(Beaver,Pa.) The Beaver County Sheriff’s Department is mourning the loss of one of their own today. Retired K-9 officer Ciro passed away yesterday around twelve noon. Ciro served the Beaver County Sherriff’s Department for eight years. Ciro and his partner Deputy Jim Brown won multiple awards for their service and commitment to Beaver County. He had been living with his partner since being retired. According to the Beaver County Sherriff’s Facebook Page Ciro was surrounded by his family and close law enforcement friends for a private gathering and they sent him off with an officer’s escort, led by Trooper Mike Brown and Officer Jim Brown, of Aliquippa. He was transported by his doctor and close friend, “Dr. Mike.” The Sheriff’s Department stated that If you would like to send your condolences, you can do so by leaving them on the Facebook Post announcing Ciro’s passing so his handler can see them. Or, you can mail them to the Sheriff’s Office at 810 Third Street, Beaver Pa 15009, Attn: Deputy Jim Brown.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is seeking motorists’ input on traffic safety and driving behaviors through its annual online Highway Safety Survey found at www.PennDOT.gov/Safety.

“Safety is our top priority and we value continued public engagement in making our roadways safer,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “The results from this annual survey help us gauge participants’ attitudes on highway safety, and potentially allow us to adjust our safety activities so we can further reduce crashes and fatalities.”

The survey is available on PennDOT’s website through August 17 and should take about five minutes to complete. All responses, including the “comments” fields, are anonymous.

More than 10,000 people responded to last year’s survey. Notably, nearly 91 percent of respondents said they always wear a seat belt and 89 percent said they never drive while impaired. When asked which behaviors distracted them while driving in the last month, only 14 percent of respondents indicated “Using a hand-held cell phone” was a distraction. Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed indicated “Adjusting the radio or climate controls” was a distraction, while 37 percent indicated they were distracted by an object outside of the vehicle.

“Driving is a skill that requires 100 percent of your attention 100 percent of the time, and distractions are everywhere, it’s not just your cell phone,” said Gramian. “Don’t drive distracted.”

For more information on our highway safety efforts, visit www.PennDOT.gov/Safety.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews, Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/, and Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation.

DEP Offering Grants to Small Businesses and Farmers for Energy, Environmental Projects 

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced the availability of $1 million in grant funding to Pennsylvania small businesses and farmers for energy efficiency, pollution prevention, and natural resource protection projects through the Small Business Advantage grant program. New to the program this year is the opportunity for farmers to install solar pumping systems for their agricultural operations.

“Pennsylvania is committed to assisting those small business owners who want to become energy efficient, increase their profitability, and help the environment,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “This funding will support projects designed to reduce operating costs and boost competitiveness, while simultaneously protecting the environment.”

Eligible projects include adopting or acquiring equipment or processes that reduce energy use or pollution. Examples of eligible projects are HVAC and boiler upgrades, high-efficiency LED lighting, solvent recovery and waste recycling systems, and auxiliary power units deployed as anti-idling technology for trucks.

Last year, 233 small businesses were awarded grants for their projects. Natural resource protection projects may include planting riparian buffers, installation of streambank fencing to keep livestock out of streams, and investing in agricultural storm water management projects, with the goal of reducing sediment and nutrient loads in our waterways.

“We are excited to expand the program to help lower energy bills through the use of solar energy,” McDonnell said. “Encouraging businesses to embrace alternative energy projects helps clean our air, reduces greenhouse gases, and give small business owners a sense of satisfaction on making smart choices.”

Pennsylvania-based small business owners with 100 or fewer full-time equivalent employees are eligible. Projects must save the business a minimum of $500 and 25 percent annually in energy consumption, or pollution related expenses.

Businesses can apply for 50 percent matching funds of up to $7,000 to adopt or acquire energy-efficient or pollution prevention equipment or processes. Only costs incurred between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, are eligible.

Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis, and will be accepted until fiscal year 2020-21 funds are exhausted or April 12, 2021, whichever occurs first. All applications must be submitted through the Commonwealth’s Single Application for Assistance. Printed, faxed, and mailed applications are not accepted.

The complete grant application package, which includes step-by-step instructions and instructional videos for completing the online application, is available by visiting the DEP Small Business Advantage Grant.

The Small Business Ombudsman’s Office will conduct an instructional webinar on Wednesday, July 29, at 11:00 AM. The webinar will review the guidelines for the 2020-21 grant year. Applicants and contractors are encouraged to participate. Once at the webinar website, if you have Skype, click on “Join with Skype for Business (desktop)”. If you do not have Skype, click on “Install and join with Skype Meetings App (web)” to run a temporary web application.

To contact the Small Business Ombudsman’s Office, call 717-772-5160 or email epadvantagegtrant@pa.gov.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Aliquippa Water Authority Superintendent Bob Bible said this morning, Monday July 27, 2020 that there was a water leak discovered  in a field on Brodhead Road  Friday afternoon. Crews have been out since 9 a.m. to work on repairing the line, he said.  Work will possibly be completed by mid afternoon. There are flagger’s directing motorist in the area of  the First United Methodist Church.

Trump’s national security adviser has coronavirus
By ZEKE MILLER and JONATHAN LEMIRE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien has tested positive for the coronavirus. That’s according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it by name. He’s the highest-ranking White House official to test positive so far. The White House confirmed that O’Brien has mild symptoms and “has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site.” The White House says “there is no risk of exposure to the President or the Vice President” and that the “work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted.”

This past weekend took a toll on the stars of Hollywood and the music scene. We lost Legends Like Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland, best known as the kindly Melanie in “Gone with the Wind” who died on Sunday. She was 104. On Friday Regis Philbin died. The genial host shared his life with television viewers over morning coffee for decades and helped himself and some fans strike it rich with the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Philbin died Friday, just over a month before his 89th birthday. He died of natural causes. Peter Green, the dexterous blues guitarist who led the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac in a career shortened by psychedelic drugs and mental illness died at 73.

PennDOT Extends Expiration Dates on Driver Licenses, ID Cards, and Learner’s Permits

 Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that expiration dates for driver licenses, identification cards, and learner’s permits, will be extended for Pennsylvania residents in response to statewide COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

 Effective July 23, expiration dates for driver licenses, photo ID cards and learner’s permits scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020 through August 31, 2020, have been extended until August 31, 2020. These extensions are in addition to those announced on June 25.

 A camera card is considered a driver’s license, so it is covered by the same terms and conditions extending other driver’s license products. Camera cards with expiration dates within this timeframe are also extended through August 31, 2020.

 Additionally, limited services are available at some Driver License and Photo License Centers. For a list of open driver license and photo license centers and the services provided, as well as their hours of operation, please visit www.dmv.pa.gov.  

 Customers 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 schedule a driver’s exam. There are no additional fees for using online services.

 PennDOT will continue to evaluate these processes and will communicate any changes with the public.

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

PennDOT District 11 is announcing bridge washing activities on I-376 (Beaver Valley Expressway) in Hopewell Township over Green Garden Road requiring single-lane restrictions this week. The work will start today, Monday July 27 and continue thru Friday.

• Eastbound – Monday through Thursday – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. day
• Westbound – Monday through Friday – Noon to 3 p.m. each day

 

Crews from DeAngelo Brothers, LLC will conduct the work