(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Beaver County citizens are experiencing highs and lows, and the final work session of June for the Beaver County Commissioners reflected that.

The highs coming from the Beaver County BOOM over the past weekend were still resonating, as Parks & Recreation director Tony Caltury lauded everyone who assisted and help put the BOOM–along with the first-ever “BOOM on The Bridge” concert–together with smooth and spectacular results. Caltury was praised in return by the Commissioners for organizing the event, along with EMS services and other security units for ensuring that there were minimal incidents throughout the evening.

More (mostly) highs came from Controller Longo presented an update on the county’s spending for the first half of 2023. She noted that despite rough numbers in the head count, the majority of statistics show the county in good shape for the remainder of the year. She also announced that the county has built up a capital fund reserve of 10 million dollars.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published June 28, 2023 2:45 P.M.

(Hopewell Township, PA) The school district and the police departments of Hopewell, Independence, and Raccoon Townships were approved by the commissioners for procedures to be followed when specific incidents occur on school property, at any school sponsored activity, or any public conveyance providing transportation to or from a school or school sponsored activity.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that all driver license and photo centers, including its full-service center in Harrisburg, will be closed Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in observance of Independence Day.

A complete listing of PennDOT driver and photo license center closings in 2023 is available online. If you are planning to visit one of PennDOT’s On-Line Messenger Service Centers, please call ahead for hours of operation during holidays.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a Code Red Air Quality Action Day for all of Pennsylvania for fine particulate matter for June 28, 2023, due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.

Air quality conditions degraded overnight as more smoke from the wildfires pushed into Pennsylvania from the Great Lakes region. The average Air Quality Index readings for the entire day will likely be in the Code Red range, however local conditions could be worse throughout the day. Residents are encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for their local conditions.

On a Code Red Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should avoid outdoor activities, and everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.

Concentrations of smoke will likely be high throughout the day in western Pennsylvania and increasing throughout the day in eastern Pennsylvania.

Smoke due to wildfires in eastern Canada will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Red range. Residents are encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area.

Smoke from the wildfires is expected to impact Pennsylvania air quality throughout Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with some possible relief on Saturday. DEP will continue to update the forecast.

Conditions will likely be worse in the morning as a natural weather phenomenon called an atmospheric inversion will keep smoke filled air closer to the surface, and prevent air from higher elevations to mix with air closer to the ground. Residents are encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area.

Fine particulate matter (or PM-2.5) comes in many sizes and shapes and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals. Some are emitted directly from a source, such as construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks, or fires. Most particles form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides (called “precursors”), which are pollutants emitted from power plants, industries, and automobiles.

Residents and businesses within the Air Quality Action Day areas are strongly encouraged to voluntarily help reduce fine particulate matter air pollution by:

• Avoiding the open burning of leaves, trash, and other materials; and
• Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health also has recommendations on how to protect yourself from air pollution.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all. An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher.

For more information, visit DEP at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/AQPartnersWeb, EPA’s AirNow at www.airnow.gov.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published June 28, 2023 2:38 P.M.

(Hopewell Township, PA) At Tuesday night’s meeting Elisha Satkovich was hired as a special education teacher. She will teach at Hopewell Elementary School. Mackenzie Cuneo will also teach special education in th district. Brieana Denardo wass hired to teach elementary art. The teachers will begin their duties effective August 21, 2023.

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Fire crews responded to a kitchen fire in Hopewell Township on Tuesday evening. 

The fire was located at 1001 Washington St. at the Scottswood Apartments around 5 p.m. The blaze affected three apartments within the complex, but no one was injured.

Firefighters were still on scene after 6 p.m. and no further information as to damage or the cause.

PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Pittsburgh and a resident of Detroit, Michigan, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of Fraud Conspiracy and Bank Fraud, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

The ten-count Indictment named Matthew Lloyd Parker, Jr., age 36, of Detroit, MI, and
Virginia R. Humphries, age 35, of Pittsburgh, PA.

According to Indictment, between March 2020 and August 2021, Parker and Humphries defrauded the Small Business Administration and lenders of over $14,000,000 million dollars in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Parker, a licensed CPA from Detroit, Michigan, and Humphries, a credit repair specialist in Pittsburgh, recruited hundreds of small businesses in Pittsburgh and Detroit and falsified PPP loan applications of which the SBA approved 226
applications, resulting in loans totaling approximately $14.5 million to businesses, the largest known PPP fraud in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 50 years in prison, a fine of $1,250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Postal Inspection Services and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Two girls who were bitten by a pit bull in Hopewell Township earlier this week have returned home from the hospital.

Hopewell Township Police Chief Don Sedlacek reported that the dog owner had the dog put down at the Humane Society on Tuesday. 

A decision will be made by police concerning what charges, if any, will be filed against the dog’s owner, according to Chief Sedlacek.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Deluzio (D, PA-17), joined with U.S. Representatives Guy Reschenthaler (R, PA-14), Mike Kelly (R, PA-16), and Brendan Boyle (D, PA-02), to introduce the Marc Fogel Act. This legislation would amend the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to require more transparency from the State Department to Congress on the process of designating wrongful detainment upon American imprisoned overseas.

Marc Fogel is an Oakmont resident who was raised in Western Pennsylvania. An international teacher for much of his adult life, he was detained in Russia in August of 2021 for possession of a small amount of marijuana, prescribed by a doctor for his chronic back pain. He then was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor in a Russian penal colony. This bill introduction follows votes in the House of Representatives this month calling for the immediate release of several Americans who are wrongfully detained in Russia. However, as of now, the United States State Department has not yet designated Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained. Congressman Deluzio has called for this designation.

The Marc Fogel Act would build upon this action and require the State Department to provide Congress with copies of documents and communications on why a wrongful determination has or has not been made in cases of U.S. nationals detained abroad within six months of arrest.

“It is far past time for the U.S. State Department to designate Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained in Russia, and this bill will help bring daylight into the process that the Department uses for cases like his and other Americans imprisoned overseas,” said Rep. Deluzio. “Mr. Fogel and his loved ones in Pennsylvania’s 17th District deserve to know that their government hears them and is using every tool available to bring him home safely. We can strengthen that trust by designating detainment status accurately and by bringing more transparency into the process.”

“Marc Fogel meets six of the eleven criteria established by the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act to be designated as wrongfully detained,” said Rep. Reschenthaler. “Since last year, I have urged the State Department to classify him as wrongfully detained and prioritize securing his release. The Department has failed to do either and refused to explain its inaction – effectively stonewalling my efforts to bring him home. The Marc Fogel Act will provide transparency into the State Department’s wrongful detainment determination process and help ensure that Americans imprisoned overseas are not forgotten.”

“By introducing this legislation, we reaffirm our collective commitment to bring Marc Fogel home,” said Rep. Kelly. “For too long, we have pressed the Biden administration to declare Mr. Fogel as wrongfully detained by the Russian government. This legislation would allow Congress to receive critical information not only about Mr. Fogel and why he has not received this declaration, but also for other Americans who may be imprisoned or held hostage abroad in the future.  No American should be left behind and I pray Mr. Fogel will be reunited with his wonderful family as soon as possible.”

“This is not a time for partisanship. This is a time to come together, as Pennsylvanians and as Americans, to do everything we can to bring home Marc Fogel,” said Rep. Boyle. “I’m hopeful this legislation will lead to Marc being designated as ‘wrongfully detained’ so we can finally get Marc home. Families of detained Americans deserve to have as much information about their loved one’s case as possible. I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation with my colleagues from Pennsylvania in Marc Fogel’s name. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Marc and his suffering family.”

Under federal law, Fogel meets at least six of the eleven established criteria to be designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department, but he has yet to be classified as wrongfully detained. At this time, Fogel remains in a Russian penal colony serving his sentence close to two years after his detention by Russian authorities.