Harrisburg, PA – Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel signed a Notice of Execution setting May 14, 2021, for the execution of Paul Gamboa Taylor, who was sentenced to death in York County.

The law provides that when the governor does not sign a warrant of execution within the specified time period, the secretary of corrections has 30 days within which to issue a notice of execution.

HARRISBURG – Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced today that Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc., of State College, has been charged with four counts of theft relating to violations of the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act and the federal Davis-Bacon Act. Hawbaker is one of the largest contractors to complete projects on behalf of the Commonwealth, receiving an estimated $1.7 billion in funding as of 2021.

“This is the largest prevailing wage criminal case on record — under Pennsylvania prevailing wage law and across the United States under federal law,” said AG Shapiro. “My focus now is on holding Hawbaker accountable for breaking the law, and getting these workers their money back.”

“Employers across this Commonwealth, you are on notice: if you steal from your employees, if you misclassify workers, if you violate our labor laws, we are going to find out, we are going to hold you accountable, and we will do all we can so Pennsylvania workers receive the wages and benefits owed to them under the law,” said Shapiro.

The Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act and the Davis-Bacon Act were enacted to level the playing field and protect workers by ensuring that all contractors working on projects that receive state or federal funding pay the same wage rates, which are determined by state and federal agencies. Contractors are permitted to satisfy a portion of the required wage by providing fringe benefits to employees. This portion is referred to as a “fringe benefit credit,” and is calculated by determining the hourly equivalent of the value of the benefit to the contractor.

While Hawbaker boasted that it provided great employee benefits, in actuality, the company was stealing its workers’ retirement, health, and welfare money. As a result of Hawbaker’s conduct, individual workers lost tens of thousands of dollars from their retirement. Hawbaker used its workers’ fringe benefit funds to lower their costs, and thereby increase profits for the Hawbaker family.

“This is the third in a series of prosecutions related to wage theft and misclassification over the last few months – and it isn’t the last. Too often, the workers that get stolen from are underpaid, have been denied benefits, and have been put into dangerous situations without appropriate training. My Office is committed, with our partners in law enforcement, to keep fighting until workers are treated right,” said Shapiro.

These charges conclude a three-year investigation into the company’s practices for calculating and claiming fringe benefit credits. Investigators discovered that the company stole wages from its workers by using money intended for prevailing wage workers’ retirement funds to contribute to retirement accounts for all Hawbaker employees – including the owners and executives. As a result, workers received less money in their retirement accounts than what was owed.

Hawbaker also stole funds intended for prevailing wage workers’ health and welfare benefits and used them to subsidize the cost of the self-funded health insurance plan that covers all employees. The company disguised its scheme by artificially inflating its records of benefit spending by millions of dollars each year and claiming credit for prohibited costs. Those measures created the appearance that it provided employees with benefits that far exceeded the cost of those that it actually did.

Although investigators determined that the complex and well-disguised sleight of hand had gone on for decades, Hawbaker could only be charged for the last five years due to the statute of limitations.

Attorney General Shapiro recognized the people on the ground who noticed the theft taking place and thanked them for sounding the alarm.

“I recognize that thousands of people across Pennsylvania are finding out for the first time that they were a victim to this company’s crimes. If you are a worker and you believe that you may have lost out on benefits because of this company’s actions, we want to hear from you,” concluded Shapiro. “We’ve set a hotline for workers to reach out: 814-746-3518.”

The charges were filed by Supervisory Narcotics Agent Thomas Moore. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Philip McCarthy and Lisa Eisenberg, Senior Deputy Attorney General Anthony Forray, and Chief Deputy Attorneys General Nancy A. Walker and Kirsten Heine.

Biden tightens some gun controls, says much more needed
By ALEXANDRA JAFFE, AAMER MADHANI and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — In President Joe Biden’s first notable gun control measures, he has announced executive actions aimed at addressing what the White House calls a “gun violence public health epidemic. In his actions announced Thursday, Biden is tightening regulations for “ghost guns” — homemade firearms that usually are assembled from parts without serial numbers — and tightening regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces, like the one used by the Boulder, Colorado, shooter in a rampage last month that left 10 dead. Gun-control advocates praised the actions but said much more must be done in Congress — where chances are much dimmer.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano 

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Aliquippa City Council, via ZOOM last night approved  a letter of support  submitted by MWAA  ‘s application  for a Community Project Funding  Request for FY22 Appropriations  for $15,000,000 for construction of the  new water treatment plant .

(file Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) James Bologna, Aliquippa’s Code and Zoning Officer  submitted a list of 13 properties  purchased by residents  from the county repository.  The properties are located in various city neighborhoods , and Councilman Donald Walker  thanked those that purchased the properties, and thanks for believing in Aliquippa.” City Manager Sam Gill  praised Alex Scott and Jim Bologna  they,  are working very hard , Alex’s accomplishments  on projects has saved the city a lot of dollars.”

(Monaca, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reported this that they have charged 37-year-old Kristin Brown of Ambridge with a DUI on View Drugs after State Police stopped her for driving with a suspended license in the area of Industrial Park Road and Pennsylvania Ave. in Monaca on February 26, 2021. Troopers reported via release that Brown admitted to using various controlled substances and she was found to be impaired. Brown was arrested on suspicion of DUI and charges are pending at the local magistrates office.

By Mark Peterson, Beaver County Radio Special Assignment Correspondent.

(Beaver County, PA)  April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Beaver County Radio has partnered with The Women’s Center of Beaver County to raise awareness about the topic.  Four weekly segments will air throughout the month with each focusing on different aspects of sexual abuse.

Today’s installment is the first in the four part series and sheds light on the issues of recall.  Specifically, how trauma can affect one’s ability to remember events and details clearly afterwards.  Beaver County Radio spoke with Patty Huselton earlier in a live on air interview about this very subject.  Ms. Huselton is a legal advocate available to victims of Sexual Assault through the Women’s Center of Beaver County.

Huselton even likened the struggle to remember important facts after a sexual assault incident as if  one were trying to make sense of a box of puzzle pieces dumped out on the floor.

Huselton later on pointed out that many times, it’s natural for victims of sexual assault, or anyone put into a threatening situation to be able to accurately remember important details, especially the timeline of events when trying to recall things in a courtroom.  That’s why it is very important for these victims to have a legal advocate working along side of them as they navigate through the legal system. The Women’s Center of Beaver County provides these services and welcomes inquiries.  Raising awareness of this valuable service is all part of local initiatives from the Women’s Center of Beaver County to coincide with National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which happens in April of every year.

For more information, call the Women’s Center of Beaver County at 724-775-0131. Help and counseling are available 24 hours a day.

Part two in this special series is scheduled to air and be published online next Thursday, April 15th, so be sure to check back then for more valuable information on the issues surrounding sexual assault  from Beaver County Radio and The Women’s Center of Beaver County.

(Koppel, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that they have cited a Koppel man for an incident that occurred around 10 PM on April 6, 2021.
Troopers via release said that 31-year-old Jonathan Stephenson of Koppel was cited after his dog got lose from a fenced in yard and attacked 37-year-old Timothy Winkle’s dog. Stephenson’s dog injured Winkle’s dog in the incident according to the release and Stephenson was cited for not keeping his dog confined with the local Magistrates Office.