Military voters fear they’re part of unsupported fraud claim
By MICHELLE L. PRICE, MICHAEL BALSAMO and ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Justice Department has already begun looking into two specific allegations voting irregularities. One is a claim from the Trump campaign that thousands of people may have improperly voted. The other is an allegation from a postal worker in Pennsylvania that a postmaster had instructed workers to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day. Neither case appears to hold much water, according to details about the probes. But the first accusation has U.S. military personnel in Nevada concerned they have been drawn into unsubstantiated fraud claims. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election despite President Donald Trump’s claims.

FirstEnergy Corp sets goal to become carbon free by 2050
By MARK GILLISPIE Associated Press
CLEVELAND (AP) — Ohio’s largest electric utility has established a goal to become carbon free by 2050. The company said this week it will eventually close two coal-fired power plants in West Virginia, replace its truck fleet with electric and hybrid vehicles and build a large solar farm in West Virginia. The announcement comes amid numerous state and local investigations into what authorities say was a $60 million bribery scheme to win a $1 billion legislative bailout for two aging nuclear plants it owned when the bill was approved in July 2019. FirstEnergy Vice President Gary Benz calls the carbon-free initiative a “big step.”

Gov. Wolf Signs 12th Renewal of Opioid Disaster Declaration as Work Continues to Fight Opioid Epidemic and COVID-19 Pandemic

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Tom Wolf signed the 12th renewal of his January 2018 opioid disaster declaration to help the state fight the then-burgeoning opioid and heroin epidemic. The declaration allows the state to loosen regulations and work outside of typical procedures to expedite aid and initiatives to help those suffering from opioid use disorder and those who work to prevent and treat this medical condition.

“We must continue to fight both the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic in our commonwealth, and I am grateful to the dedicated team of the Opioid Command Center for its commitment to fighting the opioid epidemic even among challenging circumstances,” Gov. Wolf said. “The work that is enabled by this declaration is vital to saving the lives of so many Pennsylvanians, providing education and treatment, and advancing initiatives across the state to continue to battle this epidemic. This work is no less important during COVID; we can and are fighting both the pandemic and the epidemic.”

The declaration allows for the redirection and reorganization of commonwealth resources to align programs from multiple agencies to work together to mitigate the opioid crisis, its causes and effects.

“As the commonwealth continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic during the winter months, continuing our fight against the opioid epidemic has never been more important,” said DDAP Secretary Jennifer Smith. “While social distancing and mitigation efforts are critical to stop the spread of the deadly virus, for individuals with substance use disorder community support is a critical aspect of seeking treatment and ultimately sustaining recovery. Governor Wolf’s 12th renewal of the disaster declaration shows his unwavering commitment to support individuals suffering from substance use disorder and focusing resources to support the drug and alcohol community.”

“The opioid crisis continues to affect our loved ones, our communities and our state for those with the disease of addiction,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Renewing the disaster declaration allows us to continue our efforts to ensure that we are helping those in need. Recovery works, and treatment is possible for those with this disease.”

Work to address the opioid crisis focuses on three areas: prevention, rescue and treatment. Efforts over the past several years, working with state agencies, local, regional and federal officials, have resulted in significant action to address the opioid crisis:

• Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed an updated naloxone standing order permitting community-based organizations to provide naloxone by mail.
• The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program has reduced opioid prescriptions by 47 percent and has virtually eliminated doctor shopping.
• The number of people receiving high dosages of opioids (defined as greater than 90 morphine milligram equivalents per day) has dropped 57 percent since the PDMP launched in August 2016.
• The Opioid Data Dashboard and Data Dashboard 2.0 has provided public-facing data regarding prevention, rescue and treatment.
• 11 Pennsylvania Coordinated Medication Assisted Treatment (PacMAT) programs are serving as part of a hub-and-spoke model to provide evidence-based treatment to people where they live, with just under $26 million dedicated into the centers.
• More than 45 Centers of Excellence, administered by the Department of Human Services, provide coordinated, evidence-based treatment to people with an opioid use disorder covered by Medicaid. The COEs have treated more than 32,500 people since first launching in 2016.
• The waiver of birth certificate fees for those with opioid use disorder has helped close to 5,300 people, enabling easier entry into recovery programs.
• A standing order signed by Dr. Rachel Levine in 2018 allowed EMS to leave behind more than 2,400 doses of naloxone.
• Education has been provided to more than 7,000 prescribers through either online or face-to-face education.
• 882 drug take-back boxes help Pennsylvanians properly dispose of unwanted drugs, including 178,540 pounds of unwanted drugs in 2019. 2020 data is not yet available because of COVID.
• The Get Help Now Hotline received close to 42,622 calls, with more than half of all callers connected directly to a treatment provider.
• The state prison system has expanded their Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program, which is viewed as a model program for other states.
• A body scanner pilot project was successful in reducing overdoses and violent crime in a number of facilities. Body scanners are in place in more than 30 locations and are currently being expanded to additional facilities.
• Several agencies have worked together to collaborate on the seizure and destruction of illicit opioids across Pennsylvania.
• Education and training on opioids have been provided to schools. Future plans are in place to make opioid education a standard component of school-based training.
• The coordination with seven major commercial providers has expand access to naloxone and mental health care, while also working to make it more affordable.
• Naloxone has been made available to first responders through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency since November 2017, with more than 72,000 kits made available and more than 16,241 overdose reversals reported through the program. More than 6,600 of those saves occurred in 2019.
• EMS have administered close to 45,900 doses of naloxone and more than 10,000 doses were made available to members of the public during the state’s naloxone distribution last year.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s response to the opioid crisis visit www.pa.gov/opioids.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is urging motorists to drive safely in work zones after three separate work zone intrusions resulted in motorists hitting a PennDOT crash truck.

“Even though construction season is winding down in many places, we still have road crews out there,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “Please don’t speed, never drive distracted, and always buckle up, especially in work zones.”

According to PennDOT data, in 2019 there were 1,754 work zone crashes, resulting in 16 fatalities. Since 1970, 89 PennDOT employees have died in the line of duty.

In addition to crash data from police reports, PennDOT monitors work-zone safety with internal reports. As of November 10, there have been 72 reported intrusions in PennDOT work zones. Of those work-zone intrusions, seven resulted in injures to PennDOT employees, 25 caused damage to PennDOT fleet or equipment, and 40 did not result in injury or damage but had the potential to do so.

Pennsylvania law states that anyone stopped by law enforcement for violating the posted speed limit by more than 5 mph will face doubled fines. The fine is determined based on the amount the driver is traveling over the speed limit. Governor Tom Wolf signed a law in 2016 that says any driver who causes serious bodily injury within a work zone could face up to $5,000 in fines and a six-month license suspension, and a driver causing a death within a work zone could face up to a $10,000 fine and one-year license suspension. Drivers who don’t turn on their headlights in posted work zones face a $25 fine.

Additionally, in an effort to change unsafe driving behaviors in work zones, Pennsylvania’s Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement began earlier this year. The program uses vehicle-mounted systems to detect and record motorists exceeding posted work zone speed limits by 11 miles per hour or more using electronic speed timing devices. AWZSE systems can be deployed in active work zones, where workers are present, on the turnpike as well as any active work zone on a federal aid highway – this includes higher class roadways like interstates, major arterials, and numbered routes. Registered owners will receive a warning letter for a first offense, a violation notice and $75 fine for a second offense, and a violation notice and $150 fine for third and subsequent offenses. These violations are civil penalties only; no points will be assessed to driver’s licenses.

For more information on work zone safety visit, www.PennDOT.gov/Safety.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an order to prevent ETC Northeast Pipeline, LLC (ETC) from putting natural gas in unstable sections of the Revolution Pipeline located in Butler, Beaver, Allegheny and Washington counties.

On October 20, 2020, and November 3, 2020, ETC informed DEP that the company intends to put the Revolution Pipeline into service but did not identify when gas would be placed into the pipeline. DEP has been in regular contact with ETC regarding the stability of the pipeline and DEP’s concerns that placing natural gas and liquids into unstable sections of the pipeline endangers people and the environment.

On September 10, 2018, a landslide occurred along the Revolution Pipeline in Center Township, Beaver County. When the landslide occurred, a section of the pipeline separated, allowing methane gas to escape from the pipeline. The gas ignited, causing a fire that burned several acres of forested areas; destroyed a single-family home, a barn, and numerous vehicles; resulted in the evacuation of nearby residents; and caused six high voltage electric transmission towers to collapse. In January 2020, DEP executed a consent order and agreement (COA) and assessed a $30.6 million civil penalty against ETC.

There are currently numerous unstable slopes along the pipeline route, although ETC received approval to permanently stabilize several of these areas beginning in April 2020. If another landslide or landslides were to occur, it could displace and separate the Revolution Pipeline and the impacts could be worse than the explosion in 2018 because the pipeline’s contents would be more explosive with the addition of natural gas liquids. This would cause a significant pollution event and pose a great danger to human health, safety and the environment.

DEP has found ETC to be in violation of the COA’s requirements to propose and implement designs that achieve an adequate factor of safety where ETC constructed the Revolution Pipeline across steep slopes and hillsides and there is a higher risk of instability and slope failures. ETC failed to submit the required stability designs and the company repeatedly stated to DEP that it has no intention of doing so. DEP also issued a notice of violation in June 2019 for ETC’s deficient proposed preparedness, prevention, and contingency (PPC) plan, which ETC has still not revised and submitted for DEP approval.

This order specifically requires ETC to cease, discontinue and not allow placement of and/or remove natural gas and any natural gas related fluids in any section of the Revolution Pipeline located in areas with unstable slopes that are not permanently stabilized with a design that achieves the agreed upon factor of safety. The order also requires that ETC develop and submit an adequate PPC plan that protects the public and environment by describing how the contents of the Revolution Pipeline would be removed in a safe and environmentally protective manner prior to permanent stabilization in the event of leak, release or catastrophic incident like a landslide.

This order will remain in effect until DEP issues written approval of ETC’s stability design and issues a written determination that the stability analyses and permanent stabilization plans have been fully implemented.

GOP picks Pennsylvania’s first female Senate majority leader
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans who control Pennsylvania’s state Senate voted Thursday to select the chamber’s first female majority leader and promote their majority leader of the past six years. Third-term Sen. Kim Ward of Westmoreland County will replace Sen. Jake Corman as majority leader. Ward, who has chaired committees that handle transportation and gambling issues, was first elected in 2008. Corman, the state Senate’s Republican majority leader since 2015, will fill the empty post of president pro tempore when the Legislature’s new session starts in January. In the House, minority Democrats were voting Thursday to replace their floor leader, Frank Dermody of Allegheny County, who conceded his reelection bid earlier this week.

(left to right) CCBC President Roger W. Davis; Mr. Terry Ruckert, Church Council President; Rev. Martin J. Galbraith; and Mr. Frederick Retsch, Church Member and CCBC Foundation Board Director and CCBC Trustee; celebrate the establishment of the new scholarship at a recent CCBC Foundation Board meeting.

(Photo Courtesy of CCBC)

Monaca, PA  Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) Foundation has established the Dr. Nancy Alberts Health Sciences Endowed Memorial Scholarship in partnership with the congregation at New Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church in Freedom, Pa. 

In recognition of Dr. Alberts’ service as a respected, long-serving medical physican in the Beaver County community, the $10,000 scholarship will be awarded annually to a student pursuing a career in health sciences fields, starting in the Fall 2021 semester. 

“Dr. Alberts was passionate about serving her community and neighbors,” said Mr. Frederick Retsch, New Hope Evangelical Lutheran church member, CCBC Foundation Board Director and CCBC Trustee. “The scholarship will ensure that her memory and legacy will continue to be shared with others.”  

Prior to her unexpected passing in May 2019, Dr. Alberts was involved in her church through choir, Bible study and as a mentor, in addition to her dedicated work in the medical field. 

CCBC offers top-quality health career programs such as nursing, practical nursing, multiskilled health technician (phlebotomy and nurse aide), and radiologic technology.

To apply for the Dr. Nancy Alberts Health Sciences Endowed Memorial Scholarship by July 1, 2021, visit www.CCBCFoundation.org/scholarships. To contribute to the scholarship fund, visit www.CCBCFoundation.org/donate.