(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) was joined by Representative David McKinley (WV-01) in introducing the bipartisan Resources to Expand Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (RE-POWER) Act, legislation that would provide an additional $1 billion in funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) POWER Initiative.

Since 2015, ARC has invested over $238 million in 293 projects touching 353 counties across Appalachia through the POWER Initiative, including 45 projects in Pennsylvania.  Together, these investments are projected to create or retain more than 26,000 jobs, leverage more than $1.1 billion in additional private investment into Appalachia’s economy, and prepare tens of thousands of workers and students for opportunities in entrepreneurship, broadband development, tourism, and other growing industry sectors.  POWER investments also support workforce-to-recovery and other comprehensive strategies to strengthen Appalachia’s economic recovery.

“Too many people continue to struggle to make ends meet across our region,” said Lamb.  “Investing in the Appalachian Regional Commission will support programs that will fuel job creation and economic opportunity.  The RE-POWER Act is a smart investment that will pay big dividends for western PA and beyond.”

“The REPOWER Act will provide a critical lifeline for West Virginia coal communities that are struggling to rebuild their economies,” said McKinley.  “This funding is significant, and will go a long way towards providing the training and economic diversification necessary to transition towards new and expanding job opportunities.”

In FY 2021, Congress appropriated $180 million for ARC total.  President Biden’s FY 2022 Budget Proposal requests $235 million for ARC, as well as an additional $1 billion specifically for the POWER program.  The RE-POWER Act would authorize this additional $1 billion to scale up the existing POWER program.

The RE-POWER Act is endorsed by Reimagine Appalachia and its dozens of coalition members, including PennFuture, Keystone Research Center, National Wildlife Federation, Black Women Rising, Policy Matters Ohio and Ohio Interfaith Power & Light.

Visit Lamb’s website to learn more about the Resources to Expand Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Act.

Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network (AHN) officials today announced new steps the organization is taking to drive higher levels of COVID-19 vaccination among its 43,000+ employees.   To date, approximately 73% of AHN’s 21,000 employees have been fully vaccinated and Highmark Health’s goal is to achieve a 100% vaccination rate for all eligible employees across the enterprise by the end of September.

With escalating concerns nationally and globally about emerging COVID-19 variants, such as the Delta variant, and a pandemic resurgence taking place in many areas of the country where vaccination rates are low, a strong and growing chorus of leading health care organizations are calling for stricter vaccination requirements for health professionals, who are at greatest risk of exposure to the virus and who are critical to the success of the nation’s public health infrastructure.

“Since the beginning of this unprecedented health crisis in our community, AHN and Highmark Health have put the safety of patients, caregivers and the community at the forefront of our pandemic response strategy,” said Brian Parker, MD, AHN’s Chief Quality and Learning Officer. “It is abundantly clear however that the single most important thing an individual can do to protect themselves and others, and to help us bring this difficult pandemic to an end, is to receive the vaccine.  We expect all of our employees to heed that call, and the new requirements we are putting in place are intended to help us achieve that goal.”

Highmark Health and AHN expect all the organization’s employees to be vaccinated by September 30, unless they have a religious or medical exemption, Dr. Parker said.  Effective August 16, unvaccinated AHN employees are required to wear a face shield at all times while working in a hospital or clinical setting, in addition to wearing the face masks that are required of all employees and visitors at the Network’s facilities.

Unvaccinated Highmark Health employees too will be required to wear masks at all times when working in the organization’s facilities.  As an added precaution and as recommended by the CDC, fully vaccinated Highmark Health employees will also be encouraged to wear a face masks while at work sites, particularly if they are in a geographic location with high transmission of the virus and/or if they cannot social distance in their work environment.

“We fully intend to reach 100% of our eligible employees having received the J&J single dose vaccine, or at least the first of the Pfizer and Moderna two doses by September 30,” Dr. Parker said.  “We will be closely monitoring our employee’s response to the new requirements we are implementing as further incentives to get vaccinated, and additional measures are being contemplated if necessary.”

Dr. Parker said one additional measure could be the mandatory weekly testing of unvaccinated employees.

More than 50 prestigious national health care organizations issued a joint statement recently advocating that all health professionals to be vaccinated, including the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Nurses Association, the American College of Surgeons and the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Prominent health care systems across the country are also now making COVID vaccination a condition of employment, including the Veterans Administration (VA), Mayo Clinic, New York Presbyterian Hospital, the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Houston Methodist, Banner Health, Yale New Haven, Trinity Health and the Hospital for Special Surgery in NY, among others.

Dr. Parker believes even more health care providers and business of every sort will be moving to require employees to be vaccinated after the FDA fully approves both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines, which is expected to happen sometime in the next one to two months.  The vaccines are currently approved by the FDA under an emergency authorization use (EAU) only.

(Photo Courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services)

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Governor Tom Wolf will ​visit Aliquippa this morning to see how state investments in the region will encourage job creation and business development that strengthens the regional economy and benefits working families.

Beaver County Radio’s Matt Drzik will have full coverage on the afternoon news today and the morning news tomorrow.

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Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Ambridge, Pa.) A fire that broke out in a house on Lenz Avenue in Ambridge was part of the discussion at Tuesday night’s Council meeting. Fire Chief Robert Gottschalk said that  a resident suffered  smoke inhalation, a broken wrist, and burns.  He was transported to  Allegheny General Hospital  and is in critical condition.  A second man was  treated for smoke inhalation .Chief Gottschalk said a home next door received no damage. Firefighters and police were praised by residents attending the council meeting.  One resident said the police and firemen protect us and our properties.

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(Brighton Twp., Pa) Pa Crime Stoppers and the Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver need the publics help with the investigation into the murder of 19-year-old Curtis Flowers back on November 25, 2020.
At approximately 4:35 PM on November 25, 2020 Aliquippa Police were dispatched to the area of Wykes and Davis Street for a male suffering a gun shot wound. Flowers died at the scene from his injuries and Aliquippa Police asked State Troopers to take over the investigation.
State Troopers are actively investigating Flowers’ shooting and are looking for any individuals with knowledge of the incident to come forward. Crime Stoppers of Pennsylvania is offering a $10,000.00 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the case. If you have any information you are asked to call Pa State Police in Beaver at 724-773-7400.

Keystone State News Connection

Emily Scott

SCRANTON, Pa. – Community block parties in Scranton this evening are getting some national attention.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten will attend the events as part of a nationwide “Back to School for All” initiative to promote full-time, in-person instruction thishttps://www.sft1147.org/ fall. Each Scranton event features book giveaways, free food and drink, and arts and crafts. Hometown Health Care of NEPA will also administer the Pfizer COVID vaccine to residents age 12 and up.

Scranton Federation of Teachers President Rosemary Boland said making sure everyone is vaccinated is crucial to ensuring a safe, uninterrupted school year.

“I think we have to build trust so that everyone trusts the fact that our children will be safe in school,” she said, “but those children, especially those 12 years of age or older, we’re hopeful that the families trust the science enough to get their children vaccinated.”

Neither Scranton nor Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration currently are enforcing vaccine or mask mandates in schools. Boland’s union has recommended both, for eligible students and teachers.

Tonight’s events are part of a nationwide tour for the “Back to School for All” initiative. The AFT initiative is meant to help ensure kids are ready to return to classrooms after 18 months of uncertainty in the pandemic. Supported in part through the American Rescue Plan, the initiative has included door-to-door canvassing, vaccine clinics, town halls, book fairs and more.

With the Delta COVID variant infecting more children, Boland said she hopes parents send their kids to school with a mask, to keep everyone safe.

“We are confident that the parents will see the value in the children wearing masks,” she said. “We’re hopeful that that message is resonated throughout this nation, and that parents take advantage of something as simple as a mask to protect their young children.”

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(Perry Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police In New Castle are reporting that they conducted a traffic stop on a 1999 Jeep Wrangler on Portersville Road in Perry Twp. for a license plate light that was out on August 3, 2021 at 1:51 AM.
Troopers stated via release that during the traffic stop it was determined that one of the passengers of the vehicle Joseph Thomas Shuttleworth had an active warrant for his arrest for a DUI Drug Charge that originated from the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office. Troopers also discovered that another passenger in the vehicle, Jeffrey Michael Stetler also had an active warrant for his arrest for failure to appear on possession of drugs charges originating from Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. Both warrants were confirmed and Shuttleworth and Stetler were placed in custody and transported to the Lawrence County Jail.