Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, speaks on the Pennsylvania House floor, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023 at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Philadelphia state Rep. Joanna McClinton is the first woman to serve as speaker of the Pennsylvania House. She ascended to the chamber’s top position Tuesday on the strength of a fresh one-vote Democratic majority. The leadership reshuffling came nearly two months after Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat, became the surprise choice for speaker. Democrats flipped a net of 12 seats in November to retake majority control after more than a decade, but their margin didn’t become effective until their candidates won three special elections earlier this month. Rozzi stepped down shortly before the 102-to-99 vote for McClinton. The 40-year-old McClinton grew up in southwest Philadelphia, where she still lives.

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) issued the following statement Tuesday on the election of Rep. Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia/Delaware) as Speaker of the House:

“As a former Speaker of the House, I offer my congratulations to Speaker McClinton and wish her well on this tremendous responsibility.

“After several months of gridlock and a state House of Representatives that has not been working for the people, we are in dire need of a reset.

“I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle join us in working to move ahead, open the House, and adopt operating rules for the House that we hope will be reflective of the priorities contained in the already-public House Republican rules draft, especially those pertaining to transparency and sexual harassment protections.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in the town of East Palestine, Ohio, just across the state line with Pennsylvania, U.S. Representatives Chris Deluzio (PA-17) and Ro Khanna (CA-17) today led their colleagues in introducing the Decreasing Emergency Railroad Accident Instances Locally (DERAIL) Act to broaden the definition by which trains get classified as a “high-hazard flammable train” (HHFT).

The bill will ensure that trains carrying hazardous materials are properly classified and rail carriers are required to take proper safety precautions—such as slower speeds, newer rail cars, better braking equipment, and required reporting—when carrying these materials across the country. The bill also improves information sharing by requiring rail carriers to report to the National Response Center, state officials, and local officials within 24 hours after a train carrying toxic chemicals derails.

“I represent constituents in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, who live, work, and play just miles from the site of the Norfolk Southern derailment,” said Rep. Deluzio. “Following this derailment, many of them are worried about their health and livelihoods and whether their air, water, and soil will be safe after this disaster. They want answers, accountability, and assurance that something like this will never happen again. For too long, railroads have prioritized profit ahead of public safety and their workers, and it is time to regulate the railroads. This legislation is an important step forward to finally strengthen our rail regulations and improve rail safety in communities like western Pennsylvania and across America.”

“The people in East Palestine and western Pennsylvania are the working-class folks who feel invisible and abandoned by our nation,” said Rep. Khanna.  “I’m proud to introduce this legislation to expand our safety regulations and help prevent against this type of disaster in the future. This is a moment where we need political leaders from all parties and from across the country to speak out loudly for better safety regulations and to acknowledge what so many Americans are going through.”

This debate isn’t new. For years, safety advocates have called for the definition of HHFT to be broadened to include Hazard 2 gasses. But rail industry lobbyists fought to limit the types of chemical compounds that would be covered by the regulation. Reporting by The Lever News has shown how rail regulations have been weakened and rolled back over the past years and helped raise awareness in the immediate aftermath of the East Palestine derailment.

The derailment included eleven tank cars carrying hazardous materials that ultimately ignited, including five with vinyl chloride, a Class 2 flammable gas, and two tank cars with benzene residue, a Class 3 flammable liquid. Yet, the derailed train wasn’t classified as a HHFT, and thus, was not subject to stricter safety regulations.

The DERAIL Act expands the definition of which trains are classified as a “high-hazard flammable train” in two key ways. First, it adds Class 2 flammable gasses to the definition and gives the Secretary of Transportation the authority to add other materials to the definition as necessary for safety. Second, DOT currently defines HHFT as a train carrying hazardous materials in at least 20 consecutive cars or 35 cars total, this bill lowers the threshold to one railcar.

“We commend Congressman Deluzio and Congressman Khanna for proactively taking positive action to improve rail safety for Pennsylvania and America,” said Greg Hynes, National Legislative Director of SMART Transportation Division, the union representing rail workers who staffed the Norfolk Southern train that derailed. “Increasing safety measures will better protect both workers and the communities our trains run through every day.”

“As the derailment and explosion in East Palestine, Ohio showed us, federal laws excluding freight companies from reporting the dangerous and explosive materials that they are carrying have loopholes large enough to drive a train through,” noted PennEnvironment Executive Director David Masur. “The DERAIL Act will take commonsense and important steps to improve reporting and the public’s right to know about volatile and hazardous materials rumbling through U.S. communities every day. This will help protect public health, safeguard local communities, and assist first responders.”

FILE – Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., leaves an intelligence briefing on the unknown aerial objects the U.S. military shot down this weekend at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 14, 2023. A spokesman for Fetterman says the Democrat is “on a path to recovery” after checking himself into a hospital for clinical depression earlier this month, and that he is still expected to be away from the Senate for several weeks. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A spokesman for Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says the Democrat is “on a path to recovery” after checking himself into a hospital for clinical depression earlier this month, and he is still expected to be away from the Senate for several weeks. Fetterman communications director Joe Calvello said in a statement Monday that the senator’s recovery will be a “weeks-long process.” He is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he checked in Feb. 15 as he was still struggling with the aftereffects of a stroke. His office said then that he had experienced depression before but it had become severe.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published February 28, 2023 1:13 P.M.

(Aliquippa, PA) Aliquippa Police Chief John Lane issued a statement Tuesday morning about a large number of vehicle break-ins that have occurred in the city. The chief said 6 reports have been made in the last 2 nights. Residents are advised, “Lock your doors, secure your valuables, and park in lighted areas.” Chief Lane said Hyundai’s and Kia’s are the main targets in the thefts reported.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published February 28, 2023 1:11 P.M.

(Cranberry Township, PA) Cranberry Township are investigating the report of an armed break-in and the kidnapping of a 17-year-old boy Tuesday in Cranberry at a gated community. Beaver County 911 was contacted from a store in Rochester for the 17 year old and he was able to return home to his mother. Investigators believe the incident was not random, and that the family was targeted. Police are asking anyone with further information to contact them at 724-776-5180.

HARRISBURG– Have you received a text message, email or letter inviting you to participate in a research project as a secret shopper without the need for an interview because you’re the perfect person for the position?

In this scam, the recruiter typically sends a check worth more than the items you buy, so you get to keep the rest as a bonus. They will instruct you to deposit the check right away, buy gift cards, and provide the scammer with the number and pin on the gift cards.

Unfortunately, the check they send you is fraudulent and it will take a few days to clear, but in the meantime, you’ve made these purchases out of your account. When you find out three or four days later that the check was fraudulent, you’ve already bought those gift cards and sent them off to the scammer.

“Pennsylvanians should know the tricks these scammers use so they can proactively keep themselves, their money, and their personal information safe,” said Acting Attorney General Michelle Henry. “Anyone receiving suspicious emails, calls, or texts should report them to my Office to help protect yourself and others.”

Warning Signs of This Scam

• A job listing or unsolicited mailing, call, text or email that guarantees you will make a lot of money as a secret shopper.
• A secret shopper job that requires you to pay up front to get started.
• An “employer” that sends you a check or money order with instructions to deposit it in your account and return a portion to the sender.

Consumers with any questions or feel that they have been victimized by this scam or any similar scams may submit a complaint with the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection by visiting the website, https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint/scams-complaint/, by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov or by calling the Office at 1-800-441-2555.

Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Mark Rozzi is photographed at the speaker’s podium, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Smith)

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) on Tuesday made the following comment upon the announcement Rep. Mark Rozzi (D-Berks) has resigned as speaker of the House:

“As former speaker of the House and the twice-elected leader of the House Republican Caucus, I know that trust is the basis of a successful legislative leader and provides the ability to move our chamber forward. Unfortunately, despite the attempt to find a unique solution for an evenly divided House, Rep. Rozzi openly broke that trust essentially from the moment he was elected.

“Right now, the House is in dire need of a reset, and I remain committed to working with anyone who is willing to work with us to find solutions. However, the only way we will be able to move forward is by lowering the temperatures that have risen due to an unforeseen lack of integrity that has set back our ability to work across the aisle.

“It is time to move on. I hope our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will join us in doing so.”

The photo above shows Joe Hamilton (Blackhawk), Pat Tarquinio, and Karl Florie (Riverside) during a Coaches Corner on WBVP/WMBA in 2016.

(Beaver, PA) A longtime well known Beaver educator and football coach Pat Tarquinio passed away Monday. Tarquinio was in the Beaver County Sports and WPIAL Hall of fame. He coached Ellwood City before spending 34 years with the Beaver Bobcats. Gypsy Glen Stadium in Beaver was renamed Pat Tarquinio Field years back in honor of him. Many looked up to him as a mentor over the years. Tarquinio held the title of most winningest coach in the WPIAL when he stepped down from coaching in 1999. He was 89.