Category: News

Biden campaign announces $280 million ad buy through fall

Biden campaign announces $280 million ad buy through fall
By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential campaign is reserving $280 million in digital and television ads through the fall. It’s nearly twice the amount President Donald Trump’s team has reserved. The Biden campaign announced in a Wednesday memo it’s reserving $220 million in television airtime and $60 million in digital ads. A review of Kantar/CMAG data by The Associated Press finds that’s in contrast to the $147 million Trump’s campaign has reserved. Biden’s campaign also plans to launch what it calls an “unprecedented” paid media campaign to educate people on voting options during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s campaign has tried to frame Biden’s expanding footprint as a sign Biden’s challenge is in peril.

Dobnak shines in homecoming, Twins top reeling Pirates 5-2

Dobnak shines in homecoming, Twins top reeling Pirates 5-2
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Minnesota’s Randy Dobnak dominated in his homecoming, allowing three hits in six innings as the streaking Twins topped the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2. Dobnak, who grew up a half-hour south of PNC Park in the Pittsburgh suburb of South Park, didn’t walk a batter and struck out just one. The 25-year-old relied on a heavy fastball the Pirates pounded into the ground. Pittsburgh managed just four balls out of the infield against Dobnak, who dropped his ERA to 0.60. Marwin Gonzalez went 2 for 4 with two RBIs for the Twins. Max Kepler gave Minnesota some breathing room in the ninth with a three-run home run off Pirates’ reliever Dovydas Neverauskas.

Petry’s goal in 3rd lifts Canadiens past Penguins again

Petry’s goal in 3rd lifts Canadiens past Penguins again
TORONTO (AP) — Jeff Petry scored 5:33 into the third period as the Montreal Canadiens rallied from two goals down and beat Pittsburgh 4-3 in Game 3, pushing the Penguins to the brink of elimination in the best-of-five series. Shea Weber had a goal and two assists for Montreal, Paul Byron added a goal and an assist, and Jonathan Drouin also scored. Carey Price stopped 30 shots for the Canadiens. Montreal can advance to the normal first round with 16 teams with win in Game 4 on Friday. Patric Hornqvist, Jason Zucker and Teddy Blueger scored for fifth-seeded Pittsburgh, which led 3-1 after Blueger’s goal 5:34 into the second. Matt Murray finished with 27 saves.

Wall Street rallies again; S&P 500 pulls within 2% of record

Wall Street rallies again; S&P 500 pulls within 2% of record
By STAN CHOE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rising again on Wall Street, and the S&P 500 is ticking closer to its record high as it tries for a fourth straight gain. The S&P 500 was 0.6% higher in late trading on Wednesday, following up on gains in European markets and across much of Asia. The index is back within 2% of its record for the first time since February. Negotiators on Capitol Hill reported some progress in talks for more support for the economy, while Disney surged after it became the latest company to report quarterly results that weren’t as bad as Wall Street expected.

Commissioners Announce First Phase For $14.8 Million CARES Act Funding

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

At the weekly work session, Commissioner Dan Camp announced that Beaver County, the Board of Commissioners, and the accounting firms sanctioned by the County will begin to work on the first phase of distributing the $14.8 million CARES Act funding granted due to the national (and statewide) COVID-19 outbreak.

“The first phase of the funding will be [for] municipalities and non-governmental grants,” Camp said. “Non-governmental grants include small businesses, non-profits that are 501c3 & 501c19.”

Camp noted that the application period for Phase 1 funding will be from August 10 through August 24, and that applications can be taken care of online.

Commissioner Tony Amadio and Assistant Solicitor Nathan Morgan were not present at the work session, either in person or via phone. No comments were made on their absence.

The next work session is August 12 at 10 AM.

Districts go round and round on school bus reopening plans

Districts go round and round on school bus reopening plans
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic means putting children on school buses, and districts are working on plans to limit the risk. The strategies being considered include limiting bus capacity, filling buses from the back and coming up with plans to handle children who exhibit symptoms. Planners have developed a wide array of strategies to reduce the health risks, but nobody has found a silver bullet. Many schools are surveying parents to determine how many students will need bus transportation and how many plan to drive their kids to school. Others are making decisions about bus capacity that involve a trade-off between safety and affordability.

2 tornadoes confirmed in Eastern Pennsylvania during storm

2 tornadoes confirmed in Pennsylvania during storm
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The National Weather Service has confirmed that tornadoes touched down in Bucks and Montgomery counties during Tuesday’s storm. The weather service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey said more details would be provided later such as the strength and exact location of the storms, which were among six that struck the region. Tornadoes also touched down in Ocean and Cape May counties in New Jersey, Kent and New Castle Counties in Delaware and Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Regional rail service was suspended Wednesday in Philadelphia after the storm raised the Schuylkill River and sent an unsecured construction barge into a bridge.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The National Weather Service has confirmed that tornadoes touched down in Bucks and Montgomery counties during Tuesday’s storm.
The weather service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey said more details would be provided later such as the strength and exact location of the storms, which were among six that struck the region. Tornadoes also touched down in Ocean and Cape May counties in New Jersey, Kent and New Castle Counties in Delaware and Queen Anne’s County, Maryland.
In Bucks County on Tuesday, high winds partially tore the roof off a day care center on the grounds of a suburban Philadelphia hospital, injuring four children. Bucks County government officials said in a Twitter post that high winds around Doylestown Hospital partially tore the roof off the day care center at Children’s Village, a private preschool on the hospital grounds, and overturned and moved around vehicles in the parking lot.
Doylestown Health said four children and some staff members were treated for minor injuries, and all of the children were moved to a local middle school to reunite with family.
Regional rail service was suspended Wednesday in Philadelphia after the storm raised the Schuylkill River and sent an unsecured construction barge into a bridge. The barge came to a rest against the Vine Street Expressway Bridge. Inspectors were checking for damage.
The bridge is upstream from a SEPTA rail bridge at 30th Street. The commuter bus and rail agency said is suspended all regional rail service out of an abundance of caution until the barge was secured or crossed under the bridge. Interstate 676, which crosses the bridge, also was closed in both directions.

Pa Dept. L&I Holding Virtual Town Hall on Unemployment Benefits Tomorrow at 1 p.m.

L&I Holding Virtual Town Hall on Unemployment Benefits Tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvanians can ask questions directly to unemployment compensation experts during the Department of Labor & Industry’s (L&I) eleventh live virtual town hall from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM tomorrow, Thursday, August 6, 2020. The event will feature information about regular unemployment compensation (UC) and other federal COVID-19-related benefits programs.

How to participate

A livestream will be online at https://access.live/PAlabor. Those without internet access can listen by calling 1-833-380-0719, however access is limited so we ask that they be reserved for individuals who need them.

Participants can ask questions live during the town hall. To protect participants’ personal confidential information, detailed answers about individual claim questions cannot be answered during the town hall.

Pennsylvania has implemented all of the new programs under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act:

  • Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – for self-employed, gig workers, contractors and others not normally eligible for UC.
  • Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) – additional 13 weeks of benefits to people who exhaust their regular UC.
  • Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) – extra $600 per week for anyone receiving unemployment benefits.
    • The federal government created and funded the FPUC program. Under federal requirement, the claim week ending July 25, 2020, was the last $600 FPUC payment claimants will receive. However, anyone receiving payments for UC claim weeks April 4 through July 25 will still receive backdated FPUC payments if eligible. The federal government must approve any extension of the program.

Improving Customer Service

  • 229,726 overtime hours worked by L&I UC staff since mid-March.
  • 122 percent increase in UC service center staffing levels since March 15 – with 775 employees supporting UC service center operations than compared to the current total of 1,719.
  • The following claimants have been helped since March 15:
    • 702,896 through email;
    • 324,361 by phone;
    • 123,308 by LiveChat; and
    • 276,385 by Virtual Assistant.

Additionally, 94 percent of the eligible claimants have been paid or are not eligible for benefits among applicants from March 15 and July 4, if they filed a continuing claim to request a payment. The remaining 6 percent are claims that the automated system couldn’t approve for various reasons and are under individual review by staff.

Important Resources and Links

Recordings of prior public town halls are available here. Additional unemployment benefits information is available on L&I’s website, Facebook or Twitter.

TSA Officers at Pittsburgh International Airport Stop Man with Loaded Gun

 MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — TSA officers at Pittsburgh International Airport stopped a Connellsville man from taking a loaded handgun onto an airplane at Pittsburgh International Airport yesterday.

The man told TSA officers he forgot he had a .380 caliber handgun with him when he was stopped at the checkpoint. A TSA officer who was working at a checkpoint X-ray machine’s monitor spotted the weapon was in the man’s carry-on bag.

Allegheny County police confiscated the weapon after they were contacted by the TSA. So Far this year there have been nine guns that have been confiscated at Pittsburgh International Checkpoints.

McClain Road Culvert Replacement Underway in Chippewa Township

McClain Road Culvert Replacement Underway in Chippewa Township

 Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing culvert replacement work is underway on McClain Road in Chippewa Township.

The work is requiring the closure of McClain Road between Route 251 and Elmbrook Road around-the-clock through mid-September. Additional work includes pavement restoration and guide rail installation. Through traffic will be detoured via Elmbrook Road and Route 251.

Motorists are advised to use caution. Work zone safety is everyone’s responsibility.