Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Departments of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Transportation (PennDOT) today encouraged residents, local leaders, businesses, and organizations to join in cleaning up their communities as part of the “Pick Up Pennsylvania” spring community improvement campaign, now through May 31.

Pick Up Pennsylvania is a year-long initiative, however, events scheduled from March 1 through May 31 receive free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests provided by support from DEP, PennDOT and Keep America Beautiful, as supplies last.

Events may include litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, community greening and beautification, special collections and litter education events. Events must be registered at keeppabeautiful.org to receive free cleanup supplies. To support their efforts, DEP and the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association sponsor no- or low-cost trash disposal at participating landfills for registered events during the month of April.

“Litter impacts our quality of life, the natural environment and economic development in communities all across Pennsylvania. We all need to take responsibility for clean and beautiful neighborhoods.” said President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Shannon Reiter. “By working together to pick up a little litter or plant a tree, we can make big improvements in our quality of life. We’re hoping even more people turn out for this year’s event. It’s amazing what can be accomplished in a few short hours.”

Last year, the Pick Up Pennsylvania initiative welcomed more than 71,000 volunteers who disposed of over 2.9 million pounds of trash, cleaned 8,462 miles of road and waterways and planted more than 8,000 trees, flowers and other greens.

“PennDOT spends around $14 million each year cleaning up litter on our roadways, money that we’d much rather spend maintaining and improving them,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “We’re thankful for the thousands of Adopt-A-Highway volunteers who every year provide critical support to our efforts to keep Pennsylvania’s roads and waterways clean and litter-free.”

Groups in PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program, which involves volunteers cleaning roadsides year-round, are longtime participants. Adopt-A-Highway volunteers collect litter on a two-mile section of state highway at least twice a year. In 2023, the program had over 4,400 participating groups, more than 117,700 registered volunteers, and over 9,000 miles of adopted state-maintained roadways resulting in 32,272 bags of litter collected.

“Pennsylvania is a beautiful state. Everyone should be able to enjoy our scenic byways, streams and waterways, and state parks without litter obstructing the view,” said DEP Interim Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “DEP, PennDOT, and other agencies are leading efforts to prevent litter across the Commonwealth. I hope you’ll consider joining thousands of other Pennsylvanians to help to pick up PA and reduce litter in our communities. Let’s all work to keep Pennsylvania beautiful.”

Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, including Scout troops, businesses, watershed organizations, Trout Unlimited, Rod and Gun Clubs, and others, have participated in Pick Up Pennsylvania events for over 20 years.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published March 28, 2024 11:18 A.M.
Photos courtesy of Jeff Finch.

(New Brighton, Pa) The well-known Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe in New Brighton has underwent it’s first major renovation in decades. Customers will notice a new dining room experience when they visit the New Brighton location, which possesses the title as the original Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe founded in 1959.

Beaver County Radio had the opportunity to speak with location owner Alex Winger about the renovation. He says, “This location holds a lot of memories for several generations for many families in the Beaver County and surrounding region. However, it has been several decades since a major renovation has been completed.  The changes were made to brighten up the interior dining room space while holding true to our brand and culture. Customers will see a new floor, a new ceiling configuration, and all new seating options along with a fresh paint scheme that is matched in the lobby area. We do plan on doing additional work to the lobby at some point in time in the future. We trust our loyal customers, and welcomed newcomers will enjoy the fresh look as much as they love our food!”

Winger went on to say, “We are extremely proud we can continue to serve the good people of these communities and contribute to the area. We look forward to having all our guests continue to build memories at the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe in New Brighton.”

Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe has been a favorite spot by many in the Beaver Valley and beyond. Currently, the company has 9 locations spread between 4 counties in Western PA, and one location in Ohio.

 

 

 

Keystone State News Connection – Danielle Smith

The Environmental Protection Agency has set new air pollution standards under the federal Clean Air Act for cars and light/medium vehicle models from 2027 through 2032 and beyond.

Pennsylvania ranks 43rd among states for average exposure of the public to airborne soot of 2.5 microns or less, according to America’s Health Rankings.

And the Pittsburgh and Weirton area is on the American Lung Association’s list of cities with the most year-round particle pollution.

Cara Cook, director of programs at the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, said nurses are seeing firsthand the effects of tailpipe pollution on community health, as more people end up in hospitals and doctor’s offices suffering from asthma and other diseases linked to breathing in dangerous air pollutants found in soot and smog.

“Research shows that traffic pollution is linked to premature death, lung cancer and asthma,” Cook pointed out. “What we’re seeing among nurses is that they’re increasingly concerned about the transportation sector as a leading source of pollution.”

According to the EPA, the new air-quality standards will prevent more than 7 billion tons of carbon from being emitted and save the country $13 billion in health care costs related to improved air quality. Experts said they expect the rule to be challenged in court by the fossil fuel industry.

Chris Harto, senior policy analyst for Consumer Reports, said the move is a historic step toward cleaning up the transportation sector, bringing the nation closer to the Biden administration’s goal of a 60% reduction in emissions from new vehicles by 2030 and increasing quality of life for people living in areas with high levels of vehicle traffic.

“They will deliver over $1 trillion in consumer savings, eliminate billions of tons of climate pollution and save thousands of lives,” Harto asserted.

The Biden administration said once fully implemented, the new standards will save the average driver an estimated $6,000 in reduced fuel and maintenance over the life of a vehicle.

FILE – Shopping carts are parked outside a Home Depot in Philadelphia on Sept. 21, 2022. Home Depot is buying SRS Distribution, a materials provider for professionals, in a deal valued at approximately $18.25 billion. The home improvement retailer said Thursday, March 28, 2024, that the acquisition will help speed up its growth with the contractors. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Home Depot is buying SRS Distribution, a materials provider for professionals, in a deal valued at approximately $18.25 billion. The home improvement retailer said Thursday that the acquisition will help speed up its growth with the contractors. SRS provides materials for those including professional roofers, landscapers and pool contractors.

FILE – In this May 28, 2020, file photo, mail-in primary election ballots are processed at the Chester County Voter Services office in West Chester, Pa. Pennsylvania’s highest court on Thursday, Sept. 17. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal appeals court says a requirement for Pennsylvania voters to put accurate handwritten dates on the outside envelopes of their mail-in ballots doesn’t run afoul of a civil rights law. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday to uphold enforcement of the required date on return envelopes. The dates are a technical mandate that caused thousands of votes to be declared invalid in the 2022 election. The total number is a small fraction of the large state’s electorate. The court’s ruling puts additional attention on Pennsylvania’s election procedures ahead of the presidential election.

(Pittsburgh, Pa) The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is seeking the public’s feedback on winter services through an online survey.

“The PennDOT team works diligently to keep roadways safe and passable in the winter months, often in challenging conditions,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “The public’s feedback helps us review operations and also identify ways we can enhance public information.”

The survey is available through April 17 and should take about five minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous.

The 16-question survey asks respondents about their timeline expectations for safe and passable roadways, how they rank snow-removal priorities, and how they rate PennDOT’s winter services.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 28, 2024 10:15 A.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) State Police in Beaver have released some additional information regarding a shotting in Aliquippa Tuesday. They say they were dispatched to the area of 404 Linmar Terrace around 6:30pm. Upon arrival, they found Maurice Mathis had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his lower extremities. Aliquippa PD requested the State Police assume responsibility for the shooting investigation. Mathis was transported to the hostiptal for his injuries and an investigation is ongoing.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing the bridge preservation project on the Rochester-Monaca Bridge, which carries Route 18 over the Ohio River, in Rochester and Monaca boroughs, Beaver County will begin on Monday, April 1 weather permitting.

Work on the bridge and surrounding state roads will begin on Monday, April 1 in preparation for the anticipated 67-day closure and detour of the bridge will occur according to the following schedule:

Rochester-Monaca Bridge (Route 18)

• Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on the bridge from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through mid-June for paint containment installation, barrier repairs, and other miscellaneous construction work.

Route 51

• Single-lane restrictions will occur on westbound Route 51 in Rochester Borough from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays as needed through late September. Restrictions will occur between the South Route 18/East Route 68 Rochester off-ramp and the North Route 51/West Route 68 Beaver/Chippewa off-ramp for platform installation, downspout work and other miscellaneous construction activities.

Additionally, median island removal work is expected to begin in early April requiring single-lane alternating traffic at the intersection of Seventeenth Street (Route 51) and Pennsylvania Avenue (Route 4044). Details including work hours will be provided in advance of the work.

Additional information will be provided in advance of the 67-day closure and detour of the bridge. All restrictions above will be in place, as needed, until the bridge closure and detour begins.

This $6.69 million project includes bridge preservation work on the Rochester-Monaca Bridge between Atlantic Avenue in Monaca Borough and Pleasant Street in Rochester Borough. Preservation work includes expansion joint replacement, zone painting, concrete deck overlay, downspout repair and replacement, steel and concrete repairs, as well as sidewalk, deck, barrier, and fence repairs, pavement marking upgrades, and other miscellaneous construction activities. Motorists will see a full 67-day closure and detour of the bridge via the Monaca-East Rochester Bridge between June and August 2024. Bicycle and pedestrian access will be maintained during construction. This project is expected to be completed in late 2024.

FILE – President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and former President Bill Clinton attend at a memorial service for Sen. Robert Byrd, July 2, 2010, at the Capitol in Charleston, W.Va. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are teaming up with President Joe Biden for a glitzy reelection fundraiser Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The event brings together more than three decades of Democratic leadership. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A fundraiser for President Joe Biden in New York City that also stars Barack Obama and Bill Clinton is raising a whopping $25 million. Biden’s campaign says the Thursday night event sets a record for the biggest haul for a political event. The Radio City Music Hall fundraiser provides a gilded exclamation mark on a recent burst of campaign travel by Biden, who visited several political battlegrounds in the last few weeks. The Democratic president has a significant fundraising advantage over Republican rival Donald Trump, with more than four times as much cash on hand by the end of February.

FILE – Taylor Swift arrives at the 66th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. A photographer told police he was punched in the face by Taylor Swift’s father on the Sydney waterfront on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, hours after the pop star’s Australian tour ended. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

SYDNEY (AP) — Taylor Swift’s father will not be charged over a photographer’s claim that Scott Swift assaulted him on the Sydney waterfront hours after the pop star’s Australian tour ended last month. Photographer Ben McDonald had alleged that one of Swift’s security guards forced an umbrella into his face and camera and that Scott Swift then punched him. The incident occurred at the Neutral Bay Wharf, where the father and daughter had just come ashore from a yacht Feb. 27. Police began investigating the incident at the time and announced Wednesday that “no further police action” would be taken. The statement said that “no offences were detected.”