(Hawaii Police Department via AP)
HONOLULU (AP) — A jury in Hawaii has found a Pennsylvania man not guilty of manslaughter. Benjamin Fleming of Pittsburgh was charged with manslaughter in the strangulation death of a college buddy he was vacationing with on the Big Island last year. Fleming and two friends from Carnegie Mellon University were staying at a vacation rental in Kailua-Kona when a night out drinking ended in a deadly fight. An autopsy showed that Abhishek Gupta of Pittsburgh was strangled. Fleming’s defense attorney says that Gupta’s death was tragic but it was not a crime. Prosecutors didn’t immediately comment on the verdict, which was reached last week.
(Photo Courtesy Pa. Media Services/File)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Citing the need to fight climate change, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed Republican-penned legislation that would have stopped municipalities from adopting building codes that prohibit natural gas hookups. Wolf, in a Monday veto message to lawmakers, said the legislation takes away “local decision-making” from municipalities looking to address climate change. The legislation passed the Republican-controlled House and Senate largely along party lines. Republican lawmakers had cast the legislation as protecting consumer energy choice, but also to protect the state’s natural gas industry. States, cities and counties elsewhere in the U.S. have begun looking at all-electric building codes
(AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden is apologizing for saying Latinos are “as unique” as San Antonio breakfast tacos. Through a spokesperson, the first lady apologized Tuesday for “words that conveyed anything but pure admiration and love for the Latino community.” Jill Biden was in San Antonio on Monday to address the annual conference of UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights and advocacy group. In her speech, she said the community’s diversity is as “distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful of the blossoms of Miami and as unique as the breakfast tacos” in San Antonio. The first lady was roundly criticized for the comment. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists tweeted, “We are not tacos.”
(File Photo Courtesy of Pa Media Services)
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Nursing home trade associations in Pennsylvania say they have agreed to boost staffing levels as part of a deal with Gov. Tom Wolf to increase aid to an industry struggling with high turnover. Wolf on Monday signed legislation authorizing nearly $300 million a year in additional Medicaid payments to nursing homes, which were wracked by the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s almost 20% more annually. Wolf said the deal is a “major step forward for Pennsylvania’s long-term care industry.” Officials say the money should boost worker salaries, staffing levels and retention while stabilizing the facilities’ finances and improving the quality of care.
Mange on your melons? Potato eyes coming in cross-eyed? Peppers looking puny? The Wednesday Teleforum talk program has all the answers with Garden Jargon-Charlie Dirt will be in the studio to answer All your gardening questions! Garden Jargon is brought to you by Diamond Milling, and happens in the 11 o’clock hour on Teleforum. Teleforum happens every weekday from 9 till noon on am1230, am1460, fm99.3, and fm95.7-all presented to you by St. Barnabas!
Gas prices are five cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.828 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.
This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average $4.828 Average price during the week of July 5, 2022 $4.929 Average price during the week of July 12, 2021 $3.291
The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:
Pump prices declined across the country again, with the national average falling another 12 cents since last week to $4.67. Today’s national average is 32 cents less than a month ago and $1.53 more than a year ago.
The dip in the cost of gas occurred despite a rise in demand, likely due to robust July 4th holiday automobile travel. AAA forecast that 42 million people would hit the roads for the holiday weekend, a new record. According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand increased from 8.92 million barrels per day to 9.41 million barrels per day ahead of the 4th of July holiday, while total domestic gas stocks decreased by 2.5 million barrels. Typically, these supply/demand trends would put upward pressure on pump prices but falling oil prices contributed to lower pump prices
At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by $2.06 to settle at $104.79. Although the price of crude rose at the end of the week due to increased optimism as markets rebounded, the price was still down nearly $4 per barrel from the previous week.
Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.
AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 72 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio) (Photo/Beaver County Radio Files)
“You don’t name a football field after somebody if they don’t do a lot of things right, and it was a no-brainer for Western Beaver to name its football field in Rich’s honor.”
Rich Niedbala was the long-time head coach at Western Beaver from 1971 until 2001; winning three WPIAL titles in 1976, 1983, and 1994, and earning enshrinement into the Beaver County Sports Hall Of Fame in 1998. He was laid to rest on Tuesday following his passing at the age of 80 on July 8, leaving behind his name and legacy to football and education not just at Western Beaver…but all throughout Beaver County.
Rich Niedbala (standing, far right) gathered with several of his fellow coaching legends in Beaver County in November 2016 for a special edition of Coaches Corner from Robert’s Roadside Inn. Bob Barrickman (front row, far left) shared his memories of Niedbala’s legacy on the July 12 edition of A.M. Beaver County.
Bob Barrickman, Beaver County Radio sports director and fellow member of the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame (2008) reflected on the legacy of one of Beaver County’s best all-time coaches on the July 12 edition of A.M. Beaver County, and spoke to Matt Drzik about how Coach Niedbala’s persistence made Western Beaver such a successful program: “He just had a lot of solid football players, and he made them get better as time went along…he was the straw that stirred the drink at Western Beaver for many, many years.”
Western Beaver reached the pinnacle of Western Pennsylvania football achievement with three WPIAL titles in three decades, an achievement amplified by the ever-changing rosters of high school teams and–as the Golden Beavers would experience throughout the remainder of the 1980s–cold streaks that could demand changes from the school and community. “Basically the numbers were down and the cupboard was bare–there just weren’t enough good football players,” Barrickman remembers. “But then he (Niedbala) was able to revive the program…and once the 1990s kicked in, Western Beaver became a football powerhouse again.” The Golden Beavers won their third championship under Niedbala in 1994, and Barrickman feels that “if Rich would have stayed on board, it would not have shocked me if he would had won four WPIAL championships in four decades.”
Niedbala was honored permanently when the Golden Beavers named their football gridiron Rich Niedbala Field in Industry after him, a name that remains on the stadium to this day.
“For as long as high school football goes on in Beaver County, his name will certainly come up in the first sentence as far as all-time great coaches,” Barrickman added. “We’ve been blessed, but Rich Niedbala certainly deserves his name in that conversation. The guy was a true legend, and his record brought that out.”
To listen to the full conversation reflecting on the achievements and legacy of Coach Rich Niedbala, click on the player below.
(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photo Beaver County Radio Files)
“We are making progress, we are working together, we are learning the differences of each other.”
Kenya Johns, the current mayor of Beaver Falls
Mayor Kenya Johns of Beaver Falls returned to the Beaver County Radio studios on the July 12 edition of A.M. Beaver County to discuss the recent progresses made in the connection between citizens and leaders within the city. While there isn’t agreement on everything–the parking on 7th Avenue, for example–Johns has noted that the engagement in asking questions and presenting ideas has increased over her first several months in office. “That’s good civic engagement,” she stated. “That’s what a city or government needs; it needs to hear the voices constantly, needs people to be present when they’re making decisions, so we constantly realize that we are public servants, and we are here to serve, and we got to make sure we serve people what’s best for them.”
Mayor Johns also mentioned a couple of upcoming events to be held in the city: a bourbon tasting being hosted by the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce at Jumet Financial as well as Hutch & Home on August 11, followed by a Sidewalk Sale presented by the Beaver Falls Business District Authority on August 20 featuring a hot-rod car cruise along the main drag. The city is also joining Beaver County in celebrating Unity Week this week, which the mayor says reiterates the emphasis on having communities work together to improve livelihood.
To watch the full interview with Beaver Falls mayor Kenya Johns, click on the Facebook feed below!
(Photo of St. Barnabas Skilled Nursing Facility in Gibsonia, Pa. provided by St. Barnabas)
(Gibsonia, Pa.) St. Barnabas nursing home in Gibsonia has received a 5 star rating from Medicare.gov. The facility provides skilled nursing care for short-term care or extensive rehabilitative support after a hospital stay, injury, or other circumstances. St. Barnabas’ skilled nursing care home is located at 5827 Meridian Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044 If you would like more information you can call them at (724) 443-0700 or you can get more information about any St. Barnabas Facility on their website at https://stbarnabashealthsystem.com/
(Butler County, Pa.) Pa State Police in Butler have charged four individuals with disorderly conduct and other charges in accordance with an incident that occurred at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Connoquenessing Township, Butler County.
Troopers reported via release that they were alerted of four individuals doing donuts along the runway at the Butler Farms Show Grounds at 3:36 AM Sunday morning.
Troopers were able to find the four vehicles at a nearby Sheetz. Troopers have charged 19-year-old Trent Scott of Butler, 20-year-old Hunter Dietrich of Butler along with two 17-year-old males with trespassing, disorderly conduct, and applicable summary traffic violations.
