Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania DUI Association, and AAA Mid-Atlantic held an event today at Chickie’s & Pete’s in South Philadelphia to remind football fans everywhere that if you’re heading out to a Super Bowl party, make sure you plan a designated driver to get you home safely.

“Safety is PennDOT’s most important priority,” said Acting PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary Melissa Batula. “We want Eagles fans to enjoy their festivities this weekend, but we also want responsible drivers on our roads. If your celebration includes alcohol, plan ahead by designating a sober driver or arranging for alternate transportation.”

As part of the event, police discussed the increased use of roving patrols on Super Bowl Sunday to target impaired drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Participants also provided Super Bowl party-hosting tips and non-alcoholic drink options to prevent partygoers from drinking and driving.

“Our highway safety mission includes a zero-tolerance approach with drivers who operate vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Pennsylvania State Police Communications Director Lieutenant Adam Reed. “Troopers are trained to identify impaired drivers and remove them from our roadways. Please be responsible this Sunday, as it’s not only a Philly thing, it’s a PA thing.”

Only one team wins Super Bowl, but if you drive impaired, you lose. According to PennDOT data, in 2022, there were 348 crashes statewide from 6:00 PM on Super Bowl Sunday to 6:00 AM the following day. Of those, 46 crashes involved a drinking driver, resulting in one fatality.

“The Pennsylvania DUI Association would like to remind everyone to celebrate the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl appearance in a safe, and responsible manner,” said Pennsylvania DUI Association Regional Program Administrator Jim French. “If you plan on drinking, please do not drive, arrange for a designated driver or an alternate form of transportation. If you are hosting a party, we ask you provide a fun, and safe environment for your attendees along with options to prevent them from driving away from your party while impaired. Remember, if you feel different, you drive different.”

Whether you are attending a party or going to a bar or restaurant, make a game plan and follow these simple tips for a safe and happy evening:

 

• Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use a ride service or call a taxi or sober friend to get home safely.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, call 911.
• Do you have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.

 

A new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds unsafe driving behaviors, including impaired driving, rose from 2020 to 2021. The most alarming increase was among drivers admitting to getting behind the wheel after drinking enough that they felt they were over the legal limit – an increase of nearly 24%. According to new survey data in the AAA Foundation’s annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, this is a reversal in the steady declines in these dangerous driving behaviors in the three years from 2018 through 2020.

“Drinking and driving is not a game – it’s a deadly combination and a crime,” said Jana Tidwell, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Make your winning drive sober and designate a driver before indulging in alcohol. Don’t fumble when it comes to safety. Drunk driving is 100% preventable.”

To learn more about PennDOT’s highway safety efforts, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/safety.

PennDOT’s media center offers social-media-sized graphics highlighting topics such as aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving, and seat belts for organizations, community groups, or others who share safety information with their stakeholders.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.

HARRISBURG – Grant funding will be coming to several first responder companies in the 8^th District under a program administered by the Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) within the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), according to Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler/Lawrence).

Every emergency service organization that completes the application process receives funding. Projects eligible for funding include: construction or renovation of a fire or ambulance company facility, purchase or repair of equipment, training, or reduction of existing debt.

“First responders are heroes because they put their own lives on the line to protect people and property,” said Bernstine. “Our local fire and Emergency Management Service (EMS) personnel are dedicated to keeping all of us safe. Their efforts and cooperation are unmatched.”

Grants awarded within the 8^th District are:

Butler County

• Middlesex Township Volunteer Fire Company – $12,353.
• Penn Township Volunteer Fire Department – $13,335.
• Portersville Muddy Creek Volunteer EMS – $10,000.
• Portersville Muddy Creek Volunteer Fire Department – $12,598.
• Prospect Volunteer Fire Department – $12,598.
• Unionville Volunteer Fire Company – $14,563.
• West Sunbury Fire Department – $14,318.

Lawrence County

• Borough of Ellwood City Fire Department – $13,335.
• Ellwood City Volunteer Fire Department – $13,335.
• New Beaver Borough Volunteer Fire Department – $12,353.
• Scott Township Volunteer Fire Department – $13,581.
• Slippery Rock Township Volunteer Fire Department – $12,107.
• Wampum Volunteer Fire Department – $12,353.
• Wurtemburg Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department – $12,844.

The OSFC manages financial assistance programs for the state’s fire, ambulance and rescue organizations intended to help them improve and enhance their capabilities to provide firefighting, ambulance and rescue services.

Fire and ambulance companies are reminded that in order to receive their grants and retain their eligibility for the program, paperwork must be submitted back to the OSFC by the end of May.

PITTSBURGH (Feb. 9, 2023) – Allegheny Health Network gastroenterologist and liver disease specialist Jose G. Oliva, MD, is a recipient of the Community Liver Alliance’s 2023 “You Make a Difference” award.

This award recognizes individuals who go above and beyond to educate the community about liver health, drive awareness about liver disease and demonstrate commitment and dedication to the mission of the Community Liver Alliance (CLA). Dr. Oliva will be presented with the award this Friday at the Carnegie Science Center.

In practice as a hepatologist and gastroenterologist for nearly 25 years, Dr. Oliva received his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico. He completed a residency in internal medicine at AHN’s West Penn Hospital, a gastroenterology fellowship at Louisiana State University School of Medicine and a gastroenterology and transplant hepatology fellowship at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Dr. Oliva works closely with the CLA to help educate both patients and health care providers about liver diseases and the latest available treatments.

“Not only is Dr. Oliva beloved by his patients for his unwavering kindness and compassionate care, but he is also widely respected in the liver community for his leading expertise and commitment to the advancement of care for liver diseases,” said Suzanna Masartis, CEO of the Community Liver Alliance. “For all his efforts, along with his continued partnership with the CLA, we could not be more pleased to honor Dr. Oliva with this award.”

Of the more than 100 liver diseases and conditions, the most common are hepatitis viruses, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), autoimmune diseases, genetic conditions, cancer and others.

To learn more about advanced liver treatment and hepatology care at AHN, visit www.ahn.org/services/medicine/gastroenterology/specialties/hepatology-liver-transplant.

Monaca, PA – Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) is participating in AWS Academy, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) program that provides higher education institutions with a ready-to-teach cloud computing curriculum that prepares students to pursue industry-recognized certifications and in-demand cloud jobs.
The AWS Academy curriculum is developed and maintained by AWS subject matter experts, ensuring that it reflects current services and up-to-date best practices and provides access to hands-on learning experiences and scenario-based project exercises about cloud computing. To teach the courses, CCBC
instructors must be approved by AWS Academy to help students become proficient in AWS technology. “We are proud to make the AWS Academy curriculum available to students in our technology programs including Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Software Development,” said Dr. Katie Thomas, Dean of CCBC’s Business, Arts, Science, and Technology department. “The rapid rise of cloud computing is creating a growing number of high-quality technology jobs at organizations around the world, and the technical skills that students develop through this program will position them well for their careers today and in the future.”
As cloud technologies continue to help organizations rapidly transform, employees with the necessary cloud skills are in high demand. According to LinkedIn data, cloud computing is the number one hard-skill companies need most.

A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying and 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.(Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says the Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for “several years.” The Pentagon press secretary says when similar balloons passed over U.S. territory on four occasions during the Trump and Biden administrations, the U.S. did not immediately identify them as Chinese surveillance balloons. It was only “subsequent intelligence analysis” that allowed the U.S. to confirm they were part of a Chinese spying effort and learn “a lot more” about the program. The spokesman, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, refused to provide any new details about those previous balloons on Wednesday.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, waves to supporters after addressing an election night party in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has been hospitalized after feeling lightheaded while attending a Senate Democratic retreat. Fetterman suffered a stroke last year while campaigning. In a statement Wednesday night, the office of the Pennsylvania Democrat says initial tests do not show evidence of a new stroke. The senator’s communications director, Joe Calvello, says in the statement that doctors are running more tests and that the senator remains at George Washington University Hospital for observation. Fetterman’s defeat of celebrity heart surgeon Mehmet Oz was critical to Democrats maintaining their Senate majority.

President Joe Biden arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Washington. Biden’s decision to allow the FBI to search his home in Delaware last week is laying him open to fresh negative attention and embarrassment following the discovery of classified documents at his home and former office. But it’s part of a legal and political calculation that aides believe will pay off in the long run as he prepares to seek reelection. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has sparked a firestorm by saying in his State of the Union address that the United States will need oil “for at least another decade.″ Republicans laughed at Biden’s off-the-cuff remark, which was not in his scripted speech. GOP lawmakers accuse the Democratic president of refusing to accept reality and “living in a green hallucination.″ Environmentalists support Biden, saying the U.S. needs a plan to wean itself off oil and other fossil fuels. Biden is highlighting a landmark law that authorizes hundreds of billions of dollars to boost renewable energy such as wind and solar power and help consumers buy electric vehicles and energy-efficient appliances.

(Beaver County, Pa.) Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier will announce his plans for the upcoming election on whether he plans on seeking another term or not at 10:10 AM this morning, Thursday, on Beaver County Radio.

You can tune into 95.7 FM and 99.3 FM along with 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA and beavercountyradio.com .  You can also watch the interview as it streams live on our Facebook Page by clicking the link below at show time:

The image above shows Lambert being escorted away in handcuffs
Story and photo/video by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published February 8, 2023 7:35 P.M.

(East Palestine, Ohio) National news Correspondent, Evan Lambert, was arrested during a press conference in regards to the East Palestine train derailment Wednesday evening. Lambert was reporting live on Newsnation while Ohio Governor Mike DeWine was speaking at the East Palestine Elementary School Gymnasium. Police told Lambert to be quiet, and after a brief discussion arrested him. Beaver County Radio caught the arrest live on video and it can be viewed below. While being taken away in handcuffs, Lambert commented “I got arrested for trying to do a live report, telling the people what they need to know”. Governor DeWine made a statement afterwards saying that he didn’t order the arrest, and has no problems with reporters talking while he is. Following the incident, Newsnation reported that Lambert would be held in the Columbia County jail until at least Thursday morning, and is charged with criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. It was later revealed that Lambert was released late Wednesday.
Video of the arrest (Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director):

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published February 8, 2023 7:30 P.M.

(East Palestine, Ohio) Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine, spoke at a press conference Wednesday evening in regards to the train derailment situation in East Palestine. DeWine was joined by other official personnel including Beaver County Director of Emergency Services Eric Brewer and East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick. Drabick took the podium to announce that the evacuations were lifted, and that there are no ongoing hazards to water or air in the radius, which included a portion of Beaver County. Residents can request water and air quality checks of their residence if they wish to do so or ask toxicology questions by contacting 234-542-6474. Clean up crews have removed all of the train cars, but there is still a lot of clean up to do be done. Roads will be reopened with the exception of Taggart Road past the Ohio line as crews will be using it for clean up work. Norfolk Southern will be paying for all damages ensued by the train wreck, and they will continue to investigate the cause of the crash which is said to be a suspected axle failure at this time. DeWine thanked all of the emergency personnel who safely handled the potentially catastrophic incident.