(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT District 11 is announcing overnight lane restrictions on the I-79 Neville Island Bridge in Neville Township, Allegheny County, will begin Monday night, June 6 weather permitting.

(Photo provided with release)

GROVE CITY, PA  – Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Grove City Hospital announced today that AHN gastroenterologist Saad Javed, MD is now providing gastrointestinal (GI) care for patients there.

Dr. Javed earned his medical degree at King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan, and completed his residency at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, Mass. He completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, and an advanced fellowship in neurogastroenterology and motility at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Javed is a gastroenterologist with AHN’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition within the Medicine Institute. Along with diagnosing and treating common diseases and disorders of the digestive tract, Dr. Javed is a motility specialist.

GI motility refers to the complex system of digestion: the movement of food from the mouth through the pharynx (throat), esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines and out of the body via the rectum, a pathway known as the digestive tract.

Motility disorders occur when nerves or muscles in the gut do not work in a coordinated way and represent the most common complaint among patients who consult with a gastroenterologist. Problems related to swallowing, bloating, nausea, vomiting, chronic constipation or diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, reflux and fecal incontinence all stem from motility issues and affect about 40 percent of the population.

The painful, unpleasant symptoms associated with motility issues and disorders of the gut-brain axis, lead to other complications including diminished quality of life and work productivity, depression, weight loss and isolation. Yet, despite their prevalence across people of any age, gender and race, those who suffer from these problems remain largely untreated due to a lack of understanding among health professionals who do not specialize in treating disorders of the digestive system.

“Along with my AHN GI colleagues, I’m deeply committed to appropriately evaluating, diagnosing and addressing motility disorders in patients to help improve their lives on many levels,” said Dr. Javed.

As with many complex health conditions, critical to the effective management of motility issues is a multidisciplinary approach. “The breadth and depth of specialty and subspecialty expertise within the AHN network that I can connect my patients with will benefit them greatly, including nutritionists, behavioral medicine specialists, pelvic floor therapists and colorectal surgeons, to name a few.”

Dr. Javed is passionate about community outreach and education as essential factors in addressing GI problems as soon as they arise, and he recently partnered with the Buhl Regional Health Foundation to present a webinar on colorectal cancer screening. “Giving back to our community by raising awareness on the importance of early detection and effective treatment of health issues is a common shared value among AHN health providers. We are all focused on this goal.”

“The addition of Dr. Javed to our team of physicians here at AHN Grove City stands to meet a significant longtime need for specialized GI care among the people of our community, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have him here,” said David Tupponce, MD, AHN Grove City President. “He brings with him, access to an entire network of expertise that otherwise has been out of reach for our patients, and that is a tremendous asset for our hospital and our area.”

For more information, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Javed, contact 814-452-2767.

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(Cranberry Twp., Butler County, Pa.) Pa State Police in Butler are reporting that they were called to the scene of a one vehicle accident on Interstate 79 north bound at mile marker 81 in Cranberry Township, Butler County around 6:20 PM Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Upon arriving and investigating it was learned that a 17-year-old female minor from New Castle lost control of the 2008 Hyundai Elantra that he was driving while traveling north on Interstate 79. Troopers reported that when the minor lost control the vehicle went off the east shoulder of the north bound lanes struck a guard rail traveling back into the north lanes and then swerved back into the right lane of travel off the roadway impacting an embankment and rolling over on its hood before coming to a final rest on its wheels.
The 17-year-old female minor was taken to UPMC Childrens Hospital via ambulance for possible minor injuries. There is no word on the minor’s condition.

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Summer months are high-risk for inexperienced teen drivers

As school lets out for summer, AAA stresses the importance of preparing and educating inexperienced teen drivers for some of the most dangerous driving days of the year. Nationwide, more than 7,000 people died in teen driving-related summertime crashes between 2011 and 2020. That’s more than 7 people per day during the 100 Deadliest Days – the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day – compared to the rest of the year.

“The summer months are the riskiest for inexperienced teen drivers because they typically have more unstructured time behind the wheel and there are more drivers on the road,” says Theresa Podguski, director of legislative affairs, AAA East Central. “Although the facts are tragic, they present an opportunity to focus on and discuss what can be done to improve the safety of teenagers on the road.”

According to previous research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, new teen drivers ages 16-17 are three times as likely as adults to be involved in a deadly crash. Speed and nighttime driving are significant factors contributing towards the number of crashes and fatalities involving teen drivers during the 100 Deadliest Days. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

• 36 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities involving teen drivers occurred between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
• Data show a 22 percent increase in the average number of nighttime crashes per day involving teen drivers during the 100 Deadliest Days compared to the rest of the year
• 29 percent of all motor vehicle deaths involving a teen driver were speed-related

In preparation for the dangerous summer driving period, AAA encourages parents to educate their teens and themselves about risky driving behavior.  Parents should:

• Discuss with teens early and often the dangers of risky driving situations, such as speeding and nighttime driving.
• Discuss with teens the dangers and consequences of distracted driving (i.e., texting, having multiple people in the car, etc.)
• Teach by example and minimize any risky behavior when behind the wheel.
• Make a parent-teen driving agreement that sets family rules for teen drivers. Consider setting driving limits that are stronger than state laws and enforce those limits.

Summer is also a great time for teens to complete a comprehensive driver education course to learn the rules of the road. Visit AAA Exchange – Teen Driver Safety.

Strengthening teen driving laws to increase roadway safety is a top priority for AAA. The Association’s advocacy efforts are helping to protect teens by working to pass graduated driver licensing laws, including seat belt requirements, wireless device bans and nighttime driving and passenger restrictions, in states across the country.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 72 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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(Pittsburgh, Pa.) United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced yesterday that Christopher A. Sennett, of Coraopolis pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possessing material depicting the sexual exploitation of minors in front of United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that on September 26, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Sennett’s residence in Coraopolis, during which the officers seized a computer and Apple iPhone, both of which were found to contain videos and still images of child sexual abuse material. Forensic analysis of the electronic equipment revealed 120 videos and 9 still photographs depicting the sexual exploitation of minor females.
Senntt is scheduled for sentencing on October 3, 2022. The law provides for a total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Pending sentencing, the court ordered that Sennett remain on bond.

(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says children under 5 may be able to get their first COVID-19 vaccination doses as soon as June 21, if federal regulators authorize shots for the age group as expected. White House COVID-19 coordinator Ashish Jha outlined the administration’s planning Thursday for the last remaining ineligible age group to get shots. He says the Food and Drug Administration’s outside panel of advisers will meet on June 14-15 to evaluate the Pfizer and Moderna shots for younger kids. Shipments to doctors’ offices and pediatric care facilities would begin soon after FDA authorization, with the first shots possible the following week.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
By ZEKE MILLER and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has delivered an impassioned plea to Congress to act on gun control. In an address to the nation Thursday night, he called on lawmakers to restore limits on the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. He says that if legislators fail to act, voters should use their “outrage” to turn gun violence into a central issue in November’s midterm elections. Biden is trying to drive up pressure on Congress to pass stricter laws, though such efforts have failed in the wake of past violence. The speech follows recent mass shootings in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster File Photo)
By FARNOUSH AMIRI and MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor, Doug Mastriano, has offered to sit for a voluntary interview with the congressional committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection. Mastriano’s lawyer said Thursday that Mastriano already was interviewed by FBI agents last year about the Capitol attack. Mastriano was seen outside the Capitol on the day of the insurrection and was in regular communication with then-President Donald Trump as Trump sought to reverse his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Mastriano’s lawyer says Mastriano told the FBI he didn’t know about any coordination behind the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Mastriano is a state senator and won the GOP nomination for governor last month.

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By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A state court is agreeing in a ballot-counting lawsuit with the campaign of David McCormick, who is in a neck-and-neck Republican primary contest for U.S. Senate against celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz. In the decision, Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer ordered counties Thursday night to count the ballots in question. However, her decision could be reversed, depending on what the U.S. Supreme Court does in the coming days on a separate case. McCormick and Oz are in the midst of a statewide recount over a margin of roughly 900 votes separating them in the May 17 primary.