(Beaver, Pa.) The Beaver County Chamber of Commerce has announced Friday morning that they have extended registration for their annual Gala to Friday March 17, 2023. The cost of the Gala and Silent Auction is $80.00 for a member of the chamber and $100.00 for a non-member. The gala and auction is being held in Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 5-7 PM. If you would like more information or to register click on the photo below to be directed to the Chamber Registration page.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro enters the House floor before his first budget address to a joint session of the state legislature, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. (Dan Gleiter/The Patriot-News via AP)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s nominees for attorney general and state police commissioner received unanimous approval from the Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate. Wednesday’s vote confirmed Michelle Henry to be attorney general and fill the last two years of Shapiro’s elected four-year term in that office. The 54-year-old Henry was Shapiro’s top deputy for all six years while he served as attorney general. Before that, she was a career prosecutor from Bucks County. The new state police commissioner is Col. Christopher Paris, a lawyer and career state police trooper. He rose through the ranks of the state police in northeastern Pennsylvania to become one of four area operations commanders.
A view of the scene Feb. 24, 2023, as the cleanup continues at the site of of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday, March 6, 2023 that Norfolk Southern has pledged several million dollars to cover the cost of the response and recovery in Pennsylvania after last month’s derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals just across the border in Ohio. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, file)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Norfolk Southern’s CEO is apologizing to Congress and pledging millions of dollars to help East Palestine, Ohio, recover from last month’s fiery train derailment. Senators are investigating railway safety and the Biden administration’s response to the disaster. In remarks prepared for Thursday’s hearing, CEO Alan Shaw says he is “deeply sorry” for the impact of the derailment. He says the railroad will “do the right thing” and commit $20 million to the response and voluntary safety upgrades. But a bipartisan group of senators wants to impose new regulations on railroads.
Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh today announced the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) will make two carbon monoxide detectors available to certified child care providers in Pennsylvania at no cost to the providers. The free detectors are being made available following a carbon monoxide leak that affected a Pennsylvania child care facility in the fall of 2022.
“Because carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas, without detectors it is not possible to detect a leak before people start to feel sick,” said Arkoosh. “As the state works to update regulations to require this important safety mechanism be in place at our child care centers, this opportunity will help providers increase protections at their facility right away. I urge all providers to take advantage of this opportunity to get new carbon monoxide detectors to safeguard their staff and children in care.”
The announcement to further protect our children and their dedicated providers comes just days after Governor Shapiro unveiled his Inaugural Budget, which includes a proposed increase of $66.7 million for childcare services to help ensure that thousands of low-income Pennsylvania families will continue to have access to affordable, high-quality childcare.
Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas that kills hundreds of people in the United States every year. OCDEL is partnering with School Health to purchase and distribute the carbon monoxide detectors using federal child care funding available to the office. These no-cost carbon monoxide detectors are available as an extremely helpful safety resource for providers who may not already have them or who need new detectors. Currently, the ordering and placement of detectors is not a regulatory requirement set by OCDEL.
All certified child care providers have been sent a promotional code that will allow them to purchase one or two detectors from School Health, which are being made available through federal funding. The opportunity to order detectors will end on April 30, 2023.
For more information on child care in Pennsylvania, visit www.findchildcare.pa.gov
Harrisburg, PA – The Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) filed public assistance fraud charges against 52 individuals during January 2023. The restitution owed to the Commonwealth in these cases totals $349,835. Additional cost savings will be realized as the defendants will be temporarily disqualified from receiving public benefits in the programs they allegedly defrauded.
“We must protect the integrity of Pennsylvania’s public assistance programs, and that’s why OSIG is working to make sure only Pennsylvanians who qualify receive assistance,” said State Inspector General Lucas M. Miller. “I am proud of OSIG’s investigators who help ensure accountability with the Commonwealth’s public assistance programs.”
OSIG investigates and prosecutes public assistance fraud and conducts collection activities for the public benefits programs administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS).
During January 2023, OSIG filed felony charges of fraudulently receiving public assistance against a total of 49 individuals and misdemeanor charges against three separate individuals. It is alleged that these individuals misrepresented themselves and fraudulently received taxpayer-funded public benefits to which they were not entitled.
If convicted, the maximum penalty defendants face for public assistance fraud is seven years in prison and a fine of $15,000. In the case of SNAP, Cash Assistance, or Subsidized Day Care fraud, defendants also face a mandatory disqualification period from the benefits program they allegedly defrauded.
All persons charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Anonymously report suspected welfare fraud on the OSIG website or call the Welfare Fraud Tipline: 1-800-932-0582.
Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 9, 2023 10:27 A.M.
(Center Township, PA) The contractor for the project was present at Wednesday night’s works session and gave the board an update, and one of the key points was that the electrical work is done in the building, he explained the progress is being made in the other areas of the school.
AMBRIDGE, March 9 – State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver, issued the following statement today in response to news that Texas energy company Vistra Corp. will acquire the Beaver Valley Power Station nuclear power plant:
“Vistra Corp. has a strong track record of success and a demonstrated commitment to Pennsylvania. They have been a good corporate citizen, not just in Beaver County but across our commonwealth.
“I look forward to working with them to ensure the continued safe and successful operation of Beaver Valley Power Station for our county and our region.”
Pittsburgh, Pa (March 9, 2023) – Allegheny Health Network (AHN)’s Allegheny General (AGH) and Forbes hospitals have earned distinguished three-star ratings from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD) for their lung cancer resection surgery program. The award is a top honor in the field of lung cancer surgery, making AHN Forbes and AGH the highest-ranked programs in Pennsylvania, and placing AHN among just 27 centers in the United States to receive the three-star designation.
Evaluated every six months, the network has received the three-star designation consecutively for 18 months.
“Our use of innovative, minimally-invasive techniques to treat lung cancer, paired with our remarkable clinical care teams, have once again earned us top honors from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons,” said Benny Weksler, MD, System Director of Thoracic Surgery at AHN. “Public reporting of STS rankings empowers patients to educate themselves on how their local lung surgery programs perform, and we’re beyond proud of our proven track record of the best possible patient outcomes and clinical excellence throughout Western Pennsylvania.”
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, rating the benchmarked outcomes of U.S. and Canadian thoracic surgery programs. The star ratings are derived by testing whether the participant’s scores on quality outcomes are significantly different from the overall STS average for resection for lung cancer performed by other GTSD participants.
“On behalf of the entire Cardiovascular and Thoracic Institute at AHN, we want to congratulate Dr. Weksler and the team of skilled clinicians that make this achievement all possible,” said Stephen Bailey, MD, Chair of the AHN Cardiovascular Institute and System Chair of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. “Their strategic multidisciplinary approach, advocacy for early detection and commitment to pioneering new medical advancements results in remarkable outcomes for lung cancer patients and their families, allowing them to return to their activities sooner with a better quality of life.”
Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women, and cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer linked to roughly 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths.
Resection surgery is a common treatment for lung cancer, with treatment regiments also often including chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation therapy. Types of resection surgeries may include lobectomy, segmentectomy, and wedge resection, depending on the size and location of the tumor.
At AHN and under the direction of Dr. Weksler, patients have access to a wide range of surgical therapies and detection approaches many of which are minimally invasive and assisted by the latest robotic technologies.
In October 2020, AHN announced it was the first healthcare provider in the Pittsburgh area to offer the Ion robotic lung biopsy system, an innovative new technology that helps physicians diagnose cancer at its earliest stages, when it is most curable. If patients are diagnosed and meet the appropriate criteria, they may also qualify for a da Vinci robot-assisted, minimally-invasive resection. This less invasive approach allows more than 95 percent of patients to return home in less than three days.
“Although AHN is known for its innovative therapies and advanced technology in surgical applications, it’s critical to emphasize that our network also collectively recognizes that adhering to consistent screenings and early detection remains critically important,” continued Dr. Weksler. “Approximately 80% of people who get screened and found to have lung cancer early can be cured.”
In its commitment to early detection, AHN hosts numerous free cancer screening events throughout the year which include lung cancer screenings for those aged between 50-80 years with a prior history of smoking. The most recent event was held in Monroeville last month.
According to the latest data from the American Lung Association, the rate of new lung cancer cases in Pennsylvania is significantly higher than the national rate and less than 10 percent of those considered to be high-risk were screened in 2022.
Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 9, 2023 10:21 A.M.
(Hopewell Township, PA) A week- long penny collection at Hopewell Elementary School for the American Heart Association was successful. The students raised $4,421.00, according to third grade teacher Nicole Ozimok who coordinated the event. A representative from the heart association was present at the school to receive the donation on Tuesday afternoon. Principal Korri Kane reported that the third graders collected the most pennies.
Congratulations third graders!! You really have a heart!
Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 9, 2023 10:19 A.M.
(Aliquippa, PA) Ty Patillo, coordinator of the proposed Aliquippa Food Co-op announced that there will be a meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21 at 6 p.m. at the B.F. Jones Memorial Library. The meeting topic is titled:: Discussion and Mission.