Woman from Mali gives birth to 9 babies in Morocco
By BABA AHMED and TARIK EL BARAKAH Associated Press
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s Ministry of Health says a Malian woman has given birth to nine babies after only expecting seven. It appeared to be the first time on record that a woman gave birth to nine surviving babies at once. The 25-year-old mother gave birth by cesarean section on Tuesday in Morocco. Mali’s health minister confirmed that the five girls, four boys and the mother are all doing well. Associated Press reporters saw the babies in incubators in the neonatal ward, some wiggling their hands and feet. The Guinness Book of World Records said in an email to The AP that its current record for most living births at once is eight, and that it is verifying the Morocco birth.
GOP wants to restore work-search rule for jobless benefits
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans in Pennsylvania’s GOP-controlled Legislature are advancing legislation to reinstate work-search requirements for people claiming unemployment benefits. The bill cleared the House Labor and Industry Committee on a party-line vote Tuesday. The sponsor, Rep. Jim Cox of Berks County, said many employers are having trouble finding workers. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has waived the requirement for now. Still, Wolf’s office said certain industries may have difficulty hiring workers because, for instance, some parents have children learning at home or some people are waiting for a second vaccine dose. Others may have chosen to change careers during the pandemic. Wolf’s office also suggested that employers need to pay more.
College kids urged to get vaccinated; statewide demand flags
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
Pennsylvania officials are encouraging hundreds of thousands of college students to get their shots before they go home for summer. Gov. Tom Wolf appeared in State College on Wednesday with the president and head football coach at Penn State University to pitch younger people on the benefits of getting inoculated against the coronavirus. Penn State President Eric Barron calls it “the most important effort of our lifetime.” He says he calls on “all Penn Staters to lead now.” Statewide, vaccine demand is starting to wane. The Health Department says that vaccine supply exceeded demand for the first time last week.
2020 proved that anything and everything could change, and 2021 is trying to shift that change in a positive direction–at least in the eyes of the Beaver County Office of Planning & Redevelopment.
The BCOPR, in conjunction with Michael Baker International, will begin a public survey of fixed and mobile broadband availability throughout Beaver County on May 10. Their goal is to provide access and effective use of technology for residents and businesses alike, and to bridge any gaps between high-speed and low-speed usage.
One of the biggest pushers of the new survey is County Commissioner Jack Manning, who spoke to Beaver County Radio about the importance on improving the amount of technology throughout the county in lieu of last year’s chaos.
“We certainly saw during COVID,” said Manning, “the impact it had on education and the impact it had on working from home. Broadband is an eligible infrastructure expenditure, and that’s what we hope to do–to find out what the need is, what the different solutions are, and be able to apply that money to make this thing much better for Beaver County.”
Michael Baker International will perform tasks including (but not limited to): taking photographs of utility poles and associated infrastructure, performing mobile internet tests for upload and download speed, placing door hangers at the entry ways of businesses being surveyed, and communicating with the owners of those businesses and residents.
The online survey can also be done by the general public on their internet-use devices (laptop, phone, tablet, etc.) by going to the link on the Beaver County home page, or by going to connectbeavercounty.com to find the speed of their internet. “We ask people to do it as many times as they can,” Manning suggested, “so that we get better data points—cause sometimes the signal is a lot stronger at some points in the day as opposed to others of peak demand.”
For questions and more info, contact BCOPR director Lance Grable at 724-770-4422 or email at lgrable@beavercountypa.gov.
On Thursday’s Teleforum program, at 9a host Eddy Crow welcomes Beaver County commissioners Dan Camp and Jack Manning for Ask the Commissioners. At 11am Best of Beaver County host Mike Romigh talks with neurology expert Dr. Joseph Maroon, and after Best of Beavery County Eddy and Beaver County Times Entertainment editor Scott Tady hosts special guest Elbie Yaworsky on entertainment news. Teleforum is every weekday from 9 till noon on AM1230WBVP, AM1460WMBA, and 99.3FM presented by St. Barnabas.
ALLEGHENY – Reps. Carrie Lewis DelRosso (R-Allegheny/Westmoreland) and Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) – in collaboration with Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), who released a statement on Friday – issued the following statement regarding U.S. Steel’s cancellation of its $1 billion investment project:
“As U.S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David Burritt noted, Pennsylvania is not competitive with other states. Permitting takes way too long, which delays projects to the point that we lose opportunities. That’s exactly what happened with U.S. Steel. And with the loss of the $1 billion investment project, we also lose infrastructure money because there’s no revenue streams because the jobs were pulled.
“There’s nothing western PA needs more than jobs and money to invest in infrastructure. Yet, we let the false narrative of environmental concerns steal family-sustaining jobs from Commonwealth families. Having goods manufactured in Pennsylvania benefits the environment because we know how to do things right – unlike foreign countries, where these jobs are being driven, that have little to no environmental or labor standards. Somehow, certain people are convinced that we must choose between saving the planet and saving families in the area from financial distress. That’s simply not the case, and now, we have to brace ourselves for higher rates of crime and blight because the jobs are gone.
“But unlike others, we’re not willing to accept that. No, we’re going to fight back against the job loss, against the blight, against the crime. The revitalization of western Pennsylvania can happen through a job infusion and infrastructure investments, and that’s why we support a package of bills called the Commonwealth’s COVID Comeback. The pro-jobs, pro-families and pro-growth initiative is all about incentivizing manufacturers and providing protections to small businesses, as well as offering tax and regulatory reform.
“U.S. Steel’s announcement is all the more reason to push for real reform in Harrisburg, and we will work to make this awful news the last of its kind that Western Pennsylvanians will have to hear.”
PITTSBURGH, May 5, 2021 – UPMC and Heritage Valley Health System are partnering to make an outpatient COVID-19 treatment more widely available in western Pennsylvania.
Monoclonal antibody treatment reduces the risk of death and the need for hospitalization in people who receive it soon after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The health systems will pool their supply of monoclonal antibodies and use the extensive UPMC network of infusion centers to provide Heritage Valley patients with the treatment.
Donald M. Yealy, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at UPMC
Donald M. Yealy, M.D., chief medical officer at UPMC said that “This treatment has potential to drastically cut the number of people in our communities who get hospitalized with COVID-19 complications and reduce deaths from this disease,” He went on to say “It is most effective if given within 10 days of diagnosis, and the sooner the better. By partnering with Heritage Valley, we will improve access for patients.”
Michael Cratty, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer at Heritage Valley Health System.
“Heritage Valley has helped ensure that COVID-19 testing and vaccines are available in the community, and would like to expand patients’ opportunity to receive COVID-19 outpatient treatment, in collaboration with UPMC,” said Michael Cratty, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer at Heritage Valley Health System. “Monoclonal antibodies provide an early treatment opportunity for COVID-19 to those with elevated risk factors. Our collaboration with UPMC expands community access to this important treatment.”
Monoclonal antibodies are a type of medication that seeks out the COVID-19 virus in a person’s body and blocks it from infecting their cells and replicating. The treatment is given through a one-time intravenous infusion, usually at an outpatient infusion center.
Patients currently eligible for the treatment are those at a higher risk of a poor outcome from COVID-19, including people 65 or older, those who are obese or those with conditions such as diabetes or lung disease. Younger adults and children over 12 with certain conditions, including asthma, also may be eligible.
UPMC has treated nearly 2,400 patients at 18 infusion centers across Pennsylvania and in New York and Maryland. The treatment also is offered to homebound people through a home-infusion service, and in emergency departments, nursing homes and behavioral health centers in the UPMC system.
Heritage Valley is supplying UPMC with its allotment of monoclonal antibodies from the federal government and will refer qualifying patients to UPMC infusion centers, though the patients will remain under the care of their Heritage Valley physicians.
The U.S. supply of monoclonal antibodies is taxpayer-funded and the medication is given without charge to the institutions that administer it. Currently, UPMC Health Plan waives copayments and deductibles for administering the treatment.
Patients and providers can find out more about monoclonal antibody treatment by visiting upmc.com/AntibodyTreatment or by calling 866-804-5251.
Facebook board upholds Trump suspension
By MATT O’BRIEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Former President Donald Trump won’t return to Facebook — for now. The social network’s quasi-independent Oversight Board voted to uphold his ban from the platform after his account was suspended four months ago for inciting violence that led to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. While upholding the suspension, the board faulted Facebook for the way it made the decision, calling it “not appropriate” to suspend him indefinitely. The board says Facebook has six months to reexamine its “arbitrary” penalty.
(PITTSBURGH) For more than three months, Allegheny Health Network (AHN) has held dozens of mass vaccination clinics at various locations across Western Pennsylvania, reaching many people in our region with the COVID-19 vaccine. To continue to ensure convenient vaccine access for those who have not yet been vaccinated, as well as equitable distribution, the network will host a community-based clinics in Aliquippa on Thursday
Following are the details of the upcoming clinic:
Thursday, May 6
Church in the Round (744 Griffith Street; Aliquippa, Pa. 15001)
2 – 5 p.m.
Vaccine type: Pfizer-BioNTech (first of two doses)
After Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s announcement on re-openings across the commonwealth on Memorial Day the Pittsburgh Pirates are in the process of making plans to bring more fans into PNC Park.
According to the team, they’ll announce new ticket sale plans soon.
MLB also announced it’s easing some on-field entertainment restrictions beginning today. That smeans the Pierogi Race will back to the OF warning track when the Bucs return home Monday, May 10.
If You’re keeping score this year Bacon Burt and Cheese Chester posted 3 wins each on the Clemente Bridge.
The pierogis had been racing across the Clemente Bridge since the start of the season.
One of the biggest pushers of the new survey is County Commissioner Jack Manning, who spoke to Beaver County Radio about the importance on improving the amount of technology throughout the county in lieu of last year’s chaos.
