(Credit and Caption for Photo: Various councils within the 911th Airlift Wing meet at the Cliff Mine trail head portion of Montour Trail at Findlay Township,, Pennsylvania, June 7, 2026. The meet included a ruck march throughout the morning portion of the Unit Training Assembly to communicate the importance of the new fitness standards military-wide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Laura Hessen)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Cecil Township, PA) The National Tunnel, a tunnel located at the Montour Trail, is closed for repairs.

The Montour Trail Council expects the tunnel in Cecil Township to remain closed until September of 2027 and they are trying to raise $3 million to repair it.

This tunnel needs work including a steel liner of 295 feet.

The Montour Trail is the longest suburban rail trail in the United States of America and it is over 60 miles long.

It goes through Allegheny and Washington Counties and connects Coraopolis to Clairton. 

(File Photo: Source and Caption for Photo: FILE – Allegheny County Election Division Deputy Manager Chet Harhut explains the process of sorting mail-in and absentee ballots in preparations for Pennsylvania’s primary election on April 23, at the Elections warehouse in Pittsburgh, April 18, 2024. Pennsylvania election officials said Wednesday, May 8, 2024 that the number of mail-in ballots rejected for technicalities, like a missing date, saw a significant drop in last month’s primary election after state officials tried anew to help voters avoid mistakes that might get their ballot thrown out. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) A man from Apollo is now accused of voting twice during the November 2024 general election.

These allegations say that 65-year-old Jeffrey Pope voted for the office of president in both Pennsylvania and Alaska.  

According to a release on the indictment, Pope, who was registered to vote in Pennsylvania since 1999, purchased a property in Alaska in 2023. 

The release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania stated that Pope completed and submitted a mail-in ballot to vote for president in Alaska around October 18th, 2024 and then, around October 22nd, 2024, he submitted a mail-in ballot for the same office in Pennsylvania. 

Officials confirm that Pope “knowingly and willfully” signed a false declaration which stated he was qualified to vote with the Pennsylvania ballot and had not already voted in the election. 

Pope faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of around $250,000, or both. 

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Center Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported on Saturday that twenty-four-year-old Mekayle Powell of Columbus, Ohio was given a written warning after crashing her vehicle in Center Township on August 9th. 

The crash occurred on I-376 East at 2 a.m.

There were no reported injuries. 

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hopewell Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported on Saturday that charges were filed against an unidentified driver after a two-vehicle crash occurred in Hopewell Township on July 12th.

This crash happened on Laurel Road at its intersection with Jordan Street at 5:28 p.m.

According to police, the driver who was charged failed to come to a complete stop and proceeded into that intersection without making sure it was safe to do so and hit the vehicle of another driver.

There were no reported injuries.  

(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Center Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported on Saturday that charges were filed against twenty-eight-year-old Espoire Assan of Pittsburgh after he crashed his vehicle in Center Township on July 29th.

Assan was driving on I-76 West at the Monaca exit at approximately 73 miles per hour at 5:16 p.m. and noticed that traffic was stopped.

Assan jammed on the brakes of his vehicle and swerved to the right before hitting a guide rail with his vehicle.

There were no reported injuries. 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Kennywood, Posted on Facebook on August 14th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(West Mifflin, PA) Kennywood Park has announced that the Thunderbolt will remain open until September even though it was scheduled to close today for maintenance purposes. 

According to Kennywood general manager Ricky Spicuzza, the park decided to time the closure more with the end of the summer season after Labor Day. 

Spicuzza noted that September 12th was the date that was planned for the Thunderbolt to close.  

The reason that the iconic roller coaster is closing is because of routine maintenance activities. 

Kennywood crews will work on each of its sections so they can be in good condition. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Luigi Mangione attends a pre-trial hearing at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (David Dee Delgado/Pool Photo via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, admitting matter-of-factly that he trailed the executive to an investor conference and gunned him down on a New York City street in 2024.

Mangione, 28, said he made a gun with the aid of a 3D printer, traveled to New York and used a ruse — posing as an investor at a multibillion-dollar firm — to contact the company for details on the event.

“On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” Mangione told the Manhattan federal court, which he entered shackled at the feet but not handcuffed in his beige jail uniform.

Listening in the audience, Thompson’s wife, Paulette, took several deep breaths and repeatedly wiped tears from her eyes.

Prosecutors plan to seek a life prison term at Mangione’s sentencing, set for Dec. 18. When U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett asked whether he understood that he could spend the rest of his life behind bars, Mangione answered neutrally: “Yes.”

In a statement, Thompson’s family called the plea “an important step toward justice” and noted that Mangione still faces other cases, including a New York state murder prosecution. It carries the potential for a separate long sentence.

(File Photo of Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that restrictions on Interstate 79 in Marshall Township and Franklin Park Borough in Allegheny County will continue this week, August 17th-21st, weather permitting.

Between 7:00 PM and 6:00 AM each night, northbound I-79 will be reduced to a single-lane of traffic between the off and on-ramps at the Route 910/Wexford (Exit 73) interchange as overhead bridge work will occur.