Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Beaver Falls,Pa.) Beaver Falls  Police Chief David Johnson said this morning  that an incident that occurred in the city  at an undisclosed location over this past weekend is under  investigation. He said that reports that the incident occurred at the Sheetz convenience store on College Hill in Beaver Falls  are false.

Most stocks on Wall Street rise again on hopes for economy
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Most stocks are rising on Wall Street as markets continue to ride the high supplied by Friday’s surprisingly encouraging report on the U.S. jobs market. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in morning trading on Monday, bringing it back within 5.4% of its record set in February. Optimism is strengthening that the worst of the coronavirus-induced recession may have already passed. Stocks that would benefit most from an economy that’s growing again were making the biggest gains, but pullbacks for a handful of big tech stalwarts were keeping the market’s overall gains in check.

BP to cut 10,000 jobs worldwide amid virus pandemic
By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Energy company BP says it will cut its global workforce by 10,000 jobs amid the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CEO said Monday that the cuts will affect office-based and come mostly this year. The company’s current global  workforce is 70,000. The job cuts come at a time of tremendous change for BP, which said it wants to eliminate or offset all carbon emissions from its operations and the oil and gas it sells to customers by 2050. The pandemic, meanwhile, has caused huge turmoil for the industry by causing demand for energy to plummet.

AHN Wexford Hospital Remains on Schedule for Opening in 2021

WEXFORD, Pa. (June 8, 2020) – Nearly one year from its anticipated fall 2021 opening, construction of Allegheny Health Network’s (AHN) Wexford Hospital is progressing safely and remains on schedule according to network officials. The new, 160-bed hospital in Pine Township will offer residents of Pittsburgh’s northern suburbs enhanced access to a wide range of advanced specialty care.

“Despite the many unexpected challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the exception granted for construction of healthcare facilities enabled us to continue to make progress with the building of this beautiful, state-of-the-art facility and we are excited about opening its doors next year,” said Allan Klapper, MD, President, Wexford Hospital.

AHN Wexford Hospital will offer comprehensive women and infant care, including labor and delivery services; advanced cardiac, neurosurgical, orthopaedic, and cancer care; a 24-room emergency department and short-stay observation unit; an adult intensive care unit (ICU); operating rooms that provide minimally-invasive robotic surgical capabilities; 160 all-private inpatient rooms; and a host of other clinical programs, amenities and services.

The hospital will feature an intuitive, patient- and family-centered design which aims to foster a first-class patient and visitor experience. In addition to amenities such as free self-parking and complimentary valet parking, large inpatient rooms will have ample sitting space and recumbent sleeping options.

Among the hospital’s hotel-like concierge services, patients will be able to control their own environment, enabling them to set the temperature, lighting and entertainment to their satisfaction, and order from a room-service menu. Exterior views providing patient rooms with natural light will make for an attractive, comfortable environment that promotes health and wellness.

The 345,000-square-foot facility is the single-largest investment in AHN’s history and is expected to employ more than 750 health care professionals. The hospital will be adjacent to AHN’s Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion on U.S. Route 19 (12311 Perry Highway) and will closely integrate with the pavilion’s comprehensive clinical and retail health services.

Since placing the final steel beam in the architecture of the hospital last October, progress has been made on the main hospital tower, parking garage and onsite power plant. This natural gas-fired electric power generation, heating and cooling facility constructed in partnership with Peoples Natural Gas will provide for increased efficiency and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants, while serving as a redundant source of power to the hospital.

Following Dr. Klapper’s appointment as president of the hospital in 2018, Wexford Hospital’s leadership has continued to expand with the appointments of Amy Cashdollar as Chief Operating Officer, Lisa Graper as Chief Nursing Officer, James Kanuch as Chief Financial Officer and Suzanne Labriola, DO, as interim Chief Medical Officer. The naming of key clinical leaders in areas such as emergency services and cardiovascular services is expected in the coming months.

“Bringing remarkable healthcare to the Wexford community also requires building a world-class team of physicians, nurses and caregivers at every level to deliver the exceptional experience our patients deserve within these walls. We are thrilled with the tremendous interest we have received from talented healthcare professionals, both locally and from around the country, who want to be part of that team,” said Dr. Klapper.

Democrats look to counter GOP vote-by-mail fraud claims
By BRIAN SLODYSKO and NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are mounting a new effort to push back against a well-funded Republican campaign that seeks to undermine public confidence in mail-in voting. An organization called Fair Fight, led by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, has joined forces with Priorities USA, the largest Democratic outside group, and American Bridge, the party’s opposition research clearinghouse, to form a new effort called Voter Suppression Watch.  The aim is to not only counter Republicans in the courts, but in public relations, too, while playing offense by providing opposition research that often forms the grist of news stories.

Building works re-start in Paris’ fire-ravaged Notre Dame
By The Associated Press undefined
PARIS (AP) — Works have re-started in Paris’ fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral after a hiatus linked to the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday morning operations recommenced to dismantle scaffolding that was already in place before the April 2019 fire amid previous restoration efforts on the old structures. This current phase of works has been deemed highly dangerous because the scaffolding weighs over 200 tons, and is thought to have melted together in areas because of the heat of the blaze.

Department of Health Launches COVID-19 Phased Reopening County Dashboard 

Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Health today launched an online dashboard to show county progress as Pennsylvania moves through the COVID-19 phased reopening plan. The dashboard breaks down four main categories that are used to determine if a county can move into the next phase of reopening.

“As the dashboard shows, there are several metrics used to determine if it is safe for a county to reopen to the next phase,” Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We too, want to get back to a normal life. However, we need the help of all Pennsylvanians to make that happen. By taking simple steps, like continuing to wear a mask, staying home when sick, and implementing social distancing, we can help eliminate the spread of COVID-19 and help Pennsylvania fully reopen in a safe and efficient manner.”

The dashboard shows metrics used to help identify if a county can reopen to the next phase, including:

• Stable, decreasing, or low confirmed case counts, past two weeks compared to previous two weeks;
• Contacts of case are being monitored;
• PCR positivity rate <10% in past 14 days; and,
• Hospital bed use is 90% or lower per district population.

Throughout the phased reopening, the administration’s criteria for moving to the green phase has been that after a county transitions to the yellow phase, the Department of Health will closely monitor for increased risk, such as significant outbreaks. If overall risk remains mitigated for fourteen days, the county will transition to the green phase. This dashboard is an effort to quantify mitigation for counties.

The state also continues to use risk-based metrics from Carnegie Mellon University.

Effective at 12:01 a.m. on June 5, 16 more counties moved into the green phase. Counties include Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clinton, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Lycoming, Mercer, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland. They join 18 other counties that moved to green on May 29.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Diarrhea
• Chills
• Repeating shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying.

As of 12:00 a.m., June 5, there were 74,385 positive cases of COVID-19 statewide in 67 counties and 5,886 confirmed deaths. Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 and older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date. More data is available here.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out for a life-sustaining reason, please wear a mask.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials
• Map with the number of COVID-19 cases

All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online at www.ready.pa.gov/BeInformed/Signup-For-Alerts

The Beaver County Election Bureau finished counting all of the mail in ballots last week and the final results are in:

Total Ballots Cast – 37,753 19,234 went to the polls to vote in person. 18,519 registered voters voted by mail or absentee balloting. Out of the 22,191 Democratic votes cast 8,595 were in person and 13,596 votes were vote by mail. Of The total of 15,528 Republican votes 10,618 Showed up to vote in person and  4,910 voted by mail in ballot. Total Voter Turnout was 38.81%. DEMOCRATIC 41.42% Voter Turnout – REPUBLICAN 36.16% Voter Turnout – NONPARTISAN 4.43%

You can see all of the election results by going to http://www.beavercountypa.gov/Depts/Elections/Pages/ElectionResults.aspx