Category: News

Aliquippa man Enters Guilty Plea on Drug and Firearm Charges

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Antoine Cummings, 37 of 437 Franklin Avenue  entered a guilty plea in federal court to charges of possession to deliver cocaine, and possession of a firearm  and ammunition by a convicted felon, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady yesterday.

Cummings entered  guilty  pleas on the  2 counts before U.S. District Judge Nora Berry Fischer. In connection with the plea. Aliquippa Police and the Beaver County Drug Task Force , who led the investigation searched an apartment  in which Cummings was living. During the search, law enforcement officers  found and seized 51 grams of powder cocaine, a loaded Smith and Wesson 40 caliber pistol, ammunition, and over $5,800 . Because of  prior felony convictions, including one for drug trafficking, he was a person not to possess a firearm and ammunition.
Judge Fischer scheduled sentencing for April 22, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.  Pending sentencing , the court ordered that Cummings be detained Under federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based on the seriousness of the offense and prior criminal history., if any.
Beaver County’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) was involved  along with Aliquippa Police with the investigation
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19 Year Old Man Shot and Killed in Aliquippa

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Aliquippa police were dispatched to the area of Wykes and Davis Streets  at 4:35 p.m.  Tuesday afternoon to respond to a call for a male suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim , identified as Curtis Flowers, 19   needed immediate medical attention because he had been shot. Flowers was not able to survive his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by an official from the Beaver County Coroners Office.  Aliquippa Police have requested that PA State Police take over the investigation.

The state police reported this morning that the investigation in Flowers’ death is ongoing.  Anyone with information is asked to call  PA State Police 724-773-7400.
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PSP Searching for Independence Twp. Man after Altercation with His Brother

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Independence Twp., Pa.) PA State Police were called to Service Creek Road in Independence Twp.  for reports of a physical altercation between two brothers involving a handgun  Tuesday night.  According to a State Police report, the arrestee Luther Banks shot at his brother Ernest Banks feet and punched him in the face. Luther Banks ran into the woods in an unknown direction, Troopers were unable to locate Luther and Pa State Troopers  Aviation conducted a search that yielded negative results.

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OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal case

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal case
By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press
Purdue Pharma says its guilty plea over its role in the opioid crisis is “an essential step to preserve billions of dollars of value for creditors.” The Stamford, Connecticut-based maker of OxyContin also said in a statement Tuesday after a federal court hearing in New Jersey that the plea will “advance our goal of providing financial resources and lifesaving medicines to address the opioid crisis.” The plea is part of a larger settlement with the U.S. Justice Department that also resolves civil claims. Advocates are upset the guilty plea does not apply to individual executives or members of the family that owns Purdue.

Pennsylvania certifies Biden as winner of presidential vote

Pennsylvania certifies Biden as winner of presidential vote
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania officials say Democrat Joe Biden has been certified as the winner of the presidential vote in the state. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf tweeted Tuesday that the Pennsylvania State Department “certified the results of the November 3 election in Pennsylvania for president and vice president of the United States.” Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar says in a news release that the state’s election officials and poll workers are “the true heroes of our democracy.” Trump has made Pennsylvania a centerpiece of his unsuccessful legal attempts to invalidate the election results.

Beaver County Commissioners Cancel Wednesday’s Work Session and Release December Meeting Schedule

(Beaver County, Pa.) The Beaver County Commissioners have cancelled their work session for Wednesday November 25, 2020 and released their schedule of meetings for the month of December.  They will hold regularly scheduled work sessions on December 2, 9, and 16th at 10 a.m.  There will only be one Public meeting in the month of December on the 17th. The public meeting will be at 10 a.m. and the 2021 budget will be adopted at that meeting.

Aliquippa school board approves license plate reader project

 

 

(Aliquippa, PA) – Aliquippa School Board approved participation in District Attorney David J. Lozier’s Automatic license Plate Reader Project . The district attorney presented the proposal at a board meeting this summer and it includes mounting of an antenna on the outside of the JSHS and connection to the district’s internet system. Cost to the district is $5,632.50 and a license fee of $1.300.00 every 2 years.
Student/teacher aides Marlin Devonshire and Saima Aziz resigned, effective November 6 and November 9. Benefits/payroll clerk Julie Schmidt’s resignation  effective November 30, 2020.
The board approved the hiring of Josephy Wynn as the boys 7th and 8th grade basketball coach. He will be paid $2,000 for the 2020-2021 season subject to completion of the sports season, and his salary will be prorated in the event that the season is shortened.

Hopewell School Board meets via Zoom

 

(Hopewell Twp. PA) – Hopewell School Board met for 2 hours via ZOOM and a decision was made to offer virtual learning beginning today for all students and be discussed at the December 7th reorganization meeting. The transition to virtual learning will run until January 15, 2021. Virtual learning is on a 1/2 day schedule on Wednesday, November 25.

 Breakfast and lunch will be available to district students  to age 18 at all buildings from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning today, the board announced .
A motion to suspend winter athletics was approved and if there are no more cases, it will be revisited. The district is waiting for further guidance from  the PIAA and the state.

Gov. Tom Wolf Signs Budget Bills

Harrisburg, Pa. – Today, Governor Tom Wolf signed into law House Bill 2536 and Senate Bill 1350.

These bills, which provide funding for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s budget through June 30, 2021, sustain commonwealth services and programs during a critical time as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

The 2020-21 budget prioritizes public education in the commonwealth, protecting more than $1.2 billion that the Wolf Administration has invested in public education during Gov. Wolf’s time in office.

Department of Health Nov. 8-14 Update on COVID-19 Investigations, Contact Tracing, Monitoring Efforts

Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Health today shared its weekly update on Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing data and encouraged Pennsylvanians to download the COVID Alert PA app to aid in contact tracing efforts.

“Pennsylvania continues to see more cases rise each day. With counts above 5,000, 6,000, and now over 7,000 cases reported per day, we will need to prioritize case investigations to prevent outbreaks,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “It is important for Pennsylvanians to be united and do their part to prevent the spread in their communities. Please continue to wash your hands frequently, practice social distancing, wear a mask, avoid gatherings, and download the COVID Alert PA app on your phone to be notified if you came into contact with someone who later tested positive.”

Contact tracing is the process of identifying, notifying, and monitoring anyone who came in close contact with an individual who has COVID-19 while that individual was infectious. The contact tracing process is not possible without a case investigation by a public health professional. Case investigators make the initial call to those with positive COVID-19 test results spending 30 to 60 minutes asking questions to ensure all potential close contacts are identified.

Between Sunday, November 8 and Saturday, November 14, there were 34,719 COVID-19 cases statewide and 23 percent of all cases had a case investigation started within 24 hours of receiving the positive report. Public health professionals will continue calling to complete the case investigation after the 24-hour period. An additional 7 percent of all cases had a case investigation started within 48 hours. There were 8,332 people, or 24 percent of cases, in this reported week that were successfully contacted by a public health professional statewide. Cases investigations are being prioritized to address those cases that present the highest likelihood of leading to an outbreak.

After the initial case investigation is complete, contact tracing begins. Within the same time period of November 8 to November 14, there were 1,633 contact tracing staff working with local and county health entities, partner organizations and the Regional Response Health Collaboration Program within the Department of Human Services as well as volunteers from Co-County Wellness in Berks County and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. These staff monitored 11,550 contacts who were identified during the case investigations. That is an increase of 3,155 contacts compared to last week.

Currently, all of the allotted 1,000 people have been hired through a partnership with Insight Global. Some of these contact tracers have been promoted to perform case investigations to meet the immediate needs of increased caseloads. There are 40 supervisors, 12 regional field managers and coordinators, and 10 care coordinators who will help to refer Pennsylvanians to services during quarantine across the commonwealth.

Since the implementation of the Contact Tracing Management System in early October through November 14 in those areas of the state where Pennsylvania Department of Health is responsible for contact tracing, there have been:

  • 34,000 contacts have been processed for areas where PA DOH has jurisdiction;
  • 25,500 people, or 75 percent of the total contacts identified, have been effectively reached to communicate their quarantine status and offer ongoing symptom monitoring;
  • 6,500 people, or about 19 percent of the total contacts, were not reached; and
  • 1,800 were still in the process of being contacted.

On September 22, the department launched COVID Alert PA, a free mobile app that uses Bluetooth technology to let a person know that they have been exposed to COVID-19 without compromising the identity or location of either the person using the app, or of the person to whom they may have been exposed. There have been over 555,000 downloads thus far, and on average 42,000 individuals are logging their symptoms on a daily basis

In addition to the traditional case investigations and contact tracing process, there have been 294 cases that confirmed their positivity and uploaded their random ID’s through the app, which generated exposure alerts to those phones, who have the app and were in close contact (six feet for 15 minutes or more). These prompted 116 exposure alerts to be sent out to other app users to notify them of their exposure. Of those who receives the alerts, 20 individuals requested a call back for further assistance by a trained contact tracer.

As the contact tracing program expands, the Department of Health continues to work in partnership with over 150 organizations, in addition to the county and municipal health departments, through regional partnerships to help gather and answer questions, identify problems and find solutions to improve contact tracing efforts within the region. Each regional partnership has met at least once, and includes public health staff, health providers, academic institutions, community organizations, and other stakeholders interested in helping to coordinate and engage around contact tracing efforts.

Organizations and entities interested in partnering in these efforts should reach out to RA-DHCONTACTTRACING@pa.gov.

You can find more information on the state’s contact tracing efforts at the Department of Health’s website here.

Pennsylvanians are reminded that mask-wearing is required when visiting businesses or in any setting outside the home where social distancing is difficult. Remember: My mask protects you; your mask protects me.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
  • Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
  • Clean surfaces frequently.
  • Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
  • If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
  • Download the COVID Alert PA app and make your phone part of the fight. The free app can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching for “covid alert pa”.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics