Story, Photos and Video by Mark Peterson

(Beaver Falls, PA)  A beautiful late summer morning without a cloud in the sky, and comfortable temperatures in Beaver Falls was rudely interrupted by  dozens of firetrucks and sirens at around eleven A.M. on Thursday.  Crews from Beaver Falls, New Brighton, Rochester and Harmony township, among others battled a fire at The Beaver Falls Plaza Apartment Building. The Eleven story structure appeared to sustain little damage on the outside, as the fire was contained to the apartment where it started, though several windows were opened on the 7th Avenue side of the structure, presumably to let smoke out.

Reports indicated that three residents of the building were given treatment at the scene, but there no serious issues and by afternoon, people were heading back in to their residences.

Beaver County Emergency Management services provided water for residents and firefighters, who were still on site dealing with the fire almost two hours after it began.

The Beaver Falls Plaza Apartment building was built in 1978 and features one hundred twenty units.

Pitt and Drexel change plans for in-person classes
By MARC LEVY and MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The University of Pittsburgh is adjusting its coronavirus strategy, and delaying the start of in-person instruction to Sept. 14. The school’s decision Wednesday came as a top university official admonished students in a stark warning about partying and ignoring social distancing. In-person instruction was to start Monday. Across the state, Drexel University canceled in-person instruction for undergraduates for the fall quarter, with university officials saying they changed their minds after watching the difficulties at other large universities that have brought undergraduates back to campus. Meanwhile, the chairman of the state Senate Education Committee asked state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine to reverse the requirement that schoolchildren wear masks.

Trump eager to troll Biden outside his Scranton birthplace
By JONATHAN LEMIRE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — On Joe Biden’s big day, President Donald Trump is planning to show up in his rival’s old backyard. On Thursday afternoon Trump is set to hold an event just outside the former vice president’s birthplace in Scranton, Pennsylvania. That’s just hours before Biden formally accepts the Democratic nomination for president. The Trump campaign says the president’s speech will cover “a half-century of Joe Biden failing America.”

American Airlines will drop flights to 15 cities in October
By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer
American Airlines is dropping flights to 15 U.S. cities in October, when a federal requirement to serve those communities expires. American said Thursday that it will consider other changes unless the federal government provides more money to the embattled airline industry. The decision appears designed to put pressure on Congress and the Trump administration to approve another $25 billion in relief for passenger airlines, which have seen traffic plummet during the coronavirus pandemic. American has already received $5.8 billion and has applied for an additional federal loan of $4.9 billion.

Trump appeals as judge OKs Manhattan DA getting tax returns
By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday cleared the way for a New York prosecutor to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns, rejecting a last-ditch attempt by his lawyers to block a subpoena issued to his accounting firm. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero’s ruling echoes his prior decision in the case, which was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last month. The high court returned the case to Marrero so Trump’s lawyers could get another chance to challenge the subpoena issued by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Trump’s lawyers immediately appealed the decision to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

AMBRIDGE, Aug. 18 – State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, issued the following statement today after attending a hearing on high school athletics with Robert Lombardi, director of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.

“Today, as a member of the PIAA Oversight Committee, I participated in a joint House and Senate hearing regarding high school athletics. PIAA Executive Director Robert Lombardi provided testimony and answered questions from committee members as to the planning and preparation for the upcoming fall sports season during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

PennDOT Earns Regional America’s Transportation Awards for Operations Excellence and Best Use of Technology

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) recently received regional America’s Transportation Awards for operational excellence and best use of technology.

The department’s operational excellence award was for the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement Program and the best use of technology award was for the Shaler Street Bridge Replacement.

“Innovation is at the heart of PennDOT initiatives across the state,” said PennDOT Secretary of Transportation Yassmin Gramian.  “It is gratifying to have our efforts recognized by our transportation partners.”

The Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement Program works by deploying a mobile unit to an active work zone to detect any vehicles going at least 11 miles over the speed limit. When a vehicle goes over the limit, its license plate is captured, and a violation is mailed to the address on file. More info on the program can be found at workzonecameras.PennDOT.gov.

The Shaler Street Bridge Replacement project marks the first use of self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) in Pennsylvania. This technology allowed the department to replace the Shaler Street Bridge over busy Route 19 in Allegheny County over the course of two weekends. For more information about this project, visit PennDOT’s website.

The America’s Transportation Awards competition is sponsored by American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), American Automobile Association (AAA), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. State DOTs compete in three categories: Quality of Life/Community Development; Best Use of Technology and Innovation; and Operations Excellence. Each category is also designated by budget size. Projects are judged within their region. In the Northeastern region, seven states nominated 15 projects.

The Automated Work Zone Enforcement Program is a five-year pilot study to address work zone safety in the state. For the Shaler Street Bridge Replacement project, the department used SPMTs do the work of removing and replacing old bridge panels, helping speed up the construction process.

Learn more about America’s Transportation Awards at https://americastransportationawards.org/2020-nasto-projects/.