Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 23, 2023 2:07 P.M.

(Hopewell Township, PA) Township Manager Jamie Yurcina announced on Wednesday that the township received $93,240 for the playground in the community park, $250,000 for the Raccoon Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant System, $57,137 for the Sharon Grange Playground, $149,888 for a vacuum truck, $500,000 for the sewage treatment plant in Wickham Village, and $68,984 for the Woodlawn Park playground and building demolition. The total amount of the grants is $1,119,249.00. Mr. Yurcina said the township is pleased to have received the necessary funding for the projects.

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. Fetterman’s office expects him to return soon to the chamber, although Democratic leaders are giving no timeline five weeks after he sought inpatient treatment for clinical depression. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The office of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says he’s expected to return to the chamber soon after seeking inpatient treatment for clinical depression. Senate Democratic leaders aren’t giving a timeline for his return. The 53-year-old Fetterman was still recovering from the aftereffects of a stroke from last May when he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Feb. 15. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says “we want to give him the space to recuperate.” Fetterman’s spokesperson says Fetterman will be back soon, although his return is at least a week away. The aide says Fetterman is receiving daily briefings.

East Palestine High School senior Mia Lee trains for track, Monday, March 6, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. Athletes are navigating spring sports following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern freight train derailment. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — As spring sports get underway at East Palestine High School in Ohio, organizers are trying to create normalcy for student-athletes while cleanup from the February train derailment and toxic chemical burn continues just over a mile away. Environmental officials say testing shows the air and water there are safe, but health and safety concerns have disrupted the sports schedule. Nearly a dozen schools have pulled out of the invitational track meets East Palestine hosts. Athletic director Dwayne Pavkovich says he understands why they have reservations. But when other schools ask what they can do to help, his answer is simple: Come and play us.

FILE – Ford’s Chief Executive Engineer Linda Zhang unveils the Ford F-150 Lightning on May 19, 2021, in Dearborn, Mich. Ford Motor Co. announced Thursday, March 23, 2023, that their electric vehicle business has lost $3 billion before taxes during the past two years and will lose a similar amount this year as the company invests heavily in the new technology. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

DETROIT (AP) — Ford’s electric vehicle business has lost $3 billion before taxes during the past two years and will lose a similar amount this year as the company invests heavily in the new technology. The figures were released Thursday as Ford rolled out a new way of reporting its financial results. The new business structure separates electric vehicles, the profitable internal combustion and commercial vehicle operations into three operating units. Company officials said the electric vehicle unit will be profitable before taxes by late 2026 with an 8% profit margin. Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said Model e should be viewed as a startup company within Ford.

NEW YORK (AP) — A new report from the American Library Association says attempted book bannings and restrictions at school and public libraries continue to surge, setting a record in 2022. The report released Thursday says more than 1,200 challenges were recorded by the association in 2022, nearly double the then-record total from 2021. Deborah Caldwell-Stone is the director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. She says she has “never seen anything like this,” and calls the past two years “exhausting, frightening, outrage inducing.” Librarians around the country have told of being harassed, and threatened with violence or legal action.

FILE – President Joe Biden speaks at the White House Conservation in Action Summit at the Department of the Interior, March 21, 2023, in Washington. Approval of Biden has dipped slightly since a month ago, nearing the lowest point of his presidency as his administration tries to project a sense of stability while confronting a pair of bank failures and inflation that remains stubbornly high. That’s according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which shows there have been modest fluctuations in support for Biden over the past several months. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Approval of President Joe Biden has dipped slightly since a month ago to 38%. That’s nearly the lowest point of his presidency, and comes as his administration tries to project a sense of stability while confronting a pair of bank failures and stubbornly high inflation. The new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows there have been modest fluctuations in support for Biden over the past several months. In February, 45% said they approved of him. His ratings hit their lowest point of his presidency last July, at 36%, as the full weight of rising gasoline, food and other costs began to hit U.S. households.

Street sweeping in New Brighton Borough will resume on Monday, April 3. Please observe the parking restrictions listed on the street sweeping signs posted in each neighborhood. Reminders for parking on the street during posted street sweeping hours will begin on March 27 for a period of two weeks. Street sweeping will continue through December 1, 2023.

Residents and merchants are reminded to not place leaves and yard debris into the street for collection by the street sweeper.   Leaves and yard debris from private property are to be placed in bags and placed by the curb for collection.  Curbside leaf collection will begin in mid-October.

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Beaver County residents are starting to receive their new assessment values for their homes in the mail this week from Tyler Technologies. Are you confused or afraid of what your new tax rate will be? Well we have the answer for you below.

Back in 2016 the previous Board of Commissioners was sued by local developer CJ Betters to do a county wide reassessment. Betters felt that his property values were not correct since the county had not done an assessment since 1982. The previous board which consisted of current Board Chair Daniel Camp, Tony Amadio, and Current Treasurer Sandie Egley fought the law suit all the way to the State Supreme court before ultimately losing to Betters over the fact that their had not been any reassessment in over 35 years.

County Commissioners Chairman Dan Camp put a post on his Commissioner Facebook Page explaining the process and letting everyone know that  you should not panic when you see your new reassessment value of your home because your tax rate will not be at the current millage rate and that the tentative millage rate for the county is going to be 3.5 mills.

Camp went on to give an example of how to figure out your new tax rate. If your house is valued at $100,000 you would take that number and divide it by 1000 which would equal $1,000.00 you would then take the $100.00 and multiply that by the tentative new millage of 3.5 and in this case that would give you a tax rate of $350.00.

New reassessed value : $___________

Divide that by 1000 =     $____________

Multiply by 3.5                  $____________  (New tax rate)

(Tentative new millage rate)

If you don’t agree with the assessed value of your property by Tyler Technologies you will have a chance to appeal during an informal review period from March 27 thru June and then a formal appeal period from July to October.

You can see Commissioner Chairman Camp’s’ Facebook k Post below:

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 23, 2023 7:27 A.M.

(Beaver, PA) Vietnam Veterans Chapter 862 and the honor guard and AVVA CHAPTER 862 will be on hand at the Vietnam Veterans memorial in Beaver on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 to commemorate National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The event begins at 3 pm, The public is invited to attend, according to Richard Raich, Honor Guard representative.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw, second from right, testifies before a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on improving rail safety in response to the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan consensus that Congress should act to toughen regulations on railroads is emerging in the U.S. Senate. The Senate Commerce Committee is examining a fiery hazardous train derailment last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Republicans and Democrats on the committee peppered Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw with questions Wednesday on what enhanced safety measures he would support. Shaw offered support for some safety enhancements but declined to endorse several key parts of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023. The bill includes requirements that trains have crews of at least two people, expands the classification for highly hazardous flammable trains and increases fines for safety violations.