Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published January 18, 2023 5:30 A.M. 

(Riverside, Beaver County, Pa) The Riverside School Board met Tuesday evening for their first meeting of the new year. The board kicked off the meeting by making a motion to ratify the actions and approve the minutes of their December meeting. Board member Alexis Pflugh asked for clarification of what exactly “ratify the actions” entailed, and Board President Shawn Plassmeyer replied that it was a recommendation by the Board solicitor Danielle Guarascio , due to legalities being questioned in regard to incumbent board members being properly re-sworn in. The solicitor added that it is a grey area on whether or not re-elected members are required by law to be re-sworn in.

Actions were taken by the board to have the incumbents take oath in front of a notary as a safety net. Plassmeyer relayed that normally they would swear in all of the members, but for some reason he “can’t answer”, they only swore in Alexis Pflugh this time around. Pflugh would like to see all of the members sworn in at once moving forward, and requests that in the future the whole board should be informed of actions taking place. The solicitor says the ratification will correct any wrongdoing and added “this should never happen again”.

A community member addressed the board about the issue stating that not performing these actions in the public eye goes against the constitution. She provided each board member with a copy of the state constitution courtesy of Senator Elder Vogel and says State Representative Aaron Bernstine has copies of the federal constitution on the way.

Plassmeyer stated that they “wracked their brains” to figure out why things took place the way they did, but they were unable to come up with an answer. Pflugh proceeded to make a motion to have the board members restate their oath in front of the public, in which the board voted down 2 to 5.

Later in the hour-long meeting, Alexis Pflugh motioned to suspend a motion to explore receiving bids for various projects at the school. The district received 10 million dollars in grant funding and Pflugh says with the projects stated, they are on track to spend nearly all of it within the first 6-8 months. Board Secretary Devin Walsh stated the board has to spend it within 5 years.

Pflugh says the board is ignoring divots in their State title winning baseball team’s field, in favor of a new science room and other projects that she claims were not appropriately discussed. She added “without a committee to do a thorough investigation, I guess we’ll never know.” Plassmeyer relayed that the field will be addressed.

Also addressed during the meeting was the lack of student representation on the board. The board does not remember the last time they had a student representative and will explore possibilities.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Demolition got underway Wednesday at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, the site of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, as part of the effort to reimagine the building to honor the 11 people who were killed there in 2018.

The demolition work began slowly, with crews picking away at the building’s exterior.

Most the building will be removed, although portions of the sanctuary walls will be preserved. The new building will include spaces for worship, a museum, an education center and a movie theater.

Carole Zawatsky, who heads the new nonprofit overseeing the project, was at the site as demolition began. She said she had a mix of emotions, including feeling bittersweet knowing why the old building was being demolished but also feeling tremendous excitement about seeing the project moving forward. It was sobering and a physical manifestation of healing, she said.

“It is an incredible symbol of great resilience and moving forward,” she said.

The Oct. 27, 2018, attack claimed the lives of 11 worshippers from three congregations meeting at the synagogue – Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life. The three have been meeting at nearby synagogues since then.

In a related project, a memorial to the victims is being planned for a site just outside the synagogue.

The process of planning that memorial was left to representatives of the congregations and victims’ families.

The design calls for a walkway that will lead visitors into garden memorial with 11 sculpted forms of open books, each representing one of the people who were killed.

They represent the “Book of Life,” where, according to Jewish tradition, the righteous are named.

The man who killed the congregants was sentenced to death last year, after the conclusion of a long-delayed federal trial.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

A letter was sent on Tuesday to Donald Koenig, the director of Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS), asking for answers on what needs to be done to improve the status of health care for thousands of veterans in the Pittsburgh area. The letter was co-written by US Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, along with US Representatives Chris Deluzio and Summer Lee.

The letter addresses several key issues regarding the VAPHS, including the lowest possible rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and chronic staffing shortages.

The full letter can be read by clicking here.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Two local parks have received grant funding for renovations to boost activity and accessibility.

State Representative Rob Matzie announced on Tuesday that P.J. Caul Memorial Park will be receiving $125,000 for renovations through the Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program through the Marcellus Legacy Fund. Through the same grant, $74,000 has been awarded to John A. Antoline Park in Monaca for the Central Valley Girls Youth Softball Field.

“The grant to Ambridge will allow the borough to build on improvements to P.J. Caul Park that are making the park more accessible and more inviting for residents,” Matzie said. “The funding to Monaca will support needed renovations to the Antoline Park softball field. Folks love to come out and watch the games and cheer on the players, and the work will help ensure the best experience for everyone.”

(Independence Township, Beaver County, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that 30-year-old Zachary Thomas Oddis of Clinton is being charged with filing false reports over an incident that occurred on at 6:11 AM on December 13, 2023.

Troopers said that on the above date and time they responded to a report of a burglary in progress on Windward Lane in Independence Township, Beaver County. On scene it was determined that Oddis made a false report and that he has a history of doing so.

No further information about the incident was released.

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Beaver County Coroner David J. Gabauer confirmed the identity of the victim of Monday’s fatal house fire in Ohioville as 50-year-old Raymond Jankowski.

The manner in which Jankowski’s home on Ridgemont Drive caught fire is pending. The state fire marshal is continuing to investigate the case, according to Fire Chief Clarence Dawson.

Jankowski’s daughter Ariel managed to escape from the fire, and a GoFundMe account has been created for her following the destructive fire.

TCBC has coordinated with community partners to provide warming centers for those needing relief from potentially dangerous winter weather, including extreme cold and wind chill.

Local Warming Center Locations and Hours of Operation:

The Cornerstone of Beaver County 

Mon-Fri 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

600 6th Street, Beaver Falls

New Brighton Municipal Building

Mon-Thurs 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

610 3rd Avenue, New Brighton

Uncommon Grounds

Tues-Thurs 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

380 Franklin Ave, Aliquippa, PA

Outside of warming center hours of operation, anyone experiencing homelessness or housing-related crisis can call TCBC at 724.846.6400 any time, day or night, for assistance.

For more information about TCBC’s emergency shelter, housing, and basic needs programs, visit CornerstoneBeaver.org.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A U.S. company’s lunar lander will soon burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after a failed moonshot.

Astrobotic Technology said its lander is now headed back toward Earth from the vicinity of the moon. Company officials expect the mission to end Thursday. Astrobotic is working with NASA to track the lander’s path and said it should pose no safety risk during its fiery reentry.

The lander, named Peregrine, rocketed from Cape Canaveral last Monday. It quickly developed a fuel leak that forced Astrobotic to abandon its attempt to make the first U.S. lunar landing in more than 50 years. The company suspects a stuck valve caused a tank to rupture.

Astrobotic said it has consulted with NASA and other government officials on how best to end the mission. The company said it does not want to endanger satellites around Earth or create a hazard for future spacecraft flying to the moon.

It was a “difficult decision,” the company said in an online update late Sunday. “By responsibly ending Peregrine’s mission, we are doing our part to preserve the future” of space exploration.

NASA paid more than $100 million to fly experiments on the Peregrine lander. It’s part of the space agency’s bid to commercialize lunar deliveries by private businesses while the government works to get astronauts back to the moon.

The lander also carried a rover from Carnegie Mellon University and other privately sponsored research, as well as the ashes and DNA from about 70 people, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke.

Another U.S. company, Intuitive Machines, is up next with its own lunar lander due to launch next month.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan didn’t tell Sidney Crosby to start shooting the puck more often. Maybe because he knew he didn’t have to.

“Quite honestly we just try to stay out of his way,” Sullivan said. “He thinks it better than we do.”

And still plays it — even at age 36 and in the middle of his 19th season — better than most.

Crosby scored twice to move within one of Hall of Famer Mark Recchi for 21st on the all-time goals list as the Penguins ended Seattle’s franchise-record nine-game winning streak with a 3-0 win on Monday.

Tristan Jarry turned aside all 22 shots he faced for his fifth shutout of the season as Pittsburgh handed Seattle its first loss of any kind since Dec. 18 and its first loss in regulation since Dec. 10.

The Kraken came in riding a month of occasionally spectacular play that’s vaulted them into the thick of the playoff chase in the loaded Western Conference as the season reaches its midpoint. Playing the fourth game of a six-game East Coast road swing and forced to go without three regulars in defenseman Vince Dunn, center Matty Beniers and forward Andre Burakovsky, Seattle mustered little against Jarry and a Pittsburgh team smarting after consecutive overtime losses to Vancouver and Carolina.

“I just didn’t think we executed well enough,” Kraken center Jaden Schwartz said. “We looked a little tired at times. Just didn’t have that same jump and energy.”

The Penguins, frustrated after slow starts plagued them in overtime losses to Vancouver and Carolina, looked fresh during the somewhat impromptu matinee crowd. The teams agreed to move up the originally scheduled game time from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. to avoid a direct conflict with the NFL playoff matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, which was moved from Sunday to Monday after a blizzard drilled Western New York over the weekend.

The Penguins controlled play for long stretches in the opening period and finally broke through early in the second during a pretty sequence that began with a stretch pass from Marcus Pettersson to Evgeni Malkin. Malkin then chipped the puck to a streaking Bryan Rust, who threaded a backhand pass to O’Connor that O’Connor fired by Joey Daccord 49 seconds into the second.

Crosby, sprinting up the NHL’s all-time scoring list in the middle of his 19th season, collected his 575th a couple of minutes later when he went down to one knee in the right circle to blast a one-timer past Daccord 3:32 into the second. His 576th came on an empty netter in the final minutes.

Seattle had trailed for all of 56:50 during its nine-game run, more than half of that coming in an overtime victory over Philadelphia on Dec. 29. Daccord made 30 saves but for the first time in a while there would be no rally.

The Kraken and their roster littered with former Penguins — including two-time Stanley Cup winner Brian Dumoulin, who left in free agency for Seattle last summer — found little open space against a team that is now 10-3-3 over its last 16 games.

Crosby has been in the thick of the resurgence. He’s on pace for his first 50-goal season since 2009-10 and at his pace, he should pass Recchi in relatively short order and maybe even catch Jari Kurri in 20th at 601 before the end of the season.

It’s a heady total for a franchise icon long considered more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. He’s found a way to do both over his nearly two decades in Pittsburgh, his unique ability to diagnose what his team needs and try to provide it nearly unparalleled.

The Penguins have struggled to score goals in general this season, particularly on the power play. Crosby has responded by shooting more frequently. It’s working.

“Sid, he takes what the game gives him,” Sullivan said. “When the plays are there to make a play, he does. When there’s opportunities to put the puck at the net and shoot the puck, he does.”

UP NEXT

Kraken: Visit the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Penguins: Head west for a two-game road trip starting in Las Vegas on Saturday.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Pennsylvania US Senator John Fetterman is joining Iowa Senator Joni Ernst to introduce the Consistent Egg Labels Act to combat mislabeled information on egg alternatives and egg substitutes. The bill was introduced to Congress on Friday.

The bill would require the FDA to, within 180 days, issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of mislabeled egg alternatives. The FDA would then be required to report to Congress two years after enactment on actions taken with respect to food that is misbranded. The legislation would also nullify any guidance with respect to eggs or egg products that is not consistent with its standards.

“Pennsylvania’s egg producers work tirelessly to produce an inexpensive, accessible, and healthy source of protein for consumers,” said Senator Fetterman. “Our commonwealth is the fourth largest egg producing state in the country, making eggs a critical part of Pennsylvania’s agricultural and economic strength. The Consistent Egg Labels Act will protect farmers and consumers by prohibiting eggs alternatives from misrepresenting themselves.”