Category: News

The Aliquipa MWAA Investigates Elevated Levels of Lead

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Elevated levels of lead were found  in some homes   after  drinking water tap samples were taken .According to the report issued by the authority, elevated levels of lead can cause serious  health problems , especially for pregnant women and young children.

Here are steps the authority suggested to reduce exposure to lead in the water- run your water to flush out lead, use cold water for cooking and making baby formula, don not boil water, it doesn’t reduce lead!  Look for alternative sources or treatment of water.   One consideration is purchasing bottled water, another is purchasing a filter   approved to reduce lead. You may also contact NSF International 1-800NSF-1810 for information.   Be sure to  maintain and replace the filter device according to the manufacturer’s instructions  to protect water quality.
Call the MWAA  724-375-5525 to find out how to get your water tested. Another option is getting your child’s blood tested for lead if you have concerns
Checking your plumbing fixtures and identifying them  and replacing those containing lead  is another option the authority officials suggest.
No particular area was identified  where the lead was found in the drinking water, according to a company spokesperson.

Pittsburgh International Airport Provides Online Art and Aviation Learning Opportunities for Back-to-School Season

Pittsburgh International Airport Provides Online Art and Aviation Learning Opportunities for Back-to-School Season

 Airport hosting student art contest, offering free downloadable activity book with aviation-inspired puzzles and games for all ages

PITTSBURGH — With summer travel plans on hold and the start of the school year anything but typical, Pittsburgh International Airport is providing new opportunities for children and families to engage in creativity and learning.

One of those opportunities is a Student Art Exhibit open to schoolchildren in Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties. Beginning Sept. 1, children ages 6-18 will be able to submit original artwork to the airport with the theme of “Nobody Owns the Sky,” the title of a children’s book about Bessie Coleman who became the first African-American licensed aviator in 1921.

Winners will be chosen from three age groups, and digital images of their work will be displayed throughout the airport and on its website, FlyPittsburgh.com. All types of artwork media will be accepted until Oct. 1.

Details on how to submit artwork and other rules can be found on the FlyPittsburgh.com website.

The airport has also partnered with Pittsburgh artists and previous airport artists-in-residence to create a free activity book for families to download that contains aviation-themed puzzles, games and other entertaining pastimes appropriate for all ages.

The PIT Safe Travels @Home activity book features local artists including Toby Fraley, Tereneh Idia, and Blaine Siegel, along with artist-designed activities showcasing passenger favorites like the Fraley’s Robot Repair Shop exhibit in Concourse A.

The activity book can be downloaded from the FlyPittsburgh.com website.

“Our vision is to reflect and serve our community especially during this difficult time,” said Rachel Saul Rearick, Arts & Culture Manager. “Our team is pleased to have collaborated with local artists to offer these opportunities that help children catalyze their energy and creativity, and learn about art and aviation in the process.”

PennDOT Driver License, Photo Centers Closed for Labor Day Holiday

PennDOT Driver License, Photo Centers Closed for Labor Day Holiday

Harrisburg, PA –The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that all driver license and photo centers, including its Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg, will be closed Saturday, September 5, through Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.

Customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services, including all forms, publications and driver training manuals, online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website, www.dmv.pa.gov.     Customer may continue to complete various transactions and access multiple resources online at www.dmv.pa.gov. Driver and vehicle online services are available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; driver license and photo ID duplicates; and driver exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services.

A complete listing of PennDOT driver and photo license center closings in 2020 is available on the website by clicking on PennDOT Service Center Holiday Closings under the “Pressroom” link at the bottom of the page.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews and like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/.

Additionally, COVID-19 information is available at www.health.pa.gov. For more information, visit www.dmv.pa.gov or www.PennDOT.gov

Gov. Wolf hints he will extend Pennsylvania eviction moratorium

Wolf hints he will extend Pennsylvania eviction moratorium
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is hinting that he’ll reverse himself and extend Pennsylvania’s moratorium on evictions beyond August after shielding renters for almost six months from losing their homes for failing to pay rent during the pandemic. Wolf, a Democrat, last week said he doesn’t have the legal authority to extend the moratorium beyond the end of August, and urged the Republican-controlled General Assembly to pass legislation to extend it. On Monday, he said he no longer stands by his decision to let it expire, but said “you have to wait and see” if he extends it.

Hummelstown-based Biotech Company, Penn State College of Medicine at Forefront of COVID-19 Treatment, Vaccine

Hummelstown-based Biotech Company, Penn State College of Medicine at Forefront of COVID-19 Treatment, Vaccine 

 

HARRISBURG – Apogee Biotechnology Corp., of Hummelstown, and Penn State College of Medicine at Hershey Medical Center have been awarded grants to develop a treatment and vaccine for the novel coronavirus, Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) announced Friday.

Apogee Biotechnology Corp. was awarded $306,250 for a potential treatment through the COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatments and Therapies (CV-VTT) program. Penn State College of Medicine was awarded $415,720 through the same program for a potential vaccine based on neutralizing antibodies to key proteins.

“It is no understatement to say COVID-19 is the public health crisis of our lifetime,” Mehaffie said. “I’m so incredibly proud that health care leaders in the 106th District are at the forefront of treatment and vaccine research.”

Apogee Biotechnology Corp. discovered the drug opaganib at its laboratories in the Hershey Center for Applied Research and was developing it originally for various cancers. Identifying the drug also has excellent anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties also makes it an exciting potential treatment for COVID-19, according to Dr. Lynn Maines, vice president for Research and Business Affairs for Apogee.

Opaganib is now in the midst of clinical trials in the United States and elsewhere around the world to evaluate its treatment in severe COVID-19 patients, with the clinical trials being led by RedHill Biopharma, corporate partner of Apogee, Maines said.

Because opaganib has already safely been evaluated in over 140 patients, mostly those with cancer, the Food and Drug Administration allowed for COVID-19 clinical trials to start more quickly in the United States. It is now in a U.S. trial of 40 severe COVID-19 patients, with results expected in September.

“Opaganib is delivered orally via a capsule, which makes availability and administering it easier than some other methods. Six severe COVID-19 patients were given opaganib in Israel, and all of them recovered nicely without the use of a ventilator,” Maines said.

Funding for the CV-VTT program was appropriated from Act 2A of 2020, which was the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriation Act of 2019. The funding was designated for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the program is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Office of Technology and Innovation.

Coronacoping: Cooking at home is a ‘thing’ again

Coronacoping: Cooking at home is a ‘thing’ again
By GRETCHEN MCKAY, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette undefined
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Home cooking is on the rise nationwide, whether people are naturals in the kitchen or not. As a result, grocery purchases have soared, both in stores and online. Food retail jumped by more than 25% in March compared to February, according to the 2020 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report. In April, it remained more than 10% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Trump supporters, protesters clash in Portland; 1 killed

Trump supporters, protesters clash in Portland; 1 killed
By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — One person was fatally shot late Saturday in Portland, Oregon, as Black Lives Matter protesters and people from a large caravan of President Donald Trump supporters clashed in the streets. It wasn’t clear if the shooting was linked to fights that broke out as a caravan of about 600 vehicles was confronted by protesters in the city’s downtown. Police say the caravan had left the area about 15 minutes before gunshots rang out. Oregon’s largest city has been the site of nightly protests for three months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Trump referenced the city in a speech Thursday at the Republican National Convention.

Lion Legacy Roared into Beaver County Radio

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Lion Legacy was a celebration of the 1980 New Brighton Lions Football team that appeared in the 1980 W.P.I.A.L. Championship game against the Seton la Salle Rebels.

Beaver County Radio Sports Director Bob Barrickman was the host of the round table discussion that celebrated that magical season on Oak Hill back in 1980. Following the round table celebration Beaver County Radio stepped back to that magical night where the Lions came up just short of the W.P.I.A.L. Championship losing to the Rebels 14-12. Beaver County Radio Legendary broadcasters Chris Shovlin and Jay Knaflec had the call from Moe Rubenstein Stadium in Ambridge.

Lion Legacy started with team members John Vukich, Don Mittner, Brian Debo and Doug Campbell talking about the season and how the Lions were decimated by graduation and weren’t given much of a chance by the local papers to do anything in 1980. The guys reminisced about the schedule that year as they went week by week with Bob Barrickman through the season.

From Left to Right John Vukich, Bob Barrickman, Don Mittner, Brain Debo, and Doug Campbell.

In the second segment of the show Head Coach Larry Matrazzo joined Matt Edgell, Brian Debo Craig Vukich and Bob Barrickman. The Talk then shifted to the nasty 1980 New Brighton Defense that was rarely scored on throughout the entire season.

From left to right Craig Vukich, Bob Barrickman, Brian Debo, Larry Matrazzo, and Matt Edgell

The show even featured team members Scott Herr, Mike Pinchotti, and Mark Herman calling in to celebrate with their team from their homes throughout the United States.

From left to right , Mark Pasqual, Bob Barrickman, Ron Faulkner, Vinnie Farelli, and Sam DeMarco

The Night was finished in the final segment with what is believed to be the three final living members of the 1951 W.P.I.A.L. Championship New Brighton Football Team.

Press the play button below to view Lion Legacy as it streamed Live on the Beaver County Radio Facebook Page.

https://www.facebook.com/beavercountyradio/videos/761940874571765

Utility regulators leave moratorium on shutoffs in place

Utility regulators leave moratorium on shutoffs in place
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania state utility regulators have effectively extended a moratorium preventing utilities from terminating service to non-paying customers for three more weeks while the state fights the spread of the coronavirus. The four-member panel of two Democrats and two Republicans postponed a vote on Thursday’s agenda until Sept. 17, after deadlocking twice on motions to lift the moratorium over the summer. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg University is the latest Pennsylvania school to shift all instruction to remote learning. That’s starting Monday after the school saw an outbreak of coronavirus cases. The state-owned school says students living on campus won’t be required to leave residence halls.

Lock of Lincoln’s hair and bloodied telegram up for auction

Lock of Lincoln’s hair and bloodied telegram up for auction
By WILLIAM J. KOLE Associated Press
A lock of Abraham Lincoln’s hair, wrapped in a bloodstained telegram about his 1865 assassination, is up for sale. Boston-based RR Auction says bidding has opened online for the items ahead of a live auction scheduled for Sept. 12. Measuring roughly 2 inches long, the bushy lock of hair was removed during Lincoln’s postmortem examination after he was fatally shot at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth. The auction house says it was given to Dr. Lyman Beecher Todd, a Kentucky postmaster and a cousin of Mary Todd Lincoln, the 16th president’s widow.