‘Obamacare’ survives: Supreme Court dismisses big challenge
By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge to the Obama era health care law, preserving insurance coverage for millions of Americans. The justices left the entire law intact Thursday in ruling that Texas, other Republican-led states and two individuals had no right to bring their lawsuit in federal court. The law’s major provisions include protections for people with pre-existing health conditions, a range of no-cost preventive services and the expansion of the Medicaid program that insures lower-income people, including those who work in jobs that don’t pay much or provide health insurance.  Also left in place is the law’s now-toothless requirement that people have health insurance or pay a penalty.

AAA East Central Projects Positive Outlook For Summer Travel
More than three quarters of Americans say they are ready for a trip

A greater number of people are anticipated to travel this summer compared to last year, as new data shows growing interest in domestic road trips and the beginnings of a return to air, international and cruise travel.

AAA East Central is projecting a sharp increase in overnight road trips with hotel stays this summer compared to the prior two years, based on online and Auto Club branch driving vacation map route requests through AAA’s TripTik service, TripTik.AAA.com. TripTik map route printouts with hotel stops marked along the way between April 1 and May 15 grew 10 times from 2019 to 2021 and doubled this year compared to 2020, when many travelers were printing out routes in anticipation of being able to travel later.

Among AAA members who are taking air vacations, North American travel is starting to increase significantly this year compared to 2019. May 2021 bookings for Pleasant Holidays destinations – which include Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean – are up significantly compared to May 2019.

“Travelers are excited to start planning vacations again, whether it’s a family road trip or booking an exotic trip to a new destination,” said Bevi Powell, senior vice president, AAA East Central. “And as countries reopen and North American cruises start to sail in the coming weeks, it’s never been more important to work with a travel adviser to make sure you get the best availability and prices.”

Americans’ positive sentiment toward travel has rapidly grown from January to May as vaccinations increased and COVID-19 statistics decreased, according to the weekly Coronavirus Sentiment Index surveys conducted this year by Destination Analysts, a tourism market research firm. The surveys found:

• In January, 55% of those surveyed said they were ready to travel, and by May that number grew to 77%.
• Of those planning leisure trips this summer, 71% have out-of-state destinations and 45% are traveling within their state.
• 43% of respondents in a March Destination Analysts survey had planned a vacation in anticipation of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

AAA East Central recommends several plan-ahead tips for summer travelers:

• Make reservations. National parks are requiring advance registrations, so don’t expect to be able to get in without one. Hotels in remote areas, likewise, are selling out quickly, so make sure to reserve them in advance. And a nationwide rental car shortage could also create difficulties for travelers, so consider driving your own vehicle or using alternate transportation such as tour buses.
• Don’t forget passports/documentation. If you are taking one of the first North American cruises being offered this summer, you need a passport even if it’s a cruise to Alaska. Allow extra time to process your passport. Auto Club members can get 30% off passport photos at any Auto Club branch.
• Bring paper maps. If you are driving in remote areas, it may be difficult to access data-based online GPS. The Auto Club has free domestic maps available to members at any of its branches.
• Get your vehicle inspected. Many vehicles have been sitting largely unused for the past year and could have problems handling a long road trip without a maintenance service visit. Make sure fluid levels, hoses, belts and tires are in good condition and that tires are properly inflated for safety and fuel efficiency. Visit AAA.com.repair to find a qualified and AAA-inspected mechanic near you.
• Bring along needed extras for safety.  Make sure you have masks for everyone in the family for the duration of your trip, as well as hand sanitizer. Bring along an emergency first aid kit and have plenty of drinks and food available for all in the car in case you get stranded on the road.
• Consider planning your trip with the help of a AAA travel advisor who can help you save time, find the best deals and assist with making changes should you need to while away.

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman today announced a new program within the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) that will encourage the insurance industry to deliver innovative new insurance solutions and products. Keystone Smart Launch (Smart Launch) will help to reduce barriers and speed up the regulatory process so Pennsylvania can offer cutting-edge services to its consumers and industry professionals.

“The Smart Launch program is open to both regulated and non-regulated entities in the commonwealth looking to introduce novel insurance products and services in Pennsylvania,” Commissioner Altman said. “Bringing a new product to the market can be a frustrating process, but Smart Launch will make it easier to navigate the regulatory considerations and challenges that can bar progress and innovation. Through Smart Launch and the open communication channels it will create, we believe we can enable an easier, more efficient process to bring new and better options to the market, while still ensuring the same level of robust consumer protection this Department has always provided.”

The Smart Launch program was created by PID to provide a forum to discuss innovative products, programs, or service ideas, and is open to insurers, entrepreneurs, service providers, and anyone looking to bring an innovative insurance product or service to Pennsylvania. Smart Launch encourages submissions of insurance products and services that use newly developed designs or technologies, including ones that may depart from the traditional regulatory framework.

Ideas can be submitted through the Smart Launch Idea Portal. Once submitted, the ideas go through an internal review by the Smart Launch team, comprised of dedicated individuals within PID who have the experience necessary to provide feedback on ideas that may impact Pennsylvania’s insurance market.

The internal team will reach out to the submitter to provide information regarding the regulatory process and highlight potential considerations regarding consumer protections. Addressing these considerations from the beginning may help facilitate a faster process to get innovative ideas into the market.

“Despite the challenges that the commonwealth, and the world, has endured during the on-going pandemic, Pennsylvania’s insurance market continues to introduce pioneering new insurance products and solutions,” said Altman. “PID is proud to support innovation in the industry and hopes to better serve both Pennsylvania insurance companies and consumers with this new program.”

For more information about the Keystone Smart Launch program and to submit ideas for review, please visit www.insurance.pa.gov/SmartLaunch

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Aliquippa School District Superintendent Dr. Peter M.. Carbone announced att Wednesday night’s meeting  that the district received a  $250,000.00 CDBG grant    to replace the Carl A.Aschman Memorial Stadium visitors section  which has been closed for a few years .

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Aliquippa School Board adopted its 2021-22 budget of $26,698,455.00 at last night’s meeting. Real estate taxes will be 261.5 mills, representing a 3.5 mill increase, and 41.5 mills on building, which represents a 1 mill increase.District Business manager/treasurer Debbie Engleman  said expenditures for the year had to be cut to balance the budget.

Pennsylvania House Advances Bills to Provide for Economic Recovery, Protect Families, Reform Government

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives was in voting session from June 14-16, and the Republican Caucus continued advancing its priorities of providing for an economic recovery, protecting families and reforming government for the benefit of Pennsylvanians, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) said Wednesday.

Action on economic recovery:

• Passed House Bill 1006 to allow Pennsylvania farmers to defer income received from disaster-related crop insurance payments for one year, mirroring existing federal law.
• Passed House Bill 1182 to allow barber programs to offer up to 50% of the program through online or remote instruction.
• Passed House Bill 1183 to allow cosmetology programs to offer up to 50% of the program through online or remote instruction.
• Passed House Bill 1387 to require that a claimant receiving benefits from the Uninsured Employers’ Guaranty Fund (UEGF) demonstrate proof of wages in order to receive a wage loss benefit.
• Passed Senate Bill 434 to change the “sell by” date on milk to “best by.”

“This week the General Assembly continued to respond legislatively to a regulatory framework upended in response to COVID-19. We will continue the task of reviewing the nearly 500 regulatory and statutory waivers and suspensions from the last 16 months and provide a legislative solution that keeps government’s role constrained to allow small business job creators and Pennsylvania employers to do what is needed to grow and rebuild,” Benninghoff said.

Action on protecting families:

• Advanced House Bill 293 to allow U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved (FDA) anti-obesity drugs to be considered a compensable service under our state Medicaid Program.
• Passed House Bill 975 to extend the protections of the institutional sexual assault statute to cover elders and other care-dependent persons who are assaulted by those who have the responsibility of providing care.
• Passed House Bill 1082 to provide for an education program to assist in the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder.
• Passed House Bill 1428 to provide protections against elder abuse.
• Passed House Bill 1429 to provide for greater protections against elder abuse.
• Advanced House Bill 1430 to provide for greater tools to combat elder exploitation.
• Passed House Bill 1431 to protect the privacy of care-dependent individuals.
• Advanced Senate Bill 156 to allow individuals with disabilities to increase earnings under a new category of MAWD, called Workers with Job Success (WJS).
• Passed Senate Bill 445 to give individuals renewing either their vehicle registration or driver’s license an option to donate to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.

“June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month and this week we prioritized the safety and well-being of elderly Pennsylvanians by making it more difficult to perpetrate the horrible crime of elder abuse and exploit vulnerable Pennsylvania seniors,” Benninghoff said. “We will continue protecting Pennsylvania families and Pennsylvanians at all stages of life.

Action on government reform:

• Advanced House Bill 1300 to protect voting rights through accessibility, modernization, and security.
• Passed House Bill 993 to provide a waiver of fees charged by the Department of Labor & Industry for school districts.
• Advanced Senate Bill 618 to disallow vaccine passports and clarify the powers of the secretary of Health under the Disease Control and Prevention Law.
• Advanced House Bill 822 to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to allow for the recall of certain elected officials in the City and the County of the First Class.

“Making Pennsylvania’s election laws a national model that protect voting rights through accessibility, modernization, and security has been a monumental undertaking. This week, with the advancement of the Pennsylvania Voting Rights Protection Act, members started the process of responding to the needs of local elections officials and constituents from across Pennsylvania though a comprehensive reform bill that is an accurate reflection of the comprehensive election hearings held by the House State Government Committee over the first half of this year,” Benninghoff said.

“While the COVID-19 emergency disaster declaration has ended, it remains imperative we continue implementing the lessons learned and clarifying ambiguities in our law that can be taken advantage of to lessen the freedom of Pennsylvanians.”

Story and photos by Beaver County Radio Program/News Director Frank Sparks

(Vanport Twp., Pa.) Fire Crews were called to the scene of a structural fire in Vanport Twp. early this morning. Beaver County 911 is reporting that crews were called to the scene at 5:15 AM this morning. Beaver County Radio’s Frank Sparks was in the area and heard loud booming noises and when he went outside in Bridgewater he heard the fire whistles going off and saw the smoke pouring into the air in the area of the Beaver Cemetery. Sparks went to the area to investigate and found what a dispatcher explains as a plastic manufacturer right behind Beaver Tire fully engulfed in flames. The Fire is in between Georgetown Lane and Tuscarawas Road in Vanport Twp.. Crews were still on the scene as of 6:30 AM and are asking everyone to avoid the area if possible. A 911 dispatcher stated that she had to call a Center Police officer to the area of Texas Roadhouse because the smoke from the fire was so thick and black that someone called 911 thinking that a business in that area was on fire. Stay tuned to Beaver County Radio as this story continues to develop. You can see photos of the fire below taken by Beaver County radio’s Frank Sparks.

Update at 7:05 AM: The name of the business is Idlewood Industries according to an employee who commented on a video on our Facebook page.  Idlewood Industries, Inc was formed in 2009 and make products in the cast urethane industry.  The plant is located at 17 Georgetown Lane in Vanport Twp.

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh)

(Chippewa Township, PA)  The Chippewa Township Board of Supervisors held their second meeting of June tonight.  The board approved the reappointment of Dan Olayer to the Property Maintenance Code Board of Appeals.  The Board went on to make an amendment to Resolution 2021-5, which will raise the fee for door to door solicitors.  The fee was raised from $25.00 to $50.00 per day.  This amendment was followed by another, to the Chippewa Code of Ordinances Part 1 – 101.  The additional amendment will change language to the existing ordinance which has been in place since 1984, and will allow residents to deny solicitors by placing no soliciting signs on their property if they choose to do so.  The Police department reported 403 complaints handled and 199 calls received during May and the board approved their payment of bills at a total of $128,223.80.

Pennsylvania state police have reported that on June 8th, 2021, at 3:12 p.m. Butler county resident, 19 year old male, Dennis Goodwine, and his passenger who remains unidentified, were traveling east along Route 68 and failed to see traffic stopped ahead. Goodwine crashed his 2008 Chevy Malibu into 76 year old man, James Swift, who was driving his 2019 Mercedes GLC with his 72 year old wife Catherine Swift. When Goodwine rear ended Swift, The Mercedes rolled into another vehicle, which then left the scene before the authorities could arrive. Goodwine was charged with driving his vehicle at an unsafe speed.

Pennsylvania state police have reported that on June 11th, 2021, at 3:56 p.m. there was a two vehicle crash following a road rage incident on I-79 North. The operator of a 2007 Mercedes C280 stated that the operator of a 2011 Dodge Power Ram was following too closely and was not allowing him to pass over, neither operators were identified. The Operator of the Mercedes then decided to pass over, with the Ram still close behind, it eventually struck into the Mercedes. The driver of the Mercedes stated that the driver of the Ram was very aggressive before police arrived at the scene.

The operator of the Ram stated that the Mercedes driver was following too closely and made several lane changes to prevent them from proceeding through traffic; Stating that the Mercedes switched lanes without ample space, causing the Ram to crash into it. Both operators were charged with Careless driving