A low interest loan will help an Ambridge trucking firm expand its operations. Beaver County Radio News correspondent Sandy Giordano reports…

A snow day no longer means a day off for students.

Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill to allow schools to use flexible instruction days, also known as “cyber snow days.”

Kids would stay home from school but would be required to complete assignments online.

The goal is to cut down on the number of make-up days.

A few local districts have already been testing this idea, including Seneca Valley.

A Kennywood Park rides department employee was terminated Monday after the worker was accused of possessing marijuana. A Kennywood spokesperson said park staff received reports of possible marijuana use in a park restroom. Kennywood Public Safety identified the team member suspected in the incident and said it found that the worker was in possession of marijuana. Kennywood officials said the employee was immediately terminated and the incident was referred to the West Mifflin Police Department for further investigation. Kennywood Park general manager Jerome Gibas said the safety of the park’s guests is the top priority at Kennywood and they do not tolerate the use of any substance that could impair an employee’s ability to perform their duties while on the job. Kennywood officials did not say where specifically in the park the incident occurred or if the employee was operating a ride at the time.

A man is facing charges for allegedly exposing himself to people at North Park Swimming Pool in McCandless Township, police said. 62-year-old Christopher Steffy is accused of exposing himself at the pool on two occasions, once on Thursday, June 27 and again on Monday, July 1. According to a criminal complaint, when police were called to the pool Monday, Steffy was trying to leave on his bicycle and he claimed he had just been at the pool to swim laps. Steffy told police Wednesday blamed the incident on a “wardrobe malfunction.” Steffy is facing charges of indecent exposure and open lewdness.

 PennDOT District 11 is announcing that Route 168 in Midland Borough has reopened to traffic. Due to a slide, Route 168 has been closed in both directions between Woodlane Avenue and Midland Heights Circle since Wednesday, June 19. The roadway has reopened to an alternating single-lane traffic pattern controlled by stop signs. Utility work continues in that location.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

BREAKING NEWS: FIREFIGHTERS ARE BATTLING A STRUCTURE FIRE ON MERCER ROAD IN NORTH SEWICKLEY TOWNSHIP. FLAMES BROKE OUT AT AROUND 10:30 THIS MORNING. ACCORDING TO BEAVER COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES, THE FIRE IS NOW UNDER CONTROL. NO WORD ON ANY INJURIES. THE CAUSE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.

 

WEATHER FORECAST FOR THURSDAY, JULY 4TH, 2019

 

TODAY – VARIABLE CLOUDS WITH SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH – 86.

TONIGHT – MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY DURING THE
EVENING. LOW NEAR 70.

FRIDAY – MIXED CLOUDS AND SUN WITH SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH – 87.

SATURDAY – MIXED CLOUDS AND SUN WITH SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH – 84.

SUNDAY – RAIN SHOWERS IN THE MORNING WITH
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARRIVING IN THE
AFTERNOON. HIGH – 82.

Pirates rally against Kimbrel in 9th to edge Cubs 6-5
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Chicago Cubs splurged on closer Craig Kimbrel last month in hopes of shoring up the back end of their spotty bullpen.
So far, the seven-time All Star is fitting in for all the wrong reasons.
Jung Ho Kang scored on Corey Dickerson’s sacrifice fly to cap a frantic ninth-inning rally off Kimbrel and lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-5 victory over the struggling Cubs on Wednesday night.
Kimbrel (0-1) came on to protect a one-run lead and pick up his second save since signing a three-year deal with Chicago. Instead he trudged to the dugout with his teammate walked off with his first loss since joining the Cubs. The Pirates used a walk, a flare that turned into a double and some aggressive base running to win their third straight.
The closer walked Elias Diaz on a full count with one out. Kang followed with a double to right that Chicago’s Willson Contreras couldn’t track down. Diaz beat the throw to the plate from Chicago second baseman Addison Russell on Adam Frazier’s fielders’ choice. Kang sprinted home when Kyle Schwarber’s heave from left field following Dickerson’s fly ball was late to set off a giddy celebration.
“I think my stuff was moving and I was throwing it where I wanted to a little bit more, but didn’t get the results,” Kimbrel said. “That doesn’t always work out.”
Not the way the Pirates are playing.
Pittsburgh has won 12 of 17 following a seven-game losing streak to pull within one game of .500 (42-43).
“That was nuts. Craziest ending to a game that I’ve ever seen,” said Pittsburgh first baseman Josh Bell, who hit his 26th home run of the season and added a double to give him 59 extra-base hits, the most ever by a National League player before the All-Star break. “I feel like that just adds to the momentum.”
Starling Marte collected three hits for the Pirates. Frazier’s streak of hits in seven straight at bats ended in the first but he singled in the seventh. Melky Cabrera went 3 for 4 and delivered a two-run home run off Chicago starter Yu Darvish but was also thrown out at home by Contreras to end the eighth while trying to score on a single by Colin Moran.
All it did was set the stage for Pittsburgh’s 21st comeback win of the season.
“We play hard from the beginning to end,” Diaz said. “It’s special.”
REELING CUBS
Victor Caratini homered from both sides of the plate for the Cubs, including a go-ahead two-run shot in the seventh off Francisco Liriano to give the Cubs a 5-4 lead. Javy Baez added his 22nd home run for Chicago but the Cubs lost their fourth consecutive game.
Chicago missed a chance to pull even with Milwaukee for first in the jam-packed NL Central, where all five clubs are separated by 4 1/2 games heading into July 4.
“These kinds of losses are difficult but you have to come back and play the next day,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “That’s how the game is set up. I do like the fact that we played a better brand of baseball. We did a lot of things well in spite of not having everybody out there.”
No team has been able to take control of the division. Chicago looked like it was ready to in early June, but an 8-19 stretch brought the Cubs back to earth.
Chicago president Theo Epstein has threatened changes if the Cubs don’t get going, and Chicago called up outfield prospect Robel Garcia on Wednesday after he racked up 21 home runs in the minors following a five-year stint playing in Italy.
Garcia ended up striking out in the eighth in his first big-league at bat, but by then Caratini had already given the Cubs the lead.
Caratini’s fourth home run of the season and second of the game put Darvish in line to win his first game since April 27. Darvish endured a stretch of 10 straight no-decisions — the longest by any starting pitcher in 42 years — before a loss to Atlanta last week. He worked crisply for most of his 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and no walks while throwing 62 of his 86 pitches for strikes.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cubs: RF Jason Heyward was held out of the lineup due to pain in his left side and his back. He hopes to play Thursday.
Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (right elbow strain) plans to play catch in the near future and hasn’t ruled out a return to the mound this year. Taillon, who hasn’t pitched since May 1, said recent imaging on the elbow suggested he is healing. … C Francisco Cervelli (concussion) has been cleared to practice. … RHP Keone Kela (right shoulder inflammation) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Saturday. … RF Gregory Polanco (strained left shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Cubs: Jose Quintana (5-7, 4.12) will try to win consecutive starts for the first time since April in the series finale on Thursday.
Pirates: Jordan Lyles (5-4, 3.71) takes a three-game losing streak into Thursday.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden reported raising $21.5 million for his presidential campaign in the second quarter. That has the former vice president trailing Pete Buttigieg, who was virtually unknown a few months ago. Biden’s campaign announced his second quarter fundraising total on Wednesday. Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, reported raising $24.8 million in the quarter, $3 million more than Biden.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is insisting that he is not dropping efforts to include a citizenship question on the upcoming 2020 census, even as the U.S. Census Bureau has started the process of printing the questionnaire without the controversial query. Trump says in a tweet Wednesday that, “News Reports about the Department of Commerce dropping its quest to put the Citizenship Question on the Census is incorrect or, to state it differently, FAKE!” He says, “We are absolutely moving forward.”