By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — After more than a decade in which the Supreme Court moved gradually toward more leniency for minors convicted of murder, the justices have moved the other way. The high court ruled 6-3 Thursday along ideological lines against a Mississippi inmate sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally stabbing his grandfather when the defendant was 15 years old. The case is important because it marks a break with the court’s previous rulings and is evidence of the impact of a newly more conservative court.

(file photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, PA) – ALIQUIPPA SCHOOL BOARD AT ITS REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY NIGHT APPROVED THE RETURN OF STUDENTS BACK TO THE CLASSROOM. STUDENTS WILL RETURN ON MONDAY,  APRIL 26, 2021.

Today, Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) was joined by Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) to introduce the Get Rewarding Outdoor Work (GROW) for our Veterans Act.  This bipartisan legislation directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a two-year pilot program to employ veterans for projects of the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the veteran unemployment rate across the country has risen sharply — from 3.1 percent in 2019 to 11.7 percent in 2020.  This bill will help foster employment opportunities for veterans.

“We owe veterans a debt for their sacrifice and service.  We also know that outdoor activity experiences can improve the psychological wellbeing of military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.  This bill is the perfect way to increase job opportunities for veterans in an outdoor setting that is good for their mental and physical health,” said Lamb.

“Our veterans put their lives on the line for our country, and they deserve all the support we can provide them,” said Fitzpatrick.  “I am proud to partner with Rep Lamb on the Get Rewarding Outdoor Work for our Veterans (GROW) Act, and remain fully dedicated to supporting our veterans, their families, and their career opportunities each and every day in Congress.”

In 2019, national park visitation generated $41.7 billion, and supported 340,500 jobs.  In 2020, despite early closures due to the pandemic, 237 million people visited our national parks.  However, due to strained resources caused by increased visitation, aging facilities, and inconsistent funding, the National Parks Service (NPS) has been unable to keep pace with park maintenance needs.  Repairs to roads, bridges, water systems, visitor centers, trails, campgrounds, and historic structures have gone unaddressed and NPS estimates it would cost nearly $11.92 billion if it were to fix all the items on its deferred maintenance list.  In Pennsylvania alone, the national parks currently have a maintenance backlog of $299 million.

Work to address the backlog began earlier this year with the rollout of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), which provided up to $6.65 billion in non-taxpayer funds over five years to address long-overdue priority maintenance issues.  The GROW for our Veterans Act will complement GAOA by providing a trained workforce to address these long-deferred maintenance needs.

This bipartisan legislation will:

• Direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a two-year pilot program to employ veterans for projects for conservation projects at national parks and public lands;
• Direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish guidelines containing best practices for departments and agencies of the Federal Government that carry out programs to employ veterans who are transitioning from service in the Armed Forces.  Such guidelines would include lessons learned under the Warrior Training Advancement Course (WARTAC) of the VA, and methods to realize cost savings based on what they have learned from the program;
• Direct the VA and Department of the Interior (DOI) to consider partnering with the Department of Defense (DoD) to apply the program under the existing work they do with the Skillbridge program on bases for transitioning out members;
• Direct the VA to, within 30 days of the enactment of the bill, commission a study on how the pilot program could affect unemployed veterans; and
• Require the VA, DOI and Department of Agriculture (DOA) to, within one year, jointly submit to Congress a report on the pilot program.

The GROW for our Veterans Act is supported by the Union Veterans Council (UVC).

“Veterans have a long history with our nation’s federally managed public lands — both as spaces for healing and reunion and as pathways to meaningful careers in the federal workforce,” said Will Attig, Executive Director of the Union Veterans Council.  “As of 2018, only 17% of all Department of the Interior employees were veterans.  We applaud the introduction of the bipartisan Get Rewarding Outdoor Work (GROW) for our Veterans Act for striving to safeguard the economic, mental, and physical well-being of our veterans as well as the lands and waterways we cherish.”

Visit Lamb’s website for more information on the GROW for our Veterans Act.

(Wayne Twp., Lawrence County, Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they were dispatched to a residence on Hollow Road in Wayne Twp. Lawrence County around 1:30 AM Thursday Morning, April 22, 2021,  for an active domestic dispute.

Troopers reported via release upon arriving on the scene and investigating it was determined that 35-year-old Steven Ambroziak of New Castle engaged in a dispute with the 31-year-old female victim and the dispute escalated into physical violence.

Ambroziak was charged with terroristic threats, harassment, and disorderly conduct and subsequently incarcerated at the Lawrence County Jail.

State Troopers did not identify the victim or the full location of the incident due to it being a domestic violence case.

(File Photo: taken by Frank Sparks in Spring of 2020)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Beaver Falls Fire Chief Mark Stowe  said  signs  shall not be placed more than 30 days before an election be placed  on public property or trees, telephone or electric poles or right of ways. They shall be removed.  Signs can’t be more than 5 square feet. No signs are to be placed at the entrance to the city on the walls along Seventh Avenue or right of ways. They can be placed on private property with the owner’s permission.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano 

(Aliquippa, Pa.) State Representative Rob Matzie announced on Wednesday that Aliquippa will receive $2.04 million in grant funding  to allow the city to eliminate  a potential lead risk to the city’s drinking water.  Rep. Matzie said the  funding  from PENNVEST  will enable the  Aliquippa Municipal Water Authority  to replace 184 lead water service lines  with copper lines., eliminating the threat of corroded lines leaching lead  into the city’s water supply.

By Mark Peterson, Beaver County Radio Special Assignment Correspondent.

(Beaver County, PA)  April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Beaver County Radio has partnered with The Women’s Center of Beaver County to raise awareness about the topic.  Four weekly segments will air throughout the month with each focusing on different aspects of sexual assault.

Today’s installment is the third in the four part series and highlights the huge value and benefit that can be derived when victims of sexual assault are able to discuss their situation in confidence with a therapist.  Many times, victims of sexual assault aren’t even completely sure if the their incident  qualifies as an act of sexual assault.  Beaver County Radio spoke with Jodie McGovern earlier in a live on air interview about this very subject and the importance of being able to freely discuss any trauma, regardless of the severity, with a professional.  Ms. McGovern is a therapist available to victims of Sexual Assault through the Women’s Center of Beaver County.

Ms. McGovern also pointed out that one of the key factors in facilitating this helpful dialogue is removing financial and time constraint barriers that might deter a victim from coming forward and seeking help.

The Women’s Center of Beaver County provides these services and welcomes inquiries.  Raising awareness of this valuable therapy service is all part of local initiatives from the Women’s Center of Beaver County to coincide with National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which happens in April of every year.

For more information, call the Women’s Center of Beaver County at 724-775-0131. Help and counseling are available 24 hours a day.

Part four and the concluding segment in this special series is scheduled to air and be published online next Thursday, April 29th, so be sure to check back then for more valuable information on the issues surrounding sexual assault  from Beaver County Radio and The Women’s Center of Beaver County.

(Harrisburg, Pa.) Senator Elder Vogel is highlighting the importance of voters knowing “what a YES vote means” for the May 18 ballot questions. Senator Vogel stressed the need for all Pennsylvanians to learn about the three proposed Constitutional amendments up for consideration during the primary election and how a YES at the ballot box means voters favor:

• Protecting the education of our children;
• Supporting small employers in our local communities;
• Prohibiting discrimination; and
• Providing funding for all fire companies.

Senator Vogel voted to approve the three potential amendments to the Constitution, which will appear on the ballot for voters in the spring primary, including one question to prohibit discrimination based on race or ethnicity and two questions designed to improve the way the state responds to future emergencies.

The Department of State is responsible for drafting the questions in a way that is fair and easy to understand. However, the Wolf Administration has been widely criticized for wording the emergency response questions in a way that is deeply confusing and prejudicial.

Rather than taking the issue to court and delaying potential enactment of the amendments, lawmakers have placed their faith in the people of Pennsylvania to make the right decision at the polls for the spring primary.

The fourth ballot question asks voters to decide if the Commonwealth should expand its loan program for volunteer fire and emergency medical services companies to provide municipal departments with loans for facilities, equipment, etc. The question was among several steps authorized by the legislature to aid first responders.

More information about the ballot questions is available at https://issue.pasenategop.com/ballot-question/

Pittsburgh man may leave Hawaii before manslaughter trial
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — A judge is allowing a Pittsburgh man charged with manslaughter in the death of the friend he was vacationing with to return to the U.S. mainland before his trial. The judge says Benjamin Fleming must return to the Big Island for hearings in June and two weeks before his August trial. Fleming and two friends he’s known since college at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh were staying at a Kailua-Kona Airbnb. Abhishek Gupta, also of Pittsburgh, died after a fistfight. An autopsy determined he was strangled. The judge is denying Fleming’s request to reduce his $250,000 bail.