Category: News

Have an idea? Run with it!

Have an idea? Run with it!

A group of eight people met eight weeks ago at a mobility conference in Oakland. They heard about the problem of safe transportation for late-shift workers, especially women, and within five days they developed an idea to use off-duty drivers from the Port Authority’s Access program to fill the gap.
Ford’s “City of Tomorrow” challenge chose their Safe Shift proposal as one of three winners out of 129 project submissions. Safe Shift was the only winner that involves a mostly new organization. They will split the $100,000 in seed money with iomob, a Spanish startup developing an app that will provide users with a series of transportaion alternatives.

SPORTS BETTING GETTING CLOSER TO PITTSBURGH

SPORTS BETTING GETTING CLOSER TO PITTSBURGH

A launch date for Sports betting at the Rivers Casino is expected, but it will not be Dec. 1st. Conditional approval was given for Rush Street Interactive to be the sports wagering operator for the Rivers, but the Casino must also pass a two-day test period before the Gaming Control Board signs off on sports betting. That test period will likely be scheduled within the next few weeks.

Hollywood Casino in Dauphin County became the first in Pennsylvania to accept sports wagers earlier this month. Since then, Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort in Chester W.VA. started handling sports bets. The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington County has not yet indicated whether it will add sports betting, which is optional for Pennsylvania casinos.

2003 Shooting Results in 2018 Homicide Charges

2003 Shooting Results in 2018 Homicide Charges

Michael Lahoff, 66 died from quadriplegia as a result of a gun shot wound that severed his spine. The shooting took place when he was being robbed in a downtown Pittsburgh garage on January 3, 2003 by Lamont Fulton, then 17 and Marty Armstrong, then 20. In 2005 Armstrong was sentenced to 15-30 years for attempted homicide, plus 2 consecutive terms of 5-10 years. Fulton was sentenced to three consecutive terms of 5-10 years. There’s a possibility of new charges now that Mr Lahoff’s death has been ruled a homicide.

70th Anniversary Moments – The Men Behind The Scenes, The Engineers

This year commemorates the 70th anniversary of when Beaver County’s first radio station, WBVP, was heard over the airwaves for the the first time on May 25, 1948.  To mark the historical event, each week, another “70th Anniversary Moment” will be showcased on the airwaves and published on the station’s online feeds.

The fact that WBVP has been on the air since 1948, and WMBA has been broadcasting since 1957, tells us a couple of things.  1. Both stations have offered great local programming through the years that both listeners and advertisers have been quite fond of.  2. There have been some very capable men wielding soldering irons in the shadows installing, repairing and maintaining equipment.  Just to give you an idea, WBVP is on it’s 4th transmitter, and probably due for a new one soon.  New equipment is always coming out, and old gear always needs fixed or replaced.  This requires having very talented people around to tend to these needs.  Fortunately,  WBVP and WMBA have had their fair share of some of the very brightest engineers in the business.

Bill Hinds was originally a technician who worked with Bell Telephone, who was recruited by Frank Smith, Tom Price and Charlie Onderka to help put the pieces together and put WBVP on the air some seventy years ago.  It was a perfect scenario for WBVP, as in those days, transmitting over phone lines was a big deal.  They were were used in many different ways such as carrying the feed between the main studio and transmitter building in Pulaski township.  Phone lines were also used for remote broadcasts like the weekly church services from St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Beaver Falls, and broadcasts from Beaver Falls City building council chambers.  Hinds reportedly had great skills in setting all these scenarios up and making all these broadcasts possible.  According to local historian Kenneth Britten, Bill Hinds was the first chief engineer for WBVP, and had several assistants in those early days, including  Jerry Feaser, Harvey Dull, Mike Arbutina, Bob Matau, Andy Sivak and Gene Catalano.  In 1959, the current producer of the Weekly Sunday morning  program “Sounds of Faith”,  Jim Roush, was hired and became chief engineer into the early 70’s.  One of the reasons there were so many engineers is because in the early days of radio, according to FCC regulations, an engineer with a fist class operator license had to be on duty at all times that the station was on the air.  The men would serve continuous eight hour shifts at the transmitter site, seven days a week.  So serious was the FCC rule back then, that on the occasions when WBVP had staff Christmas dinners or summertime employee picnics, food would be prepared and taken to the engineers on duty at the tower site, so they could enjoy and partake in the festivities,  because they couldn’t leave their post.

Other engineers who kept WBVP sounding great and on the air through the years included Jim Reed, Wayne Gignac, Ed Monskie, Jerry Bowers, Bob King, Chuck Doyle and Cliff Bryson, among others.  Ted Ruscitti served as both owner and chief engineer for WBVP and sister F.M. station, WWKS, in the 1980’s.

Walter “Red” McCoy  is the man credited with assembling equipment, patching wires together, hanging a microphone and installing other amenities in the Duss Avenue, Ambridge, studio and putting  WMBA on the air in 1957.  McCoy’s forte was recycling. Reportedly, according to WMBA staffer from the early 1970’s, John Poister,  McCoy turned a vintage Volkswagen micro bus in a complete mobile studio on wheels, that WMBA used for remote broadcasts,  by re purposing old turntables and parts that had already been cast off and replaced at the radio station’s main studio.  Ken “Kevin” Maguire, Jr., Ted Ruscitti, Steve Conti, Tom Zehnder, Henry Burgess, and Ed Lightman were other men assigned with engineering duties at WMBA through the years.  The aforementioned Jim Roush, and Cliff Bryson, along  with Lightman still serve in that capacity for WBVP and WMBA.  In a pinch, Ted Ruscitti, who originally started at WMBA in 1970, can also still  be sighted, on special  occasions, helping out with technical issues at WBVP and WMBA.

Here is a salute to the men who, while they are never heard over the air,  have had a huge impact on how well the stations have sounded!

70th Anniversary Moments” is presented by  Abbey Carpet and Floor,  Albert’s Heating, Cooling and Plumbing,  Aliquippa Giant Eagle, The Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, Beaver Valley Auto Mall, Beaver Valley Sheet Metal, Castlebrook Development, The Community College Of Beaver County,  Farmers Building and Savings Bank, Freedom United Federal Credit Union, Hank’s Frozen Custard and Mexican food, The Health Huts, Kitchen City, Laughlin Insurance Agency,  Rochester Manor and Villa and Young’s Jewelry and Coins.

 

First Energy permits still being extended

First Energy permits still being extended

Both the Little Blue Run coal ash impoundment and the Bruce Mansfield coal-fired power plant have been operating under an “administratively extended” permit concerning the regulation of pollution discharges. That permit expired in November of 2011 according to Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Lauren Fraley. With additional applications being made and state & federal regulations continuing to change, there were more delays. Everything was collected and resubmitted to the DEP in February, but the evaluation continues whether to deny or approve the permit./about 30 people attended a public hearing Wednesday night at South Side Area High School to offer their opinions on the permit renewal. If the permit is approved, it will be the last one needed as First Energy has announced its plan to close the Bruce Mansfield plant in 2021 and the Little Blue Run stopped receiving coal ash shipments at the end of 2016.

Woman Hit-Shady Ave. Closes

Police continue to investigate after a 66 year old woman was struck by a vehicle in Squirrel Hill Wednesday evening. After EMS responded, the woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition. According to Allegheny County emergency officials, Shady Ave. was closed in both directions.

Hookstown Serviceman Killed

Dylan Elchin didn’t tell his Mom until he graduated from Hopewell Highschool about his plans to join the special services.
He was assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, based at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.
According to a KDKA interview Dylan‘s mom Dawna Duez said“I didn’t know he was jumping out of planes and diving underwater, and all the things he was doing,”
Elchin, a Hookstown native, was one of three service members killed Tuesday in Afghanistan as the result of a roadside bomb that detonated in Andar in the Ghazni Province of Afghanistan.
When he was deployed to Afghanistan in support of OPERATION Freedom’s Sentinel, his Mom said, “I didn’t want him to go. He said, ‘Mom, I’ll be okay,’” Dawna said, ‘Dylan, if anything happens to you, it will destroy me.’ He said, ‘Mom, I’ll be fine,’ with a big smile on his face, ‘I’ll be fine.’ I said, ‘It’s in God’s hands now.” When he left out that door I hugged him,
Lt. Col. Gregory Walsh, commander of the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, said in a statement from the United States Air Force: “Dylan had an unusual drive to succeed and contribute to the team. He displayed maturity and stoicism beyond his years, and was always level-headed, no matter the situation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dylan’s family, fiancé, and friends. He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.”