Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reminds residents that free Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program (PAMSP) training opportunities are available to motorcycle riders across the state. Prospective, experienced, and new Pennsylvania riders who have a motorcycle learner’s permit or motorcycle license can develop and refresh operator proficiency through these free trainings.

“All riders can benefit from the valuable skills and safety lessons learned through Pennsylvania’s free motorcycle safety clinics,” said PennDOT Acting Secretary Mike Carroll. “The time spent in training supports many safe miles of riding by helping riders sharpen reflexes and hone the split-second decision-making abilities required to safely operate a motorcycle.”

PennDOT’s statewide third-party motorcycle safety training providers offer many training classes. A full list of providers and their locations can be found on PennDOT’s PAMSP page on our website.

Successful completion of a basic or intermediate course waives the requirement to take a skills test at a PennDOT Driver License Center for those over the age of 18 and automatically earns the permit holder their motorcycle license. Motorcycle permit holders who complete a 3-wheel basic course will earn a motorcycle license with a restriction prohibiting the operation of a 2-wheel motorcycle.

Classes can be scheduled at multiple locations throughout Pennsylvania, and class schedules are coordinated by each third-party training provider at each individual location. Individuals interested in training should contact the training providers directly or check their websites for class availability, as additional courses may be offered, and providers may offer additional walk-in or waiting list opportunities.

The 16-hour Basic Riding Course (BRC), which consists of in-class or virtual instruction and practical riding, provides valuable training for new riders and gives experienced riders the opportunity to polish their skills and correct any unsafe riding habits they may have developed. Students are responsible for providing all protective gear. Act 84 of 2012 established the requirement that all permit holders under the age of 18 must successfully complete the BRC to receive their motorcycle license.

The eight-hour Intermediate Riding Course allows skilled riders to refresh their safety knowledge and hone their on-road skills. Students taking this clinic must provide their own motorcycle and protective gear and provide proof of insurance, current registration, and inspection for their motorcycle.

During the 3-Wheel Riding Course, riders learn the same skills and safety strategies taught in BRC, except on a 3-wheeled motorcycle. The clinic is comprised of classroom instruction and riding exercises. The majority of students must provide their own motorcycle and all of their own protective gear and provide proof of insurance, current registration and inspection for their motorcycle. However, select locations offering the course have 3-wheeled motorcycles on hand for student use. Please check with the location before signing up for a course.

The Advanced Riding Course, a one-day clinic for experienced riders who want to enhance their safety skills through attitude and awareness, rounds out the PAMSP offerings.  The clinic is designed to enhance a rider’s ability to avoid a crash through honing their decision-making abilities, riding strategies, risk management and rider behavior and choices. Students taking this clinic must provide their own motorcycle and protective gear and provide proof of insurance, current registration and inspection for their motorcycle.

Additional classes and locations will continue to be added throughout the riding season. Registration for the 2023 training season is ongoing.

Story by Curtis Walsh and Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 22, 2023 8:58 A.M.

(Aliquippa, PA) Over 150 snakes and a gator were taken from a home at 1325 McMinn Street Aliquippa, after a man was found dead on Tuesday. A majority of the snakes are said to be venomous. The cause of death of the man hasn’t been confirmed but the man was said to have at least one snake bite on him when he was found. The coroner told Beaver County Radio that it will likely be at least 6 to 8 week until a cause of death will be revealed. 4 adults were living in the home with a 3 year old girl. The reptiles were not allowed within the code of the city. The people were said to have moved to Aliquippa while pursuing a business of selling the reptiles. The maximum fine for violating the code laws is $1,000 per reptile.
Updated story with more details 11:11am :
https://beavercountyradio.com/news/aliquippa-police-respond-to-city-home-for-deceased-male-and-find-illegal-pets/

FLORENCE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Fire has destroyed a large New Jersey church, collapsing its roof as more than 150 firefighters fought to control the blaze. The Fountain of Life Center in Florence Township was engulfed in flames Monday night. No injuries were reported in the fire. The cause wasn’t immediately known. Senior Pastor Russell Hodgins tells Philadelphia’s KYW-TV that it’s a devastating loss. The center describes itself on its website as a multipurpose, 120,000-square-foot facility with a preschool, basketball courts, and a fitness center. It’s believed the school and recreation building survived the fire.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testifies about the Feb.3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, before the Pennsylvania state Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, March 20, 2023, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Norfolk Southern’s CEO is offering support for some parts of a bipartisan Senate bill to put tougher safety regulations on railroads. A fiery hazardous materials train derailed last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. CEO Alan Shaw is under pressure from senators and federal safety regulators to step up his commitment to safety regulations as he appears before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. Shaw says in prepared remarks that Norfolk Southern will “support legislative efforts to enhance the safety of the freight rail industry. But he does not address several key provisions of the Railway Safety Act of 2023.

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Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published March 21, 2023 12:27 P.M.

(Center Township, PA) Center Township Fire Chief Bill Bricker reported that the police and firefighters were called to the Hilton Garden Inn at 2:24 a.m. Tuesday for a domestic situation that included fires that were in a guest’s bedroom, and one in a trash can in the public restroom on the hotel’s first floor.

Students boys and girls sitting together around the table in clasroom and drawing. With them is their young and beautiful teacher. She teaches children and is smiling (KEystone State News Service)
Danielle Smith

The shortage of school teachers and staffers has reached a crisis level in some public schools. An education advocacy group is making recommendations to fix that. Pennsylvania serves more than 1.7 million students in grades K through 12.

Rich Askey, Pennsylvania State Education Association president, said they plan to unveil a state legislative package that focuses on several key priorities to solve the school staffing crisis, including a boost in teacher salaries. Right now, some teachers average about $27,000 a year to start, and the plan calls for money to attract more candidates.

“First to set the annual minimum salaries for educators, school counselors, nurses, and other educational professionals at $60,000,” Askey said. “And also, we want to look at a minimum wage for custodians, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, and other support staff at $20 per hour. ”

Askey added there has been a dramatic decline in the number of college graduates entering the teaching profession. Pennsylvania issued more than 12,000 fewer first-year teaching certificates in the 2020-21 school year than it did in 2012-13, a drop of 66%.

Askey said in addition to affecting teachers and staff, the shortage has created challenges in the classroom, resulting in some kids having learning problems.

“I know of educators that are teaching two classes at the same time and on one side of the room, they might be teaching life science on the other side of the room, they might be teaching earth science, and that doesn’t let our kids have the individual attention that is so needed, ” Askey said.

Askey added the legislative plan would be taking a sustained multi-year commitment to be phased in over five years. It also includes paying college students in teacher preparation programs while they are student teaching, creating a scholarship program, and investing in the “Grow Your Own” program to help paraprofessionals and school support staff go back to college and earn their teaching degrees.