SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Social media companies are sharing their plans for safeguarding the U.S. midterm elections, although they have offered scant details. Tech platforms like Facebook and Twitter are generally staying the course they were on in the 2020 voting season — which was marred by conspiracies and culminated in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Meta Platforms Inc., which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said its approach to this election cycle is “largely consistent with the policies and safeguards” it had in place in 2020. TikTok announced an election center that will help people find voting locations and candidate information.

CECILIA, Ky. (AP) — This year’s back-to-school season will restore a degree of pre-pandemic normalcy. But many of COVID-19’s lasting impacts remain a troubling reality for schools. Among them: student mental health reached crisis levels last year. The pressure on schools to figure out solutions has never been greater. Districts across the country are using federal pandemic money to hire more mental health specialists, rolling out new coping tools and expanding curriculum that prioritizes emotional health.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities and experts who study online extremism are warning of a risk of additional attacks on federal law enforcement following the FBI’s search of ex-President Donald Trump’s Florida home. Following the Mar-a-Lago search, online posts blaming the FBI soared, as did open references to civil war. A Pennsylvania man was arrested Monday after authorities say he posted violent threats against the FBI on Trump’s social media platform. Last week, a man armed with an AR-15 tried to breach FBI offices in Cincinnati and was killed after firing on police. Extremism experts warn the violence could escalate as investigations into Trump play out.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s leading abortion rights advocacy organization, Planned Parenthood, plans to spend a record $50 million ahead of November’s midterm elections. It’s pouring money into contests where access to abortion will be on the ballot. The effort comes months after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade, which created a constitutional right to have an abortion. The campaign will be waged by Planned Parenthood’s political and advocacy arms and will focus on governor’s offices, U.S. Senate seats and legislative races in nine states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Planned Parenthood’s previous spending record was $45 million in 2020.

ANNVILLE, Pa. (AP) — The remains of a U.S. Army soldier from Ohio killed in the Korean War will be buried in Pennsylvania. The Army says Pfc. Donald Born will be laid to rest on Aug. 30 at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville. The Army says the Steubenville, Ohio, native was taking part in a defensive action near Chinju at the southern end of the Korean peninsula in 1950 when his unit came under attack. The 19-year-old went missing and was listed as presumed dead in 1953. Unidentified remains were disinterred for analysis in 2019. The Army says Born was accounted for in June by using anthropological and mitochondrial DNA analysis.

Two Pennsylvania judges who orchestrated a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks have been ordered to pay more than $200 million to hundreds of children who fell victim to their crimes. A federal judge awarded $106 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages to plaintiffs in a long-running civil suit against the judges. In what came to be known as the kids-for-cash scandal, Mark Ciavarella and another judge, Michael Conahan, shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and accepted $2.8 million in illegal payments from the builder and co-owner of two for-profit lockups.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is inviting the public to attend a hiring event on Wednesday, August 17 to learn about available maintenance positions the department offers in Beaver County.
The hiring event will be held at PennDOT’s Rochester Maintenance Building located at 155 Stewart Avenue Rochester, PA 15074 from noon to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17.
Recruiters will be available to discuss current and future openings within the Commonwealth. On the spot interviews and conditional job offers for select positions will occur. Applicants are asked to bring two forms of identification.
Available positions in Beaver County include Transportation Equipment Operator – A, Diesel and Construction Equipment Mechanic, Auto Mechanic, Semi-skilled Laborer, Tradesman Helper, Welder, Radio Dispatcher, and Stock Clerk.
PennDOT is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer promoting workforce diversity. To learn more about jobs, please visit www.employment.pa.gov.

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Women’s Behavioral Health is partnering with Eden’s Farm, a Pittsburgh-based organization that provides transitional housing and trauma-informed holistic care to survivors of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, to provide these survivors with intensive outpatient psychological care. Grant funds from Staunton Farm Foundation are supporting the program.
The pilot program for survivors is modeled after AHN Women’s Behavioral Health’s successful mother-baby comprehensive mental health treatment, including intensive group therapy sessions three hours a day, three days a week, with a focus on peer support, stress relief techniques, life skills and building self-confidence.
Eden’s Farm works to provide resources and aftercare to individuals who have been trafficked and impacted by the commercial sex industry by building relationships and providing survivors with opportunities to thrive.
“We are thrilled and honored to enter into this partnership with Eden’s Farm, and to embark on the important work of helping survivors of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation,” said Sarah Homitsky, MD, psychiatrist and medical director, AHN Women’s Behavioral Health. “Drawing from our intensive outpatient model, with its emphasis on learning to manage painful emotions, identify patterns of negative thinking, effectively communicate and solve problems, will help empower these individuals to move forward into the future.”
“Human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation are issues that intersects with an array of systemic vulnerabilities (e.g., poverty, immigration, substance abuse, foster care, gender-based violence, LGBTQIA+, sexual trauma) that requires targeted and intentional care. We believe that the only way to provide holistic care to survivors is through genuine collaboration amongst various agencies,” said Annalisa Gibbs, Founder and Executive Director of Eden’s Farm.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Allegheny Health Network’s Women’s Behavioral Health in piloting this much needed care for survivors in Eden’s Farm’s supportive home and for survivors across the region.”
“We are passionate about piloting a clinic in Pittsburgh that will address the complex needs of  human trafficking survivors and offer them a crucial sense of security, support and understanding in a safe and healthful setting,” said Allie Quick, Chief Philanthropy Officer at AHN. “Staunton Farm Foundation’s considerable support provides an opportunity for AHN to administer healing in the most profound sense of our mission to do so.”
“Staunton Farm Foundation embraces the chance to collaborate with AHN in this pivotal effort,” said Joni Schwager, Executive Director of Staunton Farm Foundation.             “It is a privilege to support the development of a multidisciplinary clinic inclusive of psychiatric and behavioral health services that can help transform unimaginable agony and abuse into hope and dignity.”
To learn more about Staunton Farm Foundation, visit the website.
AHN Women’s Behavioral Health’s team of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, licensed counselors, social workers provide care to women in the greater Pittsburgh and Erie area. To learn more about AHN Women’s Behavioral Health Services, visit the website.

(HARRISBURG) – Attorney General Josh Shapiro today, in conjunction with recommendations from the 48th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, announced charges against three individuals as part of an investigation into drug trafficking in Allegheny County. The investigation began in May 2021 into the ringleader of the organization, William Ely, 41, of Wilkinsburg, Pa., and two mid-level dealers, Jaylon Brock and Tony Burnsworth, for possession of and intent to traffic mass amounts of fentanyl into the community.

         “14 Pennsylvanians die from opioids every day, and we will not sit idly by when dealers peddle poisons and try to profit from devastating our communities,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “With two guns recovered from these searches, including an automatic assault rifle, this is a firm reminder that drug trafficking is a violent enterprise. My office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to hold those accountable who profit from drug trafficking.”

         During the investigation, agents learned Ely was supplying roughly 150 bricks of heroin/fentanyl, or up to 7,500 doses, a week to Brock and Burnworth who then sold them on the streets. Brock allegedly sold the drugs supplied by Ely in Pittsburgh while Burnsworth, of Friedens, Pa., would transport the majority of these drugs to sell in Somerset County.

        On July 30, 2021, agents from the Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigations executed a search warrant on Ely’s Wilkinsburg residence and Hill District stash house where they recovered 80 grams of fentanyl/heroin, 769 grams of cocaine, a kilo press for bulk packaging, $134,815.00 in cash, and two firearms, including an AR-style rifle. Ely is a convicted felon who is not legally able to possess a firearm.

        The investigation led agents to two additional locations in the Hill District affiliated with Brock where, during the search, they seized a total of 291.2 grams of fentanyl, 19.1 grams of cocaine, and $10,600.00 in cash. The total street value of all of the drugs seized during this investigation is more than $217,000.00.

        The Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Narcotics Investigation was assisted in their investigation by the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Monroeville Police Department, Penn Hills Police Department, Wilkinsburg Police Department, along with the detectives from the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office.

William Ely, Jaylon Brock and Tony Burnsworth have been charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, corrupt organization, and related charges. Ely was also charged for illegally possessing a firearm. These cases are being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Tomm Mutschler. All charges are accusations. The defendants are innocent unless and until proven guilty.

(Pittsburgh, PA) – PennDOT District 11 is announcing roadway improvement work on Route 4016 (Seibert Road) in Ross Township, Allegheny County will begin Wednesday, August 17 weather permitting.

Single lane restrictions will occur on Seibert Road between Babcock Boulevard and Thompson Run Road daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. through mid-November. During the paving operations, time restrictions will be extended.  Additional details will be provided in advance of the start of the work.

Improvement work includes milling and paving, drainage upgrades, base and shoulder repairs, guide rail updates, pavement markings, and other various construction related activities.

The prime contractor on this $5.24 million group paving project is A. Folino Construction.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.