Harrisburg, PA – Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is urging people in Pennsylvania and beyond to support Second Lady Gisele Fetterman’s awareness and fundraising campaign to preserve Lebanon Cemetery in North York, a historic Black cemetery that was the only place Black people were allowed to be buried in metro York until the 1960s.

The Fettermans learned about the site after volunteers in April invited the Lieutenant Governor to see headstones sinking and breaking. The 5-acre property dates back to the 1800s.

“It’s heartbreaking to see that this Black history has been marginalized,” Second Lady Gisele Fetterman said. “These Americans deserve to be honored and to know that people care about them.”

Among the more than 3,500 African American ancestors buried at Lebanon Cemetery are abolitionists and conductors of the Underground Railroad with national significance, more than 30 Civil War veterans, Spanish-American War veterans, Tuskegee Airmen, and highly decorated veterans of World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam.

The Second Lady is raising awareness about the cemetery and has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $100,000 to fund preservation and improvement projects.

“Right now, the state of this place doesn’t convey its importance to our heritage,” said Samantha Dorm, a Yorker who’s a descendant of six generations of people buried at the historic site. “It’s important for today’s generation to understand the significance of their own ancestors.”

Dorm is one of a handful of dedicated volunteers working to uncover graves that have sunk and broken over time, to make sure veterans and historically significant people are logged and honored, and to preserve the dignity of all ancestors buried at the site.

All funds raised through this GoFundMe campaign are directly deposited into the account of the nonprofit Friends of Lebanon Cemetery, a group of volunteer stewards of this historic property that includes Dorm and many other direct descendants of people who are buried there.

The funds will be used for upkeep, maintenance, and priority projects as identified by the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery, in partnership with the cemetery’s operations board.

More information about Friends of Lebanon Cemetery and the people buried there can be found at www.friendsoflebanoncemetery.com. The GoFundMe link is https://gofund.me/c377baff.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to speak Friday about the chaotic evacuations in Afghanistan. He’s facing a firestorm of criticism, including from some U.S. diplomats over the effort to evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghans who helped the U.S. during the 20-year war. The pace of evacuations picked up some overnight, but the Taliban and complex U.S. visa requirements are making it hard for many to reach Kabul’s airport. U.S. officials told The Associated Press that U.S. diplomats had urgently warned the Biden administration weeks ago to ramp up an evacuation for Afghans most at risk from the Taliban. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal government document.

Major League Baseball is ending a 70-year relationship with trading card company Topps after signing a new partnership with a rival company. The loss of the MLB partnership immediately scuttled a deal announced earlier this year that would have made Topps a publicly traded company. The special-purpose acquisition company Mudrick Capital Acquisition Corporation II said Friday that its agreement to merge with Topps to take the company public was terminated by mutual agreement after it found out that MLB and the league’s players’ union would not be renewing their respective agreements with The Topps Co. when they come up for renewal at the end of 2025 and 2022, respectively.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A backer of former President Donald Trump’s effort to carry out an Arizona-style “forensic investigation” of Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election is suggesting that fellow Republicans in the state Senate are blocking his efforts. In a Facebook video posted Thursday, Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano blamed “the powers that be” for stopping him from holding a meeting of the committee he chairs to vote on issuing subpoenas to counties. He later deleted the video. Mastriano has helped spread Trump’s baseless claims that the election was stolen from him in Pennsylvania. Senate Republican leaders have been largely silent about Mastriano’s efforts and it has sowed discord in the Republican caucus. Democrats oppose it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is giving new urgency to Vice President Kamala Harris’ tour of southeast Asia, where she will attempt to reassure allies of American resolve following the chaotic end of a two-decade war. The trip will provide a forum for Harris to assert herself more directly in foreign affairs. But there are substantial risks. Harris is largely untested in international diplomacy and foreign policy. Her swing through Vietnam could draw unwanted comparisons between the humiliating withdrawal of U.S. troops there in 1975 and the tumultuous effort this week to evacuate Americans and allies from Afghanistan. And it’s all happening in the shadow of China, whose growing influence worries some U.S. policymakers.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A backer of former President Donald Trump’s effort to carry out an Arizona-style “forensic investigation” of Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election is suggesting that fellow Republicans in the state Senate are blocking his efforts. In a Facebook video posted Thursday, Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano blamed “the powers that be” for stopping him from holding a meeting of the committee he chairs to vote on issuing subpoenas to counties. He later deleted the video. Mastriano has helped spread Trump’s baseless claims that the election was stolen from him in Pennsylvania. Senate Republican leaders have been largely silent about Mastriano’s efforts and it has sowed discord in the Republican caucus. Democrats oppose it.

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

Central Valley School Board held its monthly meeting on YouTube Thursday night  and teachers will be involved in professional development on Monday, August 23, 2021. The board approved the hiring of 13 new teachers and several paraprofessionals. Incoming freshmen will have orientation on Wednesday, August 25, 2021.

Students will have face to face learning with their teachers when school starts on Monday, August 30, 2020. Masks are required on school buses and in the schools , according to Dr. Nicholas Perry, superintendent. He said, “I’m looking forward to a positive year.”

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

(Aliquippa, PA) A man believed to be in his 20’s was shot multiple times and killed after midnight  outside the Valley Terrace Housing Complex on Superior Avenue.  The state police are investigating and asking for the public’s help to find the suspect or suspects responsible.  Please call them at 724-773-7400 if you have information.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and his national security team say the Trump administration tied their hands when it came to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The argument that President Donald Trump’s February 2020 deal with the Taliban set the stage for the weekend chaos that unfolded in Kabul has some merit. But it’s far from the full story. Trump’s agreement for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan was conditions-based. As U.S. officials made clear at the time, the failure of intra-Afghan peace talks to reach a negotiated settlement would have nullified the requirement to withdraw. Then again, renegotiating would have been difficult.