Earlier today, the Community College of Beaver County announced its plans to work with Shell and Mascaro, in an effort to expand the campus physically (adding a Construction Academy, expanding the Process Technology Center), as well as broadening its opportunities for present and future students. In addition, Mascaro and Shell are donating a combined $1.5 million to the Monaca college.

This announcement brought on good vibrations throughout the Golden Dome, including from Beaver County Commissioner Chairwoman Sandie Egley (in a live interview with Pat Septak):

CCBC President Chris Reber also had a good feeling about the college going forward:

And Shell’s Vice President of the Pennsylvania Department, Hilary Mercer, talked about the expansion of the college being a strong tunnel for students going forward:

Here’s some more shots from today’s big announcement at the college:

One day after school was out of session due to President’s Day, the Community College of Beaver County resumed classes…and announced they were back.

In an hour-long ceremony at the Golden Dome, CCBC made official the announcement that they were beginning a new initiative, including expanding the current Process Technology Center, and working with local companies such as Shell and Mascaro. Mascaro is making a $500,000 donation to the college and creating the Mascaro Construction Academy, dedicated to helping those who want to learn their futures in the construction business.

Shell, whose newest plant in Potter Township is expected to bring positive economy and jobs to Beaver County, donated $1 Million to CCBC toward the expansion of the Process Technology Center. Today’s announcement follows CCBC’s previous announcement of joining forces with other colleges announced in December.

The ceremony also included several promotional videos, as well as a pre-recorded message from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf.

If you missed the announcement on our Facebook Livestream earlier, click on the video below to watch it back.

 

And check out these other photos from today’s announcement:

He won’t be on the sidelines for the first time in over a decade, but that isn’t stopping former head coach Doug Biega from knowing what to look out for in the WPIAL basketball playoffs.

The two-time state champion head coach of the Beaver Falls Tigers from 1999-2017 joined Matt Drzik and Greg Benedetti for an analysis on the WPIAL Boys’ playoffs, as well as the nature of today’s high school basketball and the fan aspect of the events.

To hear the FULL interview, click on the player below.

Round 1 of the WPIAL playoffs in high school basketball tips off tonight with action in 3A and 1A Boys, as well as 5A and 2A Girls. Local teams are denoted in bold, and each game is listed with its class, teams, and location (in that order).

BOYS

6:30pm
[3A] Ellwood City vs. CW North Catholic (at Ambridge) [WBVP/WMBA]
[1A] Holy Family Academy vs. Propel Andrew Street (at North Catholic)
[1A] West Greene vs. Imani Christian (at Charleroi)

7:00pm
[3A] Brentwood vs. Washington (at Peters Twp.)

8:00pm
[3A] South Side Beaver vs. Aliquippa (at Ambridge) [WBVP/WMBA]
[3A] Riverside vs. Burrell (at North Catholic)
[1A] Cornell vs. Winchester Thurston (at Northgate)
[3A*] Carlynton vs. Brownsville (at Charleroi)
[1A] Geibel Catholic vs. Eden Christian (at Baldwin)

*-preliminary round game, winner plays Lincoln Park Monday

GIRLS

5:30pm
[2A] Fort Cherry vs. Brentwood (at Peters Twp.)

6:30pm
[5A] West Allegheny vs. Woodland Hills (at Fox Chapel)
[2A] Frazier vs. Leechburg (at West Allegheny)
[2A] Riverview vs. Serra Catholic (at Northgate)
[5A] Ringgold vs. Gateway (at Baldwin)
[5A] South Fayette vs. Oakland Catholic (at Upper St. Clair)
[5A] Uniontown vs. Mars (at Gateway)

8:00pm
[5A] Armstrong vs. Chartiers Valley (at Fox Chapel)
[5A] Plum vs. Trinity (at West Allegheny)
[5A] Montour vs. Thomas Jefferson (at Upper St. Clair)
[5A] Connellsville vs. Hampton (at Gateway)

8:30pm
[2A] Washington vs. California (at Peters Twp.)

Tax season is in full swing, and the reality of the mid-April deadline is hanging on the minds of many Beaver County residents. But not all of it, at least according to John Pournaras, is bad news.

The namesake of the John Pournaras Agency in Ambridge joined Matt Drzik on February 15 to discuss the opening ideals when it comes to the 2018 tax season, including the differences (or lack thereof) between the 2017 and 2018 taxes, and what things to look out for when it comes to crunching this year’s financial numbers.

If you missed it this morning or want to listen/watch again, check out our Facebook Live feed of it from our Facebook page!

On Valentine’s Day February 14, 2018 Beaver County Radio held it’s annual “Love Song Sing Along” contest on the air throughout the day. When given the cue callers were encouraged to call in and sing a love song of their choosing for that special someone. Out of the many entries received Howard Fink of Rochester was picked during the Yankee Trader with Diane Brosuis as the winner of this years contest.  This years contest was brought to you by Rosalind Candy Castle in New Brighton and Dairy Queen in Beaver.  Thanks to all that participated and congrats to Howard. We can’t wait to do it all again next year.

(Image courtesy John Putzier)

40 different automobile makers will be showcasing their best and newest cars at the 74th annual Pittsburgh International Auto Show, taking place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh from February 16-19.

John Putzier has been associated with the Auto Show for 7 and a half years, and he called in to A.M. Beaver County with Matt Drzik to discuss this year’s show, as well as “Dancing With The Cars”, the charity event that will take place on Thursday before the official show begins.

To hear the FULL interview with John, click on the player below.

As he emphasizes on his weekly show, Jim Taddeo believes there are good things happening in Beaver County. But at times, we need to discuss the issues that are going on that aren’t quite as positive, such as the ongoing opioid crisis.

Thankfully, this discussion took a positive and informative turn today, as Janice Olson, a recovering former user and current staff member at Gateway Rehab Services, joined “Jim Taddeo’s Hometown” for a discussion about the issues about the opioid crisis. This discussion highlighted the process that brought the drug crisis to such heights, but also offered an emphasis on openness and honesty, as well as reaching out to deal with the problem.

If you missed it this morning, you can check out our Facebook Live coverage by hitting the play button below.

Facebook Live segments on Beaver County Radio are brought to you by NIRA Consulting Engineers.

If you’re looking for general assistance in the Beaver County area, the 2-1-1 phone system is designed to help in the case of situations involving areas of life including utility assistance, childcare, disaster response, and more.

Lynell Scaff from the Beaver County Collaborative Action Network and Mike Rubino from the United Way of Beaver County joined Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County to discuss the nationwide movement on February 11 (2/11) to promote the importance of the 2-1-1 system. The BCCAN and United Way are the main supporters of the assistance system.

If you missed this morning’s interview or want to revisit it, click on our Facebook Live post below to watch it!

Facebook Live segments on Beaver County Radio are brought to you by NIRA Consulting Engineers.

On Thursday morning at the Beaver County Courthouse, the County Commissioners approved a settlement that ends a longstanding battle within the financial insides of Beaver County. Beaver County Radio’s Matt Drzik has more on the announcement in this story:

The $380,791 settlement ends the saga with the former Friendship Ridge; a battle that has spanned multiple administrations of the County Commissioners.