Category: News

PennDOT Automated Work Zone Safety Program Named Finalist in America’s Transportation Awards

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that its Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement Program (AWZSE) program was named as one of the Top 12 projects nationwide in the America’s Transportation Awards competition. PennDOT administers the AWSZE program collaboratively with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

AWSZE works by deploying a mobile unit to an active work zone to detect any vehicles going at least 11 miles over the speed limit. When a vehicle goes over the limit, its license plate is captured, and a violation is mailed to the address on file.

“We continue to deal with the devastating injuries and loss of life that can occur when motorists speed through active work zones,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “We are honored that this program to keep our workers safe has been met with this important national recognition.”

Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, (AASHTO), AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the competition evaluates projects in three categories: Quality of Life/Community Development; Best Use of Technology & Innovation; and Operations Excellence. AWZSE was nominated in the Operations Excellence Category, Small Project Group, and is competing for the national Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award.

An independent panel of transportation industry experts will select the Grand Prize winner, while the general public will decide the People’s Choice Award winner through online voting. Online votes will be weighted to each state’s population, allowing for greater competition between states with larger and smaller populations. The winners will be announced at the virtual AASHTO Annual Meeting the week of November 9-13, 2020. Online voting began on September 8 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on October 25, 2020.

Votes can be cast online. Individuals can vote every day but can cast no more than one vote per day.

More info on the AWSZE program can be found at workzonecameras.PennDOT.gov.

Amazon to hire 100,000 to keep up with online shopping surge

Amazon to hire 100,000 to keep up with online shopping surge
By JOSEPH PISANI AP Retail Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is hiring another 100,000 people to keep up with a surge of online orders. The company said Monday that the new hires will help pack, ship or sort orders, working in part-time and full-time roles. Amazon says the jobs are not related to its typical holiday hiring. Business has been booming at the Seattle-based online behemoth. It made record profit and revenue between April and June, as more people turned to it during the pandemic to buy groceries and supplies. Amazon said it needs the people at the 100 new warehouses, package sorting centers and other facilities it’s opening this month.

Absentee and Mail-in Ballots on Hold Due to Lawsuits

Today should have been the first day for ballots to be sent out to voters who are voting absentee or mail in ballot in Pennsylvania. None of Pennsylvania’s counties will be able to send out ballots to voters today, the first day counties are able too.

Due to lawsuits and other issues, The state’s Democratic Party remains in court battling to keep the Green Party off the ballot. The pending legal dispute has led to a delay in certification of the November ballot, and as a result, all Pennsylvania county election officials who this year could have started offering absentee or mail-in ballots, as well as in-person early absentee voting, starting September 14 are in a holding pattern.

Pennsylvania has not finalized its ballot less than eight weeks before Election Day.

2 California deputies shot in apparent ambush in patrol car

2 California deputies shot in apparent ambush in patrol car
COMPTON, Calif. (AP) — The shooting of two sheriff’s deputies in California in an apparent ambush has prompted a search for the shooter, reaction from President Donald Trump, and a protest. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released video Saturday showing a gunman open fire on the deputies’ patrol car. President Trump responded on Twitter, “Animals that must be hit hard!” The deputies were taken to a hospital where both underwent surgery. The sheriff’s department says protesters showed up outside and were yelling, “We hope they die.” Officers were searching the area for the gunman. An official says the description of the suspect is “very generic.”

Historic Evening – Beaver County Radio Broadcasts Its First Live Video Stream From A High School Game.

(Chippewa Township, PA)  72 years ago, WBVP started broadcasting local high school football and basketball games on the radio.  Over the years, there have been several changes, improvements and innovations to the traditional A.M. radio broadcasts, including utilizing cell phone technology instead of old copper phone lines to send a feed back to the studio, broadcasting the games on F.M., and distributing the programs via an online audio stream. Friday night, yet another milestone was achieved as the station created a live video feed from Blackhawk Stadium to cover the Cougars season opener against the visiting Beaver Bobcats.   Viewers to Friday night’s radio and video simulcast  of the Blackhawk vs. Beaver high school football game were treated to live video synced with the play by play of Beaver County Radio broadcasters, Bob Barrickman and Jason Colangelo.

The stations had been dabbling in video streaming parts of their programming off and on for about 2 years. Recently, with the announcement that high school football games in Pennsylvania would in fact be played, but with limited fan attendance allowed due to COVID 19 restrictions,  Program Director Frank Sparks convinced station ownership to invest in cameras and other equipment, and start video streaming high school football broadcasts.  Sparks added “It was a perfect opportunity to fill a void and serve area residents who would have wanted to watch the games in person, but could not under the circumstances.”  The new high tech audio and video simulcasts will also surely increase station usage and popularity throughout the fall on high school football game days, too. And so far, the gamble seems to be paying off.  Friday night’s video program post reached over 5,200 people so far, and it also had many viewers posting positive accolades on social media about the station’s efforts to make the game available in a video format.

Here is the inaugural touchdown broadcast from an on site live stream video format created by Beaver County Radio:

Chuck Wilson broadcasting on WBVP in the early days at a Geneva College basketball game. Photo Courtesy of Bobbie Wilson-Tkacik.

The tradition of describing high school sporting events over the airwaves of WBVP began in 1948 with veteran, beloved broadcaster, Chuck Wilson, calling the action from behind a giant Western Electric bird cage ribbon microphone.  Over the years, radio station listeners got to hear the dazzling plays made by about a dozen local future NFL Superbowl Champions, as they got their first publicity over the airwaves on WBVP, in Beaver Falls and WMBA in Ambridge.  When history was being made in sports, WBVP and WMBA were there, and Friday was no exception.  Although, it was the stations making a historic “play”, along  with the athletes, on this balmy early fall night under the lights in Chippewa.  Out on the field,  it was a game that  Blackhawk won 22-7.

Bob Barrickman, and Jason Colangelo call the play by Play while Malik Garrett directs the cameras and scene shots for the broadcast with a computer out at Blackhawk Stadium Friday Night.
Antonia Rotuna operates a camera for Beaver County Radio atop the press box at Blackhawk Stadium Friday Night.

In addition to Barrickman and Colangelo, Additional radio station staffers including Malik Garrett, Antonia Rotuna, Sly Washington and Rick Plassmeyer were onsite at Blackhawk Stadium to help produce the multi media feed.

Beaver County Radio has plans to do an audio/video simulcast from a featured game of the week throughout the season.  Broadcast schedules can be found here.

 

 

 

 

Pitt Wins 55-0

Final Score from Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: Pitt 55, Austin Peay 0.

Fourth Quarter Scoring: Sibley blocked punt and scored, 48-0. Extra point failed.

Davis 1 yard touchdown run. Sauls PAT , 55-0.

Blackhawk Dominates Beaver 22 – 7

Beaver traveled to Blackhawk for tonights’ game for the opening night of high school football here in Beaver County. As the game got started Blackhawk took off quick with a 7-0 lead early on.  The rest of the the first half resulted in 4 turnovers including a fumble from the Bobcats and interceptions by the Cougars.  The half ended with a score of 16 to nothing in favor of the Cougars.  To start the second half, Beaver came out strong and managed to get the ball in the end zone during the third.  Unfortunately, for the Bobcats, Blackhawk continued to use their power to move the ball down the field to secure the win. The game ended with a final score of 22 – 7.

Archived video of the game simulcast: