Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano 

(Aliquippa, Pa.) The visitor’s  grandstand in the  Carl A. Aschman Stadium  has been closed for a few years due to safety concerns. At Wednesday night’s school board meeting a decision was made to apply for a Community Development Block Grant  to refurbish or demolish the structure.

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Christopher Mangelli of Koppel was indicted on robbery charges by acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Stephen Kaufman. Kaufman says that the 36-year-old is accused of robbing a Kwik-Fil convenience store on August 30, 2020 and the Huntington Bank in New Brighton on September 14, 2020.

In the Kwik-Fil robbery he took a little over $100.00 and in the Huntington Bank robbery he took around $1400.00. Mangelli faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. The FBI and the Cranberry Township Police Department conducted the investigation in the case.

I-376 Parkway West Lane Restrictions Next Week in Allegheny County

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh)

The New Brighton Borough Council held their monthly meeting tonight and discussed a few different things. One member of the community attended the meeting to voice his opinions on the property at 909 Harmony Avenue, that is slated to be demolished. He would like the chance to rehabilitate the property and said “it would be a shame to tear it down”.  Another topic of discussion was a roof in need of repairs at the Waste Water Treatment Plant.  Borough Manager Tom Albanese  stated that they would like to install an umbrella roof at a cost of 21,867 dollars. Also discussed was an agreement for the New Brighton Little Lions to utilize the practice facility at Oak Hill Field for the 2021 football season and a request by a resident to close 6th Avenue from 5th street to Strawberry Alley on a day in June for a graduation party.  A request was also made by Council Member Jay Glover to begin discussions of adding a new shelter to Big Rock Park.  Audio from the meeting can be heard below:

Borough Manager Tom Albanese on the Waste Water Treatment Plant:

Borough Manager Tom Albanese on Little Lions and road closure:

Council Member Jay Glover on Big Rock shelter:

Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier was joined by Rep. Patty Kim, Sen. Christine Tartaglione, and Elementary Coffee owner Andrea Grove to call for an increase to Pennsylvania’s outdated minimum wage to $12 an hour with a pathway to $15 by 2027. This increase – the first since 2009 – will benefit working families and local economies and boost the incomes of more than 1.1 million Pennsylvania workers.

“Over the past decade, prices for food, housing, education, childcare, and other critical needs have increased significantly while the minimum wage earned by Pennsylvanians has remained stagnant,” said Acting Secretary Berrier. “While every state surrounding us has recognized this loss of purchasing power and increased their minimum wage, we have continued to fall further behind. Now many Pennsylvanians are facing job loss and have no savings because they were working jobs that paid too little to allow them to set aside money for emergencies. We cannot let this crisis continue – we need to raise our minimum wage now and allow hardworking Pennsylvanians the dignity of
providing for themselves.”

Governor Tom Wolf is proposing to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2027, boosting incomes for nearly 1.1 million workers and put $4.4 billion into the pockets of Pennsylvania workers in the first year. Raising the wage to $12 an hour will inject an additional $116.4 million into Pennsylvania’s economy; an increase to $15 will bolster Pennsylvania’s economy by $320.6 million in 2027.

Pennsylvania follows IRS in delaying tax deadline to May 17
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania will delay its tax filing deadline from April 15 until May 17, after the Internal Revenue Service said it is delaying the federal tax filing deadline until May 17. The state Department of Revenue said Thursday that the state’s tax-filing deadline is tied by law to the federal deadline. The IRS announced its decision Wednesday. The move provides more breathing room for taxpayers and the IRS alike to cope with changes brought on by the pandemic. Taxpayers who owe money would not face any further penalties or interest on final 2020 personal income tax returns and payments if they pay by May 17.

Stone tablet marking First Amendment freedoms finds new home
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A four-story, 50-ton marble tablet engraved with the text of the First Amendment will find a new home in Philadelphia now that the Newseum in Washington has closed. The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will erect the tablet in an atrium overlooking Independence Hall. That’s where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were adopted. It’s a gift from the Freedom Forum, and a dedication ceremony is planned for later this year. The Freedom Forum was the creator of the Newseum. The Newseum was sold to Johns Hopkins University and closed in 2019.