April is National Sexual Abuse Awareness Month, and as part of a campaign to raise awareness, Jodie McGovern, a Women’s Center of Beaver County Therapist, will be a special guest on A.M. Beaver County with host Matt Drzik. Jodie will speak about the various therapeautic services and help available from the Women’s Center of Beaver County to sexual abuse vidtims For more information call the Women’s Center Of Beaver County at 724-775-0131.
Board OK’s renovating governor’s offices in state Capitol
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The group that oversees maintenance and construction in the Pennsylvania Capitol is authorizing a nearly $1.5 million contract to renovate the governor’s suite. The Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday for an overhaul of the 10-room suite. It’s expected to be finished by year’s end. The work will include painting, marble cleaning, flooring, as well as removal of a wall to return the area to conditions when it was built in 1906. New heating and air conditioning is being installed separately. It’s the last part of the Capitol that hasn’t been extensively renovated in recent decades.
The Teleforum program is typically fairly busy on Thursdays, and the trend continues; at 11 you can hear the Best of Beaver County with host Mike Romigh, at 11:30 Scott Tady from the Beaver County Times will be the guest, but before that Eddy will be joined by Beaver County Sheriff Tony Guy-Tony is on at 10. Teleforum is every weekday til noon on am1230, am1460, and fm99.3 presented by St. Barnabas.
Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Health (DOH) in conjunction with the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force today announced the start of the special initiative to vaccinate targeted industry workers and to accelerate the vaccination timetable for those in Phases 1B, 1C and 2. All Pennsylvanians will be eligible to schedule vaccination appointments beginning April 19.
“The vaccine landscape continues to evolve as the federal government is increasing allocations to more retail pharmacy chains across the country,” Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said. “To ensure that vaccine continues to get to people efficiently and equitably, Pennsylvania is adapting its plan to allow workers in targeted industries to access any of the three vaccines available at providers throughout the state, and to accelerate our eligibility for remaining phases of the state’s vaccination plan.
“Pennsylvania’s vaccine providers have dramatically stepped up the pace of vaccinations to an average of 83,000 per day, moving the keystone state higher and higher in the rankings with other states. As we complete Phase 1A vaccinations, it’s time to open eligibility to more Pennsylvanians so providers can continue to fill appointments and efficiently, effectively and equitably vaccinate more people every day.”
Pennsylvania will begin the following accelerated phased rollout:
“It is important to remember that eligibility does not guarantee an immediate vaccination appointment,” Beam said. “Vaccine providers are ready and eager to get a shot in the arm of every person who wants one while we continue to aggressively advocate for more vaccine.”
COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force members discussed the benefits of the accelerated plan.
“President Biden has asked us to make every adult eligible for vaccination with the vaccine he is providing,” said Sen. Art Haywood. “We can do it, we can make the change. We can get more vaccine to Southeast PA and across the commonwealth and target vaccine, so no one is left out.”
“Due to the successful implementation of the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force’s revised strategic plan, along with an increasing supply of vaccine doses from the federal government and the tremendous work of our provider network, Pennsylvania is now in a position to pursue an aggressive timeline to ensure any Pennsylvanians who wants to be vaccinated is eligible to do so by April 19,” said Sen. Ryan Aument. “As we expand eligibility, we must not forget about our seniors and our commitment to prioritize them and others in Phase 1A, as well as our frontline workers such as law enforcement and first responders in Phase 1B.”
“We can meet President Biden ‘s request with the amount of vaccines he is providing,” Rep. Bridget Malloy Kosierowski said. “Pennsylvania has done the work to make this a reality. I have said time and time again that this will get better, and it is. Our dedicated providers, who are on the ground every day, Governor Wolf’s administration, and our task force have collaboratively worked together in prioritizing the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians.”
“Today is a day of hope and optimism,” said Rep. Tim O’Neal. “Earlier this month, we announced plans to prioritize our essential workers and first responders by offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to them in the coming weeks. We have now done that today. In addition, we have set a timeline so that anyone who wants the vaccine will get able to begin scheduling their appointment at the latest by April 19. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter and brighter every day.”
Residents should continue to use the Department of Health’s Vaccine Provider Map to find a vaccine provider nearest them. The department will continue to update the map as the federal government increases the number of pharmacy chains receiving vaccine through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership.
People without internet access can contact the Health Hotline by calling 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258).
(Aliquippa, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reported Wednesday, March 31, 2021, that charges are pending against a New Brighton woman after a traffic stop in Aliquippa on February 28, 2021.
The release stated that State Police stopped a 2000 Buick Le Sabre driven by 49- year-old Tammy Shaffer-DeFelice for expired inspection and emissions. The officer found during the stop that DeFelice was impaired, and she was taken into custody by Police for suspicion of DUI. The release state that charges are pending through Beaver County Magisterial District Court 36-3-04
(Koppel Boro, Pa.) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver are reporting that charges were filed against 30-year-old Adam Pounds and 32-year-old Brandi McNamara both from Ellwood City for an incident involving a traffic violation and fleeing Police.
The incident occurred in the area of 3rd Ave. and Mount St. in Koppel Boro on Saturday March 27, 2021 at approximately 8:35 pm.
State Police via release stated that they had initiated a traffic stop on a 2009 Ford Escape and during the encounter the driver, Adam Pounds, displayed signs of impairment and fled from the traffic stop at a high rate of speed. Pounds then crashed the vehicle and a foot pursuit ensued. Pounds was taken into custody and transported to UPMC Presbyterian for injuries sustained in the foot pursuit. The passenger, McNamara was found to be in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Charges were filed accordingly against the pair.
Keystone State News Connection
| March 31, 2021 |
Andrea Sears
PITTSBURGH – The COVID pandemic has shown that the lack of a paid family-leave system has devastating consequences for families, public health and the economy, according to backers of the idea.
The United States is one of the few countries without a national paid-leave policy. That means workers faced with a family medical emergency or an infant needing care risk losing their income to meet their family’s needs.
Heather Arnet, chief executive of the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania, said the pandemic has exposed the current system as inequitable, inefficient, unhealthy and unsustainable, especially for people of color.
“Black and Brown communities were disproportionately at risk to become critically ill with COVID-19,” she said, “and yet 40% of people of color have no access to paid leave.”
The Family Care Act, a state family and medical-leave bill, is being reintroduced in the General Assembly with bipartisan support, and Arnet said there is strong support for national paid-leave legislation. It’s expected to be part of the next phase of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan.
When the pandemic began, said Dawn Huckelbridge, director of the Paid Leave for All campaign, one of the first things Congress did was pass a temporary paid-leave program. Now, she said, Congress needs to go further in the next big economic and infrastructure package.
“We must include a comprehensive and permanent federal paid-leave policy to rebuild the care infrastructure in this country,” she said, “and to have an equitable economic recovery.”
Polling has shown that an overwhelming majority of voters, including 86% of Republicans, say all workers should have access to emergency paid sick, family and medical leave.
Twelve states already have passed family and medical-leave legislation based on similar models that require no employer contribution. Arnet noted that some large corporations have their own paid-leave policies, but small businesses can’t afford them.
“This kind of legislation – like the Family Act here in Pennsylvania – is exactly the kind of thing we need that can support families and also, workers and businesses,” she said.
Pennsylvania in talks to expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
With Pennsylvania still vaccinating its most vulnerable population, Gov. Tom Wolf says that his administration is discussing when to make the COVID-19 shot more widely available and that he expects it to happen relatively quickly. Providers under the state’s jurisdiction are supposed to schedule all currently eligible people who request a vaccine by Wednesday. Wolf said Tuesday that providers are on track to meet that goal, adding that Pennsylvania will soon be at a point where anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one. The state’s coronavirus case numbers, however, are going the wrong way. New coronavirus infections have spiked more than 50% in the last two weeks.
(File Photo)
(Aliquippa, Pa.) An Aliquippa women is in jail this morning being charged with criminal homicide after stabbing her husband to death in their Aliquippa home late last night.
37-year-old Angela Hunt called 911 just before midnight and said she had stabbed her husband, 40-year-old Chad Hunt, and she wasn’t sure if he was still alive.
When police arrived on the scene at 313 Return Street they detained Angela Hunt and secured the scene. Officers found her husband, Chad, upstairs dead with apparent multiple stab wounds according to a release.
Aliquippa Police Department requested that Pennsylvania State Police assume investigative responsibility of the incident. Angela Hunt was then transported to Pa. State Police Barracks in Brighton Twp. where she was interviewed and placed under arrest for the Criminal Homicide of her husband Chad.
Angela Hunt was then lodged at the Beaver County Jail Pending arraignment.
The investigation is ongoing according to a release from Pa. State Police.
Eager to build infrastructure, Biden plans to tax business
By JOSH BOAK and LISA MASCARO Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden wants $2 trillion to reengineer America’s infrastructure and expects the nation’s corporations to pay for it. The Democratic president travels to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to unveil what would be a hard-hatted transformation of the U.S. economy. It includes $621 billion for roads, bridges and transportation infrastructure. The plan would also move the country away from fossil fuels to clean energy. It would be financed by raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, among other measures. That could lead to fierce resistance from the business community and thwart attempts to work with Republicans lawmakers.