Travel Tips In ’22 With Carol Zimny Of Travel Search

(Published by Matt Drzik)

A new year usually means new opportunities, but the last couple of years have been the springboard for more concerns about safety, finances, and restrictions. The world of travel has been particularly subject to these concerns.

Carol Zimny of Travel Search in Beaver Falls has been no exception to those concerns, but the advice and guidance that she’s been providing to eager travelers before and during the pandemic have been countered with satisfaction throughout. She sat down with Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County to talk about some of the things to look out for if one desires to travel in 2022.

“We cannot tell someone ‘Yes, you should go here.’ or ‘Yes, this is 100% guaranteed.’; we’re not living in environment right now where things are guaranteed,” Zimny said. “All the different rules and regulations…we lay it out for them, we take that burden off of them, let them know all the procedures that have to take place…and then they ultimately have to make that decision on their own as to whether or not that is something that they want to do.”

To hear the full interview with Carol and Matt, click on the Facebook feed below!

FDA Expands Pfizer Boosters for More Teens as Omicron Surges

FDA expands Pfizer boosters for more teens as omicron surges
By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer
The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday allowed extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12. Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and the FDA says they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds. The FDA also said everyone eligible for a booster can get one as early as five months after their last dose rather than six months. But the move, coming as classes restart after the holidays, isn’t the final step. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must decide whether to recommend boosters for the younger teens.

Moon Twp. Man Charged After Trying to Pass Off Counterfeit Bills At the Rivers Casino

(File Photo of Rivers Casino
Monday, January 3, 2022 at 9:53 AM
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Pa State Police at the Rivers Casino has charged 38-year-old David Erkens of Moon Twp. with Forgery and Counterfeiting after an incident that occurred on December 19, 2021 at 11:34 AM.
Troopers reported via release that Erkens attempted to pass $120.00 worth of counterfeit bills to buy into a Craps game at the casino. The release stated that the money that was determined to be counterfeit was a $100 bill and a $20.00 bill. Charges were filed against Erkens in Pittsburgh Municipal Courts.

Route 65 Lane Restrictions Begin this Week in North Sewickley and Franklin Townships

(File Photo)
Monday, January 3, 2022 at 9:11 AM
Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing lane restrictions on Route 65 in North Sewickley and Franklin townships, Beaver County, will begin today, Monday, January 3 weather permitting.

Single-lane alternating traffic controlled by flaggers will occur weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through late January on Route 65 at the County Club Bridge. Additionally, lane restrictions will occur on Mercer Road (Route 1006) and Country Club Road.  Crews from KCI Technologies, Inc. will conduct drilling to locate subsurface utilities.

Motorists are advised to use caution, allow extra time, and expect changing traffic patterns when traveling through the area.

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.

With Winter Months Ahead, Tips to Manage Home Heating Bills

Emily Scott, Keystone News Exchange

As Pennsylvanians move into winter, the state’s top utility agency offers some tips on keeping bills down during the peak energy-use season.

Three main factors contribute to heating costs: the amount of energy used, its price, and the weather.

Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, said one way to manage costs is to shop for competitive electric and natural gas suppliers. Depending on the time of year, the national energy market and personal preferences, you might find a cheaper plan.

He listed some other energy-saving tips that can make a big difference.

“Simple things, like paying attention to your thermostat,” Hagen-Frederiksen suggested. “In the winter, depending on your home and your heating system, a one-degree change in your thermostat can impact your bill by up to 3%. Turning down the thermostat when you’re away can add up to a large amount of dollars at the end of the month.”

Homeowners and renters can shop for electric and natural gas suppliers online, at PAPowerSwitch.com and PAGasSwitch.com. Other ways to save on energy bills include keeping furnace filters and ducts clean and winterizing your home with insulation and storm doors.

For some families and small business owners, affording energy bills is a real concern. If you are in a difficult financial situation, Hagen-Frederiksen recommended calling your utility company to see if you qualify for assistance.

“Your utilities understand all of the programs that are available to them,” Hagen-Frederiksen explained. “They may be utility-run consumer assistance programs. There are hardship funds, charitable programs. There are federal programs like LIHEAP. There’s COVID-related rental and energy assistance
.”

Utility assistance programs reached 293,000 electric customers and 167,000 natural gas customers in the state last year, helping them reduce monthly energy bills.

Redistricting Hearing Being Held in Mc Candless Twp. Tuesday Afternoon

(File Photo)
(Harrisburg, Pa.) The House Majority Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), will host a public hearing at Town of McCandless Town Hall, 9955 Grubbs Road, Wexford tomorrow, January 4, 2022, at 4 PM to discuss the community impacts of the House redistricting map given preliminary approval by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission in mid-December. Testifiers at the hearing will include Allegheny County Councilwoman Cindy Kirk, Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes, McCandless Township Councilmember Jason Singer, Shaler Township Manager Timothy Rogers, Harrison Township Commissioner Charles Dizard, Moon Township Supervisor Allan Bross and others.
LIVE WEBSTREAMING: Barring technical difficulties, the hearing will be streamed live at www.PAHouseGOP.com and www.PAGOPPolicy.com.

Hubbard, Ohio Man Charged After Incidents in New Castle

(New Castle, Pa.) 36-year-old Kirshna James of Hubbard, Ohio was arrested on Saturday after authorities say that James walked into the New Castle Fire Department with a gun around 7:15am and struck a door with an ax damaging the door before being escorted out of the building by firefighters
He was then seen later in the day on camera at the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership Building where he allegedly discharged his handgun at the security system.
James was also seen trying to enter an ambulance station, and was later apprehended by police after an incident at a local apartment complex.
James is being held at the Lawrence County Jail on a $100,000 bond. He is facing several charges including burglary and criminal trespass.

Rochester Man Faces Rape Charges Involving Three Minors

(File Photo)
(New Castle, Pa.) State police in New Castle have charged 31-YEAR-OLD Eric Joseph Prothero, of Rochester with charges of one count of rape of a child, one count of involuntary sexual intercourse with a child, three counts of indecent assault of a person under age 13, and three counts of corruption of minors involving an incident with three juveniles at a Little Beaver Township residence.
State police launched a child assault investigation Dec. 20 after receiving a series of Childline reports about suspected child abuse. The reports identified three juveniles whose ages are 12, 15 and 16. The three were then brought in for a series of forensic interviews at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lawrence County. According to a report, all three identified Prothero as the person who had assaulted them.

As of  late last week, Prothero was not in custody.

Monday’s AMBC: Traveling Tips For 2022

Carol Zimny, the owner of Travel Search in Beaver Falls, will join Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County at 8:10 to discuss travel tips for the new year of 2022, as the persistence of the pandemic continues and may cause certain hiccups in planning.

EXPLAINER: Why are so many flights being canceled?

The forces that have scrambled thousands of flights since Christmas Eve could ease in January, but that’s cold comfort to the millions of flyers with New Year’s plans. And if 2021 has taught us anything, it’s that 2022 will likely be just as unpredictable. Airlines weren’t spared from the spread of the omicron variant, and bad weather took a toll. Here’s a look at the forces that have mucked up flights for thousands of people this holiday season, and what could happen over the next few weeks.