FILE – Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference in Philadelphia, Feb. 16, 2023. Shapiro will propose a three-year incentive of up to $2,500 a year for newly certified teachers, cops and nurses in Pennsylvania when the Democrat unveils his budget plan on Tuesday, March 7, administration officials said. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro wants lawmakers to pass a three-year incentive of up to $2,500 a year for newly certified teachers, police officers and nurses in Pennsylvania. Administration officials say the Democrat will formally propose the idea to lawmakers when he unveils his budget plan Tuesday. The incentive is a tax credit to help address complaints from school boards, police departments and hospitals about the difficulty in filling critical positions. Much of Shapiro’s forthcoming budget proposal remains under wraps, and any new tax credit will require legislative approval. Under the proposal, the tax credit would apply to new certifications starting in 2023, and could be included on tax returns starting in 2024.

WASHINGTON D.C.- Following a luncheon with fellow Democrats on Thursday afternoon, US President Joe Biden told reporters that he does plan to visit East Palestine “at some point”. The President did not provide any further details on a date or further reasoning for the trip.

In previous days since the February 3rd train derailment, President Biden had said that no plans were ever in place to go to Ohio.

Darlington Township, PA – This week the Shapiro Administration continued its efforts to provide a whole-of-government response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, by opening a Health Resource Center for residents of Beaver and Lawrence counties who have health concerns or other questions following the derailment on February 3, 2023.

BUTLER COUNTY- Pennsylvania state police were called to a Butler County home on Thursday evening, where they found 28-year-old Seth Thomas Gooden Smith shot multiple times. The troopers then took the lead suspect in the shooting, 23-year-old Dakota Brent Hughes, into custody.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, and Hughes was placed in the Butler County Jail on charges of several offenses including criminal homicide.

The state police are continuing to investigate the case.

PITTSBURGH- The Mall at Robinson will become the latest mall in the Pittsburgh region to establish a curfew for minors beginning at 3 PM today, as any visitor or shopper under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult or legal guardian from 3 PM until close.

Proof of identification will be required if mall security cannot easily determine legal guardianship, and anyone caught violating the curfew will be asked to leave the mall.

The rule only takes place on Fridays and Saturdays, and it does not apply to stores with exterior mall entrances. A full explanation of the rule can be found at the mall’s website.

The image above shows the Norfolk Southern Booth at the East Palestine High School Gym.
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published March 2, 2023 9:40 P.M.

(East Palestine, Ohio)  Just a day shy of a month since the East Palestine train derailment, community members once again made their way to East Palestine High School for a public town meeting.  This time, however, Norfolk Southern made an appearance.  The event consisted of a resource fair with representatives from Norfolk Southern, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, among others.  Residents were able to speak with representatives and ask questions one on one.

Beaver County Radio spoke to Darrell Wilson of Public Affairs for Norfolk Southern, and asked him who made the call to conduct the controlled detonation of the tanker cars.  Wilson said that the decision was made by the Unified Command, a group of around 15 individuals including Norfolk Southern and local officials, as well as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.  Wilson added that East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick played a role in the decision as well and was in approval of the decision.  He went on to say that a full explanation of the decision making process will be made public in approximately 6 months when the National Transportation Safety Board finishes their investigation. Wilson said he wants to people to know that Norfolk Southern “want to keep people informed”.

Beaver County Radio was also shown an air quality meter demonstration by NS air monitoring specialists.  By using hand sanitizer, a representative showed the sensitivity levels of the devices in comparison to testing results they were providing which showed very little contamination detections in the area.  The only place marked on the Norfolk Southern Air quality map as having contamination was the immediate area of the crash.
Norfolk Southern air testing map: 

A Q&A took place at the event as well with East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, the EPA, the Ohio EPA, the CDC/ATSDR, and Norfolk Southern.  Those on stage answering questions were met with plenty of opposition from the crowd, who were simply making statements rather than asking questions for the most part. One resident asked Norfolk Southern if they have had any discussions about relocating people and NS replied they have not.  Many went on to describe health issues they have been experiencing since the derailment, and a few made comments that the banks will not lend any money to residents of the town. Mayor Conaway stepped in and stated that he has had discussions with the banks, and they will not be denying anybody money due to the derailment. A video of the Q&A can be viewed below:

Norfolk Southern issued a track removal plan for the clean up process. They say residents can expect to see increased traffic, smell odors coming from the ground, and hear more noise. Air and water monitoring is will be in place during the process. A copy of the information provided by NS can be viewed below:     

 

(WMBA van  in 1971 Courtesy of John Poister)

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Tune into Beaver County Radio at 9:10 AM Friday Morning as the 1968 WMBA VW Bus Time Machine makes it monthly appearance on Teleforum.
Frank Sparks and Eddy Crow will once again be sharing the driving duties as we go back in time to 1976 and celebrate the top songs of the year. The guys will also talk about what we paid for certain things in 1976 and they will be giving out free maple syrup along with free tickets the the Beaver County Maple Syrup and Music Festival to select listeners.  It’s all part of Beaver County Radio’s 75th Anniversary celebration. You’ll have an opportunity to guess the number song on 1976. Whoever guesses it will win a limited edition Beaver County Radio 1lb. box of Rosalind chocolates, two tickets to the upcoming Beaver County Maple Syrup Festival,  free half pint bottle of syrup, and best of all they get to pick what year the time machine will visit in April. Frank and Eddy will also take your requests to play in hour three at 724-843-1888 and 724-774-1888.
You can listen to the show at 95.7 and 99.3 FM along with 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA and beavercountyradio.com.

Betty Rivas prepares breakfast for her family Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, in Commerce City, Colo. Rivas was startled by a letter telling her that the drinking fountains her 8-year-old used at school weren’t safe. PFAS stories had been in the local news and the school district told families to use bottled water. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose restrictions on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water after finding they are dangerous in amounts so small as to be undetectable. But experts say removing them will cost billions, a burden that will fall hardest on small communities with few resources. Concerned about the chemicals’ ability to weaken children’s immune systems, the EPA said last year that PFAS could cause harm at levels “much lower than previously understood.” The expected announcement is intended to address this growing gap between health science and regulation.

FILE – Former President Donald Trump speaks at the East Palestine Fire Department as he visits the area in the aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train derailment Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. Trump’s lawyers in Georgia are criticizing the Fulton County investigation into potential illegal election meddling after the foreperson of the special grand jury seated to help the probe went public this week. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says former President Donald Trump can be sued by injured Capitol Police officers and Democratic lawmakers over the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The department’s position that Trump was not immune from suit was laid out in a filing before a federal appeals court. The brief was filed by lawyers in the Justice Department’s Civil Division and has no bearing on a separate criminal investigation by a department special counsel into whether Trump can be criminally charged over efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election ahead of the Capitol riot.