(File Photo)
Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano
(Hopewell, Pa.) The Hopewell School Board had their annual reorganization meeting on Monday night and  Beaver County Court of Common Pleas Judge Dale Fouse  swore in  six Hopewell  School Board members  prior to the board’s meeting. David Bufalini, Jeannette Miller, Bethany Pistorius, Dan Santia, Jeffrey Winkle, and Lindsay Zupsic.

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Story by Frank Sparks News/Program Director
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) A Beaver Falls Man has been sentenced to 25 to 37 months in jail after he lied about buying four 9 MM Taurus pistols from the Rural King Store at the Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca.

Calvin Brady Jr. went to the Rural King with two other men on December 12, 2020 and bought the four pistols along with extended magazines. He told the store employee that he was buying the guns for himself.

The next day, New Jersey State Police arrested the two men that were with Brady when he purchased the guns after a high speed chase. During the chase the men threw three guns out of the vehicle. The guns were found by officers and traced back to Brady purchasing them at the Rural King Store.

Store video showed the men with Brady at the store and Police charged Brady with lying to them.

Brady will now serve 25 to 37 months behind bars, serve a period of probation after release, and also pay a fine.

Keystone State News Connection

December 8, 2021
Report: Child-Abuse Cases in PA Rose in 2020
Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With kids stuck at home early in the pandemic, a new report said child-abuse cases decreased in 2020, but children’s advocates say it is likely a result of the abuse going undocumented, and there is work to be done to better respond to children’s needs during a public-health crisis.

Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s annual State of Child Welfare report showed nearly 33,000 fewer cases of child abuse or neglect in 2020 than the previous year, a 22% decrease. But this year, the number of abuse cases investigated and substantiated was at its highest in the last five years.

Rachel Miller, policy director at Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said it is cause for concern.

“As stay-at-home orders were implemented, children were moved to virtual learning and having less contact with those mandated reporters, such as teachers or medical professionals,” Miller explained. “And we saw a direct correlation to a significant decrease in mandated reporting trends.”

Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS) data from 2021 on child-abuse reports, investigations, and foster care will not be available until 2022. Miller predicts the state will likely see an increase in kids entering foster care or staying longer in the system as a result of mandated reporting making a comeback.

The report also included policy recommendations, such as investing in the Child Protective Services workforce, which has seen high turnover due to low pay and burnout exacerbated by the pandemic.

Miller argued the skilled workers are critical to preventing child abuse and intervening when abuse is detected.

“Child-welfare staff are essential employees,” Miller contended. “Those staff shortages lead to workers carrying high caseloads where they can barely do the bare minimum, let alone meet any of the other important outcomes for children like conducting thorough investigations, preventing placement and ensuring permanency.”

She added the Pennsylvania Partnerships report has been shared with DHS. Other recommendations included creating a statewide case management system and addressing racial inequity in child protective services and foster care.

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Wednesday December 8, 2021 at 7:01 AM
HARRISBURG – Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), chairman of the House State Government Committee, is thanking Pennsylvanians for their input to date on Pennsylvania’s future congressional districts.
“Thank you to every resident who submitted a statewide map for consideration, shared about their community of interest or took the time to comment on the 2018 Supreme Court map with our online mapping tool,” Grove said. “Your involvement in this once-in-a-decade process has been very much appreciated, and we look forward to requesting more public input as we move forward in this process.”
For the last several months, residents were invited to use the website’s online mapping tool to identify communities of interest and comment on the current congressional map drawn by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2018. In recent weeks, residents were also able to submit verified statewide maps for consideration.
Using the online tool, Pennsylvanians identified 134 communities of interest, provided 153 comments on the current map and submitted 19 verified statewide maps for consideration. While the window for providing input into map development is closed, residents are encouraged to view publicly submitted maps, communities of interest and comments by visiting www.paredistricting.com/input.
“People from all walks of life and from every corner of our Commonwealth took the time to engage in this process,” Grove said. “Whether they testified at one of our regional hearings or submitted their feedback online, their input has been invaluable to the committee as we’ve embarked on the most open and transparent congressional redistricting effort in Pennsylvania history.”
To ensure public input was top priority in this unprecedented process, the House State Government Committee, which is tasked with creating new congressional district maps, also held 12 hearings, including eight regional hearings in various parts of the state to receive input from residents. To watch or read testimony from one of the previously held hearings, residents should visit www.paredistricting.com/hearingschedule.

(File Photo)

Story by Frank Sparks News/Program Director 

Wednesday, January 8, 2021

(New Brighton, Pa.) The New Brighton Are School Board held their annual Reorganization Meeting on Monday, December 6, 2021 and set their meeting dates for 2022. The Board will hold Committee Meetings the 2nd Monday and Voting Meetings the 4th Monday of each month

All meetings will be held in the High School Little Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

On January 3, 2022 their will be the Committee Meeting and a Special Voting meeting for the purpose of, but not limited to, appointment of a School Board Member, immediately followed by the Committee Meeting. There will not be a meeting on January 10, 2021.
There will be no meetings in scheduled in July and the board will hold a special meeting on August 8, 2022 regarding personnel followed by a committee meeting. There will only be one meeting in November and they will hold a reorganization meeting on December 5, 2022.

The voting on the Proposed Final Budget will be on May 23, 2022 and the final vote will be held on June 27, 2022. The budget will be available for public review during regular business hours in the District Administration Office on June 1, 2022.

The Board of Directors has completed a Superintendent Performance Evaluation for Dr. Joseph A. Guarino and his performance rating was proficient or distinguished across all categories.

Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 05:46 AM
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s high court may soon decide whether state law on police use of deadly force during arrests gives officers too much leeway to kill a fleeing suspect. The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments Tuesday. The question arose during the criminal prosecution of former Philadelphia police officer Ryan Pownall for a fatal June 2017 shooting. The 39-year-old former cop is charged with third-degree murder for the death of David Jones after a confrontation over Jones driving a dirt bike on a Philadelphia street. His criminal trial is on hold while the courts sort out a potential jury instruction on the proper standard for deadly force by police in Pennsylvania.

(New Galilee, Pa.) A member of New Galilee’s Borough council resigned last week after a video on an outdoor security camera at someone’s house surfaced on social media showing him intentionally trying to run over a stray cat with his pick-up truck.
Frank Pagani Jr. resigned last week after the incident that took place on the December 1, 2021 was brought to the attention of the borough council.
The Beaver County Humane Society has launched an investigation but no charges have been filed to date.

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Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano
Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 9:54 AM
(Ambridge, Pa.) Ambridge Police Chief John DeLuca issued a press release Tuesday morning in response to a a report of shots fired  at approximately 1:10 p.m. Monday, December 6, 2021, in the area of 45 Economy Village.  When officers approached the scene  they were given information that two male juveniles fled the area. There were no injuries reported.  Through setting up a perimeter with several agencies assisting Ambridge Police they were able to locate two juvenile males hiding neat Locust Street Apartments at  which time they were taken into custody. Upon further investigation charges will be filed against both actors. Due to the males being juveniles, no names will be released.

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Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 7:47 AM
(West Aliquippa, Pa.) Fire broke out inside of a duplex in West Aliquippa shortly before 4:30 AM Tuesday morning, December 7, 2021 on  Erie Avenue.

Aliquippa Fire Captain Joe Trone reported to Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano that the fire is now out. Captain Trone said ‘STRIKE TEAM” assisted at the scene.
The captain said the home is under renovation and the fire started in a bedroom.

No injuries were reported.
Preliminary investigation suggests a person somehow made their way into the building and started the fire to keep warm.

Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 6:56 AM

(Hopewell, Pa.) We are now learning more about the accident that claimed the life of a Beaver man. PA State Police in Beaver reported yesterday that 41-year-old Timothy Baclit of Beaver was pronounced dead after he fell from an overpass on Interstate 376 in Hopewell Twp. early Sunday morning when he stopped to assist a motorist according to a release.
Baclit and another unnamed motorist stopped to help another motorist who had wrecked on Interstate 376 Westbound near Bryson Road. Baclit went around the back side of the vehicle to help extract the individual. He Stood up on the concrete wall and slipped and fell off the bridge
Troopers say the incident happened around 1:10 a.m.
According to a release Baclit suffered critical injuries and was pronounced dead when police found him at the bottom of the hillside.
The incident is still under investigation.