Category: News

Reactions To Riverside School Board Decision Mixed, Leaning Positive

In a report you first saw on Beaver County Radio last night, the Riverside School Board voted unanimously to hire John Ludwig as an armed officer for the school district. The hiring comes on the heels of a national gun safety debate sparked by the Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting that took place in Parkland, FL back on February 14.

One citizen, Brian Cooper, was adamant that the school got the decision correct:

While not necessarily in disagreement, one citizen, Ashton Ray, spoke about his concerns about the training that the staff at the school had when it came to emergency situations:

Riverside School Board Members Vote Unanimously On Armed School Officer

On Tuesday, March 6, the Riverside School Board, in their public agenda meeting held at the Middle School Library, voted unanimously to hire John Ludwig as an armed officer to patrol the Riverside School District. The school also voted to pay Ludwig $20 per hour upon his hiring. The move to approve was declared by school board president Shawn Plassmeyer and then agreed upon in this announcement:

For more on this story, tune into Beaver County Radio tomorrow morning at 6:30 for news with Pat Septak.

Penn DOT announces Summer work throughout the Area

PennDOT on Monday announced it intends to spend $52 million on 16 projects in Beaver County this year. Those projects will include the rehabilitation of 13 bridges and the repaving and resurfacing of 25 miles of roadway.

Some of the work will be a continuation from years’ past. For instance, minor work still remains on the Vanport Bridge rehabilitation project that will require single-lane restrictions in the spring. Despite that, the nearly-$16 million project is slated to end this year.

Another significant layover from last year is the ongoing Freedom Road improvement project, which started in 2016 and won’t be complete until next year. Work for this year includes the completion of two new bridges, asphalt paving, excavation work, guiderail updates and drainage improvements in the area.

Roadway resurfacing will take place on Route 65 from March through May, work that will require long-term lane restrictions between Baden and Conway. The multi-year paving project is expected to be complete this year.

Repaving work will continue on Interstate 376 from the Chippewa exit to the Allegheny County line, while the $27.5 million Koppel Bridge replacement project will continue throughout the year as it nears a completion date of summer 2019.

PennDOT also announced Monday that 10 new projects will start this year.

Milling and resurfacing of Route 18 and Old Brodhead Road in Monaca and Center Township. The project  is expected to begin in June and will last until late next year.

Work on Route 18 will occur between the Rochester-Monaca Bridge and the Monaca/Shippingport exit on Interstate 376. In addition, paving work will occur on a section of Pennsylvania Avenue in Monaca. PennDOT said single-lane restrictions and alternating traffic patterns will be needed for the project.

Also a roadway resurfacing program on Route 18 between Fifth Avenue in New Brighton and the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Rochester Township. The project is expected to start in June and will include full reconstruction of the road as well as drainage and signage improvements.

Riverside School Board Votes Tonight On Whether To Let Its Security Guard Carry Concealed Firearm

THE RIVERSIDE SCHOOL BOARD VOTES TONIGHT ON WHETHER TO LET ITS SECURITY GUARD CARRY A CONCEALED FIREARM. A RECENTLY FORMED SCHOOL SAFETY COMMITTEE IN THE DISTRICT IS RECOMMENDING THAT JOHN LUDWIG – AN EXPERT FROM HIS WORK IN LAW ENFORCEMENT – BE ARMED DURING SCHOOL HOURS. THE COMMITTEE WAS FORMED AFTER LAST MONTH’S FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING. IT WAS JUST ONE DAY AFTER THAT SHOOTING THAT A LOCAL THREAT AT RIVERSIDE HIGH SCHOOL RESULTED IN A 15-YEAR-OLD BOY FACING CRIMINAL CHARGES. THE SPECIAL MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE AT 5 P-M TODAY. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO’S MATT DRZIK WILL BE THERE TO COVER THE MEETING AND WILL HAVE A FULL REPORT FOR US ON AM BEAVER COUNTY TOMORROW MORNING BEGINNING AT 6:30.

Rain Showers Moving In; Could Mix In With Snow

WEATHER FORECAST FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 6TH, 2018

TODAY – CLOUDY WITH OCCASIONAL SHOWERS. SNOW MAY
MIX IN. HIGH – 43.

TONIGHT – LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW DEVELOPING
OVERNIGHT. LOW – 33.

WEDNESDAY – A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS.
HIGH – 43.

Senator Pat Toomey wants alerts when gun buyers fail background checks!!!

Senators want alerts when gun buyers fail background checks
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators want state law enforcement to be alerted when someone who isn’t allowed to buy a gun tries to purchase one.
U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey and Chris Coons on Monday said they will introduce a bill that requires federal authorities to notify states when a felon or a fugitive attempts to buy a firearm but fails the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, and Coons, a Delaware Democrat, said the legislation is a commonsense way to keep people trying to illegally buy guns on the radar of state law enforcement while ensuring Second Amendment rights.
“That’s the focus: Common ground, respecting the Second Amendment but making it more difficult for people who shouldn’t have firearms to obtain them,” Toomey said at a press conference in Philadelphia.
The senators said only 13 states run their own background checks using the federal system, making them better equipped to investigate people who illegally try to buy firearms. The remaining 37 states and the District of Columbia rely on the FBI to run the checks, the senators said, leaving them without “critical law enforcement intelligence that they could use to try to keep their communities safe.”
A bill to strengthen the background checks law, called “Fix NICS,” has gained bipartisan backing and support from the NRA. It’s unclear if the Toomey and Coons bill will be added to Fix NICS or other legislation.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the chamber and the lead sponsor of Fix NICS, is a co-sponsor of the Coons-Toomey bill. The proposed legislation is one of a slew of gun bills Congress is considering in the wake of the Florida high school massacre that killed 17 people.
A spokeswoman for Cornyn declined to comment Monday on whether the Coons-Toomey proposal or any other legislation will be added to the Fix NICS measure.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, said no gun-related legislation would be heard in the Senate this week.