(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(North Sewickly Twp., Pa.) A 12 year-old boy was  placing items in a wood burner outside his family’s home on Concord Circle  Thursday afternoon when the accident occurred. Police Chief Jeff Becze said this Friday morning  that  something in the wood burner exploded back on the boy.  He suffered burns to his face and upper body. He was air lifted to West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Chief Becze said he will  contact Fire Chief  Mark Sutherland to look into what caused the explosion that caused the boy’s injuries.

October is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

AAA reminds drivers, “Don’t Drive Intoxicated. Don’t Drive Intexticated.”

 

Distracted driving continues to be a danger to everyone on the nation’s roads. In 2018, 2,841 people died in distracted driving crashes in America, according to the latest data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). AAA East Central reminds everyone that no life is worth losing to distraction and encourages all drivers to remain focused on the road ahead to save lives.

“Some motorists may feel that with the pandemic, there’s a lower risk for crashes, but that’s not the case,” says Theresa Podguski, director of legislative affairs, AAA East Central. “As long as there is anyone on the road, distracted driving presents a deadly threat to both the drivers and everyone else.”

Don’t Drive Intoxicated. Don’t Drive Intexticated. is AAA East Central’s ongoing initiative to end distracted driving. The campaign reminds drivers that the consequences of alcohol-impaired driving and texting while driving could be the same –  deaths and injuries that are entirely preventable. And while many may think distractions are limited to cell phones, they can also include eating, changing music, adjusting the navigation, talking to other passengers, and anything else that takes attention from driving.

Many drivers are guilty of a “double standard” when it comes to distracted driving. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s 2019 Traffic Safety Culture Index found that while 96 percent of drivers believed it was very or extremely dangerous to text or email while driving, nearly 4 out of 10 drivers admitted to doing so within the previous 30 days.

To avoid distractions while driving, the AAA East Central recommends that motorists:

• Put aside electronic distractions. Stow your smartphone away, turn it to airplane mode, or activate “do not disturb” call/text blocking features.
• Prepare for your drive. Set vehicle systems like GPS, seats, mirrors, climate controls and sound systems before hitting the road.
• Groom before you leave. Don’t use your time behind the wheel to fix your hair or makeup – this can be a deadly decision.
• Stay focused. Be sure to actively scan the road, use your mirrors, and watch out for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Secure your items. Properly secure items, children, and pets that can move around the vehicle and distract you.
• Be mindful of your passengers. If you have passengers, enlist their help as a “designated texter.” Ask them to answer your calls, respond to texts and program the navigation.
• Be a good passenger. Offer to assist the driver, and don’t distract them.

For more information, visit AAA.com/dontdrivedistracted.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 76 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  Past news releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

GOP lawmaker’s positive COVID-19 test cancels voting session
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Republican lawmaker’s positive test for COVID-19 has prompted legislative leaders to immediately cancel the Pennsylvania House’s voting session. Human resources workers were deployed Thursday to trace Rep. Paul Schemel’s personal contacts to see if others should be quarantined. The Franklin County lawmaker issued a statement saying he began to feel sick on Wednesday and got the positive test result Thursday. He then notified House officials. He was most recently in the Capitol on Tuesday. A significant number of House Republicans have continued to be maskless inside the Capitol.

White House ups bid in last-ditch COVID talks with Congress
By ANDREW TAYLOR Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is backing a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and is dangling the possibility of a COVID-19 relief bill with a price tag above $1.5 trillion in last-ditch, pre-election negotiations. An offer by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on unemployment benefits is higher than many Republicans would like in any potential COVID deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Significant, possibly unbridgeable hurdles remain. But the talks have generated momentum as the Trump administration presses for an agreement. On Air Force One Wednesday night, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Trump made an offer that was “extremely generous and certainly above the $1.5 trillion that has been articulated to date.”

High demand for flu shots? Experts hope to avoid ‘twindemic’
By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer
Health officials are urging Americans to seek a flu vaccine this month, hoping to avoid twin epidemics as COVID-19 continues to circulate. Europe is gearing up for flu vaccinations, too. Manufacturers have produced record numbers of doses, with as much as 198 million expected in the U.S. But they’re not all shipped at once, and there are sporadic reports of a drugstore or clinic temporarily out of stock. Vaccine makers say shipments still are coming. And the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions says early demand may be high but don’t get frustrated — keep trying.

Biden, Trump snipe from road and rails after debate chaos
By STEVE PEOPLES, WILL WEISSERT and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden kept up their debate-stage clash from the road and the rails as they competed for working-class voters in the Midwest. Meanwhile, elected officials in both parties — and even the debate commission — dealt with the most chaotic presidential faceoff in memory. The Tuesday night affair raised fresh questions about Trump’s continued reluctance to condemn white supremacy, his efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the election and his unwillingness to respect debate ground rules his campaign had agreed to. The Commission on Presidential Debates promised “additional structure” for future debates “to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.”

Former President Jimmy Carter celebrates 96th birthday
By BILL BARROW Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter marks his 96th birthday Thursday, the latest milestone for the longest lived of the 44 men to hold the highest American office. Carter planned to celebrate at his home in Plains, Georgia, with his wife of 74 years, Rosalynn Carter, according to a spokeswoman for the Carter Center in Atlanta. The 39th president, in office from 1977-81, has largely receded from the public eye amid the coronavirus pandemic and his own health challenges due to a series of falls in 2019. He previously survived a dire cancer diagnosis in 2015. Yet Carter remains a quiet force still active in both politics at home and, through his post-presidential center, in public health and human rights advocacy around the world.