and to take on this new opportunity,” said Hamilton. “I look forward to representing the student body while helping students unlock their highest potential, providing students with a web of support and opportunity inside and outside of the classroom.”

Hamilton earned her M.S. from the University of Pittsburgh, B.S. from Robert Morris University, and associate degree from CCBC. She resides in Center Township with her husband, two children, and therapy dog Bailey, who she volunteers with on campus and at nursing homes throughout the community.