(Center Twp., Pa.) Center Twp. Police Department via a post on their Facebook Page is asking citizens to be aware of a current fraud in Center / Potter Twp being investigated by Det Sgt Gonczi:
The Current scam is targeting elderly subjects: A Person calls the potential victim, saying they are with Xfinity/Comcast technical support, giving them a false employee number making their pitch more credible. They tell the victim(s) they have identified their Xfinity/Comcast account as being charged by scammers who are buying bitcoin online. They say Xfinity/Comcast owes the victim money back and request the victim give them credit card and/or a bank account information so they can reimburse their account for the money owed by Xfinity. The scammer then asks for a photo of the victim’s driver’s license or photo ID for an added step of security. The scammer requests the victim not make any purchases or utilize their credit card or bank accounts for a few days until they complete their reimbursement which gives the suspects time to make online purchases with their credit card account and/or bank account. The scammers have full access to the victim’s bank account and/or credit card account. They make online purchases of gift cards using victims’ Amazon account to facilitate the purchases. The gift cards are then shipped to other victims.
The victims that the gift cards are shipped to are being told Xfinity/Comcast cannot reimburse their credit card account and/or bank account and they are sending them gift cards in the mail for the reimbursements to further the scam.
If this happens to you immediately hang up and report to your local police.

The featured image above shows the meeting taking place at Blackhawk High School

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Correspondent. Published February 10, 2022 10:55 P.M.

(Chippewa Township, PA) The Blackhawk School Board met Thursday evening for a work session.  A large amount of community members attended the meeting to voice their opinions on how the board is currently handling employee contracts.  Many expressed disappointment and concerns over recent personnel decisions made by the board. One community member said, “All I see is nonsense, and it’s an embarrassment”.  Board Chairman, Frank Makoczy, responded that contracts made by a previous board can be terminated if they determine that they will disrupt governmental function.  The board also discussed a potential newsletter that will detail news going on in the district.  A new soccer coach is expected to be hired soon as well.

Truckers’ bridge blockade forces shutdowns at auto plants
By ROB GILLIES and TOM KRISHER Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) — The truck blockade at the U.S. border by Canadians protesting the country’s COVID-19 restrictions is tightening the screws on the auto industry, forcing Ford, Toyota and General Motors to shut down plants or otherwise curtail production. The bumper-to-bumper demonstration entered its fourth day Thursday at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, to Detroit. It is disrupting the flow of auto parts and other products back and forth across the border.

(File Photo)

(HARRISBURG, Pa) A new bill introduced by state Rep. Rob Matzie would protect nursing home residents and staff from sexual assaults by establishing care and reporting requirements when a registered sex offender is admitted.

Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, said H.B. 2341 – which would function as a Megan’s Law for the state’s nursing homes – would establish protections that are needed immediately.

“Right now, when a registered sexual offender is admitted to a Pennsylvania nursing home, the home is not required to disclose this to other residents or staff – or to develop any special plans to ensure their safety,” Matzie said. “The situation has resulted in attacks on residents, and the threat will only grow as thousands of registered sex offenders continue aging and require medical care.

“My bill would put essential protections in place by requiring all Pennsylvania nursing homes to check the sex offender registry before admitting a new resident; develop a care plan to protect other residents and staff when a registered offender is admitted; and notify staff and other residents in close proximity about the plan.”

Matzie’s bill would also require facilities to report the information to the state Department of Health, to create a centralized registry that would function as a Megan’s Law for nursing homes. Currently, there is no such list, so officials have no way of tracking how many registered sex offenders are living in nursing homes or where they are located.

Matzie said the protections – already in effect in some states – are long overdue in Pennsylvania.

“My bill is similar to a law that is already in effect in Ohio – one of at least 10 states that impose requirements when a registered sex offender is admitted to a nursing home. It’s time to get those critical protections in place now, for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents and the staff who care for them,” he said.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The winter season may be coming towards its end, but the frozen stuff on the ground–or in the arena–is still taking center stage in Beaver County.

Tony Caltury, the Parks & Recreation director for Beaver County, joined Matt Drzik on the Febraury 10 edition of A.M. Beaver County to provide an update on the Beaver County Ice Arena, which over the last year has undergone renovations through a grant awarded to Beaver County through the Pittsburgh Penguins’ “Renovate The Rink” contest.

“If you haven’t been there in a few years, I think when you walk in you’ll see a completely new building,” Caltury said. He spoke of the renovations that the County added on to the Ice Arena through their own funding and the Commissioners’ blessings, which include upgraded locker rooms, new paint & ceiling tiles, and a new Zamboni for ice resurfacing.

Caltury also spoke about the return of a Beaver County tradition–the 58th Annual Snow Shovel Riding Championship. The event is slated to take place at Old Economy Park on Saturday, February 19, weather permitting. Caltury hopes that the event can go on without a hitch due to its significance in the Ambridge area.

“I spoke at an Ambridge Regional Chamber of Commerce meeting last week, and it really hit home how much this event was a family tradition for people of Harmony, Baden, and Ambridge,” Caltury stated, “and I think bringing it back and getting it set up was vital, because this is something these families look forward to…and I think we can make it a bigger and better event for all these participants.”

To watch the full interview with Matt and Tony, click on the Facebook feed below.

By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is hitting the road to begin selling his proposal for what would be the largest-ever increase in aid for Pennsylvania’s public schools, several times over. Wolf appeared in Erie on Wednesday to tout the plan, just over $1.5 billion for instruction and operations, almost a quarter of what the state sends now. Districts that would see the biggest increases include smaller cities with an increasingly poorer tax base and growing suburbs where changing demographics are not fully taken into account by how the state funds schools. Meanwhile, 20 districts — primarily cities with the lowest household incomes — would get more than half of the $1.55 billion.