Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Why we chose to highlight this datagram: The Center for Rural Pennsylvania recently created a datagram that lists the percentage of people working in local government in each Pa. county. "Local government," according to the center, includes municipalities, school districts, public sewer authorities and essentially any government agency that is not part of the federal or state levels of government.
Beaver County has one of the highest percentages of employees working in local government in the state, at 12.3% — that's 6,997 people. Here's a break down of that percentage (data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics):
Education services = 3,831 (55%)
Public administration = 1,703 (24%)
Administrative support services = 1,463 (21%)
"Just over 60% of employees in local government (in the state) work in the education industry, highlighting how much of local government employment is in school districts," Katie Park, communications manager of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, said.
Why we chose to highlight this story: Fred Rogers' teachings of kindness, generosity, neighborliness and more continue on in the TV show Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Now, more than a decade since the show first aired, teens are holding onto the lessons they learned from Daniel Tiger and his friends.
UCLA's Center for Scholars and Storytellers surveyed 150 teens ages 13–16 who were toddlers when Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood first premiered, and asked them questions about how they remember feeling while watching the show.
"Researchers found that 71% remembered feeling happy while watching the show, 57% said their most memorable lessons from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood were about understanding and managing emotions, and 21% specifically mentioned that they still use calming techniques they learned from the show today," according to reporting by the WESA. Read the full article by WESA here.
Why we chose to highlight this story: There's a lot going on in the news right now, and it often feels inescapable. Social media algorithms are inundated with news updates, phones are dinging with notifications of the newest alarming headline, and it can feel overwhelming to say the least.
In this article by the Harvard Business Review, author Rebecca Knight offers some insight into how you can stay informed without jeopardizing your mental health. Read her article here.
Why we chose to highlight this event: George McKenzie Jr., a National Geographic explorer and wildlife photographer, visited Beaver County on Wednesday, April 9.
He lead a photo walk at Brush Creek Park in North Sewickley Township for the afternoon, where local photographers — both experts and amateurs — were given a unique opportunity for one-on-one time to chat with and learn from McKenzie's expertise.
Following the photo walk, McKenzie gave a photo critique, providing feedback to the participant photographers. Later in the evening, McKenzie gave a presentation during The Current: A Beaver County Speaker Series, hosted by RiverWise and Penn State Beaver at PSU Beaver. He shared stunning photographs he's taken over the years, illustrating how he become a National Geographic photographer and why he loves taking photos and conservation.
"The Genesis Collective was thrilled to help welcome George McKenzie with RiverWise and Penn State, and to connect him with photographers from our region," said Pamela Rossi-Keen, executive director of The Genesis Collective. "We had a lovely hour at Brush Creek and afterward, hearing George's perspective on the photos taken that day."
Check out some photos from McKenzie's time in Beaver County, taken by Erin Ninehouser.
Why we chose to highlight this story: Tom Yankello, an Aliquippa native who runs World Class Boxing Gym in Ambridge, was inducted into the 2025 PA Sports Hall of Fame Western Chapter as the "Inductee of Distinction" on Saturday. Read the full article in the Times here, or via Yahoo News here.
Farmers' market season is about to begin! Saturday, April 26 is the first Beaver County farmers' market of the season at the Beaver location. Stop by at 10 AM!
Mondays: 3:30–6:30 PM, Beaver Falls
Tuesdays: 3:30–6:30 PM, New Brighton and Chippewa Twp. (bring your SNAP/EBT card to the Chippewa location!)
Thursdays: 4–7 PM, Ambridge (bring your SNAP/EBT card to the Ambridge location!)
Saturdays: 10 AM to 1 PM, Beaver
Check out this article in the Allegheny Front that interviewed residents as they reflected on memories of the first Earth Day in Pittsburgh in 1970. Read the article here.
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The Bridge is a prototype for what RiverWise envisions as a growing center for relevant community news + resources for Beaver County residents.
Owen Rossi-Keen
Owen Rossi-Keen is the Founder and Principal Software Engineer at Iliad.dev, LLC, a web development agency focused on delivering enterprise-grade customization without the enterprise price-tag.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania