(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Several months after the firing of Ricardo Luckow and the introduction of the name “Susquehanna” to the conversation about Beaver County, the consulting firm hired to manage the county’s finances presented the first proposal for the 2019 Budget at the December 5 Commissioners’ Work Session. Corey Troutman, leader behind the Susquehanna representation in Beaver County, shared the initial numbers:

 

The numbers, however staggering, were not an issue for Commissioner’s Chairman Dan Camp, who believed that the budget presented by Susquehanna will be in good shape:

 

However, Commissioner Sandie Egley (whose removal as chairwoman was in conjunction with Susquehanna’s arrival) did not feel that the budget would be in favor of the county, citing several key areas of potential revenue that she felt weren’t being considered.

 

Commissioner Tony Amadio sided with Camp in approving the opening numbers for the 2019 budget as well as feeling that Beaver County was in good financial shape, and attempted to assure that message to Commissioner Egley:

 

The budget can be changed at any of the remaining public work sessions up until the final budget is decided on at the Public Commissioner’s Meeting on December 27.

ALIQUIPPA’S ASSISTANT POLICE CHIEF IS HEADED TO TRIAL. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS DETAILS. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

WEATHER FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5TH, 2018

 

TODAY – CLOUDY WITH SNOW SHOWERS MAINLY DURING
THE MORNING. HIGH – 32.

TONIGHT – CLOUDY. LOW – 25.

THURSDAY – CLOUDY WITH SNOW SHOWERS DEVELOPING
DURING THE AFTERNOON. ABOUT ONE INCH
OF SNOW EXPECTED. HIGH – 34.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

In front of a packed house at the Big Beaver Fire Department, Mount Airy Casino laid out their plans and specifics for a multi-acre, multi-million dollar mini-casino to be built in Big Beaver, located in the block that carries Shenango Road and Fairlane Boulevard.

Mount Airy, whose primary casino operations are in the Poconos, won the bid to build a mini-casino for Beaver County earlier in 2018, and plans to have building for the casino itself beginning as early as next year. According to Robert Carino of the Friedmutter Group, the casino will feature hundreds of slot machines and an elaborate design:

 

One of the major positives reiterated during discussion of the mini-casino is the potential for new jobs and a more flowing economy. Patrick Burke, the Vice President of Finance at Mount Airy Casino, said that hundreds of new job openings will exist once building is complete:

 

Several past and present Beaver County officials were in attendance for the meeting, including all three current Commissioners. Of those in attendance, the majority of them were overwhelmingly approving of the new casino coming to town.

Senator Elder Vogel Jr.

State Rep. Jim Marshall

Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp

However, some did have their reservations and concerns about the casino plans, particularly Big Beaver Councilman Jason Landsbach, who openly compared the promise of this mini-casino to a failed racino proposal from several years prior, and Beaver Falls Superintendent Donna Nugent, who shed her positive attitude towards the project with a timbre of concern:

Dr. Donna Nugent

The location of the mini-casino is located near one of the two points where Interstate 376 interchanges with the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 76); the other point is located in Monroeville.

WE’VE LEARNED NEW DETAILS IN THE CASE OF A PITTSBURGH MAN JAILED AFTER HIS ARREST IN ALIQUIPPA. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS THE UPDATE. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

HERITAGE VALLEY MEDICAL GROUP CONVENIENT CARE OPENED IN ALIQUIPPA YESTERDAY. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO WAS THERE. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

According to this week’s Triple-A gas price report, gas prices in Beaver County and throughout all of Western Pennsylvania are down nine cents, following a six cent a gallon drop last week. The average price is down to 2.71 a gallon.  The national average is down to 2.46 a gallon, which represents the cheapest national average since July of 2017.

Beaver County will get $45,000 to help homeless families and pursue homelessness prevention after Gov. Tom Wolf released more than $5 million in funding on Monday. The money will be used for Rapid rehousing to help people flee violence or unlivable situations; homelessness prevention; street outreach connecting people with shelters and services; and emergency shelter operations and renovations.

A PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING A PROPOSED MINI-CASINO TO BE BUILT IN BEAVER COUNTY WILL BE HELD THIS AFTERNOON. MOUNT AIRY CASINO – BASED IN MONROE COUNTY – PLANS TO OPEN A MINI-CASINO AT THE INTERSECTION OF FAIRLANE BOULEVARD AND SHENANGO ROAD IN BIG BEAVER AS SOON AS LATE 2019. MOUNT AIRY OFFICIALS WILL PRESENT THEIR PLANS AT THE BIG BEAVER FIRE STATION ALONG FRIENDSHIP ROAD AT 1:00 THIS AFTERNOON. THE PUBLIC IS ENCOURAGED TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK, BUT MUST DO SO IN ADVANCE THROUGH THE GAMING CONTROL BOARD’S WEBSITE. AMONG THE INDIVIDUAL’S SIGNED UP TO SPEAK – COUNTY COMMISSIONER DAN CAMP, WHO SAYS HE WILL BE SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF THE CASINO, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BRING AS MANY AS 800 PERMANENT FULL-TIME JOBS AND AT LEAST 300 CONSTRUCITON JOBS. FOLLOWING TODAY’S PUBLIC HEARING AND THE COMPLETION OF THE BOARD’S INVESTIGATION, A FINAL PUBLIC MEETING WILL BE HELD IN HARRISBURG FOR THE BOARD TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION. THAT MEETING WILL OCCUR SOMETIME IN 2019. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO’S MATT DRZIK WILL BE THERE THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL HAVE A COMPLETE REPORT FOR US ON AM BEAVER COUNTY TOMORROW MORNING BEGINNING AT 6:30 AM.

THE AMBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS KICKED OFF A NEW HOLIDAY SAFETY INITIATIVE CALLED “KEEP THE WREATH RED”. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO EXPLAINS. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…