Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio Mews Director. Published February 15, 2023 4:40 P.M.

(Monaca, PA) Monaca based Steve & Benny’s Chicken Shack Mobile Unit was ordered to close on February 8th. The Allegheny County Health Department issued the closure following an inspection revealing that the food truck was operating without a valid health permit or license issued by the ACHD or PA Department of Agriculture. They also state the truck had an inoperable water supply, and lacked a thermometer to monitor food temperature.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The Beaver County Commissioners gathered on Wednesday for their regular weekly work session, amidst circumstances that were not so regular.

Less than 24 hours earlier, the Commissioners met with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and several other local leaders and representatives to discuss the ongoing matter in East Palestine, Ohio following the Norfolk Southern train derailment that took place on February 3. At the work session, the Commissioners thanked Shapiro for meeting and cooperating with Beaver County during the last two weeks, ensuring that the environment will be continued to be monitored by the DEP and EPA, and that the air quality is safe for outdoor activities.

Treasurer Sandie Egley spoke about the soon-to-be released 2022 Treasurer’s Report, happily announcing that the taxes collected for 2022 was 95% in Beaver County, marking a record-tying number set in 2021. Parks & Recreation director Tony Caltury announced that the outdoor Dek hockey facility would have its contractors in with the weather breaking for the next few days.

The majority of the meeting was focused on the works of TRAILS Ministries in Beaver Falls, who presented their latest progress and plans for the Reclaim Project. The project is designed to employ once-convicted felons to help deconstruct properties throughout Beaver County, with a plan to reduce recidivism and create newer and better housing in the county. TRAILS also announced their plans to continue past their pilot initiative to provide assistance to other boroughs, including Rochester Borough.

However, commissioner chairman Dan Camp displayed his concerns over the amount of money being allotted to the project, feeling that while the aim of the project and its accomplishments weren’t bad, that the county could be saving significant money by “spreading the wealth” and spending less on demolition costs per house through their own agencies as opposed to the Reclaim Project.

“That Act 152 dollars is to tear down blighted property, and to serve as many communities as we can,” Camp stated, “and we are not doing that as a board.”

The representatives from the Reclaim Project claimed that they would be able to attract more local business investments, because they felt that their plan to incorporate recidivism and use reclaimed resources would be more attractive to them. Camp challenged that notion, saying that a bid with the same amount of money could “double” the amount of blight removal in Beaver County.

Commissioners Jack Manning and Tony Amadio showed their support for what the Reclaim Project was doing–in contrast with Camp–with this addendum from Amadio: “Once the pilot’s over, we’re going back to basics. You’re going to have to worry about your funding coming from somewhere once the pilot’s over.”

The next commissioner’s work session is scheduled for February 22 at 10:00 AM.

(Beaver, Pa.) The Beaver County Commissioners sent out a press release to the media on Wednesday afternoon with an update concerning the train derailment in East Palestine Ohio that occurred on February  3, 2023. You can read the release below:

The Beaver County Board of Commissioners had a meeting with Governor Josh Shapiro, along with PEMA Director Randy Padfield and Acting Secretary of the DEP Richard Negrin yesterday at the County’s 911 Center regarding the train derailment in East Palestine. Assurances were made at the meeting that data obtained associated with air monitoring readings have been at safe levels since the monitoring after the derailment began and this data will be released to the public. Moving forward, the State will continue to run tests on the water in the area and will provide those results as they become available. Since that meeting, the Governor has reached out to Norfolk Southern expressing concerns with the company’s management of the train derailment, and the Commissioners support his continued efforts in this regard.

We want to emphasize to the citizens of Beaver County, there has been nothing to date to indicate air, water, or soil in Beaver County has been compromised as a result of this train derailment. Be assured the State and Federal agencies will continue to monitor the scene and will let us know if that were to change.

If you have been immediately impacted, displaced, or asked to relocate and still have questions or concerns, please call the Family Assistance Center Hot Line at 1-800-230-7049, or Beaver County Emergency Services at 724-773-6767.

The Pittsburgh Police Crime Scene Investigation unit works the scene outside Westinghouse Academy where Pittsburgh Public Safety and school officials said four students were shot as school was dismissed, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh. No life-threatening injuries have been reported, police said. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Police say four students were shot outside a Pittsburgh high school, but no life-threatening injuries have been reported. Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said Tuesday afternoon that the shooting occurred outside Westinghouse Academy 6-12 in the Homewood neighborhood. Police said three male students and a female student appeared to have wounds to their hands and other extremities. Three were taken to a hospital by paramedics and the fourth was transported by a family member, police said. All were in stable condition. No arrests were immediately reported.

FILE – This July 16, 2019, file photo shows the Capitol Dome in Washington.

BOST0N (AP) — An increasing number of municipal, county and state governments are using federal pandemic relief funds to pay residents’ burdensome medical debt. Experts say medical debt often forces people to make difficult decisions about which bills to pay and even whether to seek critical medical care. Cook County, Illinois, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Toledo, Ohio and the Boston suburb Somerville, Massachusetts, are among the communities looking into using American Rescue Plan Act funds to address the problem. They are teaming up with teaming up with RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that since 2014 has used donations to buy huge bundles of debt at pennies on the dollar and pay it off.

Photo – The East Palestine train derailment on February 3rd, 2023 (Curtis Walsh)
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published February 15, 2023 1:35 P.M.

(Beaver County, PA) Beaver County Commissioner Jack Manning joined Eddy Crow during Teleforum on Beaver County Radio to discuss details involving the East Palestine train derailment and the potential effects it could have on Beaver County. Manning was part of a meeting that took place Tuesday with Governor Josh Shapiro along with other elected officials State Senator Camera Bartolotta, State Representative Josh Kail, State Representative Jim Marshall, State Representative Robert Matzie, Beaver County Commissioners Dan Camp and Tony Amadio, and Beaver County Emergency Services Deputy Director Kevin Whipple.  Manning stated that Beaver County residents have no reason to be concerned about water or air quality.  Government leaders are confident in the test results that both the air and water are safe and they intend on being fully transparent with all results. He went on to add that even during the controlled release and explosion, air and water quality in Beaver County remained good.  Those in the immediate area near East Palestine, including Darlington Township and South Beaver Township, should not fear the air as it is safe to breathe and animals are safe to be outdoors.  They should only take precautions and request their water, soil and homes be checked if they have any water runoffs flowing into their property from East Palestine.  There are numerous concerns of contamination in the river beds of East Palestine leading to potential soil contamination, and Ohio is testing all homes in the affected area. All affected river beds are all flowing West towards Cincinnati, and no known affected tributaries flow into Beaver County. No evidence has been found after thorough testing that any contaminated water has flowed into the county. The State and Environmental Protection Agency will be digging long term test wells to ensure the safety of well water in Beaver County and that any evidence of water contamination that may arise is identified quickly.  It takes approximately 3 to 6 months for a chemical spill to contaminate an aquifer. The wells will be in place for at least a year.  Manning said neither Governor is happy with Norfolk Southern due to their lack of transparency and misinformation as the situation unfolded, including initially withholding the information of all chemicals on the train until afterward. Adding that he was “shocked” and “disturbed” by the fact that Norfolk Southern repaired the tracks so fast and reopened the railroad, stating that the soil and ground should have been properly remediated.  He also says Beaver County could have done a better job at communicating, but they worked with what they could and he is proud of how emergency responders handled things. Manning is also aware of evidence that Norfolk Southern could potentially be contacting affected residents to sign waivers for corporate checks, and the state Senate is working on preventing that. He ended by stating “people need to put their trust into these test results”, if something changes in Beaver County, residents will notified immediately.
Listen to the full interview here:

The Republican Committee of Beaver County has announced name and location times for their 2023 petition signing events.  Signing will be available for Beaver County Row Offices, Judges, Municipal Governments, and School Boards. Food and beverage are provided at the events.  The dates and times are listed below.
Thursday, February 16th, Chippewa Township Fire Hall 5:30pm-7:30pm
Saturday, February 18th, Hookstown VFD 10am-Noon
Tuesday, February 21st, Economy Social Hall 5:30pm-7:30pm
Friday, February 24th, The Fez 6pm-7:30pm *Must have ticket*
Tuesday, February 28th, North Sewickley Fire Dept. 5:30 pm-7:30pm
Thursday, March 2nd, Two Mile Lodge 5:30pm-7:30pm

Rochester, Pa.—The Beaver County Democratic Committee is partnering with prospective candidates as well as area food pantries in a one-stop collection event. To help candidates gather ballot signatures, registered Democrats are invited to visit the Committee’s headquarters at 426 Adams Street in Rochester, Pa., from 10 am until 4 pm Saturday, February 25, 2023. At the same time, voters who are able, are asked to drop off canned goods to benefit the Little Free Pantries of Beaver County.

“In 2023, Democrats are dedicated to building a more perfect Beaver County,” said Committee Chair Erin Gabriel. “We are proud to find ways to pair our political work with service to our communities.”

With this event, voters can enjoy an easy way to ensure Democratic candidates get on the ballot — an essential step in the Pennsylvania election process — while also lending a helping hand to neighbors in need.

This year marks the third anniversary of the Beaver County donation/petition combination event. Prior events were so successful that the Committee has decided to make it a tradition.

In 2022, through this effort, the Beaver County Democratic Committee provided over 200 items to each of the 11 pantries, and they are hoping to exceed that donation amount this year.

All non-perishable foods, except for glass jars, will be accepted. Especially requested:

Pasta

Pasta sauce in plastic jars

Mac and Cheese

Ramen Noodles

Canned or pouched meat or fish

Peanut butter and jelly

Canned soup, chili, and stews

Shampoo/conditioner

Toothpaste

Bars of soap

Deodorant

Donations can be brought to the Committee office beginning at 10 am February 25th. Petitions can only be signed by registered Democrats.

One in 7 patients entering a hospital will need a blood transfusion. At the same time, only about 3% of Americans give blood. The American Red Cross needs more people to give this month to meet the needs of hospitals and their patients.

In thanks for helping, all who come to give blood, platelets or plasma in February will get a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card by email, thanks to Amazon. Those who come to donate this month will also automatically be entered to win a trip for two to Clearwater Beach, Florida. Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/heart.