Category: News

Ask the Commissioners Today on Teleforum!!!

Tune into “Ask the Commissioners” today, February 1, 2018 during the 9 0’clock hour of Teleforum with Frank Sparks. Commission Chairwoman Sandie Egley and Commissioner Dan Camp will be in studio to take your questions and comments about what’s happening in Beaver County. If you can’t tune into Beaver County Radio 1230 WBVP and 1460 WMBA and would like to participate the segment will also be streaming live on Facebook. If you have a question or comment the phone lines will be open starting at 9:10 AM at 724-843-1888 and 724-774-1888. You can also ask any questions thru the Facebook live feed be leaving a comment in the comments section of the stream.

Chartered Train in Crash

Our U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus was on the chartered train heading to the GOP Retreat in West Virginia that collided with a garbage truck. One person on the truck was killed. Rothfus was uninjured and wrote “I am fine & safe but my prayers are with those who may be hurt,”

According to The Associated Press, the chartered train left Washington, D.C., for the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., before the collision with the truck just south of Charlottesville, Va., at about 11:15 a.m. Charlottesville is about 2½ hours south of the nation’s capital.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey,said on Twitter that he was not on the train.

Water Authority opposes pipeline plans

Beaver County Radio

The Ambridge Water Authority board of directors released a statement Wednesday afternoon stating that the planned route of the 97-mile Shell pipeline won’t cross the Ambridge Reservoir at any location, but is projected to cross three streams in the watershed that directly flow into the reservoir and will “intersect at some point with our raw water line from our reservoir to our plant.” The statement made clear that the Ambridge Reservoir is “our only source of raw water.” As such, “we value it incredibly, and we will do everything in our power to protect it,” the board said.

“This is not acceptable to us, and we will do everything in our power to try and have the pipeline relocated outside of our watershed and away from our main, and only, raw water line,” the statement read. “It is very unsettling and honestly dangerous to imagine this pipeline being constructed as it has been proposed.” The statement also made clear that the water authority did not grant easements or enter into any kind of agreement with Shell Pipeline regarding the Falcon’s route.

Your Pie Recipes wanted

Beaver County Radio

The lead character in the nationally touring show “Waitress” playing at the Benedum Center next month wants your pie recipe. It’s a contest co-sponsored by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. They want from-the-heart, whimsical pie recipes. From 3 finalists, judges will choose the winner during a taste-test on a live locally broadcast TV program.

Submissions will be accepted online through 11:59 p.m. Feb. 14. For more details visit TrustArts.org/PieContest.

“Waitress” will be staged March 6-11 at the Benedum as part of the 2017-18 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. For tickets visit TrustArts.org, call 412-456-6666 or visit Theater Square Box Office at 655 Penn Ave., downtown.

Quaker Valley’s Superintendent takes new position

Beaver County Radio

Quaker Valley School District’s superintendent Heidi Ondek, who has worked for the school district since 2004, will be taking a position as the executive director of the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, effective at the end of this school year.

In a prepared statement Ondek said “Serving as the superintendent of schools in the community where my family and I live — and will continue to live — has been the pinnacle of my career and has been an immensely rewarding experience. I am proud of our shared vision, everything we have accomplished together and of the exceptional education our schools provide,”

WEATHER THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018

WEATHER THURSDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2018

TODAY: Rain and snow showers mixed for the afternoon. High 43F.

TONIGHT: Cloudy. Low 14F

FRIDAY: Overcast. Colder. High 21F. Low 13F

SATURDAY: Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. High 36F

SUNDAY: Periods of snow. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s

70th Anniversary Moments – A Presidential Call.

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.

Perhaps the most famous caller to be on the other end of the phone when a WBVP announcer would “go to the phone lines” during an talk show  was none other than President Ronald Reagan.  Dave Felts was the host of “Teleforum”  in the early eighties and happened to be at the right place at the right time when The Chief Executive decided to dial in.  Local Beaver County historical writer, Kenneth Britten, wrote about the famous call to WBVP in a 1990 article entitled “Local Radio”:

Dave Felts hosting “Teleforum” on WBVP in the early 1980’s.

“A historic moment in WBVP history occurred when David Felts was hosting the morning talk show. It was on the morning of Tuesday,  April 22, 1981, as Felts was interviewing Democratic Congressman Eugene Atkinson on the air when the station received a call from the White House and Ronald Reagan, President of the United States. The assassination attempt by John Hinkly had  (just) occurred two weeks and one day before and the President was calling from the hospital to speak with the Congressman (publicly) about needing his vote concerning economic development.  For the President to call a talk show of a relatively small radio station was front page news. Dave and Congressman Atkinson were interviewed by members of the media from as far away as London, England.

The Staff and station received a Spot News Award from the Pennsylvania Association of  Broadcasters for that year along with others. WBVP had really cracked into the big time and became visible to Western PA as well as the World!”

“70th Anniversary Moments” is presented by Freedom United Federal Credit Union.

 

Miami hands Pitt 10th straight loss, 69-57

By STEVEN WINE, AP Sports Writer
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Hurricanes showed they can win without star guard Bruce Brown Jr. — at least against woeful Pittsburgh.
And if they have Lonnie Walker IV.
The freshman guard scored 16 points Wednesday, and Miami regrouped after blowing a 13-point second-half lead to hand the Panthers their school record-tying 10th consecutive loss, 69-57.
Miami (16-5, 5-4) won in its first game since losing Brown , who is expected to be sidelined for about six weeks with a left foot injury that was diagnosed Monday.
“Not having him was a little bit of an upset moment,” Walker said. “He’s one of those players who gets everyone going. We’ve just got to get used to fighting without him.”
Walker did that, scoring on three consecutive possessions during a 7-0 run by the Hurricanes immediately after Pittsburgh had scored 14 consecutive points to go up 44-43. Pitt never led again.
“I don’t like losing at all,” Walker said. “I felt like I had to take over. I felt like I can do what I want to if I really put my mind into it.”
The Panthers (8-15, 0-10 Atlantic Coast Conference), off to their worst conference start ever, matched the longest losing streak in program history. Pitt also lost 10 in a row in 1968-69 and 1992-93.
Coach Kevin Stallings said his team played Miami much more competitively than in December, when the Hurricanes won by 14.
“Our team is getting better,” Stallings said. “We don’t have wins to show for it, and I feel horribly for my guys for that, because they’ve been as coachable as any group I’ve ever had. Hopefully we keep getting better and we’ll knock one off.”
The Panthers have lost 14 consecutive ACC regular-season games since last season under their second-year coach.
But Walker said Miami didn’t take Pitt lightly.
“We treat every team like they’re No. 1 in the country,” Walker said. “It was definitely a challenge for this game not having one of our key players.”
In Brown’s absence, freshman Chris Lykes played a season-high 33 minutes and totaled 13 points and five assists. Anthony Lawrence added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Jared Wilson-Frame led Pitt with 17 points, including five 3-pointers, but was limited to 29 minutes because of foul trouble.
The Hurricanes, who were 16-point favorites, led 43-30 but then went nearly six minutes without a point as the Panthers rallied. Once the Hurricanes fell behind they switched to a zone, and that cooled Pitt off.
“At the end we missed a bunch of open shots,” Stallings said.
Miami rebuilt its advantage to 11 points with five minutes left. Walker’s run of seven consecutive points included two free throws, a layup and a long 3-pointer.
“That was pretty amazing,” Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga said. “I was calling a play, and he was launching an NBA 3.”
BIG PICTURE
The Hurricanes have won five in row against Pittsburgh, including both meetings this season. Miami improved to 8-1 at home this season.
DISPARITY
Pitt went 3 for 3 at the free throw line, while Miami went 17 for 23. When asked about the disparity, Stallings said, “We shot our free throws well.”
INJURED GUARD
Brown watched from the bench and is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday.
“I feel badly for the kid because he’s one of my favorite players in the league that doesn’t play on my team,” Stallings said. “He’s a difference-maker. They’re deep enough to absorb his loss for a while, but obviously any team would be better with him.”
UP NEXT
Pittsburgh: The Panthers play the second of three consecutive road games Saturday at No. 19 North Carolina.
Miami: The Hurricanes play at Virginia Tech on Saturday.
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For more AP college basketball coverage: http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Patriots’ Gronkowski expects to play in Super Bowl

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski says he expects to play in Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gronkowski has been in the league’s concussion protocol after taking a hit from Jacksonville’s Barry Church in the AFC championship game. He made his first public appearance on Tuesday night while playing former teammate and current Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount in a game of “Madden 18” at the Mall of America.
Gronkowski said he’s still in the concussion protocol and would leave his status up to those in charge of making medical decisions.
“Hopefully by (Wednesday),” he said. “We’ll see how it goes. I’m not the guy to say I’m out of the protocol. That’s the doctors’ calls.”
Gronkowski led the Patriots with 69 receptions for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns this season. He missed last year’s Super Bowl win against Atlanta because of a back injury.
Blount, who won two Super Bowls with Gronkowski and the Patriots before joining the Eagles, dominated his virtual matchup on Xbox in front of a packed crowd of Patriots fans at a Microsoft store. They left disappointed as Blount led his Eagles to a 33-13 win over Patriots.

Goodell wants league to look deeply into catch rule

By BARRY WILNER, AP Pro Football Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Roger Goodell wants to see the mystery of the NFL’s catch rule solved, and he’s ensured that the process has begun.
The commissioner said at his annual Super Bowl news conference Wednesday that he personally sees that rule as the most obvious to address.
Asked about the scrutiny that NFL officiating came under this season, Goodell said “on the catch/no catch rule, we need to find a rule we think will address that. We certainly need to get this rule right so everyone can appreciate.”
Goodell recently spent three hours with former players, including Pro Football Hall of Famers, going over 150 plays. He said there were many good ideas offered, but as for the specifics of what should be a catch, there was little consensus.
“There were a lot of people with different perspectives and lot of disagreement in the room,” he said.
So the competition committee will dive into not only this rule, but perhaps refining the rulebook.
“I would like to start back, subtracting from the (catch) rule and look at the rule fundamentally from the start. These rules are very complex.”
He added that there were more video replay interruptions in 2017 “and I think we can look at that. How do we make the game more attractive with less stoppages is one of the things we focus on.”
“How do we use replay to ensure correcting obvious mistakes but making sure it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the game.”
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For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL