A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The Pentagon would not confirm that the balloon in the photo was the surveillance balloon. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon is sailing across the U.S. The spectacle was drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying on Friday — while sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U..S.-China tensions, and the Biden administration weighed a broader response to the discovery of the Chinese balloon over sensitive sites in the western United States. By midday it was over the heartland of central U.S. states, and was expected to be in U.S. airspace for several days.

Dr. Joseph Maroon is a world renown neurosurgeon with extensive experience in neurosurgery. He specializes in minimally invasive surgery to speed recovery for his patients. He is a sports medicine expert and innovator in concussion management, personal fitness and nutrition. Dr. Maroon is also the Pittsburgh Steelers team doctor.

Jeff Bost is a consultant to the St. Barnabas Health System. Bost is also a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Neurosurgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a consultant to the WWE, and Clinical Assistant Professor at Chatham University. He has a special interest in minimally invasive spine and brain surgery and have collaborated on scores of scientific medical papers and books in these areas. Over the last 15 years he has researched, lectured and written on the use of alternative treatment for pain control.

Bost, along with Dr. Joseph Maroon have authored two books on the use of omega-3 fish oil, including: Fish Oil: The Natural Anti-Inflammatory, currently in its forth printing with over 75,000 copies sold and recently, Why You Need Fish Oil. He has given over 100 invited lectures, 24 national posters and oral presentations, 29 coordinated research projects, five workshops presentations, 35 scientific articles and 10 book chapters.

You can rune into “Living Well” every Saturday morning at 8:30 on 95.7 and 99.3 FM, 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA, and beavercountyradio.com.

You can also listen to all previous episodes of “Living Well” by going to beavercountyradio.com clicking on the Listen Live Button, Then chose Beaver County Radio and click on Podcasts in the upper right hand corner.

You can also download our free apps by clicking on the proper store icon for your platform of a device:

In this weeks episode of Highmark Heroes, Jim Roddey speaks to Eugene Scioscia, Jr., MD, Allegheny Health Network Chief Patient Experience Officer.  Later in the show Roddey is joined by Eric Zahren, the President of the Andrew Carnegie Hero Fund.

“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 tells an inspiring message of redemption and the power of God on “Wake Up Beaver Valley” this Saturday.

“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.

2022 was a costly year for many motorists due to collisions, weather and distractions. While all automobile insurance claims may not be avoidable, most can be by driving defensively and following simple tips. In addition to reducing the risk of a claim, it’s a good idea for motorists to be aware of the most common claims to avoid paying higher premiums.

 

“Automobile insurance is important because it provides financial protection in case you or your loved ones are involved in a crash,” said Jonathon King, vice president of insurance sales, AAA East Central. “In addition to collision coverage, auto insurance can also protect you from fire, theft and vandalism.”

 

AAA East Central reveals the top automobile insurance claims filed by members in 2022:

 

Rear-end collisions/Fender Benders

A seemingly minor automobile crash in the region can cost almost $7,000 in damage and increase the cost of insurance as well as result in serious injury or death. This type of crash made up 15% of all auto insurance claims AAA East Central processed in 2022. Often these types of crashes are the result of distracted driving.

 

To avoid being involved in a rear-end collision or fender bender AAA East Central recommends:

 

• Put down the phone. Stay fully focused when driving. Taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles the risk for a crash. Ask passengers for help or pull over if reading or writing a text message is necessary.
• Activate Do Not Disturb. This smart phone feature alerts everyone that the motorist is driving and will respond when they have reached their destination.
• Take the pledge. AAA East Central encourages drivers to take the pledge to end distracted driving by visiting aaa.com/dontdrivedistracted.

Backing Up

In 2022, collisions caused by backing up a vehicle, on average, cost more than $1,800 per claim and made up 10% of all auto insurance claims AAA East Central processed. Many of these incidents occur in parking lots or driveways. Drivers should be especially cautious when backing out of a driveway or navigating parking lots during the holidays. Drivers can follow these tips to reduce their risk of being involved in a back-up collision.

 

• Be responsible. Drive slowly and obey all traffic and directional signs.
• Don’t rush. Avoid shortcuts such as cutting across parking lanes and rows of parking spots.
• Look around. Watch for pedestrians and other vehicles when slowly backing up and do not rely on backup cameras alone.
• Pay attention. Be extra alert for small children, pets, and parents pushing baby strollers in parking lots.

Animals/Fowl

Collisions involving animals or fowl made up more than 8% of AAA East Central’s automobile insurance claims in 2022, with an average cost of more than $4,000. Deer collisions can be especially damaging to vehicles and can result in severe injuries to motorists and passengers.

 

To prevent a crash or to reduce damage from an animal collision, AAA suggests that motorists:

 

• Pay attention to road signs. Yellow, diamond-shaped signs with an image of a deer indicate areas with high levels of deer activity.
• Scan the road and shoulders ahead. Ditching distractions is one of the easiest ways to be ready when a deer suddenly appears.
• Be especially attentive in early morning and evening hours. Many animals, especially deer, are most active from 5-8 a.m. and 5-8 p.m., prime commuting times for many.
• Use high beams when there’s no oncoming traffic. This allows animals to be spotted sooner. Sometimes the light reflecting off their eyes will reveal their location.
• Resist the urge to swerve. Instead, stay in your lane with both hands firmly on the wheel. Swerving away from animals can confuse them so they don’t know which way to run. It can also put motorists in the path of oncoming vehicles or cause them to crash into something.
• If a crash is imminent, try not to brake. During hard braking, the front end of the vehicle is pulled downward which can cause the animal to travel up over the hood towards the windshield. Easing off the brake can protect drivers from windshield strikes because the animal is more likely to be pushed to one side of the vehicle or over the top of the vehicle.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing improvement work on Route 3007 (Brodhead Road) in the City of Aliquippa and Center and Hopewell townships in Beaver County and Moon and Crescent townships in Allegheny County will resume Monday, February 6 weather permitting.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur in the two-lane sections of Brodhead Road between Sweetwater Street in Moon Township and Katrina Drive in Center Township and single-lane restrictions will occur in each direction in the four-lane sections. Work will occur daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. through late June. Weekend work will occur as needed.

The $12.13 million project will include milling and resurfacing, concrete pavement patching, culvert preservation, signal work, guide rail updates, drainage improvements, signing and pavement marking installation, and other miscellaneous construction activities. Motorists will see alternating single-lane restrictions controlled by flaggers during daytime off-peak and overnight hours. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are pleased to invite you to attend a virtual public meeting being conducted on Tuesday, February 7 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. to discuss the I-79/Route 910 Wexford Interchange project. Public input throughout project development is very important to the success of the project. This briefing offers the opportunity to provide input and engage in a question and answer session with the project design team.

The meeting will be held:

Time: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Date: Tuesday, February 7

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing overnight I-79 bridge inspection work in Robinson Township, Allegheny County, will occur Monday through Friday nights, February 6-10 weather permitting.

Single-lane and shoulder restrictions will occur on I-79 weeknights from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. in the following locations:

• I-79 bridges over I-376 (Parkway West)
• I-79 bridges over Campbells Run Road

Restrictions will occur in both directions, however, not simultaneously.

PennDOT crews will conduct the bridge inspections.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Biden hasn’t announced a reelection campaign, but some of the themes of his likely bid should be on display when he addresses a national Democratic Party meeting. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President Joe Biden hasn’t announced a reelection campaign, but some of the themes of his likely bid should be on display when he addresses a national Democratic Party meeting. The White House says the president will focus on championing his administration’s accomplishments when he and Vice President Kamala Harris appear at a Democratic National Committee gathering Friday night in Philadelphia. With the State of the Union address coming next week, Biden has renewed calls for political unity. But Biden’s pledges to bridge the country’s ideological divide can quickly pivot to broadsides against his predecessor, Donald Trump, and sharp criticism about the Republican Party’s continued fealty to him.

Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 137th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

He gets most of the PR, at least nationally, but Punxsutawney Phil isn’t the only groundhog to purport to predict the weather. Not hardly. From Staten Island Chuck in New York City to Jimmy the Groundhog in Wisconsin, there are a lot of them. And their predictions, which of course is a generous term, can be all over the map just as they are. And please do remember Charlotte, a groundhog who died in 2014 a week after the New York City mayor dropped her during festivities.