US airstrikes target Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq
By LOU KESTEN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department says the U.S. military conducted airstrikes against what it says were “facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups” near the border between Iraq and Syria. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby says the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq. Kirby says the U.S. military, under the direction of President Joe Biden, targeted three operational and weapons storage facilities Sunday — two in Syria and one in Iraq. He is describing the airstrikes as “defensive,” saying they were launched in response to an “ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. interests in Iraq.”

Taylor Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they were called to the scene of a fatal one vehicle accident on US 422 in Taylor Twp. Lawrence County at 2:31 AM Saturday morning.

Troopers stated via release that 39-year-old Jason Geminiani was driving westbound at an unknown speed on US 422 in the area of the Martha Street overpass when he exited the roadway and struck an embankment which divides the east bound and west bound lanes. His vehicle then struck the guard rail of the eastbound lanes and continued going west in the eastbound lanes. The vehicle then struck the end of a guard rail in the east bound lanes and overturned. Geminiani was ejected from the vehicle at that point and the vehicle continued to travel until it hit a street and came to a final rest overturned on the south embankment of US-422 East.

The Lawrence County Coroner’s Office pronounced Geminiani dead at the scene.  Pa State Police are continuing to investigate.

ARRISBURG, June 25 – State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny issued a release of his thoughts after voting yes for the State Budget that passed the house on Friday.

“Budgets are never easy. Finding common ground is often difficult. This particular budget was no different. There are some areas that came up short, but enough positives that I voted in its favor.

“First and foremost, this budget is on time with no tax increase of any kind.

“Equally as important is a large investment in education. Basic education, special education and early education all will see significant increases in funding. In addition, there is a new program called Level Up that brings additional dollars to our lowest income schools, benefiting several schools in my district. Colleges and job training programs will also be fully funded.

“Other key highlights include nearly $40 million for a new Water Assistance Program that will help folks struggling with keeping the water turned on and nearly $300 million for nursing, assisted living and personal care homes.

“This budget is not perfect, but it holds the line on state taxes, makes important investments and moves us closer to recovering from the pandemic.”

HARRISBURG – Rep. Joshua Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) issued the following statement regarding the passage of the 2021-22 budget and how he’s fighting for taxpayers:

“This budget dedicates money to sectors with the biggest needs, but at the same time the bill would maintain fiscal responsibility, such as saving $5 billion in federal American Rescue Plan funds for future needs and another $2.5 billion for the Rainy Day Fund. We’ve learned the hard way what happens when every dollar is spent. This bill allows us to devote funding to places with immediate needs while also protecting our future. Senate Bill 255 would prohibit the Department of Human Services from creating new programs without authorization from the General Assembly. This eliminates unilateral spending without seeking approval from the House and Senate.

“The 2021-22 budget includes no new taxes and fees. Families have struggled to make ends meet due to missed job opportunities created by systematic flaws. This is one less obstacle for every Pennsylvanian to face.

“One of the promises I made to my constituents was I’d do everything in my power to create job opportunities so everyone can go to work and provide for their families. This budget would allocate $279 million in federal relief funding for transportation infrastructure because it’s crumbling, and it also keeps crews working on road and bridge projects. In addition, $44 million in federal relief funding would be set aside for career and technical schools to ensure students have the skills necessary for jobs available today. We continue to support our state’s top industry, agriculture, by maintaining funding for key operational and research needs, as well as adding $3 million to increase the PA State Food Purchase Program.

“There would be a big emphasis on protecting our communities. Under this budget, the Pennsylvania State Police would be able to train two new cadet classes, which equates to an additional 180 troopers in the streets throughout the state. Also, $372 million would be dedicated to the ongoing pandemic response, another $30 million towards violence intervention and prevention, and $5 million to support our first responders.

“Families are everything. Everyone should be protected, especially our children and senior citizens.  In this budget, $282 million from federal relief funds would be distributed to help nursing homes, assisted living facilities and personal care homes to help with pandemic-related costs.

“Children are the future. Education is crucial, especially during a time when they are behind due to lost learning from the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget for PreK-12 education would be a record high $13.55 billion. The Basic Education Funding line would see an increase of $300 million. $30 million more would go towards early childhood education funding. Special education funding would receive an extra $50 million.

“$350 million in federal funding would be set aside for learning loss, summer enrichment and after school programs. The budget would also include a $40 million increase to the Educational Improvement Tax Credit.

HARRISBURG – Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler/Beaver/Lawrence) today voted “no” on the state budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22. Bernstine issued the following statement citing excessive government spending led to his negative vote.

“When it comes to spending taxpayers’ money, I don’t think we ought to look at a budget and say it’s not perfect, but it’s good enough. This budget is an 8.8% increase in government spending, and that will set the stage for excessive borrowing and tax hikes when President Biden’s bailout money disappears. This budget does nothing to help our struggling local businesses or help to rebuild our economy, and I cannot ignore those glaring realities when it comes to other peoples’ money.

“Harrisburg is really good at one thing — spending your money. They have proven time and time again they have no restraint when it comes to growing government and increasing spending. It’s long past time we enact the Taxpayer Protection Act and put in place constitutional spending limits that will permanently curb chronic overspending.

“While thousands of small businesses are suffering and Pennsylvania’s economic recovery is still lagging, public schools are profiting off the pandemic. They are raking in $300 million more in additional taxpayer funds in the budget despite sitting on more than $4.8 billion in reserve funds and being closed for most of the past year. That money would have been better spent on policies that incentivize work, strengthen the economy, and directly aid students and families to help address their unique learning losses.”

For more information about this, or any state-related issue, contact Bernstine’s district office in Ellwood City located at 438 Line Ave. The phone number is 724-752-2120. Information can also be found on online at RepBernstine.com.

(File Photo)

(Darlington Boro, Pa.) A Darlington man has been charged by Pa State Police in Beaver over and incident that occurred Sunday Evening around 7:15 PM on Morris Street in Darlington.
Troopers reported via release that 29-year-old Leah Wood of Darlington and 25-year-old Dustin Bailey also of Darlington were involved in a neighbor dispute that started on Friday June 25, 2021 and carried over throughout the weekend. Troopers say that on Sunday, June 28, 2021,  Bailey walked out onto Morris Street carrying what appeared to be two pistols while Wood was at her vehicle. Bailey walked towards Wood banging the two pistols together before pointing one at her and mimicking the recoil of a pistol. When troopers arrived and attempted to take Bailey into custody he resisted arrest. Once Troopers were able to get Bailey into custody he was trandported to the Beaver County Jail on charges of terroristic threats, simple assault through physical menance, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Keystone State News Connection

Emily Scott

PHILADELPHIA – The federal moratorium on evictions has been extended through July 31 – but the Biden administration says this is the final extension, and groups helping renters in Pennsylvania are worried the assistance in place has been slow to reach those in need.

Pennsylvania used $570 million it received from the federal government in January to set up an Emergency Rental Assistance Program for renters affected by COVID-19.

But Rachel Garland, managing attorney of the housing unit at Philadelphia’s Community Legal Services, said many applications are still being processed – and 30 days won’t be enough time to ensure those funds are dispersed.

“It’s a real opportunity for tenants and landlords to be able to stabilize, while still waiting for tenants to be economically stable again,” said Garland. “So, an additional 30 days until the end of July definitely helps – we’ll take every 30 days we can get – but there’s going to need to be long-lasting programs that support tenants and landlords.”

Philadelphia received its own $97 million allotment for its “PHLRentalAssist” program. Statewide, more than 93,000 households are currently at risk of eviction or foreclosure, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau survey.

In Lancaster County alone, more than 2,000 people have applied for the county’s rental assistance program. Shelby Nauman, chief impact officer of the Lancaster housing nonprofit Tenfold, said an added challenge during the pandemic has been the lack of affordable housing.

“So, what that is doing is really increasing the cost of rental housing,” said Nauman. “So, as this moratorium ends, we’re starting to hear stories of people who are having their rent increase upwards of 25 to 30%. And for folks on a fixed income, you know, that’s just devastating.”

Some programs Nauman would like to see receive increased funding to support renters and stabilize the housing market include housing counseling and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit for developers. The latter would help increase the supply of affordable housing units.

(Photos Taken By Beaver County Radio’s Frank Sparks) 

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) The City of Beaver Falls Fire Department was called to the scene of a vacant house that was on fire in 1800 block of 6th Ave. in the city. As you can see in the picture below part of the structure collapsed during the fire.  The residents of the neighboring houses  were evacuated out of caution because of the possibility of the fire spreading to their houses. Beaver Falls was assisted on the scene by numerous other local fire departments.

No one was injured in the fire and its cause is unknown as officials continue to investigate.

(Bridgewater, Pa.)Beaver County Boom 2021 was held Saturday night June 27, 2021 in Brigdewater. Beaver County Radio did a live broadcast from Thursdays Restaurant and in the crossings park from 6 to 9:45 PM until the fire works started. Eddy Crow host of Teleforum along with Program Director Frank Sparks and Producer Curtis Walsh were at Thursdays and host of AM Beaver County Matt Drzik and Beaver County Radio Sports Director Bob Barrickman did a broadcast from the Crossing Park.

Many Dignitaries came out to celebrate the  first large event in Beaver County since the COVID-19 restrictions started. The Wrangler Band entertained the crowd at Thursdays as well as the listeners to Beaver County Radio. The band was also heard live in the park. Then at 9:45 PM the star of the night Zambelli Fireworks lit the sky Choreographed with music sound track heard exclusively on Beaver County Radio.

You can check out all of the photos of the fun below: