Category: News

Ambridge Man Diagnosed with Delta Variant Home After 22 Days in Hospital

(Ambridge, Pa.) An Ambridge man who was diagnosed with the Delta variant of Covid-19, despite being fully vaccinated is finally home after spending 22 days in the hospital.
73-year-old Joe Pucci was experiencing some Covid-19 symptoms on his birthday, June 21, and went to the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center despite being fully vaccinated he was diagnosed with the Delta variant of Covid-19
Pucci was discharged from the VA hospital on Monday night but is now using an oxygen machine to help him breathe.

Biden Administration Provides Pennsylvania $6,459,400 to Support Rural COVID Response Efforts

As part of the Biden Administration’s ongoing efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is providing Pennsylvania with $6,459,400 to support COVID response efforts in rural areas. While vaccinations continue to increase, this funding through the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) will go to 25 small rural hospitals in Pennsylvania for COVID-19 testing and mitigation, important parts of the COVID response especially as the country faces new variants.
“The Biden Administration recognizes the important role that small rural hospitals have in closing the equity gap and ensuring that rural Americans can protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Today’s funding will help small rural hospitals continue to serve their communities in this critical role by expanding their COVID-19 testing capacity and mitigation efforts.”
State Offices of Rural Health, which work with small rural hospitals to implement quality and operational improvement efforts, will receive the funding announced today to distribute to eligible small rural hospitals in their state. Small rural hospitals—those with fewer than 50 beds and Critical Access Hospitals—are key health care access points and trusted community resources. Hospitals will use the funds to maintain or increase COVID-19 testing, expand access to testing for rural residents, and tailor mitigation efforts to reflect the needs of local communities.
“Our state-based SHIP grantees are important partners in helping to support small rural hospitals,” said HRSA Acting Administrator Diana Espinosa.  “HRSA is committed to mitigating the spread of the virus in rural areas by supporting and empowering local providers to tailor their responses to COVID-19 to what works for their communities.”
To view a state-by-state breakdown of this funding visit: https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/rural-hospitals/arp-covid19-awards
To learn more about the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program, visit: https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/ruralhealth/state-support-rural-hospitals.pdf
For information about HRSA’s coronavirus response in rural communities visit:  https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/coronavirus
For more information about HRSA’s rural programs, visit the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy website: https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/index.html

Names Released of Two Fatalities: Five Shot All Together in Monday Night Beaver Falls Shooting

(File Photo)

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier sent out a press release Tuesday evening identifying, what is now two fatal shooting victims names and saying that five people all together were shot.  In the statement Lozier said that : At about 9:30 Monday night, Monday July 12, 2021 there was an exchange of gunfire in the vicinity of 10th Street and 10th Avenue in the City of Beaver Falls. 

We can confirm that 5 people were shot. Two of those were fatalities. Two were life flighted to Pittsburgh Hospitals, underwent surgery and we are monitoring their condition. A fifth individual was treated at the hospital and released. 

The two fatalities were: Dwayne Lee Wells, age 31, of Beaver Falls and Youngstown. Monte Carlos Warren, age 30, of Michigan. 

The Coroner has ruled the causes of both death to be homicide. 

We will not at this time identify the other individuals involved. 

No charges have been filed as of this time and the investigation is ongoing. 

The investigation is being led by the City of Beaver Falls Police Department with the assistance of the Beaver County Detective Bureau. 

Both New Brighton Police, Brighton Township Police, Chippewa Township Police and the Sheriff‘s Department were of great assistance last night.

Stay tune to Beaver County Radio as this story continues to develop.

State Police Seizes More Than $19.6 Million in Illegal Drugs During the Second Quarter of 2021

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) announced today that troopers confiscated $19,601,549 worth of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamines, and other illicit drugs in the second quarter of 2021.
From April 1 through June 30, PSP seized 306 pounds of fentanyl and more than 285 pounds of cocaine, both with a combined street value of $11.1 million. Troopers also seized 167 pounds of methamphetamines and 22 pounds of heroin from Pennsylvania communities.
Second Quarter Drug Seizure Totals
 Drug
Total Seized
Total Value of Amount Seized
Cocaine
281.13 lbs.
$6,184,860
Crack Cocaine
4.08 lbs.
$65,280
Heroin
22.18 lbs.
$754,120
Fentanyl
306.49 lbs.
$4,903,840
LSD
1,219 doses
$24,380
Marijuana THC – Liquid
71.05 pints
$476,035
Marijuana THC – Solid
365.79 lbs.
$1,828,950
Marijuana Plants
130 plants
$21,450
Processed Marijuana
831.3 lbs.
$2,493,900
Methamphetamines
167.73 lbs.
$1,677,300
MDMA – Ecstasy
2.38 lbs.
$7,854
MDMA – Pills
2,601 pills
$39,015
Other Narcotics
42.57 lbs.
$85,140
Other Narcotics (Pills)
41,577 pills
$1,039,425
Total Value
$19,601,549
State police also collected 910 pounds of prescription and other medication as part of its drug take-back program in the second quarter of 2021. There are 65 drug take-back boxes at state police stations throughout the commonwealth, providing a safe way to dispose of unused or unwanted medication 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Additional Information

Pa. State Police Strengthens Community Engagement, Develops Public Dashboard

State Police Strengthens Community Engagement, Develops Public Dashboard
 
Harrisburg, PA – Colonel Robert Evanchick, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), announced today two new community-based initiatives, the Office of Community Engagement (OCE) and the Community Access to Information Dashboard (CAID).
“Pennsylvania State Police personnel are always considering and developing initiatives that will improve the department’s transparency and community engagement,” said Colonel Evanchick. “The development of the OCE and the CAID assists our department in strengthening in-person community relations and public access to statistical data.”
The OCE was established to proactively engage with community members and organizations and to collaboratively identify and problem-solve local challenges to increase the safety of residents, visitors, and law enforcement. Outreach efforts include all segments of communities, including people of diverse faiths, races, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, cultural traditions, gender, and sexual orientation.
OCE is comprised of the Community Affairs Section, which consists of a section commander and 17 Community Affairs Officers (CAOs) and supervisors, and the Heritage Affairs Section, which consists of a section commander and four Heritage Affairs Liaison Officers (HALOs).
CAOs and HALOs work with community leaders, non-profit organizations, legislators, and other law enforcement agencies to build positive, proactive relationships with residents and visitors of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition, CAOs strive to develop relationships within underserved communities across the commonwealth, commonly working together with minority groups, mental health advocacy groups, and those in need. HALOs focus on educating the public on the role of law enforcement to create stronger relationships and to increase trust within the community, as well as working with local law enforcement agencies to prevent and investigate hate- and bias-related crimes. HALOs also lead the department’s training on implicit bias awareness and de-escalation techniques.
OCE command staff and personnel are interested in the public’s ideas for developing strategies that may be employed to improve police community relations in your neighborhood. Contact information is found on the OCE page, visit psp.pa.gov.
CAID was designed to allow the public to access and search PSP aggregated incident-related data. There are two primary goals of the CAID in sharing data with the public. One is to provide transparency to the media and public regarding traffic crash and enforcement, crime, and calls for service data. The second is to provide the communities PSP serves with an ownership stake in their quality of life by demonstrating significant police-related incident trends and some of the mitigation efforts taken to impact those trajectories.
“Due to the advancement of technology and current electronic reporting, data can now be collected, analyzed, and displayed utilizing multiple dashboards,” said Colonel Evanchick. “I want to thank all of the personnel who contributed to developing the public dashboard.”
Future enhancements to CAID will include state police commercial vehicle enforcement data, crime data, and calls for service.  For more information and to access the dashboard, visit CAID.
PSP is interested in the public’s feedback. The “Contact Us” button located at the top of the CAID, provides the opportunity to submit suggestions for dashboard enhancements. The feedback will be provided to the dashboard development team for consideration.

Highmark Health named a 2021 “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion”

PITTSBURGH (July 13, 2021) — For the seventh consecutive year, Highmark Health has been named a “Best Place to Work” for individuals with disabilities in the Disability Equality Index® (DEI®), a national benchmarking survey administered jointly by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN®. The DEI is the world’s most comprehensive benchmarking tool for the Fortune 1000 and Am Law 200 to measure disability workplace inclusion against competitors.

For its comprehensive efforts to attract, develop and retain people with disabilities in its workforce, national blended health organization Highmark Health has earned a top score of 100. In 2021, 319 corporations utilized the DEI to benchmark their disability inclusion efforts. Out of the 319 participants, 191 companies received a score of 100; 58 companies received a score of 90 and 23 companies received a score of 80.

“It’s an honor for Highmark Health to have been recognized by the DEI every year since its inception in 2015,” said Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew; MD, MEd, MPPM, FACOG; senior vice president; chief clinical, diversity, equity and inclusion officer of the Enterprise Institute of Equitable Health; Highmark Health. “Supporting an inclusive workforce and providing disability accommodations are more than the right thing to do. These actions make the health care industry stronger, because we are able to better serve customers, members and patients with knowledge, experience and empathy.”

This year’s recognition measures culture and leadership; enterprise-wide access; employment practices (benefits, recruitment, employment, education, retention and advancement, accommodations); community engagement; supplier diversity; and non-U.S. operations (non-weighted). Following the global pandemic, the DEI was modernized to add new non-weighted questions about innovative technology to advance digital and remote accessibility; mental wellness benefits; services for Deaf and hard of hearing employees, and flexible work options.

“We are so pleased to partner with 319 companies this year on the Disability Equality Index. Part of corporate commitment to disability inclusion is recognizing your stance and using it as an ‘aha moment’ to drive the business investments needed to scale change,” Jill Houghton, President & Chief Executive Officer, Disability:IN. “Inclusion and accessibility cuts across the enterprise, from cultural representation in the workforce, to technology acceleration, to incorporating supply chain diversity. These are tangible opportunities that leading companies can leverage to create sustainable impact for their business and brand.”

Among those practices earning Highmark Health the “Best Place to Work” recognition are programs and partnerships that help to recruit people with disabilities, including the Rooney Rule; a centralized accommodation process; support and leadership of organizations in the community that advocate for people with disabilities; executive sponsorship of the business case for recruiting, hiring and developing people with disabilities; supplier diversity and provider diversity programs; and enterprise-wide support of business resources groups (BRGs) through which employees with disabilities get involved in workplace, marketplace and community-wide programs.

Globally, people with disabilities represent over one billion people. Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and it crosses lines of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and religion.

“The Disability Equality Index shines a spotlight on companies that believe they have a stake in creating a more equitable society for people with disabilities,” said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. “It is a conduit for our work championing disability rights for the 60 million Americans with disabilities and knocking down barriers to employment, technology and healthcare, and we’re thrilled to see the progress being made today.”

Highmark Health’s Abilities BRG raises awareness about the needs of, and offers support to, people with disabilities and their caregivers in the workplace, marketplace and community. The Abilities BRG encourages workplace inclusion, equality of opportunity and best practices in recruitment. Its members also build community partnerships through educational-to-career experiences for students with disabilities, advocate accessibility to Highmark Health facilities, act as a champion for customers with disabilities, and serve as a voice for those who care for or support people with disabilities.

The DEI was launched in 2015 by Disability:IN and the AAPD and is acknowledged today as the most robust disability inclusion assessment tool in business. Now in its seventh year, the DEI exists to help businesses make a positive impact on the unemployment/underemployment of people with disabilities.

Showers and Thunderstorms Throughout This Week

Today
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 6 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. West wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Calm wind.
Thursday
A slight chance of showers before 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Friday
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Friday Night
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 2am, then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday
Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday
A chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Monday
Sunny, with a high near 85.

US Consumer Prices Surge in June by the Most Since 2008

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers faced a third straight monthly surge in prices in June, the latest evidence that a rapid reopening of the economy is fueling pent-up spending for goods and services that in many cases remain in short supply. Tuesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices in June rose 0.9% from May and 5.4% over the past year — the sharpest 12-month inflation spike since June 2008.  Excluding volatile oil and gas prices, so-called core inflation rose 4.5% in the past year, the largest increase since November 1991.

Ohio Woman Not Injured in One Vehicle Accident on I-376 in Brighton Twp.

(Brighton Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that they were dispatched to the scene of a one vehicle accident Monday, July 12, 2021 at 7:37 PM on Interstate 376 east bound in Brighton Twp.

The responding Trooper reported that 28-year-old Nithya Rajendran of Beachwood Ohio was traveling eastbound on the I-376 when she lost control of the 2019 Nissan Altima that she was driving on the wet roadway. Her vehicle crossed over the left lane and struck the guide wire causing disabling damage to the vehicle. Rajendran was not injured in the accident and the vehicle was towed from the scene.