Author: Beaver County Radio

Senator John Fetterman and Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Cap Credit Card Late Fees at $8

(File Photo of Senator John Fetterman)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington, D.C.) According to a release in Washington D.C. from Senator John Fetterman’s office, U.S. Senators Fetterman (D-PA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Credit Card Fairness Act yesterday, which is legislation that would put into statute the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s popular $8 cap on credit card late fees. Consumers pay $14 billion per year in credit card late fees currently, which pads the profits of the largest banks. The standard late fee of $30 to $41 is up to five times higher than the cost for banks of collecting late payments, which allows banks to profit from customers who are struggling to make ends meet. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enacted a rule previously which capped these fees at $8 and it was stalled in litigation brought by the large banks. This legislation would codify the cap of $8 in law. 

Man dead from dog bite in Beaver under investigation

(File Photo of the Beaver Borough Police Department Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver, PA) The incident of a man recently dying from a dog bite in Beaver is currently under investigation. According to The Chief of Police in Beaver, his office is awaiting the autopsy report to determine exactly how a man died inside his home on Wednesday evening. Beaver police were called to a home along 6th Street right before 6 p.m. Sources say that a 52-year-old man was inside his home with his wife and two dogs when the woman said she heard a loud thud come from the kitchen. WPXI sources say the man’s wife walked into the kitchen and that the man was on the ground and their dog was at his neck, reportedly biting it. It is unclear exactly what happened at this time. Investigators are looking into if the man suffered a medical emergency. 

Minivan crashes through the side of UPMC Shadyside Hospital medical building

(Credit for Photo: Courtesy of KDKA Photojournalist Brian Smithmyer, Caption for Photo: At least one person was hurt when a vehicle slammed through the side of the Shadyside Medical Building at UPMC Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh on Friday, January 16.)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A minivan crashed through the side of the Shadyside Medical Building at UPMC Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh early this morning. Dispatchers confirmed to KDKA that the crash happened just before 1:30 a.m. at the medical building along Centre Avenue in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It is unclear at this time what led up to the crash and the minivan was removed from the building just before 3 a.m. Dispatchers confirmed that one person was taken to the hospital. According to a UPMC spokesperson, no patient services are expected to be impacted, and the driver of the vehicle is being treated and no one was injured. The investigation into this incident is being handled by UPMC police. 

Prosecutors: Former NCAA players and fixers charged over rigged basketball games

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – NCAA logo displayed on the fence before an NCAA softball game between Jacksonville and FGCU, March 24, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Philadelphia, PA) Federal prosecutors are giving charges to twenty-six people, which included former college basketball players who allegedly as recently as last season tried to fix games, in what they call a scheme to rig NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games. Fifteen people played basketball for Divison I NCAA schools as recently as the 2024-2025 season that were part of the defendants named in the indictment from today and five others were described as fixers by authorities. The charges were filed in federal court in Philadelphia and they include bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud. Authorities state that the fixers used “bribe payments” that were usually ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game to recruit the college basketball players. The indictment follows investigations from the NCAA that led to at least ten players receiving bans for the rest of their lives. Robert Morris University, which is located in Moon Township, was one of the seventeen schools that was named in the indictment. Markeese Hastings, a former men’s basketball player from Robert Morris University, was one of the people charged in relation to this scheme.

Some museums in Pittsburgh and in Pennsylvania among museums in the running for 2026 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards

(Photo Courtesy of the Kamin Science Center)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Some museums in Pittsburgh are among the museums in Pennsylvania that are up for USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards this year because of their amazing experiences that they provide to visitors. Voting is open now, once per day per device, until February 9th, 2026 at 11:59 a.m. and the winners will be announced at noon on February 18th, 2026. Three of the Pittsburgh museums that were nominated for these different awards are the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the Heinz History Center and the Kamin Science Center. The full list of nominees for ten different USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards can be found on the USA Today website by clicking here, which is where you can click on each category and vote for your favorite museum.

Fire occurs at a Giant Eagle store on the North Side of Pittsburgh

(File Photo of a Fire Background)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A fire occurred inside the Giant Eagle on the North Side of Pittsburgh this morning. Shortly after 7 a.m., firefighters responded to the grocery store on Cedar Avenue. A Giant Eagle spokesperson stated that it broke out shortly after the store opened, which prompted an evacuation. No employees or customers were injured as a result of this incident and the store has re-opened. However, access to certain areas of that store that were impacted by the fire may be limited.

WPIAL announces 2026 Hall of Fame class

(File Photo of the WPIAL Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The WPIAL announced their Hall of Fame class of 2026 yesterday at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, which includes sixteen inductees. The list includes two former Beaver County football players and a Beaver County team. They are the 2004 Hopewell girls volleyball team, Derek Moye, a wide receiver who played for both Rochester and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jordan Whitehead, a safety who played for Central Valley, the New York Jets and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who was the team Whitehead won a Super Bowl with in 2021 after the 2020 NFL playoffs ended. Headlining this list is Kurt Angle, who won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling in 1996 and competed on a wrestling team in high school at Mt. Lebanon. According to the WPIAL, here is the full list of the sixteen members of their 2026 Hall of Fame Class.

Athletes
  • Kurt Angle, Mt. Lebanon wrestling
  • Tricia Fabian Alderson, Chartiers-Houston softball
  • Bridget Guy Williams, Hempfield Area track
  • Maddie Holmberg Nickal, Hempfield Area track
  • Phil Mary, Chartiers-Houston wrestling
  • Derek Moye, Rochester football
  • Jordan Whitehead, Central Valley football
Coaches
  • Tim McConnell, Chartiers Valley/Bishop Canevin basketball
  • Joe Salvino, Monessen/Belle Vernon basketball
Teams
  • 1981 Mt. Lebanon boys soccer
  • 2004 Hopewell girls volleyball
Heritage
  • Jim Conklin, Waynesburg wrestling
Contributor
  • Anne Madarasz
Courage
  • Ethan Keener, South Fayette basketball/baseball
  • Warren Timko, Upper St. Clair football
Official
  • Charles Evans Hunnell, football/lacrosse

Tenaris facility in Koppel reactivates heat treatment and finishing lines

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of Tenaris)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Koppel, PA) Tenaris is now restarting heat treatment and finishing operations at its manufacturing facility in Koppel, which reinforces its commitment to supply steel pipes that are domestically produced for the United States energy sector. This follows an investment of $2.1 million to restart operations and strengthen the industrial production footprint from Tenaris in the United States. Tenaris is also hiring over 80 employees to support the reactivation of these lines.

Congressmen Deluzio and Rulli Introduce Bipartisan “Under Pressure Act” to Study and Improve Rail Pressure Relief Devices

(File Photo of Congressman Chris Deluzio)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington, D.C.) Congressmen Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) and Michael Rulli (R-OH-06) announced new, bipartisan rail safety legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives today. The bill that was introduced is called the Under Pressure Act of 2026, and it would study the performance of pressure relief devices on rail tank cars in a fiery derailment. The study bill from Deluzio was crafted with rail industry groups, multiple labor unions that represent rail workers and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). According to a release today in Washington D.C. from Deluzio’s office, specifically, the bill would: 

  • Require the FRA to submit a report to Congress on the rate and causes of rail tank car pressure relief device failures in derailments; 
  • Require this report to make recommendations to prevent such failures; and 
  • Require the report to include a status update on any recommendations issued by the NTSB on rail tank cars that have not been sufficiently answered.

Congressmen Deluzio and Rulli represent the communities in Pennsylvania and Ohio that were most directly impacted by the February 3rd, 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment that happened in East Palestine, Ohio. The duo also worked together on the Railway Safety Act of 2025, a comprehensive rail safety legislation. In July of 2025, Deluzio and Rulli also held a joint rail safety roundtable with union rail workers and leaders from both Beaver County and Eastern Ohio.

Lawrence D. “Chacho” Lona (1942-2026)

Lawrence D. “Chacho” Lona, 83, passed away peacefully on January 14th, 2026, under hospice care at the Good Samaritan Hospice House in Wexford. He was born in East Liverpool, Ohio on October 8th, 1942, a son of the late Santiago and Milka Lona. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Milan “Fatso” Lona, Michael Lona and Steven Lona, his sister, Lola Baich, his brother-in-law, Joe Baich and his sister-in-law, Janet Lona.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Nancy, his children, Lonée Lona (Ture) and Steve (Lisa) Lona, his brother, John (Colette) Lona, his sisters, Maria (John) Caruso and Theresa “Beba” Lona; and sister-in-law, Cathy Lona. He is survived by his nephews, Douglas Miller, Michael (Lori) Miller, Michael (Teresa) Lona and John Caruso, his great-niece, Taylor Miller, his great-nephew, Sawyer Lona, his great-niece, Adison Miller and his great-nephew, Milan Miller. He also held a special bond with his beloved cousin, John Martini.

Lawrence grew up in Midland, Pennsylvania, where his strong work ethic and deep love for family were first formed. He proudly served his country as an airman in the United States Air Force from 1960 to 1964 and was stationed in Lincoln, Nebraska. His was a graduate of Lincoln High School, he went on to build a life rooted in hard work, dedicating forty years as a steelworker in his hometown before retiring from Allegheny Ludlum.  Chacho found great joy on the golf course, where he spent many happy hours playing the game. He also enjoyed watching golf tournaments on television and never missed a chance to follow the sport he loved. He liked fishing and was a devoted Steelers football fan. Above all, he loved time spent with his family and friends, especially gathering together for dinners and celebrations. Known for his humor and gift for storytelling, Chacho’s kindness and spirit will live on through the stories, laughter, and love shared by his family and friends.

Friends will be received on Saturday, January 17th, from 1-3 p.m. in the Schwerha-Noll Funeral Home, 629 Midland Avenue, Midland, who was in charge of his arrangements. Online condolences may be shared at nollfuneral.com. The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the nurses, staff, and volunteers at the Good Samaritan Hospice House for the compassionate and dignified care they provided to Lawrence and his family during his final weeks.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lawrence D. “Chacho” Lona, please visit the flower store of the Noll Funeral Home, Inc. by clicking here.