(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh)

The Big Beaver Borough Council held their monthly meeting tonight and they discussed multiple topics and issues from within the borough. The first topic of discussion was a from a man that owns a popular dirt bike and ATV trail park in New Beaver.  He wants to expand his business, starting with trails, into the Big Beaver area.  Council members are supportive of his ideas, but they want to be sure that his business is going to be able to help support the borough financially in some way.  He stated that as his business expands, they will offer camping services which should be taxable by the borough.  Another issue discussed was the protocol of agreements when approving construction permits for houses.  A member of council stated there have been issues with people who are granted permission to build houses, begin the project, and then leave them incomplete for years to come.  They are looking to revise the process in which these permits are given.  And also on the agenda was the agreement to accommodate Big Beaver police officers with a locked room at the municipal building to be able to do paperwork, fingerprinting and other duties without having to run back and forth to Beaver Falls.  Audio from the meeting can be heard below:

Trail Expansion:

Home Building Agreements:

Police Room:

 

 

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvanians can view ratings of the state’s efforts in transportation safety, mobility, system preservation, and accountability in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) 2021 Transportation Performance Report (TPR), viewable at TalkPATransportation.com.

The TPR is a biennial report and is developed in a combined effort between the State Transportation Commission (STC), the State Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), and PennDOT. The report is the first step in the state’s transportation program planning process and helps to evaluate the system’s performance and opportunities for progress.

“The Transportation Performance Report highlights PennDOT’s progress across major aspects of our system including safety, mobility, preservation, accountability, and funding,” PennDOT Secretary and State Transportation Commission (STC) Chair Yassmin Gramian said. “We will use this to help develop our next 12-Year program, as well as inform our Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan and the Freight Movement Plan.

The release of the 2021 TPR also signals the start of the STC’s and PennDOT’s 2023 12-Year Program Update Public Comment Period. PennDOT conducts a statewide 45-day Public Comment Period every two years to collect public comment on multimodal transportation needs, issues, and concerns. The public feedback collected during the Public Comment Period is used to inform the 12-Year Program and other state and regional transportation plans and programs such as Pennsylvania’s Long Range Transportation Plan and the Freight Movement Plan.

The Public Comment Period is open now through Wednesday, April 14. During this time the public will be able to submit feedback by taking a Transportation Survey, emailing comments to RA-PennDOTSTC@pa.gov, or calling 717-783-2262 from 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM to request a printed copy of the survey, or to complete the survey by telephone.

PennDOT’s Online Public Forum is set for Tuesday, March 23, from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The Public Forum will be broadcast statewide via Zoom and Facebook Live and features PennDOT Transportation Secretary Yassmin Gramian.

The public will be able to submit transportation-related questions to PennDOT during the Public Forum. Questions may also be submitted in advance of the Public Forum by filling out the online registration form or by emailing RA-PennDOTSTC@pa.gov. The public may also call PennDOT and share their questions to be answered at the Public Forum at 717-783-2262 from 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM.

Additional details on the Public Comment Period, the Transportation Survey, and the Online Public Forum are available at TalkPATransportation.com.

PennDOT will make all reasonable modifications to policies, programs, and documents to ensure that people with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services, and activities. In accordance with Governor Tom Wolf’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the Public Forum will be held online only. Interested individuals who do not have internet access should contact PennDOT at 717-783-2262 to obtain the call-in number for listening-in only.

To request assistance to participate in the survey or Public Forum, please contact PennDOT’s Program Center by emailing RA-PennDOTSTC@pa.gov or calling 717-783-2262 from 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM. Requests for Public Forum assistance should be made by Monday, March 15. If you have other questions or challenges, please contact PennDOT’s Bureau of Equal Opportunity to request help by emailing penndot_eoreports@pa.gov or calling 1-800-468-4201; TTY (711).

Vernon Jordan, activist, former Clinton adviser, has died
By JEFF MARTIN and ERRIN HAINES Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — According to a statement from his daughter, Vernon Jordan, a civil rights activist and former adviser to President Bill Clinton, has died. Jordan’s daughter, Vickee Jordan Adams, released the statement Tuesday to CBS News. She said her father died arond 10 p.m. Tuesday night surrounded by loved ones. After stints as field secretary for the Georgia NAACP and executive director of the United Negro College Fund, he became head of the National Urban League, becoming the face of Black America’s modern struggle for jobs and justice for more than a decade. He was nearly killed by a racist’s bullet in 1980 before transitioning to business and politics. His friendship with Clinton took them both to the White House.

6 Dr. Seuss books won’t be published for racist images
By MARK PRATT Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — The business that preserves and protects Dr. Seuss’ legacy has announced it will stop publishing six titles because of racist and insensitive imagery. Dr. Seuss Enterprises tells The Associated Press in a statement on Tuesday, the author and illustrator’s birthday, that the books portray people in ways that are hurtful. It says the decision to cease publication and sales of Seuss books including “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” follows months of deliberations. Books by Dr. Seuss, who was born Theodor Geisel in 1904 and died in 1991, have been increasingly criticized over the way Blacks, Asians and others are portrayed.