State Rep. Rob Matzie announced that 11 fire companies in his district will receive $261,012 in state grants for operational expenses incurred as a result of COVID-19.

Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, said the grants awarded by the Office of State Fire Commissioner are needed to offset the additional financial burdens created by the pandemic.

“Even under the best of times, our fire and rescue workers are forced to operate on shoestring budgets, but the pandemic has complicated things a hundred-fold,” Matzie said. “Rescue operations involve a higher degree of risk, and first responders are facing situations requiring additional protective equipment and other resources. At the same time, restrictions on social gatherings have dried up sources of fundraising.

“Securing these grants should help ease the burden on these frontline heroes so they can continue their lifesaving work while staying safe themselves.”

Matzie said the following fire companies will receive the following amounts:

Allegheny County

• Leetsdale Fire Department – $23,151.

Beaver County

• Aliquippa Bureau of Fire – $24,247.
• Ambridge Volunteer Fire Department – $24,110.
• Baden Volunteer Fire Department – $25,205.
• Conway Volunteer Fire Department – $23,973.
• Economy Volunteer Fireman’s Association – $24,794.
• Hopewell Township Volunteer Fire Department – $23,151.
• Monaca #4 Volunteer Fire Department – $23,425.
• Monaca #5 Volunteer Fire Department – $11,094.
• Monaca Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 Inc. – $21,020.
• Rochester Township Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 – $36,842.

Matzie said the funding may be used for operational expenses such as apparatus repair, fuel, personal protective equipment, utilities, insurance and lost revenue related to pandemic restrictions. It may also be used for cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting equipment and property or other expenses needed to prevent the spread of disease.

The funds must be used for expenses initiated on or after March 6 and completed on or before Dec. 30 to be eligible for the grant program.

Judge throws out Trump campaign’s Pennsylvania lawsuit
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge in Pennsylvania is throwing out a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump’s campaign, dismissing its challenges to the battleground state’s poll-watching law and its efforts to limit how mail-in ballots can be collected and which of them can be counted. Trump’s campaign said it would appeal at least one element of Saturday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan, with barely three weeks to go until Election Day in a state hotly contested by Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. The lawsuit was opposed by the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and the state Democratic Party.

2 face charges after trying to hang bridge protest banner
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Authorities in western Pennsylvania say two people were arrested after climbing onto a Pittsburgh bridge in an attempt to hang a protest banner. Police said the man and woman climbed the superstructure of the 6th Street/Roberto Clemente Bridge at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday. The bridge was then closed to traffic and fire department crews cut the line the protesters were using to try to hang the banner. The protesters were arrested after they descended three hours later. Public safety officials said criminal charges were planned but didn’t specify what they would be.

(File Photo)

 

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1230 WBVP, 99.3 FM, 1460 WMBA and beavercountyradio.com’s  Bob Barrickman and Bruce Frey have the call from Freedom High School of this WPIAL Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference high school football game as the Bulldogs battle the Wolverines.

Pre-game is at 6:30 and Kick-Off is slated for 7:00 PM

If you can’t tune into the game you can click the link below to listen on-line via beavercountyradio.com:

You can also down load our free apps:

Stocks up again … Britain to bolster salaries
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rising on Wall Street Friday as talks appear to be continuing in the start-and-stop drive on Capitol Hill to deliver more aid to the ailing economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% in the opening minutes of trading, on track for its third straight gain. It’s also on pace to close out its best week since July, following a weekslong run of mostly shaky trading. A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke late Thursday about the possibility of a comprehensive deal to support the economy. Investors say such stimulus is crucial.

LONDON (AP) — The British government will pay two thirds of the salaries of workers in companies that have to close as a result of new coronavirus lockdown restrictions, which are widely expected to come into effect next week. Treasury chief Rishi Sunak responded Friday to calls from businesses, local leaders and unions to provide a financial support package to prevent mass job losses in sectors that will be subject to new restrictions. Pubs and restaurants in large parts of the north of England, where the coronavirus is spreading fastest, are expected to face a government order to shut their doors again, barely three months after reopening.

TOKYO (AP) — The foreign ministers of Japan and Mongolia have agreed to cooperate in promoting a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” a vision that Tokyo is pushing with the U.S. and other “like-minded” countries to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi held talks in Mongolia with his counterpart, Nyamtseren Enkhtaivan. His visit comes after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo canceled a trip to Mongolia because of President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 infection. Japan and Mongolia also signed a $235 million emergency loan to help the pandemic-hit Mongolian economy and fund medical equipment.
HONG KONG (AP) — Some 637 million Chinese tourists took domestic trips during the eight-day Golden Week holiday, spending the equivalent of tens of billions of dollars at a time when China is seeking to boost consumer spending to stimulate the economy. The holiday, which began Oct. 1, saw more than 45% of China’s population take trips within the country and spend 466.6 billion yuan ($69.5 billion), according to data from China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. That marked a decline of 21% for domestic tourists from last year’s Golden Week and a 30% decline for spending. Still the numbers indicate that consumption is beginning to bounce back from the battering it took from the coronavirus pandemic.

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — People in Maine are getting their first opportunity to legally buy marijuana for adult recreational use. But the supply could be thin. Retailers blame the pandemic and a limited number of licensed manufacturers for reducing the variety of products available on Friday, the opening day. Licenses were issued only a month ago and to just seven stores.

Mother accused of taking, selling nude photos of daughters
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (AP) — A woman in western Pennsylvania is accused of taking nude photos of her young daughters and sending them to a man who, in some cases, paid for them, police said.
Police on Thursday charged the woman, the children’s father and the man who received and bought the photos.
The girls are between 11 and 13 years old, police said.
The mother was charged with conspiracy to commit sexual abuse/photographing or filming sexual acts and other counts. The father was charged with child endangerment because authorities said he had knowledge his children were being photographed.
Police decided not to release the names of the parents in order to protect the identities of their daughters, who have been placed into the custody of child welfare officials.
Police charged David Bates, 60, of Ellwood City, with six counts of conspiracy to commit sexual abuse of children/photographing or filming sexual acts, six counts of solicitation to commit sexual abuse of children/photographing or filming sexual acts and six counts of sexual abuse of children/child pornography. It could not be determined if he had retained a lawyer.