It was a rough Friday night for Riverside as they struggled to put numbers on the board. Avonworth started the first quarter off with a touchdown and carried that momentum into the second quarter with another touchdown. They were not able to get the kick for the second, ending the half at 13-0. The beat-down did not stop in the second half as Avonworth scored another two touchdowns, going into the fourth quarter at 27-0. Riverside did not want to take this lying down. As Avonworth continued to put numbers on the board, causing the mercy rule to go into effect, the Panthers fought back with two touchdowns. Despite Riverside’s efforts, the game ended 41-14 in favor of Avonworth.
The Beaver County Drug Abuse Coalition showcased their new logo at the Town Hall Meeting.
(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
Though we’ve all heard about it and recognized it as a problem for the majority of the 2010s, the opioid crisis still has several elements holding it back from being eliminated from society. Among the chief reasons for such issues, as discussed at the Sixth Anuual Town Hall Meeting presented by the Beaver County Drug Abuse Coalition at the CCBC Golden Dome, is the stigma that surrounds being an addict and being associated with one.
The new slogan for the BC Drug Abuse Coalition was also unveiled in posters and wristbands.
The DAC presented their newest logo and slogan at the Town Hall Meeting, with the message “It’s All Our Back Yard”. The message insists on the idea that each one of us has someone or some connection that requires us to do our part in stopping the opioid crisis. Kate Lowery introduced the new logo on behalf of the DAC as well as Beaver County Behavioral Health.
Kristen Hall of Footprints Of Recovery spoke about her treatment and recovery from a drug addiction at CCBC.
The next two speakers, Chico Ficerai & Kristen Hall, spoke from the painful, personal experiences of having to deal with an opioid addiction. Ficerai had a son who was dealing with such an addiction, and she spoke about the difficulties of trying to hold on to the control of a child during their struggle. The Canadian-born Hall spoke from the experience of an addiction to diet pills on how the addiction becomes something beyond yourself, and how rehabilitation services are worth it for the sake of connection and understanding one’s situation. The two then joined Lowery for a public Q&A moderated by Jill Perry of JP Counseling.
After the Q&A, Dr. Mark J. Fuller of Beacon Health Options spoke about how those struggling with a drug addiction usually aren’t dealing with just a drug addiction–but rather another issue of either mental health, physical health, or other mitigating circumstances. The second half started with a brief speech from Western PA U.S. Attorney Scott Brady, who spoke about how he’s seen the socioeconomic downturn of places such as the mill towns (including his native Greenville) becoming a factor in the opioid crisis, and that it’s more important than ever for law enforcement and the public to do their roles in making sure that those dealing with addiction are dealt with properly.
Maurice Hickman of FOCUS Pittsburgh talked about the effect of trauma on those dealing with an addict.
The event closed with speeches from Maurice Hickman from FOCUS Pittsburgh and Carlton Hall from Carlton Hall Consulting. Hickman particularly spoke about how it is necessary to deal with opioid and other drug addictions at the source with children early on, citing himself that he had attended several funerals in 2019 with vicitims ranging from the ages of 12 to 24. He said that such trauma grows dangerous when it continues to be hidden away from the light it needs to proceed in.
The event was co-sponsored by Beaver County Drug & Alcohol Programs and Keystone Wellness Programs.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has been suspended for at least the rest of the regular season and postseason by the NFL for swinging a helmet and striking Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head. Garrett’s violent outburst in the final seconds of the game against the Steelers landed him the longest suspension for a single on-field behavior in league history. Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and clobbered him on top of the head, triggering a brawl between the rivals.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is reacting to news that his longtime friend and confidant Roger Stone was convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering. The president tweeted Friday, just minutes after the jury handed down its verdict in federal court in Washington. He called Stone’s conviction “a double standard like never seen before in the history of our Country.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Maria Yovanovitch is rejecting the notion that Ukraine tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, as President Donald Trump has proposed. Trump has said that Ukraine tried to “take me down.” Testifying in Friday’s impeachment hearing, Yovanovitch said “we didn’t really see it that way.”
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) — Doctors who treated two girls shot in the attack at a high school outside Los Angeles say both were in remarkably good spirits when they arrived at a hospital for treatment. Dr. Boris Borazjani of Providence Holy Cross Hospital told reporters Friday that both girls were sitting up and “smiling and talking” while undergoing treatment after Thursday’s shooting at Saugus High School in in the city of Santa Clarita that killed two students. Dr. Evan Valle adds that “both girls were very stoic.”
MILAN (AP) — The historic lagoon city of Venice exists on the edge of a double threat: As it sinks, the seas rise. The reality became more stark this week with the worst flood in more than 50 years. A corruption-riddled underwater barrier system that is supposed to protect the city has yet to go into operation after more than 16 years of construction and at least 5 billion euros of public funds.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate ticked up in October for the second straight month, even as payrolls and the labor force hit record highs. The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.2%. It hit a four-decade low of 3.8% earlier this year. The national unemployment rate was 3.6% in October. Ten of 11 employment sectors rose, with just a decline in the leisure and hospitality sector.
A boil water advisory is still in place in Aliquippa…as we hear in this report from Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giodrano. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…