Moon Township, PA, (March 8, 2021) – Heritage Valley Health System is announcing their 2020 Cameos of Caring Awardees. The Award honors exceptional bedside nurses who work in acute care hospitals. Recipients must demonstrate a commitment to consistent, evidence-based clinical decision-making and excellence in nursing care, serve as an effective advocate for patients and their families, encourage and motivate others, be recognized as a role model for the profession of nursing, practice nursing involving direct patient care, be a licensed RN and be a direct employee of the hospital.

This year’s awardees are Darby Hupp an RN who works in the  Cardiopulmonary Unit at Heritage Valley Beaver, Rich Pongratz an RN in the Emergency Department at Heritage Valley Kennedy, and Sara Manfredi an RN who works in the  Progressive Care Unit at Heritage Valley Sewickley. The Cameo of Caring Program & Awards was established in 1999 in keeping with the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing’s commitment to the advancement and promotion of the nursing profession.

Darby Hupp, RN works on the Cardiopulmonary Unit at Heritage Valley Beaver hospital. Darby finds that the most satisfying part of her career is having a role in improving a person’s life. She has learned to take time at the beginning of a shift for each patient — to get to know them, assess their condition, pass medications and talk with them about their goals for the day and plan of care. Darby has been part of the COVID-19 Unit during the pandemic.  “As the pandemic unfolded and the idea of the nurse as a hero emerged, it initially made me very uncomfortable,” said Darby.  “Truly though, this year every nurse on the front lines deserves to be recognized for the sacrifices they made and the risks they took to their own health.”

Rich Pongratz, RN, is a nurse in the Emergency Department at Heritage Valley Kennedy hospital. Energetic, compassionate and dedicated, Rich proactively provides a high level of care to all his patients. He is a preceptor to nursing students and a nurse that his peers rely on for guidance and support. Rich is motivated to deliver high quality care and to treat all patients as he would want his family to be treated. “As a nurse you get to be hands-on, frontline, especially in the Emergency Department,” said Rich. “It’s rewarding to see people feeling better than when they first arrived.” 

Sara Manfredi, RN, is a nurse in the Progressive Care Unit at Heritage Valley Sewickley hospital. For nearly ten years, Sara has practiced the highest level of clinical judgement and critical thinking to ensure quality care is provided to patients. Her telemetry and stroke knowledge is invaluable to her department and peers. As a preceptor, Sara mentors graduate nurses and is a consistent source of knowledge, kindness, patience and encouragement. “The most satisfying part of being a nurse is watching a patient’s recovery and knowing that I aided in that,” said Sara. “It’s such a fulfilling feeling to know that you are helping someone get better.”

(Monaca, Pa.) Residents who live in downtown Monaca will have their water service disrupted this morning due to a scheduled water valve replacement. Once the valve is replaced those residents will have a 24-hour boil water advisory issued.

Beaver County has always been a welcome place for travelers. Whether for business, tourism, or simply in town for a wedding,  The need to find a place to stay while here is nothing new, and it continues to be in growing demand as people from far and near look to find lodging while spending time in these parts. In recent days at least a dozen new national chain hotels have been developed in Beaver County, rivaling an era from back before there was Air B N B as far as the county’s room capacity.  In today’s edition of Beaver County Memories, We will make a reservation at the front desk and ask the concierge for more information . . . about the hotels of yesterday. It’s the subject of this Beaver County Memory, and like all of them, It is brought to you by St. Barnabas.

 

Some were big and grand, and others could best be described as functional, and though the hotels, motels and houses with rooms to rent came in all different shapes and sizes, they all provided a much needed place to lay one’s head down at the end of the day.   Rochester was called the hub of Beaver County for good reason.  It’s strategic location near river and rail transportation gave rise to several memorable Hotels including the Penn Beaver Hotel at the corner of West Washington Street and Brighton Avenue.  The Penn Beaver Hotel was truly a grandiose structure and cost around a half million dollars to build in 1927.  It had about 60 rooms and hosted some of the finest events in the area back then in its restaurant and banquet room. The Penn Beaver had a very ornate lobby with a granite and marble interior that rivaled the beauty and opulence of any structure, anywhere. Oftentimes, big time entertainers, who would be performing at the numerous nearby theaters, would stay at the Penn Beaver.  One such story shared many years ago by a Rochester merchant recalled The Three Stooges prowling Brighton Avenue while in town for a show, and staying at the Penn Beaver Hotel.

In Beaver Falls, There were many hotels that housed weary travelers, temporary workers, and the social elite.  In the early 1900’s, several hotels sprang up from the ground in the city including the 7th Avenue Hotel at the corner of 5th Street and 7th Avenue, The Windsor House, which welcomed visitors on 10th Avenue and The PennMark Hotel, which was located along a side street at the lower end of town near Providence Hospital. These “working class” establishments each had their own character and also provided a good watering hole for guests and local patrons to enjoy a cold beverage or two. In all three of those cases, the bar and restaurant aspect of those places continued to exist long after the demand for renting rooms subsided. At the other end of town, and the other end of the socio economic spectrum, Beaver Falls was also home to the General Brodhead Hotel, a lavish facility boasting 110 rooms, five star dining, a handful of different bars and lounges and even an outdoor rooftop dance floor.  The Brodhead, with all its flair, opened in 1929 and boasted fresh fruit on its opening nite New Year’s eve dinner menu.  In that era, fresh fruit in wintertime was indeed a luxury that only the wealthy experienced. The General Brodhead Hotel continued operations until 1969 at which time it was converted to apartments, and continues to be a very beautiful town landmark to this day.

Beaver County also had a few of the classic mid century  “motels” to accommodate it’s guests.  The Willows Inn between Midland and Beaver was and continues to exist as an iconic, sprawling motor lodge reminiscent of 1960’s Americana.  Though the place has been upgraded and expanded in recent years, the traditional one story room layout with parking available right outside the door, continues to be a very recognizable feature that was common with motels of that era.  The Willows also had an outdoor pool and tennis courts.  In Big Beaver, there were several classic Motels that seem to harken back to an era where the parking lot would have been filled with wood paneled station wagons accessorized with massive luggage racks, belonging to the registered guests.  Conelly’s Best Western, J.J.’s Motel, The Hilltop Motel and The Lark Motel, among a few others provided nice places to stay for travelers getting off the nearby Turnpike exit.  Even today, looking at those  properties, you can almost imagine the chants  of “Are we there yet” from impatient kids in the back seats and the white knuckles gripping the steering wheel and the crossed eyes of frazzled parents riding up front in those heavy laden family chariots as they pulled in off of Route 18 to spend the night. 

Even a trip to Bradys Run Park in the old days might mean hitching up the team, unloading the stagecoach, and staying a night at one of the nearby hotels.  Luckily enough, there were a couple different places near the park entrance along Route 51 that had great food, nice comfortable rooms, and even entertainment on occasion to make the stay memorable.  The Bradys Run Hotel and The Beaver Valley Hotel offered those amenities back then.  The Brady’s Run Hotel had a bar and lounge in the front part of the first floor, and a spacious room where ballroom dancing was held in the back portion of the lower level.  A few guest rooms populated the upper floor. Both establishments continue to operate in the hospitality business and exist today at some of Beaver County’s more popular restaurants. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to tip the bell hop and check in.  As always, this edition of Beaver County Hotel memories has been Presented by St. Barnabas. Tune in to Beaver County Radio every day for another edition of Beaver County Memories. Transcripts of this and other archived Beaver County Memories can be found at Beaver County Radio dot com.

(Beaver County, PA) One of Beaver County Radio’s popular faith based programs, “Good News From The Mountain” with Pastor Rod Smith, will air at a special time due to high school basketball playoff coverage.  The program scheduled for Wednesday March 10th will air from 5 until 5:30 P.M. on WBVP, WMBA 99.3 F.M. and online stream. Normally, “Good News From The Mountain” airs at 6:30 P.M. on Wednesday evenings.  This week’s earlier time slot will lead right up to the pre game show broadcast of the Beaver Falls at Mohawk girls 3A WPIAL basketball semi final game beginning at 5:30 P.M.

“Good News From The Mountain” is a weekly ministry outreach broadcast sponsored by Mountain Ministries in Darlington, PA.  Regular on site and in person Wednesday Evening worship at Mountain Ministries’ Prayer Mountain Worship site is tentatively scheduled to begin in April.

 

The Beaver Falls City Council met tonight for their first meeting of the month.  They started by approving a list of general fund expenditures and accepting the retirement of Beaver Falls Police Department Captain Curt Couper.  They went on to approve Beaver Falls Police Department Policy 55, which will allow the department to use an Automated License Plate Reader System.  The main purpose of the system will be to use for investigations, to determine what vehicles were in what area at any given time. Also discussed at the meeting was the controlled burning of certain properties within the city by the Fire Department.  Abandoned and dangerous properties that need demolished can be burnt down by the department, while being a learning experience for fire fighters and saving the city on demolish costs. Audio from the meeting can be heard below.

Plate Reader System:

Monaca, PA – Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) announced today that it has again earned the 2021-2022 Military Friendly® School designation. The list aims to set the standard for higher education institutions to provide the best opportunities for military, veterans and their spouses.
“At CCBC, we embrace, celebrate and take pride in fostering a spirit of respect, accountability, and integrity,” said Dr. Sutonia Boykin, CCBC vice president for Student Affairs. “We put our students first at CCBC, a place where every student feels welcome and can seize success. We are proud to be recognized by the prestigious Military Friendly Schools list and to demonstrate our commitment to meeting the needs of this student community.”
CCBC currently enrolls approximately 40 active military or veteran students in growing
workforce training programs like Healthcare, Information Technology, Criminal Justice, Process Technology and Aviation. The 2021-2022 Military Friendly Schools list specifically recognizes CCBC for exceeding national Military Friendly standards in number of areas including academic policies and compliance; admissions and orientation practices; culture and commitment to military families; and military support and retention.
As part of its commitment to military students, CCBC has developed partnerships with local industries, businesses and institutions to develop programs that best serve future career opportunities and build upon military training and experiences. CCBC provides a robust military and veteran support program, including scholarship funds, a veteran-specific orientation program, flexible courses and schedules, dedicated staff and faculty, no-cost tutoring and social and professional organizations and clubs such as a Student Veterans of America chapter.
CCBC’s commitment to supporting military and veterans extends beyond the classroom and into the College faculty and staff. Recently, CCBC hired several new faculty and staff who have a military background, including roles in aviation, nursing and marketing.
Annually, the list provides a comprehensive guide for veterans and their families using data sources from federal agencies and proprietary survey information from participating organizations. It is created by VIQTORY, a service that connects the military community to civilian employment, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities.
The list can be found at www.militaryfriendly.com.

(North Beaver Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police in Gibsonia are reporting that a one vehicle accident occurred Saturday afternoon on Interstate 376 in North Beaver Twp.. Troopers report that 26-year-old Madison Grabowski of Springdale Pa was driving a 2018 Honda CRV east on Toll 376 in the left lane when she lost control of the vehicle and crossed onto the north berm and struck a concrete barrier with the left side of the vehicle. After hitting the barrier, she was able to stop her vehicle on the berm of the road.  Grabowski was charged by State Police with not driving properly on Roadways laned for traffic.

(File Photo)

(New Brighton, Pa..) New Brighton Borough announced via Social Media and mass e-mail Tuesday morning, March 9, 2021 that Second Avenue in the borough will be closed at the intersection of Tenth Street for approximately two weeks beginning Tuesday afternoon to perform underground storm sewer repairs. This is the brick road that is on the west side of Third Ave. in the borough.

(File Photo)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Pa State Police at the Rivers Casino is reporting that they have filed charges of Defiant Trespass against a Wampum man. The incident occurred on February 20, 2021 around 1:30 in the morning.

According to the report from State Troopers 29-year-old Trevon Lay of Wampum knowing that he was not licensed or privileged to enter or remain in the casino did so after he was given communication verbally by the Pa Gaming Control Board that he was in violation of section 3503b1j. Lay was charged by State Police with Defiant Trespass.