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FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021 | ELLWOODCITYLEDGER.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK PA DOH taking Delta Lawrence County variant ‘seriously’ COVID-19 vaccine tracker

Ellwood City Ledger USA TODAY NETWORK

Some 37% of people living in Law- rence County are fully vaccinated as of June 29, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers someone fully vaccinated two weeks after they’ve been given a single-dose shot (John- son & Johnson) or a second shot (ei- ther Pfizer or Moderna). Pennsylvania reported 1,216,430 to- tal cases of coronavirus, an increase of 0.10% from the week before. The five counties with the highest percentage of their population fully vaccinated in Pennsylvania as of June 29 are Montour County (60%), Forest County (57%), Lackawanna County (54%), Lehigh County (53%) and Alle- gheny County (51%). Here are the latest numbers on CO- VID-19 vaccinations in Lawrence County as of June 29:

Olivia Edwards, left, 13, gets a bandage from registered nurse Philene Moore after getting a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination How many people in Lawrence at Montgomery County. MATT SLOCUM/AP County have received a COVID-19 vaccine? Officials push COVID-19 vaccines, but no sign mask mandate will return h 42% of people in Lawrence Coun- ty have received at least one dose of the vaccine, for a total of 36,546 people Brian Myszkowski sequenced.” cination rate among adults. h 37% of people in Lawrence Coun- Pocono Record “The potential threat of Delta and all According to the CDC, as of Tues- ty are fully vaccinated, for a total of USA TODAY NETWORK other variants underlines the impor- day, Pennsylvania has administered 32,013 people tance for all eligible people to get fully first doses of vaccine to 62.7% of its en- For a county-by-county look at the State officials continue to promote vaccinated,” Barton said. “The admini- tire population, and ranks eighth vaccination rollout, see our COVID-19 the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines stration encourages all eligible individ- among all 50 states for first doses ad- vaccine tracker, which is updated dai- as the Delta variant of the virus makes uals to get fully vaccinated to protect ministered by percentage of popula- ly. its way across through the country, in- themselves and their loved ones.” tion. Sixty percent of Pennsylvanians cluding Pennsylvania. The CDC is only sharing percentages age 18 and older are fully vaccinated, How many people in Two days after lifting the statewide of variant cases appearing in Pennsyl- while 75.3% have received their first Pennsylvania have been mask mandate, health officials on vania, indicating that only 1% of a total dose, putting the commonwealth fifth vaccinated so far? Wednesday said “vaccines remain our of 1,259 variant cases observed over a among all 50 states for total doses ad- biggest defense against the virus and four-week period ending June 5 were ministered. h 63% of people in Pennsylvania the potential threat of the Delta vari- determined to be the Delta variant. Acting Physician General Dr. Denise have received at least one dose of the ant.” CDC data indicates the currently Johnson echoed the same sentiment vaccine, for a total of 8,023,155 people DOH Deputy Press Secretary Maggi available vaccines from Pfizer-BioN- as Barton during a visit to LIFE Geis- h 50% of people in Pennsylvania Barton noted that state officials are tak- Tech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson inger in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, rec- are fully vaccinated, for a total of ing the Delta variant “very seriously,” offer at least some protection against ommending that vaccinated individ- 6,337,453 people even though information from the Cen- the Delta variant. uals reach out to friends and family We pull data on local vaccine distri- ters for Disease Control and Prevention There’s no indication that officials who have yet to get their shots. bution on a weekly basis. Check back report a very low prevalence of muta- will reinstitute a masking mandate in “I implore you to talk to someone for our next weekly update mid-week tion in the commonwealth, with “1% of Pennsylvania, despite the state not for the latest numbers. cases being sampled and genomically reaching its proposed goal of a 70% vac- See DELTA, Page 2A

Why Wolf and Democrats tout education funding win Candy Woodall That’s why the Democratic governor Pennsylvania State Capital Bureau on Wednesday described the results of USA TODAY NETWORK budget negotiations as a “first down” in- stead of a touchdown. Gov. Tom Wolf signed the Pennsylva- “We’re still in the game,” Wolf said nia budget Wednesday and celebrated a during a press conference with report- “small win” in the largest education ers. “We still have the ball. We’re not funding increase in state history. where we want to be. It’s a step.” More than $13 billion in funding is Football metaphors aside, Wolf and headed to schools, but Democrats have House and Senate Democrats stood on said it’s not enough when some stu- the Capitol steps Wednesday morning dents in impoverished districts have to and cheered the education budget as a learn in asbestos-filled buildings where success. It includes: it’s not safe to drink the water. h $200 million more in the Fair Fund- Wolf in his February budget address ing Formula asked for a $1 billion increase in school h $100 million to support underfund- funding, but Republican leaders who ed school districts through the Level Up Gov. Tom Wolf and Democratic lawmakers celebrated increased education control the General Assembly agreed to funding during a news conference Wednesday on the Capitol steps. a $416 million increase. See FUNDING, Page 2A CANDY WOODALL/PENNSYLVANIA STATE CAPITAL BUREAU

Local news Volume 101 | No. 131 Subscribe: 855-303-2660 Restrictions are upheld: Justices back Arizona law barring Sheldon Jeter defense: Juror in recent News Tips: 724-758-5573 ©2021 $1.00 YDDCEJ-00010q advocacy groups from collecting mail ballots. 10A homicide trial was DelTondo’s neighbor. 2A 2A| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| ELLWOOD CITY LEDGER Jeter defense: Juror in recent homicide trial was neighbor Chrissy Suttles and Dani imagine, at this point, that if your next- Fitzgerald door neighbor was killed in your front Beaver County Times yard that you didn't watch the ‘48 Hours’ USA TODAY NETWORK story or follow the news.” Jeter’s defense will ask for an eviden- BEAVER — At least one juror who re- tiary hearing on the juror’s impartiality, cently convicted Sheldon Jeter of homi- including subpoenaing members of her cide may have had existing biases, the family. man’s defense lawyers say. “We have information to believe she A Beaver County jury last week found was talking about the trial with family 23-year-old Jeter guilty of first-degree members the whole time,” Santicola murder in the shooting of 30-year-old said. “We must confirm all of that and, Tyric Pugh at the end of a two-week depending on how it goes, it could be a trial. mistrial. We’re in uncharted territory During Wednesday’s verdict, though, here.” a courtroom spectator from Aliquippa Because a verdict has already been recognized one of the jurors as a neigh- handed down in the case, the defense bor of Rachael DelTondo – the teacher would likely have to file an appeal to shot in her driveway on Mother’s Day overturn Jeter’s conviction, said Mari 2018. Pierce, professor-in-charge of the crim- Jeter, although never named a sus- inal justice program at Penn State's Bea- A Beaver County jury last week found 23-year-old Jeter guilty of first-degree pect in the unsolved murder, was ques- ver, New Kensington and Shenango murder in the shooting of 30-year-old Tyric Pugh at the end of a two-week trial. tioned in the case. DelTondo was sus- campuses. BCT FILE pended from her Pennsylvania Cyber If that appeal is successful, the case Charter School job months prior to her would be sent back to the county Dis- death after a leaked 2016 Aliquippa po- trict Attorney’s Office for possible retri- lice report indicated the 33-year-old al, she said. the district attorney’s office early on, From the commonwealth’s perspective, woman had engaged in inappropriate “It would start all over again,” Pierce Santicola said, but it involved discuss- there was overwhelming evidence. But I intimate behavior with then 17-year-old said. “The appellate process cannot find ing the DelTondo case as a condition. do think they targeted him and found a Jeter. him not guilty. All they can do is uphold The former Aliquippa football player way to match it up.” DelTondo’s murder garnered nation- his conviction or overturn his convic- now faces up to life in prison without Little is truly known about jury delib- al attention, and it’s “hard to believe” tion and send it back to the district at- parole; his sentencing is scheduled for erations, Pierce said, because “only the juror whose family lived next door torney’s office." July 21. about 10% of cases go to trial and jury had no prior knowledge of Jeter, his at- If the appeal is denied, Jeter's con- Santicola doesn’t think Jeter’s case deliberations are held in secret.” torney Michael Santicola said. Santicola viction would likely stand. should have made it past a preliminary “We know very, very little about what believes the Beaver County Court and Some Jeter supporters in Aliquippa hearing. happens in jury deliberations,” she said. District Attorney's Office tried to keep raised concerns about the possibility of “I think the charges were filed too “What we do know is juries come back DelTondo’s name out of the jury selec- a fair trial in Beaver County given his quickly,” Santicola said. “When they with a verdict, those juries tend to be tion process and trial, but the new reve- connection to the high-profile DelTondo charged him, they had no fingerprints, unanimous, and hung juries are rare.” lation could lead his team to appeal the case, but Santicola said it was unlikely no murder weapon ballistics...they just Beaver County District Attorney Da- conviction. his team would have been successful in had a suspicion. The proper way to do it vid Lozier in a statement said he will not “She should’ve said something when requesting a change of venue for the would be to complete all of those tests to comment on the post-trial issue until asked if she associated his name with Pugh-related homicide charges. see if there was gunshot residue, his office sees a motion stating facts. anything,” he said. “It’s hard for us to A plea deal was “loosely floated” by matched ballistics and then charge.

Wolf said he was disappointed he She also pointed out that the state need more help, and they need it now.” Funding could not get all of the education fund- has long way to go in equitable funding, The $100 million is a start, state offi- ing through the Fair Funding Formula, pointing out that some students have cials said. Continued from Page 1A which makes education funding more computer labs and other educational “Help is on its way,” said state educa- equitable regardless of the tax base of a tools, and others don’t. tion Secretary Noe Ortega,” and more is initiative, student’s school district. Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, to come.” h $50 million in special education “We almost did it, but not quite,” the highlighted how $100 million in the new Candy Woodall is a reporter for the funding governor said. “In the meantime, let’s budget will go to the state’s 100 poorest USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania h $30 million for early education celebrate this victory today.” school districts. Capital Bureau. She can be reached at h $20 million for Ready to Learn House Democratic Leader Joanna He said the state is “dead last” in the 717-480-1783 or on Twitter at @candy- h $11 million for preschool Early In- McClinton said described the new edu- gap between the richest and poorest notcandace. tervention cation funding as a “small win.” students. This coverage is only possible with h $5 million for community colleges She previously called the budget “We have historically failed to meet support from our readers. Sign up today “A $416 million increase in high qual- passed last week “a missed opportuni- the challenge of closing the gap,” for a digital subscription. ity education shows every student that ty.” Schlossberg said. “Our poorest schools we care about their education and that When lawmakers return for voting in we care about their future,” Wolf said. September, McClinton said Democrats The money will also help the next “are determined when we return to ses- generation succeed in Pennsylvania, sion with money in the bank” to make rather than leaving for another state, he sure schools and homeowners get relief said. and property tax breaks. MICHAEL’S YOUR LIFT CHAIR HEADQUARTERS!

dividuals vaccinated. Delta “What we’re seeing now primarily are STARTING AT in our hospitals are those folks who LIFT Continued from Page 1A have not been vaccinated, and most sig- $ nificantly, those folks that are in their CHAIRS 599 about your vaccination, (and) encour- 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. So the younger age them to seek credible information to folks that may think that they’re a little answer their questions,” Johnson said. bit invincible are the ones that are “Because each of us together and indi- catching this disease now, and I think vidually can defeat COVID-19 by getting that we really need to gear our efforts to- vaccinated and working together. We ward that population,” Martin said. could get our lives back to where we Rounding out the presentation, Mar- were before the pandemic.” tin called attention the continued ef- Medical Director of LIFE Geisinger forts to educate people throughout the Dr. Richard Martin pointed out that 92% state and promote the safety and effica- of the participants in the program, cy of the vaccines, especially in light of which caters to “people who meet Medi- the Delta variant. care eligibility to live in a nursing home, “Even with the variants that we hear but to remain in their homes and com- about, it looks like the early indication is 724-758-REST munities,” have been vaccinated, great- that these vaccines are effective, and 10103 Eighth Street • Ellwood City, PA ly contributing to the effort to “eradicate will help prevent disease from those Since 1966 this pandemic.” variants as well. So the message today is Mon. & Thurs. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. y e Tue., Wed., Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. r w However, Martin said that there was continue to encourage folks to get their Go to www.michaelsfurnitureplus.com still much work to be done in regard to vaccines,” Martin said. getting more young and middle-aged in- FURNITURE | MATTRESSES | APPLIANCES | TVs

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Lauran Neergaard surge. Fiji, which got through the first year of the pan- ASSOCIATED PRESS demic without just two virus deaths, is now experienc- ing a significant outbreak blamed on the strain, and The latest alarming coronavirus variant is exploit- Afghanistan is desperately seeking oxygen supplies ing low global vaccination rates and a rush to ease because of it. pandemic restrictions, adding new urgency to the The delta variant remains far from the only version drive to get more shots in arms and slow its super- of the coronavirus that’s spreading – but each is worth charged spread. avoiding. Here’s what scientists know so far: The vaccines most used in Western countries still appear to offer strong protection against the highly Easier spread is chief threat contagious delta variant, first identified in India and now spreading in more than 90 other countries. Scientists believe the delta variant is about 50% But the World Health Organization warned this more transmissible than other types. Researchers are week that a trifecta of easier-to-spread strains, insuf- just beginning to tease apart why. But there are early An alarming coronavirus mutation, the delta variant, ficiently immunized populations and a drop in mask clues that some mutations may ease a key step in how is able to exploit low global vaccination rates and a use and other public health measures before the virus the virus slips inside human cells, said Priyamvada rush to ease pandemic restrictions. The new cases is better contained will “delay the end of the pandem- Acharya, a structural biologist at the Duke Human add urgency to efforts to put more shots into arms ic.” Vaccine Institute. and slow the mutation’s supercharged spread. The delta variant is positioned to take full advan- Still, it’s not clear if higher contagion is the whole NATHAN PAPES/USA TODAY NETWORK, FILE tage of those chinks in any country’s armor. reason the variant is spreading so quickly. In Britain, “Widespread vaccination remains even more criti- its rise followed a loosening of restrictions in May, cal, because the virus that we have circulating is in fact when restaurants, gyms and other businesses re- in China or Russia. more transmissible than the original wild type,” said opened, and thousands of fans have attended sports Experts say the Moderna vaccine, the same type as Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for events. Pfizer’s, should be similarly protective. Johnson & Disease Control and Prevention. Johnson still is studying how its one-dose vaccine Amid concerns about the variant’s spread, parts of Is it more dangerous? fares against the variant. The company notes its shot Europe have reinstated travel quarantines, several does protect against a different worrisome mutant – Australian cities are in outbreak-sparked lockdowns – It’s harder to tell if the delta variant makes people the so-called beta variant that emerged in South Afri- and just as Japan readies for the Olympics, some vis- sicker. British experts have said there are some prelim- ca and is still considered the biggest challenge for to- iting athletes are infected. The mutation is causing inary signs it may increase hospitalization, but there’s day’s COVID-19 vaccines. worry even in countries with relatively successful im- no evidence it is more lethal. munization campaigns that nonetheless haven’t It fueled a devastating COVID-19 surge in India in What about masks? reached enough people to snuff out the virus. February, and “this time around we had a lot more peo- For instance, the mutant has forced Britain, where ple who were very sick compared to before,” said Dr. The WHO has urged governments not to lift pan- nearly half the population is fully vaccinated, to post- Jacob John of Christian Medical College at Vellore. But demic restrictions too quickly – including saying ev- pone for a month its long-anticipated lifting of CO- he cautioned that the “explosion” of cases didn’t nec- eryone, even the vaccinated, should continue to wear VID-19 restrictions, as cases are doubling about every essarily mean this version was more dangerous, as masks given that the delta variant spreads more easily nine days. more cases usually mean more hospitalizations. and no vaccine is 100% effective. In the U.S., “we’re still vulnerable for these flare-ups In the U.S., the CDC says the fully vaccinated can go and rebounds,” said Dr. Hilary Babcock of Washington Best protection is full vaccination mask-free. But there’s no way to know if maskless University at St. Louis. people really are vaccinated and local governments The variants “are able to find any gaps in our protec- British researchers found two doses of either the can set tighter guidelines. This week, with the delta tion,” she said, pointing to how hospital beds and in- Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the AstraZeneca one were variant spreading locally, health officials in Los Ange- tensive care units in Missouri’s least-vaccinated only slightly less effective at blocking symptomatic ill- les County said they still recommend masks indoors in southwestern counties suddenly are filling – mostly ness from the delta variant than from earlier muta- public places for everyone. with adults under 40 who never got the shots. With tions – and importantly, remain hugely protective at If that’s confusing, consider that the more the virus nearly half the U.S. population immunized, CDC track- preventing hospitalization. is spreading in a particular area, the more risk even the ing shows the variant spreading most quickly in But there’s an important catch: Just one dose vaccinated have of getting a mild or asymptomatic in- swaths of the country with the lowest rates. proved far less effective against the delta variant than fection they could spread to someone not protected – But the variant poses the most danger in countries against earlier versions of the virus. That has prompt- such as children too young to qualify for the shots. where vaccinations are sparse. Africa is seeing cases ed Britain, which originally extended the gap between In Missouri, fully vaccinated Babcock makes sure rise faster than ever before, partially driven by the mu- doses, to speed up second shots. she has a mask to pop on quickly if she runs into a tation, the WHO said Thursday, while areas in Bangla- There’s little information on whether the delta vari- crowd: “I feel like my new normal is holding a mask in desh that border India are also seeing a variant-fueled ant can escape other vaccines, such as ones developed my hand, ready to put it on if I need it.” Obituaries

TODAY’S OBITUARIES AND DEATH NOTICES Possibly largest Name Age Town, State Death Date Arrangements *Zellhart, Edward “Bill” 89 West Mayfeld 30-Jun Hill and Kunselman discovered comet is * Additional information in display obituaries Obituaries appear in print and online at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ellwoodcityledger heading toward sun Edward “Bill” Zellhart Doyle Rice WEST MAYFIELD - Ed- USA TODAY ward “Bill” Zellhart, 89, This is a big one. formerly of West May- A giant comet – which scientists say is arguably feld was called the largest comet discovered in modern times – is on home by his its way toward the sun and will make its closest ap- Lord and Savior proach to Earth in 2031. on Wednesday “We have the privilege of having discovered per- June 30, 2021. haps the largest comet ever seen – or at least larger Born May 17, 1932, than any well-studied one – and caught it early enough for people to watch it evolve as it approaches in Sharpsburg, was the and warms up,” said University of Pennsylvania as- son of the late William tronomer Gary Bernstein, a co-discoverer of the ob- & Mary (Gloss) Zellhart. ject. Living in West Mayfeld, Bill retired to Marathon, It is the most distant comet to be discovered on its FL with his late wife from 1980 to 2001, return- incoming path, giving us years to watch it evolve as it ing to Pennsylvania every year. He worked for approaches the sun, the National Science Founda- Gulf Oil as a manager of a service station on the tion said. The comet is also an infrequent visitor to our neck Pennsylvania Turnpike and while in Florida work of the woods: “It has not visited the solar system in as a school bus driver for the Marathon School more than 3 million years,” Bernstein said in a state- District. He was a U.S. Army Veteran during the ment. Korean War, serving in the Special Tank Battalion The comet, which is estimated to be 60 to 120 and was a special document carrier during the war. miles across, or about 10 times the diameter of most He was a lifetime member of the American Legion comets, is an icy relic flung out of the solar system by in FL. Member of the former Christ’s Lutheran the migrating giant planets in the early history of the solar system. Church. He formerly coached baseball for West This comet is quite unlike any other seen before, Mayfeld and was an avid bowler, playing cards, the foundation said The size estimate is based on and bingo player. how much sunlight it reflects. He is survived by three sons and their wives, At its current pace, the comet will travel from its Edward William Jr. & Rhonda Zellhart, Ellwood current point just past Neptune’s orbit to nearly City, Michael & Beth Zellhart, Butler and Richard reach Saturn’s orbit in 2031, Smithsonian magazine & Kimberly Zellhart, Seaford, DE; 10 grandchil- said. The object probably will only be about as bright as dren; 4 great grandchildren, and a brother-in-law Pluto’s moon Charon at that point, according to New and sister-in-law, William & Ellie Winters, and a Atlas, so people here on Earth will likely need to rely sister-in-law Veronica Zellhart. on telescopes to capture photographs of it. Then it In addition to his parents, he was preceded in will head back into distant space from where it came. death by his beloved wife of 58 years, Betty Lou The comet probably came from the Oort Cloud, Zellhart, May 26, 2013, an infant daughter, Judy which is believed to be a giant spherical shell that and several brothers and sisters. surrounds the solar system, according to NASA. Most long-period comets such as this one come from the Friends will be received Saturday from 11:00 Oort Cloud, NASA said. a.m. until time of service at 1:00 p.m. with Pas- It could be the largest object from the Oort Cloud tor Cliff Reynolds offciating. in the HILL AND ever detected, and it is the first comet on an incoming KUNSELMAN FUNERAL HOME, www.hilland- path to be detected so far away. kunselman.com , 3801 Fourth Avenue, College Astronomers suspect that there may be many Hill, Beaver Falls. more undiscovered comets of this size waiting in the Private interment will follow in Sylvania Hills Oort Cloud. These giant comets are thought to have Memorial Park, Daugherty Twp. been scattered to the far reaches of the solar system by the migration of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Nep- The family would like to thank Trinity Oak tune early in their history. Care Home in Ellwood City and Good Samaritan The comet is dubbed Bernardinelli-Bernstein af- Hospice for their angelic care. ter the two astronomers who discovered it: Pedro Bernardinelli (also from the University of Pennsylva- nia) and Gary Bernstein. Its official name is 2014 UN271. 4A| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| ERIEELLWOOD TIMES-NEWS CITY LEDGER

VIEWPOINT ENVIRONMENT

RGGI will bring savings and jobs to Pennsylvania

Your Turn Gary Swanson | Guest columnist

My company, Energy Management Solutions, specializes in working with businesses of all types and sizes to identify ways to save energy. We work with a number of businesses in Pennsylvania to im- plement energy saving projects, such as upgrades to lights and appliances or improvements to the overall energy performance of their building. Through this work, we see just how important energy efficiency investments are for businesses to keep their electric- ity costs low and save money that can then be rein- vested into their operations and employees. That’s why we are ardent supporters of state energy effi- ciency programs that make it easier for businesses to make these investments, and also why we support opportunities to expand energy efficiency in Penn- sylvania. Pennsylvania has one such opportunity right now with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). In this 2017 file photo, a livestock helicopter pilot rounds up wild horses from the Fox & Lake Herd RGGI is a successful, bipartisan initiative designed to Management Area from the range in Washoe County, Nevada. BRAD HORN/AP FILE reduce carbon dioxide pollution from power plants and invest in low-carbon technologies under a pre- dictable, market-based program, already embraced We have too many wild horses. by 11 other states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Linking with RGGI could help fund improvements to But this is no way to thin the herd Pennsylvania’s energy effi- Linking with RGGI ciency programs for business supplied. could help fund and consumers. It is already Also too much is the cost of maintaining surplus improvements to helping to do so in participat- horses that aren’t adopted or sold. Currently, about Pennsylvania’s ing states. Since 2008, the Kathleen Parker 50,000 horses are warehoused in government pas- energy efficiency states participating in RGGI Columnist tures, corrals and private ranches that the BLM rents, programs for successfully cut power-sector costing taxpayers about $60 million per year. business and emissions in half, reduced It won’t surprise many to learn that the wild-horse consumers. electricity prices, and out- The Bureau of Land Management’s annual helicop- lobby is outgunned by the cattle-rancher lobby. Even paced the nation in economic ter roundup of wild horses and burros in the desert so, some on Capitol Hill are taking notice. Sen. Dianne growth. This is in large part because these states in- southwest, set to begin in mid-July, is beginning to look Feinstein, D-Calif., recently wrote a letter to Interior vest the majority of RGGI proceeds into energy effi- like a frontier standoff between animal advocates, leg- Secretary Deb Haaland requesting that the department ciency programs. islators and horse adopters of dubious intent. suspend its wild horse and burro Adoption Incentive The benefits of energy efficiency programs ripple The issue is familiar: Wild horses get in the way of Program and launch an investigation into the program. out far beyond businesses making the direct invest- cattle ranchers who want to control more public lands In a similar letter, about 30 House members also ments. Energy efficiency investments help keep for their own herds, claiming that the horses harm the asked Haaland to suspend the sales and urged passage electric rates low for everyone and improve public landscape. As compared to, say, the millions of domes- of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, health by cutting pollution. In 10 years, electricity tic livestock that decimate arid public lands with high- which would ban horse slaughter in the United States bills in RGGI states are projected to be 35% lower in density grazing? This would be laughable if not for the and stop the export of American horses for slaughter 2031 than they are today. Modeling from the Depart- brutality such thinking leads to. abroad. ment of Environment Protection found that if Penn- Make no mistake: Some of the wild horses and bur- Congress can’t act soon enough. Because horse sylvania directs even just one-third of its RGGI pro- ros are adopted by people who love and want to save slaughter is illegal in the United States, some of the ceeds into energy efficiency programs, the state’s them. But many, many more are “adopted,” only to be thousands of mustangs chopper-chased into a con- electricity bills would decrease as well. ultimately killed. fined area this summer and fall will end up in Canada or When businesses pay less on their electricity bills, A recent, devastating report by New York Times Mexico, where slaughterhouses are plentiful and un- they have more to support their bottom line. This is writer Dave Phillips revealed how a program intended imaginably cruel. The inhumanity toward these terri- all the more important as businesses work to recover to protect the equines actually became a slaughter- fied wild creatures demands that we open our eyes. after a year of economic uncertainty, and why linking house pipeline. Basically, the bureau created a $1,000- With apologies in advance: to RGGI could be an important driver in helping a-head Adoption Incentive Program in 2019 to remove Horses bought at auction typically are crammed into Pennsylvania businesses get back on their feet. 20,000 mustangs and burros from federally protected double-decker trucks without water for a journey that But the economic benefits for the state go beyond areas each year and put them in “good homes.” It may last as long as 24 hours. Footage obtained by the the savings experienced by businesses. Investment seemed like a beautiful idea, except that many adoptive San Antonio Express-News several years ago showed in energy efficiency will help Pennsylvania create parties, once paid, herded their horses straight to horses being beaten and prodded toward the kill booth, new, local jobs. Before the current economic reces- slaughter auctions. repeatedly stabbed in the neck to paralyze them, and sion, Pennsylvania had a thriving clean energy sec- “This is the government laundering horses,” a lawyer then hung by one back leg while their throats are slit. tor, with more than 71,000 Pennsylvanians em- for the American Wild Horse Campaign, Brieanah Their deaths are slow and excruciating, their fear and ployed in the state’s energy efficiency sector alone. Schwartz, told the Times. “They call it adoptions, panic immense. Linking to RGGI will grow this workforce and help re- knowing the horses are going to slaughter. But this way If such images aren’t enough to warrant immediate vitalize local communities as energy efficiency jobs the B.L.M. won’t get its fingerprints on it.” action, then we can hardly think of ourselves as a hu- are inherently local and cannot be outsourced. My Even though the bureau limits to four the number of mane species. Congress should force the bureau to park company would love to expand our operations in horses that anyone can adopt per year, savvy dealers its helicopters and allow new practices to take shape. Pennsylvania, but we need to see the state expand its have found ways around such restrictions. They also Surely a nation of entrepreneurs and animal lovers can energy efficiency programs to do so. have managed to ignore an unenforceable pledge not to figure out ways to preserve and protect these iconic RGGI presents an opportunity to accelerate ener- sell their horses to slaughterhouses. Where there’s a symbols of freedom and wild beauty. gy efficiency in Pennsylvania, and it cannot come at profit, there’s a way, and lying apparently comes easily Humans and horses share a unique bond that can be a more critical time for businesses. Pennsylvania’s to the greedy. traced back several million years. The suffering we are elected leadership should embrace RGGI and ensure The obvious question: How many wild horses and about to witness — and by our passivity, endorse — is a that proceeds from the program are focused on ener- burros are too many? Currently, more than 79,000 wild betrayal of something deep and ancient and profound. gy efficiency investments. Doing so will drive eco- horses and about 15,000 burros roam about 26 million The wailing of tortured horses may be beyond earshot, nomic growth. acres in 10 states, according to the bureau’s latest fig- but the fact of it should rattle our bones. No more. Gary Swanson is president of Energy Manage- ures. Ideally, experts say, both populations combined Kathleen Parker writes for The Washington Post. Her ment Solutions. would be about 27,000. In other words, we are over- email address is [email protected].

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is good for our economy, health

Your Turn Jackson Morris | Guest columnist RGGI can also help to lower electricity bills for Penn- cially in low-income and environmental justice com- sylvanians. munities. Through 2030, it is estimated that RGGI will As America continues to recover from the economic RGGI limits carbon pollution because the program lead to 30,000 fewer hospital visits for respiratory ill- downturn, good jobs are something that everyone can helps to reduce dirty power generation and incentivize nesses like asthma, and prevent up to 639 premature agree upon. Sens. Gene Yaw and Scott Martin’s recent clean energy. Climate change is the most critical envi- deaths from respiratory illnesses. There is no reason for (June 11) Viewpoint op-ed offers a false choice that pits ronmental threat confronting us, and given that power Pennsylvania to continue to invest in polluting indus- jobs against the climate. The reality is that the Penn- generation is one of the largest contributors to green- tries that harm our health and our climate when solu- sylvania Department of Environmental Protection's house gas emissions, it is time to take immediate steps tions already exist. modeling estimates that from 2022 to 2030, participat- to reduce emissions. Participation in RGGI is the single Pennsylvania Pa. can transition from an extractive ing in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) most important action Pennsylvania can take right now fossil fuel-based economy to a more regenerative clean would lead to an increase in Gross State Product of to drive such reductions. energy economy. We need more climate leadership nearly $2 billion and a net increase of over 30,000 jobs. Besides being good for our economy, RGGI is good for from Harrisburg, instead of defense of the status quo. Pennsylvanians could see a cumulative increase in Dis- our health. The reduced sulfur dioxide and nitrogen in Jackson Morris is the eastern region director of Natu- posable Personal Income of $3.7 billion by 2050. Invest- the air will benefit those most often impacted by poor ral Resource Defense Council's Climate & Clean Energy ments in energy efficiency and renewable energy under air quality, such as children and at-risk seniors, espe- Program. He lives in Union County.

LETTERS POLICY The Ledger welcomes your opinion. Letters must be signed, contain name, address and phone Beaver Newspapers Inc., Gannett number, be fewer than 250 words and be legible. EDITORIAL BOARD Emailed submissions get first consideration, followed by typewritten. Western PA Region Executive Editor: Matt Martin, Division Director of Finance: Tina Bequeath [email protected] Western PA Region News Director: Matt Martin EMAIL: [email protected] Editor: Patrick O’Shea, Ellwood City Ledger Editor: Patrick O’Shea MAIL: 501 Lawrence Ave., Ellwood City, PA 16117 [email protected] ellwoodcityledger.com| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| 5A

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USA TODAY NETWORK Another 620,000 Americans are ex- Some 41% of people living in Beaver pected to travel by other modes this In- County are fully vaccinated as of June h 47% of people in Beaver County AAA is predicting more than 47.7 dependence Day, which include buses, 29, according to data from the Pennsyl- have received at least one dose of the million Americans will take to the na- trains, and cruise ships, an increase of vania Department of Health. vaccine, for a total of 78,823 people tion's roadways and skies this Fourth over 72% compared to last year, but The Centers for Disease Control and h 41% of people in Beaver County are of July weekend. 83% lower than in 2019. Prevention considers someone fully fully vaccinated, for a total of 68,111 peo- In a release, AAA said this year will Allegheny County Airport Authority vaccinated two weeks after they've ple be recovery and a return to pre-CO- Spokesman Bob Kerlik said in the peri- been given a single-dose shot (Johnson For a county-by-county look at the VID-19 pandemic levels. od from July 1 to July 6, they expect & Johnson) or a second shot (either Pfiz- vaccination rollout, see our COVID-19 In fact, this will be the second-high- around 156,000 total people arriving er or Moderna). vaccine tracker, which is updated daily. est Independence Day travel volume and departing the Pittsburgh Interna- Pennsylvania reported 1,216,430 total on record, trailing only 2019. tional Airport. cases of coronavirus, an increase of How many people in Pennsylvania Overall, just 2.5% fewer Americans This accounts for 85% of their num- 0.10% from the week before. have been vaccinated so far? are expected to travel this year com- bers they saw in 2019. The five counties with the highest pared to Independence Day in 2019. Kerlik said he expects 10,000 to percentage of their population fully vac- h 63% of people in Pennsylvania This represents an increase of nearly 12,000 people per day at the airport cinated in Pennsylvania as of June 29 have received at least one dose of the 40% compared to last year, when total checkpoint, with July 1 and July 3 be- are Montour County (60%), Forest vaccine, for a total of 8,023,155 people travel fell to 34.2 million. ing the busiest days, and the mornings County (57%), Lackawanna County h 50% of people in Pennsylvania are More than 91% of holiday travel will being the busiest time period. (54%), Lehigh County (53%) and Alle- fully vaccinated, for a total of 6,337,453 be by car. An expected 43.6 million He encourages everyone flying to gheny County (51%). people Americans will drive to their destina- arrive two hours before their sched- Here are the latest numbers on CO- We pull data on local vaccine distri- tions, the highest on record for this uled flight and to check either FlyPitts- VID-19 vaccinations in Beaver County as bution on a weekly basis. Check back for holiday, and 5% more than the previ- burgh.com or their airline for up-to- of June 29: our next weekly update mid-week for ous record set in 2019. date flight information. the latest numbers. With 3.5 million people planning to He also said it is still a federal man- fly, air travel volumes this Independ- date to wear masks inside the airport ence Day will reach 90% of pre-pan- terminal and on planes due to the CO- demic levels, and increase 164% com- VID-19 pandemic. Local students named to spring 2021 IUP dean's list Public chooses Shenango River Ellwood City Ledger New Castle: Victoria Leigh Bailes, USA TODAY NETWORK hospitality management; David Joseph as 2021 River of the Year in PA DeBlasio, safety, health, and environ- INDIANA, Pa. — The following stu- mental applied sciences; Paige Linda Beaver County Times bodies of water to take the honor of dents from Lawrence County have been Hill, nursing; Alexandra Lynn Macke- USA TODAY NETWORK River of the Year, including Buffalo named to the spring 2021 dean’s list at prang, management/general; Christo- Creek, Lehigh River, Loyalhanna Creek Indiana University of Pennsylvania. pher Pallerino, criminology; Ciara Shay, In a recent online public vote, the and Tunkhannock Creek. Students achieve dean’s list status early childhood and special education; Shenango River was declared the win- DCNR works in cooperation with when they are full-time (12 or more Emily Grace Trotta, nursing. ner as the PA 2021 River of the Year. the Pennsylvania Organization for Wa- credits) with a grade point average of Volant: Cody Lane Rester, biology/ The award was recently presented tersheds and Rivers, an affiliate of the 3.25 or higher. The full list of spring 2021 ecology, conservation, and evolutionary by the Pennsylvania Department of Pennsylvania Environmental Council, dean’s list students is available at biology. Conservation and Natural Resources. to award the River of the Year. www.iup.edu. Wampum: Anna A. Ferrucci, crimi- The Shenango River winds through The River of the Year designation is Ellwood City: Kyle Jay Canterbury, nology/pre-law; Lila Grace Jones, northwestern Pennsylvania, connect- intended to raise awareness of the rec- social studies education/history; Sarina chemistry/pre-medical; Alex Michael ing Pymatuning and Shenango lakes reational, ecological, and historical re- Sophia Steigerwald, management/gen- Steighner, economics. with the Beaver River. The scenic, sources related to Pennsylvania’s wa- eral; Morgan Zagorski, psychology. peaceful river topped several worthy terways.

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BP-0007396281-03 #PA013324 BP-0007396172-01 ellwoodcityledger.com| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| 7A $40B pledged for gender equality, with $2B from Gates group Haleluya Hadero than $100 million. ASSOCIATED PRESS Jeannie Sager, the director of the Women’s Philan- thropy Institute at Indiana University, says the litany The U.N.-sponsored global gathering for gender of announcements promises greater action for gender equality generated about $40 billion in pledges toward equality, and adds to the collective urgency the forum aiding women and girls on Wednesday, partly fueled has championed on the issue. by a significant $2.1 billion contribution from Bill and The event comes nearly a year after the U.N. com- Melinda Gates’ namesake foundation. memorated the 25th anniversary of the landmark 1995 The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said it will Beijing women’s conference. About 190 countries spend the money in the next five years on health and adopted the gender equality road map at the 1995 family planning programs, economic empowerment event, but many said last year they had not reached projects and other initiatives. The pledge was made in their goals. tandem with the Generation Equality Forum convened “The world has been fighting for gender equality for by UN Women in Paris, where private donors, govern- decades, but progress has been slow,” Melinda French ment officials and civil society leaders are meeting to Gates said in the Gates Foundation announcement, make financial and political commitments for gender adding that it was time to “reignite a movement and equality worldwide. deliver real change.” The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said The $40 billion was pledged by various stakehold- Advancing gender equality is a core area for the Se- Wednesday it will spend $2.1 billion to advance ers, UN Women said, calling the commitments the attle-based foundation, the largest private charitable global gender equality. The pledge was made in “largest-ever collective infusion of resources into group in the United States with an endowment of tandem with the Generation Equality Forum. global gender equality.” Some of the pledges come nearly $50 billion. It gives about $5 billion annually ELAINE THOMPSON/AP FILE from other foundations, including the Ford Founda- through its philanthropic work, but its future – and tion, which said on Wednesday it will spend $420 mil- leadership structure – have been called into question lion in the next five years on gender equality initia- following Bill and Melinda’s recent divorce. rum. Vice President Kamala Harris and former Secre- tives. Separately, the George Soros-founded Open So- French Gates and Ford Foundation President Dar- tary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at Wednesday’s ciety Foundations and PayPal have each pledged more ren Walker are scheduled to speak at the three-day Fo- opening event.

Trump is near bottom in survey

Susan Page from Ukraine in exchange for military aid, then over USA TODAY the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in an at- tempt to stop the Electoral College results from being Donald Trump is ranked near the bottom of all U.S. certified by Congress. The Senate voted to acquit him presidents by a group of historians, getting the lowest in both impeachment trials. grades for leadership of any commander in chief who In the past, Trump has described himself as “a big has served in the White House in the past 150 years. history fan,” but he also has routinely ridiculed and The ratings of presidents on 10 leadership quali- discounted criticism from historians and other ties, the fourth in a series conducted by C-SPAN, in- “elites” as unwarranted and unfair. Experts “can’t see cludes assessments by 142 historians and profession- the forest for the trees,” he complained in 2016. al observers of the presidency. The historians rate Trump as the worst president in The findings underscore the duality of Trump’s history on two of 10 qualities, “moral authority” and standing, unprecedented among his fellow presi- “administrative skills.” His strongest standing is on dents. After his upset victory in 2016 and his defeat in “public persuasion,” on which he was ranked No. 32. 2020, historians hold him in the lowest regard of any Since 2000, C-SPAN has taken the survey each president since soon after the Civil War. But he con- time there has been a change in White House admini- tinues to be the face of the Republican Party and its strations. The public affairs network said that in this most influential figure. He was ranked 41st. year’s survey, it significantly increased the number of Among other modern presidents, Barack Obama historians participating and their diversity in race, has risen to No. 10, compared with No. 12 in the last gender, age and philosophy. C-SPAN historians’ survey, in 2017. Ronald Reagan is Abraham Lincoln has been ranked at the top in ranked at No. 9, Bill Clinton at No. 19, George H.W. each of the four surveys. George Washington, Frank- Bush at No. 21 and George W. Bush at No. 29. lin Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt have also been Richard Nixon, the only president forced to resign steadily among the top five. Dwight Eisenhower was the office, is rated No. 31. ranked fifth this year and in 2017. The lowest ranking Trump is the only president ever to be impeached president is James Buchanan, whose divisive tenure twice, accused first of demanding political favors helped precipitate the Civil War.

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1Signature Lifetime Warranty and Limited Lifetime Door Warranty on labor and materials for as long as you own your home. Additional terms apply. See location for details. *Minimum purchase required. See representative for details. Qualified buyers only. Must be presented and used at time of estimate only. May not be combined with other offers or applied to previous purchases. Valid only at select locations. PA HIC #PA118537, MD HIC #133113, DE Contractor #2017602777, NJ HIC #0450157273. Offer ends: 9/1/2021. BP-0007388061-01 8A| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| ELLWOOD CITY LEDGER Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts suffer huge declines in membership But officials anticipate Membership in the Boy Scouts’ Long- horn Council, which serves parts of growth in coming months Central and North Texas, dropped by 44% from 2019 to 2020, said its chief ex- David Crary ecutive, Wendy Shaw. But she is buoyed ASSOCIATED PRESS by surging interest this year from fam- ilies considering their first foray into America’s most iconic youth organi- scouting; the council has scheduled 12 zations – the Boy Scouts of America and special events for them. the Girl Scouts of the USA – have been Manny Ramos, chief executive of the jolted by unprecedented one-year drops BSA’s Seattle-area council, said pan- in membership, due partly to the pan- demic-related restrictions on group ac- demic, and partly to social trends that tivities were rigorous in his area – a fac- have been shrinking their ranks for dec- tor in recruiting only 500 scouts last fall ades. instead of the normal 3,000 or more. To While both organizations insist maintain interest, his staff held numer- they’ll survive, the dramatic declines ous outdoor activities, including winter raise questions about how effectively camping, and now anticipates a large they’ll be able to carry out their time- influx of families who skipped scouting honored missions – teaching skills and last year. teamwork, providing outdoor adven- Bryan Koch of Madison, Wisconsin, ture, encouraging community service. has been an adult leader for more than a Membership for the BSA’s flagship decade as two sons went through Cub Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA programs Members of Troop 298 of Frisco, Texas, embark on a 12-day trek across the Scouts and Boy Scouts. He believes the dropped from 1.97 million in 2019 to Philmont Scout Ranch, outside Cimarron, N.M., last month. The Boy Scouts of programs have invaluable benefits: 1.12 million in 2020, a 43% plunge, ac- America has seen an unprecedented one-year drop in membership. teaching leadership skills and offering cording to figures provided to The Asso- BARRY BEDLAN VIA AP adventures such as a 78-mile hike at ciated Press. Court records show mem- Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico bership has fallen further since then, to that his eldest son completed as a 14- about 762,000. teresting things for kids to do these $394 million in 2019 to $187 million last year-old. The Girl Scouts say their youth mem- days, and scouting doesn’t seem to be year. “I’m a firm believer in what scouting bership fell by nearly 30%, from about keeping up.” In response, the Boy Scouts’ annual can be,” Koch said. “It helps us develop 1.4 million in 2019-2020 to just over The Boy Scouts’ problems are com- youth membership fee will rise from $66 more well-rounded and aware young 1 million this year. pounded by their decision to seek bank- to $72 on Aug. 1. The BSA also says some men and women. That’s sorely needed Both groups, like several other U.S. ruptcy protection in February 2020 to councils may merge to consolidate re- in our country right now.” youth organizations, have experienced cope with thousands of lawsuits filed by sources. Yet he says membership in his Boy declining membership for many years. men who allege they were molested as The Girl Scouts have bureaucratic Scout troop dropped by 30% in recent The Girl Scouts reported youth mem- youngsters by scout leaders. The case is complications of their own. There is on- years as boys and parents turned to oth- bership of about 2.8 million in 2003. proceeding slowly in federal bankrupt- going litigation pitting the national er activities. The BSA had more than 4 million boys cy court as lawyers negotiate creation of headquarters against two of the 111 local “There’s not really a passive way to participating in the 1970s. a trust fund for victims that will likely councils – based in Fairbanks, Alaska, go through scouting and get the full ex- Reasons for the drop include compe- entail hundreds of millions of dollars in and Nashville, Tennessee – which re- perience,” Koch said. “It takes a lot of tition from sports leagues, a perception contributions from the BSA and its 252 fuse to implement a nationwide tech- time for the scout, for the parents.” by some families that they are old-fash- local councils. nology platform. Josh Garner has been scoutmaster of ioned and busy family schedules. The To provide those funds, some coun- Despite the varied challenges, Mosby Boy Scout Troop 30 in Jackson, Missis- pandemic brought a particular chal- cils may have to sell cherished camp and other Boy Scout officials, as well as sippi, for six years; his oldest son will lenge. properties, the BSA’s president and the Girl Scouts’ leadership, say there’s soon be an Eagle Scout. Troop member- In Lawrence, New Jersey, 8-year-old CEO, Roger Mosby, told the AP. reason for optimism. They say their ship has dropped by 25% during his ten- Joey Yaros stopped attending meetings “We understand that this is a difficult summer camps are full, special events ure, and even more sharply in the Cub while most in-person gatherings were and often emotional decision, but in are sold out, and they’re expecting Scout pack that’s also sponsored by St. shut down, and might not go back, even some instances may be a necessary step many thousands of families – some new Richard Catholic Church. though his father and three brothers all as we work toward our shared impera- to scouting, some who left during the Garner said the BSA’s national lead- earned the elite Eagle Scout rank. Joey tives of equitably compensating survi- pandemic – to sign up now that activ- ership “has a lot of baggage right now” was already struggling with virtual vors and continuing Scouting’s mis- ities are occurring in-person rather than and needs to devise better recruitment school classes, and the family didn’t sion.” Mosby said in a written reply to virtually. strategies. Yet he’d hate to see the or- pressure him to also participate in virtu- AP’s queries. “We knew some girls would take a ganization fold. al Cub Scout activities. The pandemic, the membership drop pause,” said Girl Scouts spokeswoman “I’ve watched boys learn all kinds of “If there are den meetings in the fall, and rising costs of liability insurance Kelly Parisi. “But as the pandemic goes skills, from welding to giving speeches,” we’ll see if he gets back in the swing of have strained BSA finances. A disclo- in the rear-view mirror, we’ve seen a he said. “It’s a fantastic program – too it,” said his father, high school history sure statement in the bankruptcy case substantial rebound ... We feel really important to a lot of people for it to just teacher Jay Yaros. “There are a lot of in- says its gross revenues dropped from good going into the fall recruitment.” go away.”

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BP-0007396669-01 ellwoodcityledger.com| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| 9A 10A| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| ELLWOOD CITY LEDGER

NATION & WORLD Supreme Court upholds Cheney named Ariz. vote restrictions to Jan. 6 State bars organizations from collecting ballots panel John Fritze Mary Clare Jalonick and Alan Fram USA TODAY ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON – A divided Supreme WASHINGTON – House Speaker Court on Thursday upheld a controver- Nancy Pelosi on Thursday named Re- sial Arizona law that limits how voters publican Rep. Liz Cheney to a new se- may return absentee ballots, weighing lect committee on the Jan. 6 insurrec- in on a raging debate over voting rights tion at the Capitol, elevating the most with a ruling that appeared to make it unyielding GOP critic of former Presi- more difficult to challenge a growing dent Donald Trump to work alongside number of state laws restricting access seven Democrats on the high-profile to the ballot box. investigation. Associate Justice Samuel Alito wrote Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman the opinion for a 6-3 majority, joined by of the House Homeland Security Com- the court’s conservatives. Associate The Supreme Court found that Arizona’s voting restrictions do not run afoul of mittee, will lead the panel, which will Justice Elena Kagan wrote a dissent, the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. JASON REDMONDJUS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, FILE investigate what went wrong around joined by the court’s liberals, that de- the Capitol when hundreds of Trump scribed the majority opinion as “tragic.” supporters broke into the building. The case, the most significant to deal prive the states of their authority to weaken – a statute that stands as a The rioters attempted to interrupt the with voting rights to come before the establish non-discriminatory voting monument to America’s greatness, congressional certification of Demo- court since 2013, dealt with two provi- rules.” and protects against its basest im- crat Joe Biden’s election victory. sions of Arizona’s voting law approved Elsewhere, Alito said that states have pulses,” she wrote. “What is tragic is Cheney said in a statement that she long before the 2020 election. State offi- a legitimate interest in passing voting that the court has damaged a statute is “honored” to serve on the committee cials passed a law in 2016 barring unions laws in an effort to prevent fraud. That designed to bring about ‘the end of dis- and that “Congress is obligated to con- and advocacy organizations from col- argument has emerged as a political crimination in voting.’ ” duct a full investigation of the most se- lecting voters’ mail-in ballots, a practice flash point following last year’s election Democrats sued to stop enforce- rious attack on our Capitol since 1814.” that critics call “ballot harvesting.” when former President Donald Trump ment of those rules, asserting they had Her appointment came just hours Another provision, which was even blamed his loss to President Joe Biden a significant – and illegal – impact on after House Republican Leader Kevin older, invalidates ballots that are cast in on baseless allegations of fraud. communities of color. But the legal un- McCarthy threatened to strip Republi- the wrong precinct. Neither of those “Fraud can affect the outcome of a derpinnings of the case had implica- cans of committee assignments if they regulations is unique to the Grand Can- close election, and fraudulent votes di- tions far beyond Arizona. accepted an appointment from Pelosi yon State. lute the right of citizens to cast ballots The Justice Department, mean- to the panel. Alito wrote that an appeals court in that carry appropriate weight,” Alito while, recently announced it will beef After the announcement, McCarthy California erred when it concluded wrote. “Fraud can also undermine pub- up its civil rights unit as part of an ag- demurred, saying at a news confer- those rules ran afoul of the landmark lic confidence in the fairness of elec- gressive effort to fight policies and leg- ence that “I’m not making any threats” 1965 Voting Rights Act. tions and the perceived legitimacy of islation that restrict voter access. At- about committee. But he made clear he That law, Alito wrote, “provides vital the announced outcome.” torney General Merrick Garland said wasn’t happy with Cheney. protection against discriminatory vot- In a scathing dissent, Kagan accused the department intends to double the “I was shocked that she would ac- ing rules, and no one suggests that dis- the majority of weakening the Voting enforcement staff of the civil rights cept something from Speaker Pelosi,” crimination in voting has been extirpat- Rights Act. unit, though the ability of that division McCarthy said. “It would seem to me, ed or that the threat has been eliminat- “What is tragic here is that the Court to do its work could be affected by the since I didn’t hear from her, maybe ed.” But, he wrote, the law “does not de- has (yet again) rewritten – in order to outcome of the Supreme Court case. she’s closer to her than us.”

Trump Org, CFO enter not guilty plea Elsa whirls toward islands Michael R. Sisak and Tom Hays and the Manhattan district attorney’s ASSOCIATED PRESS office around 6:20 a.m. The tax charges allege abuse of in Caribbean NEW YORK – Lawyers for Donald fringe benefits given to employees, ASSOCIATED PRESS Trump’s company pleaded not guilty to such as the use of apartments, cars tax crime charges Thursday, along with and school tuition, people familiar SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Officials in the Trump Organization’s longtime fi- with the matter told The Associated St. Vincent and the Grenadines nance chief. Press. warned people to plan for possible It is the first criminal case arising Weisselberg’s lawyers, Mary Mulli- evacuations as the tiny islands hit re- from a two-year investigation into the gan and Bryan Skarlatos, have said in a cently by massive volcanic eruptions former president’s company. statement that Weisselberg would prepare for potential flooding and According to the indictment filed “fight these charges in court.” landslides from Tropical Storm Elsa, Wednesday and unveiled Thursday, Trump, a Republican, did not re- which whirled toward the eastern Car- from 2005 through this year CFO Allen Allen Weisselberg, center, of the spond to reporters’ shouted questions ibbean on Thursday. Weisselberg and the company cheated Trump Organization, arrives for about the case as he visited Texas on Elsa is the earliest fifth-named the state and city out of taxes by con- arraignment in New York on Thursday. Wednesday. Earlier in the week, he storm on record, beating out last year’s spiring to pay senior executives off the TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES blasted New York prosecutors as Eduardo, which formed on July 6, ac- books. “rude, nasty, and totally biased” and cording to Colorado State University Prosecutor Carey Dunne described a said his company’s actions were “stan- hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. 15-year scheme “orchestrated by the with tax crimes. The lawyers for the dard practice throughout the U.S. The storm was located about 680 most senior executives,” including Trump Organization pleaded not guilty business community, and in no way a miles east-southeast of the Windward Weisselberg, that was “sweeping and to a scheme to defraud and other crime.” Islands and is expected to pass near or audacious.” charges, including conspiracy, grand Vance declined to comment on the over portions of the Windward Islands Trump himself was not charged at larceny and tax fraud. case as he arrived at the courthouse or the southern Leeward Islands on this stage of the investigation, jointly Weisselberg, 73, has worked for the Thursday, saying only “See you all at Friday. It had maximum sustained pursued by Manhattan District Attorney Trump Organization for decades and 2:15” – a reference to Weisselberg’s ar- winds of 45 mph and was moving west Cyrus Vance Jr. and New York Attorney has intimate knowledge of its business raignment time. at 28 mph, according to the National General Letitia James, both Democrats, dealings that could be useful to prose- Vance, who leaves office at the end Hurricane Center in Miami. and Dunne asserted politics played no cutors looking to dig deeper into the of the year, has been conducting a Tropical storm warnings have been role in the decision to bring charges. company. wide-ranging investigation into a va- issued for Barbados, Martinique, St. “Politics has no role in the jury cham- However, his lawyers say he will fight riety of matters involving Trump and Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grena- ber, and I can assure you it had no role the charges, and there’s no indication the Trump Organization, such as dines. A tropical storm watch was in here,” Dunne said. he is willing to cooperate. hush-money payments paid to women effect for Guadeloupe and Grenada. Weisselberg was arraigned a day af- Weisselberg surrendered early on Trump’s behalf and truthfulness in Elsa was expected to strengthen in ter a grand jury returned an indictment Thursday, seen walking into a building property valuations and tax assess- upcoming days and move into the charging him and Trump’s company that houses both the criminal courts ments, among other matters. eastern Caribbean Sea late Friday.

NATION & WORLD WATCH FROM WIRE REPORTS California mother charged Evacuations extended near US publishes list of corrupt Philippine volcano belches in killings of her 3 children northern Illinois industrial fire officials in Central America dark plume, villagers evacuated

LOS ANGELES – An East Los Angeles MORRIS, Ill. – Toxic fumes and GUATEMALA CITY – The U.S. State MANILA, Philippines – A small vol- woman was charged Wednesday with smoke from a burning former paper mill Department named more than 50 cur- cano near the Philippine capital belched killing her three children, including a in northern Illinois that officials had be- rent and former officials, including for- a dark plume of steam and ash into the baby, earlier this week. Sandra Chico, lieved was long abandoned but actually mer presidents and active lawmakers, sky in a brief explosion Thursday, 28, appeared in court but a judge post- contained massive amounts of lithium suspected of corruption or undermining prompting officials to start evacuating poned until next month her arraign- batteries prompted officials to extend an democracy in Guatemala, Honduras thousands of villagers from high-risk ment on three counts each of murder evacuation order into Thursday for resi- and El Salvador. Among the most prom- areas. Government experts said mag- and assault on a child causing death. dents in the area. The fire continued to inent figures on the list are former Hon- matic materials came into contact with Her bail amount was raised to $6 mil- burn Thursday morning about 70 miles duras President Jose Porfirio “Pepe” Lo- water in the main crater of Taal Volcano lion. The cause of death was not spec- southwest of Chicago, and residents bo Sosa and former first lady Rosa Elena in Batangas province, setting off the ified. Family members have said Chico were not allowed to return home until Bonilla de Lobo. The State Department steam-driven blast with no accompany- suffered from depression and that she 9 p.m. Thursday, officials said. An earli- report says Lobo Sosa took bribes from a ing volcanic earthquake. They said it’s suffocated the children and then tried to er order was to end at 9 p.m. Wednes- drug cartel and his wife was involved in unclear if the volcanic unrest could lead kill herself, KABC-TV reported. day. fraud and misappropriation of funds. to a full-blown eruption. ellwoodcityledger.com| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| 11A Prison conditions during COVID reveal deeper issue Many facilities were Employee shortages plague many ill-equipped to handle the virus prisons. The federal system is at criti- cally low levels and has been forced to Katie Park and Keri Blakinger make teachers and others watch prison- The Marshall Project ers. The Nebraska prison system recent- Claudia Lauer ly declared a staffing emergency at a ASSOCIATED PRESS fourth facility, and Texas prisons are struggling with more than 5,000 correc- Derrick Johnson had a makeshift tional officer vacancies and the lowest mask. He had the spray bottle of bleach staffing levels in recent memory. and extra soap that corrections officers In Pennsylvania, transfers and insuf- provided. But he still spent every day ficient quarantine policies contributed crammed in a unit with 63 other men in to spreading the virus between prison a Florida prison, crowding into hallways facilities, said John Eckenrode, presi- on their way to meals and sleeping feet dent of the Pennsylvania State Correc- from one another at night. tions Officers Association. Once there As the coronavirus ravaged the Ever- were active cases throughout the state’s glades Correctional Institution, John- prisons, including among staff, the de- son was surrounded by the sounds of partment became lax with quarantining coughing and requests for Tylenol. And and actively contact-tracing staff after while he thought a lot of the prison’s someone tested positive. policies were ineffective at protecting A few months into the pandemic, prisoners, he also wondered if that was Eckenrode believes, a lot of supervisors the best the facility could do. were tired of quarantining officers and “Prison is not built to compete with a calling in overtime. pandemic,” said Johnson, who was re- “There were definitely officers who leased in December. “The pandemic’s went weeks without a day off and some- gonna win every time.” times working all 16-hour shifts,” he For 15 months, The Marshall Project said. “It takes a toll on you, your home and The Associated Press tracked the life, your time with family, your mental spread of COVID-19 through prisons na- and physical exhaustion.” tionwide. We counted more than a half- Family members of inmates incarcerated in the Utah Department of Corrections’ But like life on the outside, the imme- million people living and working in prison system hold candles and say a prayer following a rally in October outside diate risk to prisoners in many states prisons who got sick from the coronavi- the Department of Corrections office in Draper, Utah. has largely receded. Twenty states have rus. Prisons were forced to adapt to un- STEVE GRIFFIN/THE DESERET NEWS VIA AP administered at least one dose of the usual and deadly circumstances. But vaccine to two-thirds of their prison now, as new cases are declining and fa- population, and new cases in prisons cilities are loosening restrictions, It’s a critical moment, with new coro- tions in prisons around the country over nationwide have stayed below 500 a there’s little evidence to suggest enough navirus cases low but the threat of in- the last year. “In most prisons it ran week for more than a month. Prisoners substantive changes have been made to fection looming as new variants spread through these places like wildfire. Peo- who spent more than a year without handle future waves of infection. around the world, said Dr. David Sears, ple were never tested.” family visits, educational programs and With crowded conditions, notorious- an infectious-disease specialist and Even when facilities did conduct outdoor recreation are eager to regain ly substandard medical care and con- correctional health consultant. tests, they still allowed prisoners who more social interaction and activity. stantly shifting populations, prisons “The medical community, prison tested positive to come in contact with As prison coronavirus cases have were ill-equipped to handle the highly leadership and society at large have others. slowed, so, too, has the release of data contagious virus, which killed nearly learned so much about COVID in a short But many prisons simply lack the from state and federal agencies. Mi- 3,000 prisoners and staff. period of time,” Sears said. “We need to space needed to adequately isolate sick chele Deitch, a law professor at the Uni- Corrections systems responded with take these lessons and make sure that prisoners. There are structural and lo- versity of Texas at Austin who has re- inconsistent policies, struggling to con- the things we’ve learned after a lot of gistical changes prisons could make, searched prison data transparency dur- tain the virus amid understaffing and real human suffering are not in vain.” such as upgrading ventilation systems ing the pandemic, said this is a troubling overcrowding. At its peak in mid-De- According to the data collected by and creating surge capacity for staff and sign that prisons are prematurely mov- cember, more than 25,000 prisoners The Marshall Project and the AP, about 3 health care workers. But the most effec- ing beyond the pandemic. tested positive in a single week. in 10 people in state and federal prisons tive approach, Sears said, is to drastical- “There’s a sense that COVID is over, But in recent months, infections be- were infected with the virus. But correc- ly reduce prison populations. that the pandemic is behind us, and that hind bars nationwide have slowed to a tional health experts widely agree that “When you’re filled to the max and is just not the case,” Deitch said. “We few hundred new cases each week, and this number is an undercount. you have two people in an 8-by-10 cell have to remember that prisons and jails many prisons have eased what restric- “A great many of the people who ever right next to two more people in an 8- were hit so much harder than the out- tions they had in place, including mask- had COVID, they were never tested,” by-10 cell and on and on, it’s impossible side communities were, and in many ju- wearing, visitors and other movement said Dr. Homer Venters, a former chief to create any form of physical distanc- risdictions, they were late to provide in and out, going back to business as medical officer of the New York City jail ing,” Sears said. “We have to get people vaccinations to incarcerated people.” usual. system who has inspected health condi- out of prisons so we have that space.”

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BP-0007395907-02 BP-0007395900-03 12A| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| ELLWOOD CITY LEDGER Experts help sort out new mask confusion Local officials might still need to buck national trends Karen Weintraub USA TODAY

In the United States, masks are be- coming a less common accessory under federal guidance that once a person is vaccinated, masks are largely unneces- sary. But the World Health Organization recommended that even vaccinated people continue to wear masks, and Los Angeles health officials recommended this week that all people, vaccinated or not, should wear them inside because of concerns about the delta coronavirus variant. A vaccinated person who isn’t immu- nocompromised is safe going without a mask in the U.S., said Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Re- search Translational Institute in La Jol- la, California. Vaccines are effective against known variants, including the delta, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Cali- fornia, San Francisco. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said vaccinated people need not wear a mask except when on airplanes, The Centers for Disease Control and buses or mass transit or in medical settings. GETTY IMAGES Prevention said vaccinated people need not wear a mask except when on air- planes, buses or mass transit or in med- Walensky said Wednesday on NBC’s To- said. the risk of transmitting the virus to ical settings. Gandhi said that guidance day show. Vaccine effectiveness against hospi- someone else by wearing a mask. “should not change and is unlikely to There may be contexts in which local talization with delta was similar to that “I think that’s what LA and WHO are change in this country where our cases officials need to make decisions differ- seen with alpha, Gandhi said: 94% after focused on” by recommending mask- are still on the decline.” ent from national ones, she said. the first dose and 96% after the second wearing, Schaffner said, particularly in The WHO made a different decision, “There are areas of this country with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, light of the delta variant, which is more because its audience is different, she where about a third of people are vacci- which is nearly identical to Moderna’s. contagious than other variants. said. It makes recommendations for a nated. They have low vaccination rates. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine also is The U.S. is not in enough of a crisis planet where less than 10% of the pop- And there are areas that have more dis- quite effective. situation for the CDC to recommend the ulation in many countries has had a sin- ease,” Walensky said. Virtually everyone now hospitalized entire country mask up again, he said. gle shot. She added, “Those masking policies with COVID-19 in the U.S. has not been “They’re trying to keep society func- “The WHO is making recommenda- are not to protect the vaccinated, they’re vaccinated. tioning and don’t want revolts,” he said. tions for places with high rates of com- to protect the unvaccinated.” In a study released Tuesday by the It may be ironic, he admitted, but munity transmission with such low per- In Los Angeles County, officials rec- Epic Health Research Network, of more most of the people still wearing masks centages of the population vaccinated ommended that people mask even after than 8.6 million vaccinated people, have been vaccinated – like him. that the vaccinated are more likely to getting their shots, out of concern for 4,260 (.049%) became infected with “I don’t think there’s anything op- encounter virus and have a break- the fast-spreading delta variant, which COVID-19 and 1,594 were hospitalized pressive about wearing a mask,” said through infection,” she said. In some accounts for half the cases there. with the virus. Schaffner, who wears one routinely as a countries, vaccines may not be as effec- “Until we better understand how and Vaccines are “brilliantly successful” doctor, but he sees that some people are tive as ones here. to who the delta variant is spreading, at preventing hospitalization, but deeply uncomfortable with them. “Here in the United States, we’re for- everyone should focus on maximum they’re not as perfect at preventing dis- Schaffner said he will continue to tunate. We have three vaccines that we protection,” the Los Angeles County of ease transmission, said Dr. William wear a mask in public and avoid large know are safe and effective. We have Department Public Health said. Schaffner, an infectious disease expert events as a “belt and suspenders” ap- two-thirds of the adult population that An unvaccinated person is at a higher at the Vanderbilt University School of proach to further reducing his own risk is fully vaccinated and really quite pro- risk for catching COVID-19 anywhere, Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. of infection and transmission. tected from the variants that we have but particularly in an environment People who are vaccinated have a low circulating here,” CDC Director Rochelle where infection rates are high, Topol risk of getting sick and can cut down on

EU, COVAX blasted over 17 hurt as fireworks cache vaccine crisis in Africa explodes in Los Angeles

Cara Anna Robert Jablon ASSOCIATED PRESS ASSOCIATED PRESS

NAIROBI, Kenya – The African LOS ANGELES – A cache of home- Union special envoy tasked with lead- made fireworks exploded as it was be- ing efforts to procure COVID-19 vac- ing destroyed by a bomb squad, flip- cines for the continent is blasting ping and damaging cars, smashing Europe as Africa struggles amid a third windows in homes and injuring 17 peo- surge of infections, saying Thursday ple including police officers, authorities that “not one dose, not one vial, has left said. a European factory for Africa.” It could take days to determine why Strive Masiyiwa also took aim at the the material exploded inside an iron global effort meant to distribute vac- containment vessel on a tractor-trailer cines to low- and middle-income coun- Wednesday night, tearing the rig apart tries, accusing COVAX of withholding The African continent, with a in what was supposed to be a safe oper- An attempt to dispose of illegal crucial information including that key population of 1.3 billion people, is in ation to handle explosives that were too fireworks destroyed an armored Los donors hadn’t met funding pledges. He the grip of a third surge of COVID-19 unstable to remove from a South Los Angeles police tractor-trailer didn’t name which donors. infections. ALET PRETORIUS/AP FILE Angeles neighborhood where tons of il- Wednesday. RINGO H.W. CHIU/AP “The situation could be very differ- legal fireworks were discovered. ent had we known back in December “Clearly, protocols were followed that ‘Listen, this help is not coming, do Africa has received just 65 million dos- and pursued. But something happened caused at least $3.2 million in damage. for yourselves,’ ” Masiyiwa told report- es overall. Less than 50 million doses in that containment vessel that should The explosion came after police had ers, adding that “many countries were via COVAX have arrived. not have happened and we don’t know spent the day disposing of some 3,000 just sitting back saying, ‘the vaccines A spokeswoman for the public why,” Police Chief Michel Moore said. to 5,000 pounds of commercial-grade are coming.’ ... We as Africans are dis- health group that manages the U.N.- “But we intend to find out why.” fireworks that were found in the home appointed.” backed COVAX, Gavi, the Vaccine Alli- Homes, cars and a laundromat had following an early-morning tip. Police The criticism revealed African lead- ance, did not address Masiyiwa’s alle- windows shattered and one car had its found some them on a patio in cartons ers’ sheer exasperation at the world’s gations. She said COVAX publishes a side plowed in and was knocked on its stacked 8-10 feet high, Moore said. dramatic vaccine divide, with Masiyi- supply forecast “based on best avail- side by the force of the blast, which was A resident, Arturo Cejas, 27, was ar- wa describing vaccinated, unmasked able information,” and said the vaccine heard two blocks away. rested on suspicion of possessing a de- Europeans attending soccer matches shortfall so far this year is because the The blast shortly after 7:30 p.m. sent structive device but he also may face while just 1% of Africans are fully vacci- major COVAX supplier, the Serum In- nine police officers and a federal Bu- charges of child endangerment be- nated against COVID-19. The continent stitute of India, diverted production for reau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and cause his 10-year-old brother was in the has the world’s lowest vaccine rate. domestic use. Explosives officer to the hospital with home, Moore said. Masiyiwa stressed that Africa has And the Lancet COVID-19 Commis- minor injuries, Fire Chief Ralph M. Ter- It wasn’t immediately known purchased 400 million vaccine doses sion African Task Force made an urgent razas said. whether Cejas had an attorney. and can buy more, but he challenged appeal for at least 300 million vaccine Six civilians ranging from 51 to 85 The bomb squad was called because donors: “Pay up your money ... We will doses so every African country can years old, were treated at a hospital, the large volume of explosives at the no longer measure pledges, we will fully vaccinate at least 20% of its peo- three with minor and three with mod- home posed an “imminent and real measure vaccines arriving at our air- ple by the end of August. erate injuries, and one person was ex- danger” to the community, Moore said. ports.” It said 46% of the U.S. population is amined at the scene but wasn’t trans- The fireworks cartons were marked The African continent of 1.3 billion fully vaccinated, about 33% in the Eu- ported, fire officials said. “Made in China.” The police chief said people is now in the grip of a third surge ropean Union and about 40% in China. News reports showed several wom- they were bought out of state in order to of infections that is “extremely aggres- Nkengasong and Masiyiwa did an- en and men on gurneys being taken to sell them in the neighborhood for use sive,” the head of the Africa Centers for nounce some vaccine progress, saying ambulances. on the Fourth of July. Disease Control and Prevention, John the first shipments of Johnson & John- Fireworks are illegal to sell or pos- Moore said three box trucks and a Nkengasong, told reporters. Health of- son and Pfizer doses based on U.S. sup- sess in Los Angeles and in unincorpo- 53-foot trailer were brought in to load ficials have described overflowing CO- port were to begin arriving next week. rated areas of the county but “every up the fireworks and move them to a VID-19 wards, dangerous oxygen short- COVAX aimed to provide 20% of Af- year, we see the devastation and de- safe location. However, “improvised ages and a growing spread of the virus rica’s vaccine needs, with African na- struction” from them, Terazas said. explosives” also were found that were to vulnerable and unequipped rural tions stepping up for the rest, Masiyiwa Authorities said the blast illustrated too dangerous to move, the chief said. areas. said. But “it really doesn’t matter how the dangers of underground pyrotech- He described them as 40 home- Masiyiwa said COVAX had promised much money your country has, they nic sales. In March, a massive fireworks made devices the size of Coca-Cola to deliver 700 million vaccine doses to couldn’t buy vaccines. ... I never saw explosion at a home in Ontario, east of cans with simple fuses and 200 smaller Africa by December. But at mid-year, presidents try so hard.” Los Angeles, left two people dead and but similar devices. ellwoodcityledger.com| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| 13A

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San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said gun owners who do not comply with the new rules shouldn’t have guns. ARIC CRABB/BAY AREA NEWS GROUP VIA AP, FILE San Jose to require gun owner insurance

ASSOCIATED PRESS payers for services that include police response, ambulance transport and SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose officials gunshot-related medical treatment for have passed the first law in the nation victims. that requires gun owners to carry liabil- The fees would be determined upon ity insurance and pay a fee to cover tax- completion of a gun harm study from LIMITED-TIME OFFER! payers’ costs associated with gun vio- the Pacific Institute on Research and lence. Evaluation, a group that promotes indi- SAVE UP TO The new law was unanimously ap- vidual and public health, welfare, and proved by the City Council on Tuesday, safety. more than a month after a disgruntled In a preliminary report released San Jose rail yard employee fatally shot ahead of the vote, the institute estimat- nine of his co-workers and then himself ed that gun-related homicides, suicid- at the rail yard, the San Francisco es and other shootings cost San Jose Chronicle reported. around $63 million annually. A more Mayor Sam Liccardo praised the thorough study is expected to be com- 10001000 measures and said gun owners who do pleted in the fall. on your next * not comply with the new rules Jaime Bellemare of Brady United KITCHEN PROJECT shouldn’t have guns. Against Gun Violence, the national “We won’t magically end gun vio- nonprofit that advocates against gun lence, but we stop paying for it,” Liccar- violence, said there have been other do said in a statement. similar laws proposed but San Jose is The new law is part of a 10-point gun the first city in the country to have In as little as 3-5 days! control plan that Liccardo unveiled fol- passed one. lowing the May 26 mass shooting at the One challenge to enforce the law will Santa Clara Valley Transportation Au- be in determining how to administer 724-647-2066 thority rail yard. the new liability insurance and fee re- Officials have not decided how much quirements. gun owners will be required to pay in Last month, city lawmakers passed kitchensaver.com/local1000 fees. They would be used to cover the a law requiring all retailers to record direct costs of gun violence to city tax- video and audio of firearm purchases. *Offer expires: 9/1/2021. Offer valid with purchase of custom cabinet renewal from Kitchen Saver. Must be presented and used at time of estimate only. May not be combined with other offers or applied to previous purchases. Minimum purchase required. Valid only at select locations. See location for details. Cabinet style and feature availability varies by location and may be different than pictured. PA HIC #PA063180, DE Contractor #2013605887, Ohio Registration #2219521, NJ HIC #13VH08343300. BP-0007388059-01

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Stay Off The Ladder Keeps Out All Debris Eliminates gutter cleaning for Completely sealed system protects life – guaranteed. your gutters — and entire home — from damaging debris. 3 Hanger 4 New or Existing Gutter EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER!

“LeafFilter was a great investment %%% for our home.” OFF ++OFF OFF 15YOUR ENTIRE 10SENIORS & 5TO THE FIRST 50 –Bill & Jan M. PURCHASE* MILITARY! CALLERS ONLY!**

FINANCING THAT FITS YOUR BUDGET!1 CALL US TODAY FOR 878-225-3115 Promo Code: #!" A FREE ESTIMATE 1Subject to credit approval. Call for details.

+1#9 45#6< (5# ;2-/3:&) 8%< $#2!#% !<9 5#26<5#/") *# #,/37-43#% <643'-4< 0-/3" :#9 . &<-9) ++8::<9 0-/3" -4 43'< #: <643'-4< #%/& 2The leading consumer reporting agency conducted a 16 month outdoor test of gutter guards in 2010 and recognized LeafFilter as the “#1 rated professionally installed gutter guard system in America.” Manufactured in Plainwell, Michigan and processed at LMT Mercer Group in Ohio. See Representative for full warranty details. CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #10783658-5501 License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 WA UBI# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946 License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration# HIC.0649905 Registration# C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Registration# IR731804 Registration# 13VH09953900 Regis- tration# PA069383 Suffolk HIC License# 52229-H License# 2705169445 License# 262000022 License# 262000403 License# 0086990 Registration# H-19114 BP-0007388701-01 14A| FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2021| ELLWOOD CITY LEDGER

4TH OF JULY SHOWER & BATH SALE

OVER 10,000 5-STAR REVIEWS 5 YEARS! ZERO INTEREST

BCI 50% OFF INSTALL ON ALL SHOWERS & BATHS

IS YOUR AT-HOME LIFESTYLE CHANGING? WE CAN HELP WITH COMFORT AND ACCESSIBILITY SOLUTIONS

Whether you need greater accessibility or just need to replace an outdated tub with a beautiful new shower, West Shore Home offers an assortment of options to fit any bathroom.

HASSLE-FREE SAFETY PROCESS FEATURES Customize your dream shower •GRAB BARS or bath with your desired safety •LOW-THRESHOLD PANS features that are installed •SLIP-RESISTANT PANS in as-little-as one day with •SHOWER SEATS From 1,000’s of online reviews financing options for everyone.

PROVIDING A SAFE & CONVENIENT EXPERIENCE ONLINE CONSULTATIONS AVAILABLE We can design your shower or bath in an WE ARE FOLLOWING ALL CDC GUIDELINES online contactless design consultation.

CALL TODAY 724-647-3821 OFFER ENDS SOON WestShoreRemodel.com

*New orders only. Subject to credit approval. Fixed APR of 0.00% for 60 months. Actual payments based on usage. If full credit taken on approval date, payments for 6 month promo will be $16.67, followed by 54 monthly payments of $16.67 for each $1,000 financed. If transaction is later, the 54 monthly payments could be as high as $18.52. Financing for GreenSky® consumer loan programs is provided by federally insured, equal opportunity lender banks. NMLS #1416362. Wall surround styles and options vary per state. Minimum purchase may apply. See design consultant for details. Other restrictions may apply. **50% off install equals 10% of the overall purchase price. Expires July 11th, 2021. 012954 BP-0007392763-01

The best solution for CLOG FREE GUTTERS

SPRING SAVINGS FREE 20% OFF 412-714-2950 End gutter cleaning forever! ESTIMATES

Satisfaction Guaranteed. Lifetime Performance Guarantee. No payment required until the job We guarantee that our products is finished and you’re completely will keep your gutters free of leaves satisfied. and clogs for the rest of the life of your home.

Competitive Pricing & Ask us about our senior citizen & Discounts. 20% off all jobs. military discounts.

Call today for your FREE estimate!

Limited Time Offer. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Call for details.

BP-0007396161-02