ST. LOUIS (AP) — George Herbert Walker III, who was a cousin of two presidents, a former U.S. ambassador to Hungary and a prominent St. Louis businessman and philanthropist, has died. The church handling his memorial service says Walker died Saturday. A cause of death was not disclosed. He was 88. Walker was a cousin of presidents George Bush and George W. Bush. He served as ambassador to Hungary from 2003 to 2006. Walker was the longtime leader of a financial services company in St. Louis and was active in St. Louis betterment organizations. A memorial service will be Feb. 22.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is lifting protections for some of the nation’s millions of miles of streams, arroyos and wetlands, as it nears completion on one of its most far-reaching environmental rollbacks. The changes announced Thursday were promised by President Donald Trump during his first weeks in office and will scale back which waterways qualify for protection against pollution and development under the half-century-old Clean Water Act. The administration says it is providing “regulatory certainty and predictability for American farmers, landowners and businesses.” But environmental advocates and public health officials say the changes will make it harder to maintain a clean water supply for the American public.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main political rival Benny Gantz have been invited to Washington next week to discuss the “prospect of peace” with the Palestinians. He spoke at a meeting with Netanyahu after addressing an international Holocaust forum in Jerusalem

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says a viral illness in China that has sickened hundreds of people is not yet a global health emergency. The decision came after Chinese authorities moved to lock down three cities on Thursday and canceled major events in the capital, Beijing, during the Lunar New Year holiday period to try to contain the new virus. The United Nations health agency announced the decision after independent experts spent two days assessing information about the spread of the newly identified coronavirus. WHO defines a global emergency as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Most of the public meeting for the Beaver County Commissioners went swiftly and smoothly on Thursday, January 23.

The brightest beam of the under-10 minute session was the honoring of Kevin Daniel, an Emergency Services worker who had worked for 30 years until his retirement from that post on Thursday. Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp, along with the rest of the Board and a few co-workers took the time to acknowledge his long list of service and thanking him for it:

 

On the flipside, the lone bump in the road for the Commissioners was in regard to ZERO bids being made to print the Calendar of Events pamphlet for Beaver County Tourism:

 

The next public meeting is scheduled for February 13 at 10:00 AM.

State Representative Rob Matzie saw his bill consolidating Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission regulations into the History Code unanimously passed the House this week. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has more. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

:

With overwhelming support, the House has approved more than a half dozen bills aimed at stopping the scourge of human trafficking in the Commonwealth. State Representative Aaron Bernstine appeared on Teleforum with Frank Sparks this mornimng and said the problem of human trafficking exists in big cities, small towns and everything in between…including Beaver County:

Human trafficking defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or purchase of persons for the sole purpose of exploitation. Since 2007, more than 1,200 human trafficking cases have been reported in the Commonwealth. In addition, Pennsylvania is ranked 10th on Insider Monkey’s list of top human trafficking states.

The International Labour Organization estimates human trafficking is a $150 billion industry, of which $99 billion is generated by sexual exploitation. Bernstine says that among the bills passed by the House are those that would increase penalties for anyone knowingly patronizing a victim of human trafficking and anyone connected to trafficking victims…

Other bills would assist victims and aim to increase resources and protections. To further draw attention to the problem, the House also approved a resolution to recognize the month of January 2020 as “National Human Trafficking Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania.

PennDOT invites the public to an Open House for the replacement of the Big Sewickley Creek Road Bridge over Big Sewickley Creek in Bell Acres, Franklin Park, Economy Boroughs, Allegheny and Beaver Counties. An Open House will be held from 5 to 7:00 tonight at the Big Sewickley Creek Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall on Big Sewickley Creek Road in Bell Acres. Sheryll Solosky is the design project manager…

She tells Beaver County Radio newsman Pat Septak that the purpose of the Open House is to update the public on the construction schedule, related traffic impacts and detours…

She says in addition, there will be an opportunity to provide feedback on the upcoming construction activities…

She says representatives from PennDOT and the contractor design build team will be available to answer questions and gather feedback…

…That’s from 5 to 7 tonight…at the Big Sewickley Creek Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall on Big Sewickley Creek Road in Bell Acres.

Investigators say a man from Hopewell is facing charges after exposing himself to a woman caring for his girlfriend’s kid. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has the story. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

:

 

UNDATED (AP) — Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai will not run for re-election in a critical election year when Democrats are aiming to take control of the chamber. Turzai, a Republican, made the announcement Thursday at his office in his suburban Pittsburgh district. Turzai became speaker in 2015 after four years as House majority leader. In that decade, Turzai emerged as a force for fiscal and social conservatism in state government, as well as a powerhouse fundraiser for the House Republican majority. As speaker for all five years during Gov. Tom Wolf’s time in office, Turzai has been the Legislature’s strongest adversary to the Democrat.