(Beaver County, Pa.) The Beaver County Commissioners have cancelled their work session scheduled for tomorrow due to Veteran’s Day. The Commissioners also announced they have cancelled their regularly scheduled Public Meetings on November 12^th and 26^th.

There will only be one Public Meeting in November and that will be on Thursday, November 19^th at 10AM in the Commissioners Meeting Room.  At that meeting is when they will pass the proposed budget for 2021. The budget will be placed on display after that meeting.

DMVA Launches PA VETConnect, a Statewide Outreach Initiative that Better Serves Veterans in Need of Assistance 

Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) launched PA VETConnect, a statewide outreach initiative designed to better serve the commonwealth’s nearly 800,000 veterans. PA VETConnect identifies and cultivates new community partnerships to simultaneously broaden referral capabilities and connect veterans to the best possible resources, regardless of the township, county or region where they reside.

“Pennsylvania provides a variety of programs and benefits for veterans, but there are still areas that we do not have formal programs due to lack of funding,” Governor Tom Wolf said. “PA VETConnect is our solution because it allows us to address these gaps through creative inter-agency coordination and community partnerships. We owe it to our veterans to provide them with the help they need and have earned through their military service.”

“With the governor’s leadership, the DMVA staff has made PA VETConnect a priority project so that we can reach deeper into communities, establish a wider network of advocates, and provide the best possible programs and services to our veterans,” said Maj. Gen. Anthony Carrelli, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “We realize that there is no way a program of this magnitude can be successful without the cooperation of our community partners. We are a more helpful agency to veterans because of these relationships.”

Two innovative features of PA VETConnect make the program unique in Pennsylvania, which has the fourth largest veteran population in the nation, when it comes to veteran advocacy.

The key to PA VETConnect is an Information and Referral (I&R) database that provides those who serve veterans – such as county directors of veterans affairs and veteran service organizations – with the names, contact information and an overview of thousands of organizations throughout the commonwealth that have the resources to assist veterans’ specific needs.

The DMVA has also committed a staff of Regional Program Outreach Coordinators (RPOC) to work with veteran advocates throughout Pennsylvania to build relationships and develop a network that connects Pennsylvania’s military heroes to the resources they need to live a healthy, quality life. The RPOCs are DMVAs field-level individuals who live and work throughout the state. They not only discover new resources to assist veterans within their communities and across the commonwealth but serve as a liaison between veteran advocates and DMVA.

“Thanks to this vast compilation of organizations, veterans will no longer be limited to the resources – or lack of resources – in their immediate area. By identifying thousands of organizations throughout the state, veterans can now be connected to where they will be best served, and that includes across county lines,” Gov. Wolf added.

PA VETConnect is part of the Governor’s Customer Service Transformation initiative that improves the overall experience of Pennsylvanians dealing with state government. PA VETConnect helps veterans and families with an array of issues, including homelessness, mental health, suicide, employment, financial challenges, legal, family crisis, and much more.

To learn more about PA VETConnect, visit www.dmva.pa.gov/VETConnect. Veterans who are in need of assistance and want to connect with a service through PA VETConnect can send an email request to RA-MVVET-CONNECT@pa.gov.

(Aliquippa, Pa.) In September of 2015, Bradley Stewart & Anthony Checca got out of state prison ad went on a crime spree in several counties. They robbed a home of a drug dealer in Ambridge and struck a juvenile girl in the mouth causing her to need four teeth fixed. Then they went to Aliquippa to rob another drug dealer. They roughed up another juvenile there.

While Stewart was leaving the house, several relatives of the Aliquippa juvenile arrived and started to strike him. He ran towards the van where Checca was waiting for him.  Someone shot Stewart as he reached the van and he and Checca sped away.

Checca looked over at Stewart and saw that he had died. Checca pulled over to the side of the road and dumped Stewart out of the van and down over the hill.

Crime Solvers has offered a ONE WEEK ONLY – NOVEMBER 8 – 14^th, 2020 reward of $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the individual who shot Bradley Stewart.  Anyone with information may call the Aliquippa Police Department, Det. Sgt. Steve Roberts.

PITTSBURGH Pa. (Nov. 9, 2020) – The Commission on Cancer (CoC) has named James McCormick, DO, FACS, FASCRS, Allegheny Health Network’s System Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery and Medical Director of the Rectal Cancer Center of Excellence at AHN Cancer Institute, recipient of its State Chair Outstanding Performance Award.

The award is given to physicians who have exhibited outstanding leadership and innovation, and have made significant contributions to the improvement of cancer care in their state. CoC State Chairs represent the CoC by providing leadership and support to programs and physicians in their region. As collaborators, innovators and experts, they work alongside other cancer professionals to improve the quality of cancer care.

AHN was the first health system in the region, and sixth in the nation, to be designated as a Rectal Cancer Center of Excellence (NAPRC). This designation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer is granted only to programs that commit to providing high-quality care to patients with rectal cancer, and undergo a rigorous review of its performance and compliance with NAPRC standards.

The CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients through standard setting, which promotes cancer prevention, research, education and monitoring of comprehensive quality care.

Updated menu, celeb collaborations, pump McDonald’s sales
By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer
McDonald’s U.S. sales came roaring back in the third quarter, amped up by the introduction of spicy chicken nuggets and a meal deal promotion with rapper Travis Scott. But sales elsewhere remained lower than a year ago, and McDonald’s said a resurgence of coronavirus cases in key markets like France, Germany and the United Kingdom could force dining room closures and other restrictions. McDonald’s same-store sales jumped 4.6% in the U.S. in the July-September period. Customer traffic was down, but when diners came, they ordered for larger groups.

GM recalls 217K vehicles to fix leak that can stop travel
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is recalling more than 217,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada because transmission oil can leak, causing them to stop or catch fire. The recall covers certain versions of the 2018 through 2020 Chevrolet Equinox and Traverse as well as the GMC Terrain. Also included are the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu and 2018 and 2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, as well as the 2019 through 2020 Buick Encore and Enclave, the Cadillac XT4, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Blazer. The 2020 Cadillac XT6 also is covered.GM says two bolts may be missing from the stop-start mechanism, allowing the fluid to leak. The company says it has no reports of crashes or fires. Dealers will inspect the mechanism and replace bolts if they’re missing. The recall is to begin Dec. 14..

Majority of Mail Ballots Counted and Provisional Ballot Count Has Begun in Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Pa. ­– Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar today reported that the overwhelming majority of mail-in and absentee ballots in Pennsylvania have been counted and the process of counting provisional ballots has begun.

“Pennsylvania counties have been incredibly hard at work canvassing all the ballots to provide accurate results as quickly as possible following best practices and responsibilities pursuant to state and federal law,” Secretary Boockvar said. “We are very thankful to all the election officials working extremely long hours to make our democracy work and ensure that every qualified voter’s vote is counted safely and securely.”

Under state law, county boards of election must individually adjudicate each provisional ballot and assess within seven days of an election whether they meet the standards for counting.  The counties will do so by verifying the voter was registered to vote in the precinct in which the ballot was cast, and that the voter did not cast a mail-in ballot prior to requesting the provisional ballot at the polling place.

Additionally, Secretary Boockvar noted that the Commonwealth has been planning to complete a statewide risk-limiting audit, as was done after the June primary.

Launched by the department in January 2019, risk-limiting audits are scientifically designed and highly effective procedures conducted after an election to strengthen election security and integrity, confirm the accuracy of election outcomes, and provide confidence to voters that their votes were counted accurately. A risk-limiting audit confirmed the outcome of the June primary election.

HARRISBURG – As counties across Pennsylvania continue the work to count and certify election results, concerns over the process continue to grow. Today, Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf requesting a full audit be completed before the certification of any results.

In the letter (attached to this release) Cutler cites actions taken by the state Supreme Court and the Department of State that have created confusion for county election officials, and actions believed to be in violation of the federal Constitution.

“The uncertainty surrounding these interventions has cast an unnecessary cloud on the election process,” Cutler wrote in the letter. “That invites our people to question the results, regardless of which candidate or party may prevail.”

Cutler explains an audit is needed because of a litany of inconsistencies as a result of court actions and Department of State guidance, including the dismissal of signature requirements for mail-in ballots, certain counties allowing for curative measures, counties not following the United States Supreme Court ruling requiring ballots received after election day to be segregated, and more.

Cutler added, “We must take every possible step to ensure that all Pennsylvanians and all Americans know that our Commonwealth has conducted the General Election with integrity.”

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Slippery Rock, Twp, Pa.) PA State Police reported that they responded to  a 2 vehicle accident, one of them being a motorcycle  at 6 p.m. Saturday night  on Ellwood Road in Slippery Rock Township.

(File Photo from September 2018 Wolverines game at Western Beaver on Beaver County Radio)

(Ellwood City, Pa.) Anyone who attended the Ellwood City Wolverines football games on Oct. 9 and Oct. 17 may have been exposed to the Coronavirus according to a warning that was issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The Health Department doesn’t state in the release how attendees could have been exposed but they are asking anyone who attended to self-monitor for any symptoms that are related to the Coronavirus. Anyone who is showing these symptoms should call their doctor or the Pa Health Department at 877-724-3258.