Author: Beaver County Radio

Bruce Vohar (1954-2026)

Bruce Vohar, 71, of Somerset, Kentucky, passed away on July 7th, 2026, in his residence.

He was born in Sewickley on November 2nd, 1954, a son of the late Stephen Vohar and Agnes Johnson.

Bruce was a 1972 graduate of Quaker Valley High School. He graduated from Penn State in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and earned his master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981. He worked for Texaco from 1976-1977, Witco Corp from 1977-2001, Montana Refining from 2001-2003, Holly Refining from 2003-2006, Foster Wheeler USA from 2006-2016, and Continental Refining from 2026 to his partial retirement, and then worked as a consultant for DCI Becht Engineering until retiring.

He is survived by his son, Alex Vohar, his brother, Doug (Jane) Vohar, his stepchildren, Maryann Mitchell and Christopher Feld, his former wives, Carol Vohar and Maria Feld, along with a niece, Jennifer (Tony) Neel, a nephew, Scott (Erin) Vohar and several special friends: Robert Brown of Texas, Christy Hammond of Kentucky, and Ester Trujillo Regmund of Texas.

All services were held privately for Bruce and interment took place in Saint Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the John Syka Funeral Home, Inc., 833 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge.

Pittsburgh man charged after three-vehicle crash in Pittsburgh which injures himself and Freedom woman

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Pittsburgh reported today that twenty-one-year-old Bradley Potts of Pittsburgh was charged after a three-vehicle crash occurred in Pittsburgh on July 4th.

Potts was driving on I-376 East at 1:52 p.m., merged onto the highway, hit a concrete barrier, and hit the vehicle of forty-one-year-old Brandon Archer of Freedom.

A vehicle driven by thirty-eight-year-old Christopher Guttridge of Pittsburgh was hit by debris.

Potts was transported for a suspected minor injury after the crash occurred.

Thirty-six-year-old Kayla Kelly of Freedom was also transported for a suspected minor injury as a result of this crash.

Kelly was a passenger in the vehicle that was driven by Archer at the time of the crash. 

Mohanchandran Bhaskara Kurup (1949-2026)

Mohanchandran Bhaskara Kurup, 76, of Aliquippa, passed away on July 16th, 2026 at Heritage Valley Beaver in Brighton Township.

He was born in Pampady Kottayam, Kerala, India, on October 6th, 1949, the son of the late Kaiylail Kizake Bhaskara Kurup and Padi Purackal Nani (Sarojina) Amma.

Mohanchandran was a mechanical engineer for Mahindra & Mahindra in India. He was extremely passionate about education he held a double bachelors degree in science and in engineering. He also worked towards and received the M B A degree. He retired from Mahindra and Mahindra inter trade as a vice president in 2009.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 45 years, Usha (Radha) Mohanchandran. He is also survived by his children, Shyam Mohanchandran as well as Sangeetha Haywood and her husband, Mark Haywood, and his grandchildren Anish, George, William and Margaret Haywood, who had been his pillar of strength and fountain of wisdom. He has been a source of silent encouragement in the lives of thousands that he touched.

Mohanchandran is also survived by his sisters, Sreelatha, Ragini and Jayashree and their spouses and children, who he was very fond of.

All services for Mohanchandran were private. The GABAUER-TODD FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES (BRANCH), 340 Third Street Beaver, was honored to care for Mohanchandran and his family during this most difficult time, and was the funeral home that was in charge of his arrangements.

Edward Michael Corbin (1959-2026)

Edward Michael Corbin, 67, of Little Beaver Township, passed away on July 20th, 2026, at Heritage Valley Beaver.

He was born in Beaver Falls on May 31st, 1959, the son of the late George and Annabelle (Henry) Corbin.

Edward worked as a drywaller for his professional life. In his free time, he enjoyed spending time at the New Galilee VFW, playing with his dogs, and cheering on any Pittsburgh sports team.  In his younger years, he loved to play softball, shoot pool, and play a hand of poker.

He is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Barbara (Richard) Corbin, his daughter, Angie Corbin, a son, Jeffery (Brittany) Corbin, his grandchildren: Gerald Nixon, Tiana Murray, MacKenzie Knopsider and Rhylon, a great-grandchild, Jude, his sisters, Karen Barnhouse and Marsha Careon, a brother-in-law, William Richard, his sister-in-law AnnMarie, a special friend, Bud, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Robert Boggs, a sister, Terri Richard and a brother-in-law, Wayne Richard.

Friends will be received for a memorial visitation on Friday, July 24th from 10 A.M. until the time of a memorial service at 12 Noon in the GABAUER-LUTTON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, INC., 117 Blackhawk Road, Beaver Falls, who was in charge of his arrangements.

Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker named 2026 Pennsylvania State Mayors Association Mayor of the Year

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the City of Aliquippa, Posted on Facebook on July 18th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker was named the 2026 Pennsylvania State Mayors Association Mayor of the Year at the company’s conference in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

He has served the City of Aliquippa and its residents for the last sixteen years. 

Pennsylvania State Police Accepting Applications for Pennsylvanians Interested in Pursuing an Honorable Career as a State Trooper

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Badge)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) The Pennsylvania State Police is now encouraging anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement to apply to join its ongoing mission to protect Pennsylvania as a state trooper as part of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to public safety and service.

Applications for the current cadet hiring cycle need to be submitted through the Commonwealth’s employment website by July 31st, 2026 by clicking here.

You must have a high school diploma or GED certificate and a valid driver’s license from any state to apply. You also must be at least 20 years old at the time of application, be at least 21 years old and cannot have reached age 40 upon entry into the Pennsylvania State Police Academy.

Training for cadets lasts approximately 28 weeks and it includes formal coursework in the crimes and vehicle codes of Pennsylvania, physical fitness activities, as well as training in firearms, police vehicles and specialized equipment.

Cadets are promoted to the rank of trooper upon completion of the PSP Academy and after five years of service can earn approximately $103,319.

August 1st, 2026 is when the next cadet hiring cycle will open for the PSP.

Those that are interested in becoming a state trooper can find application requirements, job benefits, and other details at PATrooper.com by clicking here.

14th annual “School Rocks Backpack Giveaway” returns at local Wireless Zone stores

(File Photo of the Top of a School Bus)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) The Verizon authorized dealer Round Room LLC is giving away free backpacks to school-aged children as families across western Pennsylvania start planning for a new school year. 

The 14th annual “School Rocks Backpack Giveaway” will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 26th at participating Wireless Zone stores in Beaver County and beyond, including the stores at these locations:

  • Cranberry Township
  • Chippewa Township
  • East Liverpool, Ohio
  • McMurray
  • New Castle
  • Sewickley

Each child that is in kindergarten to 12th grade who attends the event in person will receive one free backpack, while supplies last. 

One backpack with a golden ruler keychain will also be placed at 47 randomly selected stores across Round Room LLC’s over 1,200 stores nationwide.

The recipients of these backpacks called the 47 “Golden Ruler” backpacks will receive a $250 Visa gift card to use for other school-related items.

Backpacks that are left over after this giveaway event will be donated to local schools that are selected by each store. 

National Weather Service confirms four tornadoes recently touched down in Pennsylvania

(File Photo of the National Weather Service Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Westmoreland County, PA) The National Weather Service recently confirmed that four tornadoes touched down in Pennsylvania on Saturday. 

NWS used video evidence over the weekend to confirm tornadoes in Derry Township in Westmoreland County and Summerville in Clarion County. 

Tornadoes in Latrobe in Westmoreland County and Punxsutawney in Jefferson County, were also confirmed as of Monday. 

The NWS spent those past two days surveying these areas. 

Former Pennsylvania House Representative Jesse White facing federal child pornography charges

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) A former Pennsylvania House representative who served parts of Beaver, Allegheny and Washington counties is now facing federal charges after officials said he possessed photos and videos of sexually explicit content depicting underage teenagers. 

According to court papers obtained by WTAE yesterday, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received complaints via their CyberTipline on June 19, which were flagged as “child pornography possession, distribution, manufacture.” 

The report was also flagged for what appeared to be produced or homemade files. 

Court papers state that former Democratic state House representative Jesse White was identified as the person behind the generated report, and they affirm yesterday that the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence in Mechanicsburg, where multiple computers and hard drives were seized. 

Court papers also note that one of the laptops was found to contain numerous files containing images of child pornography which depicted minors between the ages of seven and fifteen. 

White allegedly told agents he used Telegram and the Tor Browser to access the content. 

White previously represented the 46th district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015. 

Senators Fetterman, Thune and Fischer Introduce Legislation to Improve the FCC’s Broadband Mapping Process

(File Photo of Senator John Fetterman)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington, D.C.) U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), John Thune (R-SD), and Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced the Broadband Mapping Accurate Providers (MAP) Act of 2026 in Washington D.C. last week.  

This bill is bipartisan legislation that directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to evaluate and improve its broadband mapping process.  

The FCC has made strides that are significant in enhancing the accuracy of its National Broadband Map.  

However, providers have reported difficulties with the challenge process of the FCC, which allows providers to dispute the serviceability of certain locations. 

The Broadband MAP Act of 2026 would instruct the FCC to assess and review its mapping and challenge procedures.