Governor Josh Shapiro gives a second update on the East Palestine Train Derailment from Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) headquarters. FEBRUARY 06, 2023 – HARRISBURG, PA 

After Meeting with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, Governor Shapiro has announced Norfolk Southern will pay millions for the impacts of the train derailment on Pennsylvania Residents. 5 million dollars will go to local fire departments and 1 million will go to Beaver and Lawrence county community relief funds. The full details can be read below in a press release from the Shapiro Administration.

Harrisburg, PA – Days after meeting with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw in the Governor’s Office in Harrisburg, Governor Josh Shapiro has secured an initial commitment from Norfolk Southern to pay millions for damages to Pennsylvania and its residents resulting from their February 3 train derailment that impacted residents in Beaver and Lawrence counties. This funding commitment is a starting point, and Governor Shapiro will continue pushing Norfolk Southern for further accountability and to cover additional costs that may accrue.

In a direct meeting, Governor Shapiro demanded Norfolk Southern cover the entirety of the costs incurred by Commonwealth agencies and local fire departments that responded to the derailment, as well as set up a $1 million community relief fund for businesses and residents in Beaver and Lawrence counties who lost revenue as a result of the incident. This is a start, not an end, to Governor Shapiro holding Norfolk Southern accountable for the damage it has caused to the Commonwealth. At the Governor’s request, Norfolk Southern agreed to pay the Commonwealth to recoup losses due to its train derailment and cover costs that may accrue over time with continued testing and monitoring.

In the wake of the February 3 derailment, Governor Shapiro vowed to the people of Pennsylvania that he will hold Norfolk Southern accountable for any and all impacts to our Commonwealth. Today, he is delivering on that promise.

“Norfolk Southern’s train derailment has hurt communities in Western Pennsylvania, and to make matters worse, the company’s disregard for crisis management best practices injected unnecessary risk into the situation and created confusion for residents and first responders,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “Norfolk Southern must do better – and the entire cost of this derailment and its impact on the Commonwealth must be picked up by them, not the people of Pennsylvania. My Administration is doing whatever it takes to help Pennsylvanians impacted by this incident, and I will continue to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for their actions.”

As a result of Governor Shapiro’s work, Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay:

$5,000,000 to reimburse local fire departments in Western Pennsylvania that need to replace contaminated or damaged equipment that was used in responding to the derailment.

$1,000,000 for a Community Relief Fund to be run by Beaver and Lawrence County officials to support business owners and residents impacted by the derailment.

$950,000 to cover Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) work in Western Pennsylvania.

$400,000 for the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s (DOH) services, including:
Costs associated with the Health Resource Center (HRC) – which has already served more than 250 residents in since opening on February 28 – like rent, supplies, and staff time.
Costs associated with DOH’s Poison Control Call Line, which has tracked every call related to train derailment.

$30,000 to cover the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s (PEMA) staff time since the Commonwealth Response Coordination Center (CRCC) activation.

Norfolk Southern’s agreement to pay these costs is separate and apart from any otherwise applicable legal obligations that might be imposed.

Since the February 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the Shapiro Administration has led a coordinated response to keep Pennsylvanians safe and informed while working to hold Norfolk Southern accountable.

Governor Shapiro joined U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine in East Palestine on February 21 to provide an update on shared efforts to keep residents safe. Governor Shapiro also visited residents in Darlington Township, Beaver County who received water testing from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced the opening of a Health Resource Center in Darlington Township, Beaver County for residents of Beaver and Lawrence counties who have health concerns; the center will be open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM through Friday, March 10. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture are also on hand at the Center to help interested residents sign up for free, independent water testing and to provide guidance on food and animal safety, respectively. DEP is conducting independent water sampling to monitor water contamination risks. So far, DEP has successfully collected samples from nearly every private drinking water well within one mile of the Norfolk Southern derailment site and expects to receive results in the coming days.

Pennsylvania continues to see no concerning air or water quality readings following this incident. Air and water monitoring have been in place since the incident began and no concerning readings have been detected thus far.

Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw speaks to reporters, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, near the site where a freight train derailed Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — Authorities in Ohio say there is no indication of any risk to public health from the derailment of a Norfolk Southern cargo train between Dayton and Columbus, the second derailment of a company train in the state in a month. Norfolk Southern said 28 of the 212 cars on the southbound train, including two empty tanker cars, derailed shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday in Springfield Township near a business park and the county fairgrounds. Residents living within 1,000 feet were asked to shelter in place as a precaution, but officials early Sunday said there was “no indication of any injuries or risk to public health at this time.”

From left, Laura Kuster, Miranda Crotsley, and Hollen Barmer eat fish sandwiches, homemade perogies, and macaroni and cheese at the St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church fish fry in the West Homestead neighborhood of Pittsburgh, on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023. To innovate the age-old tradition of fish fries, Barmer and volunteers from Code for Pittsburgh created the “Pittsburgh Lenten Fish Fry Map,” an online interactive map that locates and documents active fish fries from year to year across Western Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

WEXFORD, Pa. (AP) — The Lenten fish fry is a popular tradition in many Catholic communities. In Pittsburgh and the towns around it, people looking for fish fries between Ash Wednesday and Easter have a very modern tool to find their fish fix — an interactive map. It’s done by volunteer coders who want to foster community engagement, and it points the way to fish fries at churches, in fire halls and in restaurants. For western Pennsylvania, it represents a mashup of a tradition that many hold dear and the technological innovation that’s helping to push the region forward. As the founder of the interactive map says, fish fries are an adventure.

FILE – Gary Rossington of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd performs on Day 1 of the 2015 Big Barrel Country Music Festival at The Woodlands on Friday, June 26, 2015, in Dover, Del. Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last surviving original member who also helped to found the group, died Sunday, March 5, 2023, at the age of 71. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)

Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s last surviving original member who also helped to found the group, died Sunday at the age of 71. The band wrote on Facebook, “It is with our deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington, today.” Rossington cheated death more than once, Rolling Stone reported. He survived a car accident in 1976. A year later, he survived a plane crash that killed singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines. In later years he underwent numerous heart surgeries. No cause of death was given.

In this weeks episode of Highmark Heroes, Jim Roddey speaks to Dr. Ariel Aballay, Director of the West Penn Burn Center.  Later in the show Roddey is joined by Todd DePastino, director of the Veterans Breakfast Club.

“Heroes” is presented by Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the Allegheny Health Network, airing Saturdays at 10:00 AM and Sundays at 12:30 PM on Beaver County Radio. Archived editions of “Heroes” can be heard at the Beaver County Radio Podcast Library.

Pastor David Grove of the Church of the Redeemed of Beaver Valley sends a message on following the Holy Spirit this Saturday on “Wake Up Beaver Valley”.

“Wake Up Beaver Valley” airs every Saturday morning from 9 AM to 10 AM on Beaver County Radio and is presented by the Church of The Redeemed of Beaver Valley. Archived editions of “Wake Up Beaver Valley” can be heard at the Beaver County Radio Podcast Library.