Author: Beaver County Radio

Vietnam Veterans “Moving Wall” on display in Patterson Township

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published July 16, 2026 2:10 P.M.

(Patterson Township, Pa) – Beaver County is featured on the 2026 schedule of stops for the Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall. The wall is a half-size replica of the Washington D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Those who cannot travel to Washington are given an opportunity to see their loved ones’ names in their own community.    

The 74 panel wall is almost as long as a football field and includes over 58,000 etched names of Vietnam veterans who lost their lives. 

An opening ceremony was held Thursday morning at Franciscan Manor in Patterson Township.

Vietnam Veterans Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter 862 played a big role in making the event possible. Their President, Larry Googins, acted as the primary speaker for the ceremony and welcomed numerous guests including District Attorney Nate Bible, County Commissioner Jack Manning, and Sheriff Tony Guy. 

The ceremony also featured a presentation of wreaths and a reading of names for our local fallen Vietnam veterans, in addition to a 3 volley salute by Chapter 862, the playing of Taps, and a vocal performance of America the Beautiful.

Googins closed the ceremony by saying “Welcome home”.    

Afterwards, family members and those in attendance began to walk the walls looking for and reading the names.  

The Moving Wall is open to the public 24 hours a day until July 20th at Franciscan Manor. 

Parking is available at the Patterson Township Fire Department.

Smoke cancels Beaver Third Thursday event

Beaver County Radio

BEAVER – Due to the Code Red weather conditions, the Beaver Area Chamber of Commerce canceled tonight’s Third Thursday event.

“For the safety of our store owners, vendors and community, we are unfortunately canceling tonight’s event,” the chamber posted on social media.

The Code Red air quality alert, in response to wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota, indicates that the overall air quality within a day could be unhealthy.

The Third Thursday event was scheduled to feature a performance by singer Chris Jamison, plus food trucks, crafts and local art.

Beaver’s next Third Thursday is scheduled for Aug. 20.

New-York based renewable energy company Desri developing storage project on Little Blue Run site in Greene Township

(Credit and Caption for Photo: Workers from Mascaro Construction move dirt to cover Little Blue Run, which covers 955 acres in Beaver County and Hancock County, W.Va., on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, in Lawrenceville, W.Va. (Andrew Rush, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Desri, which is a renewable energy company based in New York, is now developing a one-gigawatt battery storage project on the former Little Blue Run site, which is located in Greene Township.

The Beaver County site had to shut down in 2012 because its water was contaminated.

The project run by Desri is called Little Blue Project.

Beaver Falls man charged after two vehicle crash in Center Township

(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Center Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported today that a forty-three-year-old man from Beaver Falls was charged after a two-vehicle crash occurred in Center Township yesterday at 1:18 p.m.

According to police, Chenglong Chu was driving onto State Route 8005 (Exit 42) and hit the back of the vehicle that was driven by fifty-four-year-old Brent French of West Jefferson, Ohio.

French was waiting to enter Pleasant Drive when Chu hit his vehicle.

There were no reported injuries.

Penguins 2026-2027 schedule includes quality matchups

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, right, reacts behind Philadelphia Flyers’ Luke Glendening after scoring during the first period of Game 4 in the first round of the Stanley Cup hockey playoff series Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum))

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The full Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2026-2027 season schedule will be released today.

The Penguins’ season opener for that season will begin on the road against their in-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, on Wednesday, September 30th.

This is a rematch of the two teams’ first round matchup of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the Flyers eliminated the Penguins by winning the series 4-2.

This game between the Flyers and the Penguins is part of a doubleheader which will be broadcast nationally.

The Penguins’ 2026-2027 season home opener will be on Tuesday, October 3rd against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Canadiens made it to the 2026 NHL Eastern Conference Finals and lost the series 4-1 to the eventual 2026 Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Penguins will also play the Washington Capitals on October 7th for the Capitals’ home opener for the 2026-2027 season.

That matchup features the longtime rivalry between Sidney Crosby of the Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin of the Capitals.

Pennsylvania state budget has modest wins for kids and families

(Credit and Caption for Photo: <p>Pennsylvania’s new budget preserves universal free school breakfast with an additional $14.3 million, a move child advocates said will boost students’ health and academic performance. (Adobe Stock)</p>)

(Reported by Danielle Smith, Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvania’s bipartisan budget takes a few small steps forward in addressing early childcare and education but still falls short, according to Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. The fifty-point-eight-billion-dollar spending plan contains modest investments in programs for kids and families. The Partnership’s Kari King says they appreciate the support, but notes lawmakers leaned on leftover funds instead of new revenue. King says in early education, the governor proposed nine point five million dollars for Pre-K Counts and Head Start, but the funding target wasn’t reached. King says the budget includes an additional five million for the childcare recruitment and retention fund, which provides bonuses to childcare staff and programs. That investment is seen as vital as the commonwealth addresses a staffing crisis, which puts pressure on the workforce and the overall economy.

Pittsburgh’s Gecko Robotics opening manufacturing facility in the Sewickley area

(Credit and Caption for Photo: Gecko Robotics, headquartered in Pittsburgh’s North Side, plans to open a manufacturing facility in Sewickley, which will focus on defense manufacturing. (James Engel | TribLive)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Sewickley, PA) Gecko Robotics, a Pittsburgh-based robotics and defense firm, will open a new manufacturing facility in the Sewickley area soon.

The company announced its plans for the 10,000-square-foot facility at the 2026 Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, which finished yesterday in Carlisle.

This facility will sit at an industrial park in Aleppo Township about 3 miles from Sewickley’s business district.

Interstate 79 Wexford Interchange Beam Placement Work Continues Friday in Allegheny County

(File Photo of a Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that beam placement work on Interstate 79 in Marshall Township and Franklin Park Borough, Allegheny County will continue tomorrow night, weather permitting.

Northbound I-79 will be reduced to a single-lane of traffic between the Route 910/Wexford (Exit 73) off and on-ramps from 7 p.m. tomorrow to 6 a.m. on Saturday morning to accommodate beam placement work.

Robert Neville Parry (1943-2026)

Robert Neville Parry, 82, of Brighton Township, passed away on July 13th, 2026.

Neville was born on August 12th, 1943, in Waterloo, Lancashire, United Kingdom, a son of the late Arthur and Kathleen (née Shearer) Parry.

Neville studied Electrical Engineering at Manchester University. He started his career with English Electric in Liverpool. In his free time, he enjoyed playing rugby, hiking and camping with the Scouts. In 1982, he was headhunted by a company in the Chicago area where he and his family moved and made many friends at church and local model railroad club. In March of 1996, he was offered a job with Eaton Corporation in Moon Township, so he and his wife decided to move to the Beaver Area. While at Eaton, he contributed to several United States patents that were awarded. In April of 1999, Sue and Neville became United States Citizens in a ceremony at Beaver County Courthouse. Neville has been a faithful member of First Presbyterian Church where he participated in many groups and enjoyed singing in the choir. Neville had a lifelong interest in Steam Trains including planning and constructing a model railway. He also made detailed intricate train models from technical drawings. In retirement, he made new friends in golf and bowling leagues, singing with the Men of Melody and learning to play pool.

He is by his loving wife of 59 years, Susan Parry, his son, Robert George Parry and his wife, Alison, his granddaughter, Anna of Glenview, Illinois, his daughter, Siân and her partner, Billy and his grandsons Ben, Sam and Jack who live in London, England, his brother, A. David Parry and his partner, Sandra and his niece, nephews and their children, in Cambridgeshire, England. He also has numerous cousins in North Wales. He and Sue were very proud of his Welsh ancestry so he joined St. David’s Society of Pittsburg.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 25th at First Presbyterian Church, 252 College Avenue, Beaver.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Noll Funeral Home, Inc., 333 Third Street, Beaver. Please feel free to join Neville’s family and friends from 10am in the Round room in the church and the luncheon after the service.

The family ask not to send flowers but would appreciate donations to the Breakthrough T1D, Formerly JDRF ( Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) Make a Donation – Breakthrough T1D or your favorite charity.

To send flowers or plant a memorial tree in memory, please visit the flower store of the Noll Funeral Home, Inc. by clicking here.

Loretta Eileen (McDonald) Thellman (1942-2026)

Loretta Eileen (McDonald) Thellman, 83, of Beaver Falls (West Mayfield), passed away on July 13th, 2026 at Allegheny General Hospital. She was a cancer survivor since 2018 who fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. She was born in North Sewickley Township on August 22nd, 1942, a daughter of the late John and Mary Eileen McDonald (Shoaff).

Loretta was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, and trusted neighbor and friend. She was a devoted Christian and active member of the former St. Paul Lutheran Church on College Hill and then Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Chippewa, where she taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and sang in the choir. She also served in the meals on wheels ministry and the altar guild. She most recently attended Chippewa Alliance Church. She played the bass in her younger years and enjoyed playing her organ at home. She also sang in the 1990’s with the Hosannah ministry choir. Loretta was a hard worker who actively cared for and served her family, church, friends and neighbors. She was happy being outdoors and working in her garden, enjoying her dogs and watching the birds and deer in her yard. She enjoyed quilting, crocheting and craft making and made it her goal to crochet afghans for her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She most of all cherished time with her family whom she loved deeply, and on whom she left a lasting impact of faith, hope and love.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her infant daughter, Christine, and her beloved husband of 47 years, Richard Thellman. She is survived by one sister, Valerie (Jerry) Harold (Boynton Beach, Florida), her children, Carrie (Randy) Burnell (Beaver Falls), Steven (Stephanie) Thellman (Gainesville, Georgia), Bradley (Susan) Thellman (North Sewickley Township) and Gregory (Lidija) Thellman (Osijek, Croatia and Wheaton, Illinois), as well as 15 grandchildren: Suzi Thellman (Beaver Falls), Austin (Kara) Burnell (Beaver Falls), Becca (Steve) Sheehy (Lowell, Indiana), Zachary (Carly) Thellman (Roswell, Georgia), Seth Thellman (Marietta, Georgia), Savannah Thellman (Gainesville, Georgia), Skylar Thellman (Gainesville, GA), Nicole (Justin) Jackson (North Sewickley Township), Dylan (Peyton) Thellman (East Palestine, Ohio), Haley (Charlie) Spirk (North Sewickley Township), Noah Thellman (Wheaton, Illinois), Sarah Thellman (Wheaton, Illinois), Etan Thellman (Wheaton, Illinois), Zoe Thellman (Osijek, Croatia) and Nora Thellman (Osijek, Croatia); as well as 11 great-grandchildren: Zion and Rory Burnell, Rylan, Lilah and Kip Sheehy, Ava and Dominic Basile, Liam and Bella Thellman and Rowan and Salem Spirk; as well as several step-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, July 16 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 pm, and on Saturday, July 18th from 10:30 a.m. until the time of a service at 12:30 p.m. at Corless-Kunselman Funeral Services, LLC, 3801 4th Avenue, Beaver Falls, who was in charge of his arrangements. Pastor Dan Muir will officiate the service. A private burial will take place at Grandview Cemetery, 139 Norwood Drive, Beaver Falls.