Story by Mark Peterson. Photos by Taylor Murphy and Mark Peterson.

(New Galilee, PA) For the second week in a row, the concept of gathering together for church services was “resurrected” at the New Galilee Church of The Nazarene.  An estimated 80 plus cars piled into three parking  lots adjacent to the the little country church at the corner of Washington Street and Locust Avenue in New Galilee and tuned in to Beaver County Radio for an early afternoon Easter celebration.

The opening act this week was a polished performance by Luke Reynolds, who normally would find himself singing songs and leading worship at nearby Word Alive Church in Ellwood City on a typical Sunday, but today, he was singing his heart out before rows of cars on a slightly overcast, but relatively comfortable afternoon for April in Western Pennsylvania.  The main act then made its grand entrance as Pastor Andy Russell re enacted Jesus’ final act of bearing his own cross before being crucified, by carrying a life size cross himself through the parking lot and then eventually up the the little grassy hill where he would deliver the rest of his sermon.

Click images to enlarge and to view the slideshow.

As one tuned in on the radio,  the periodic honking of horns was easily picked up by the microphones used for Sunday’s service, and replaced what would typically have been applause.  Russell himself was humbled by how well the new drive in church concept was being received so far.  “Many of these people don’t even go to our church, but they are coming here anyways” he observed while gesturing to the lot quickly filling up with cars beforehand.  By all accounts, the two week old tradition of outdoor drive in church coupled with a live broadcast on WBVP, WMBA, 99.3 F.M. and The Beaver County Radio Live Online Audio Stream has gone very well and it’s not stopping just yet.  Pastor Russell stated “We’ve received such positive support for this ministry, we are going to go ahead and do it for two more weeks after this.”

So, the box office drive in hit will run for at least two more weeks with a “matinee” and radio broadcast beginning at 1 P.M. for the next two Sundays at the New Galilee Church of The Nazarene.

(Beaver Falls, PA.) Tune into 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA, 99.3 FM, and beavercountyradio.com at 10:10 a.m. Monday April 13, 2020 during Teleforum with Frank Sparks. U.S. Representative for the 17th District Conor Lamb will be Frank’s guest via telephone to talk about the Economic Relief Package. They will talk about the funds that U.S. citizens will start receiving this week, unemployment, and the next round of Economic Relief the House of Representative’s is working on.  Frank  will also get the Representatives thoughts on Sen. Bob Casey’s proposal that would give front line workers a $25,000 bonus.

(Aliquippa,PA.) Aliquippa Police Chief Robert Sealock passed away Saturday April 11, 2020. Sealock suffered a medical emergency while on duty on Thursday March 26, 2020. Sealock had been hospitalized in intensive care since the medical emergency happened.

Stay tuned to Beaver County Radio as News Correspondent Sandy Giordano will have more in a special report Monday during Beaver County Radio News casts.

Department of Aging Offers Online COVID-19 Resource Guide
for Older Pennsylvanians

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has launched an online COVID-19 resource guide to help older adults easily find useful information related to their health, safety and well-being.

The guide is housed on the department’s website under “COVID-19 Resource Guide for Older Adults” and provides older adults, their families and caregivers with information on a variety of subjects, including meals, prescriptions, protective services, scams, and how to stay active and connected.

“The Department of Aging’s top priority is to ensure that the needs of older Pennsylvanians are being met. This online guide presents an overview of the resources that can help older adults maintain their health and safety during this critical time,” Aging Secretary Robert Torres said. “Our department will continue to monitor these essential needs and make any changes required in our effort to provide uninterrupted services.”

In addition to the COVID-19 resource guide, the department has offered guidance for aging services to help meet the needs of older Pennsylvanians while maintaining safety. This guidance, along with all of the programs that the Department of Aging provides, can be found here.

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 1,676 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 21,655

Harrisburg, PA-The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 11, that there are 1,676 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 21,655. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania now have cases of COVID-19. The department also reported 78 new deaths among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 494. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here. All people are either in isolation at home or being treated at the hospital.

Locally Beaver County is up 4 positive cases from yesterday to 143, Official deaths in the county from the Department Of Health remain at 13.

“Now more than ever, as we continue to see COVID-19 cases and deaths rise in Pennsylvania, we need Pennsylvanians to take action,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Those actions should be to stay calm, stay home and stay safe. If you must go out, please limit it to as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but other people as well. We need all Pennsylvanians to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, and our healthcare workers and frontline responders.”

There are 98,498 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Less than 1% are aged 0-4;
• Nearly 1% are aged 5-12;
• 1% are aged 13-18;
• Nearly 7% are aged 19-24;
• Nearly 41% are aged 25-49;
• 29% are aged 50-64; and
• 21% are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are aged 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date. More data is available here.

All non-life-sustaining businesses are ordered to be closed and schools are closed statewide through the remainder of the academic year. Currently the entire state is under a stay-at-home order.

Below is the official County by County breakdown from the Pa. Health Department:

County Case Counts to Date

(Beaver County, PA) For a month now, reaction to the coronavirus pandemic continues to force the suspension or cancellation of large gatherings, including worship services across Pennsylvania.  Along that line, WBVP, WMBA and 99.3 F.M. are pleased to be the “pulpit” of the airwaves during this time and help nearby preachers reach their flock by putting their voice into the speaker of the radio.  Local listeners and parishioners can tune in to WBVP. WMBA, 99.3 F.M. and the Beaver County Radio live online audio stream to seven different local church and faith based programs this Easter Sunday.

The Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, Line Up:

The day starts off with “Sounds of Faith”, a two hour inspirational segment  of worship and praise music that airs from  7 until 9 A.M.

At 9 A.M. on Sunday morning, April 12, live Sunday Mass from St. Monica Catholic Parish in Chippewa will still take place even though the church is closed to the public.

Then at 10 A.M.,  a recording of Rev. Lee Bittner’s Easter message from First Presbyterian Church In Rochester will reach the”radio congregation”.

As in previous weeks, The Soma Gathering in Beaver Falls is again sponsoring the 10:30 A.M. slot featuring Pastor Jan Davis from Central United Methodist church in Beaver Falls, who will engage with listeners via a recorded Easter sermon.

At noon, Senior Pastor Cliff Reynolds from Word Alive church in Ellwood City will be featured with an archived recording of last year’s Easter Sunday service held at the church. The Word Alive broadcast is sponsored by Hamilton Tool and Supply in Beaver Falls.

At 12:30 P.M. a replay of a popular 2014 dramatic reading  of “The Passion” performed by Holy Family Parish in New Brighton youth will be aired.

Finally, for the 2nd week in a row,  from 1 to 2 P.M., a special live broadcast will be aired from The New Galilee Church of the Nazarene featuring Pastor Andy Russell. Much like the old drive in movies of years past, Russell plans on preaching from the parking lot and inviting people to pull up, park, and tune the car radio in to 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA or 99.3 F.M. to hear his special Easter Sunday message.

All seven segments will air on WBVP,  WMBA,  99.3 F.M. and The Beaver County Radio Live Audio Stream.

‘Hope’ the giraffe born in New Orleans amid pandemic
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans has welcomed a baby giraffe named Hope. The Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center announced the birth Friday. Audubon Nature Institute President and CEO Ron Forman said Hope was the perfect name for the calf, especially as New Orleans has been hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic. Located on 1,200 acres of land west of downtown New Orleans, the center is home to 13 giraffes, eight of which were born at the center. The Institute has been forced to close its facilities due to the coronavirus pandemic. The facility is asking federal officials to provide funding for larger nonprofits like zoos and aquariums.

SEOUL, South Korea — In a controversial step, South Korea’s government says it will strap electronic wristbands on people who defy self-quarantine orders as it tightens monitoring to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

Senior Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho on Saturday acknowledged the privacy and civil liberty concerns surrounding the bands, which will be enforced through police and local administrative officials after two weeks of preparation and manufacturing.

But he said authorities need more effective monitoring tools because the number of people placed under self-quarantine has ballooned after the country began enforcing 14-day quarantines on all passengers arriving from abroad on April 1 amid worsening outbreaks in Europe and the United States.

Lee Beom-seok, an official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, admitted that the legal grounds for forcing people to wear the wristbands were “insufficient” and that police and local officials will offer consent forms for the devices while investigating those who were caught breaking quarantine.

Under the country’s recently strengthened laws on infectious diseases, people can face up to a year in prison or fined as much as $8,200 for breaking quarantine orders. Lee said those who agree to wear the wristbands could be possibly considered for lighter punishment.

White House points to hopeful signs as deaths keep rising
By JILL COLVIN and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is taking a cautious position on when to reopen the country. That’s even though White House officials are pointing to hopeful signs that the spread of the coronavirus could be slowing.  Trump insisted Friday he would not move to reopen the country until it is safe. He also said he will launch what he dubbed the “Opening our Country” task force on Tuesday to work toward that goal. Trump has been itching to reopen the country. But that has drawn alarms from health experts who warn that doing so too quickly could spark a deadly resurgence that could undermine current distancing efforts.

Wolf suggests Pennsylvania virus cases could surge next week
By MARC LEVY, MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is predicting that Pennsylvania will see a surge in new virus cases next week. He implored residents on Friday to continue to self-isolate to get the worst of the pandemic behind them and allow the state’s economy to gradually open back up. Modeling suggests that Pennsylvania could hit a peak in hospitalizations and deaths late next week before the numbers gradually drift down through the middle of May. The state has reported 20,000 virus cases and over 400 deaths. Meanwhile, Wolf has authorized the early release of as many as 1,800 inmates from Pennsylvania state prisons in an effort to minimize the spread of the coronavirus.