(File Photo; Source for Photo: FILE – Dr. Jessica Early holds a vial of the combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at Prisma Health Pediatrics in Greer, S.C., March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Pennsylvania officials have reported a fourth measles-associated death.

The latest death involved an 18-year-old resident of Mifflin County, in the center of the state, the county coroner’s office said in a Facebook post. The cause was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a rare and severe neurological complication of measles, it said.

On Saturday, a 40-year-old woman from Jefferson County, a rural area in western Pennsylvania, died of measles complications. And last month, two measles-infected infants died in Lancaster County, in the southeastern part of the state.

None of the four were vaccinated, according to the state health department. The infants were too young for vaccinations, according to current recommendations.

The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991 and has seen seven reported measles-associated deaths in the last two years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades.

Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak continues to grow, with nearly 700 illnesses reported so far this year across 38 counties, including about 100 cases in the last seven days. The measles-associated deaths are the first reported in the state in 35 years, state officials say.

“My thoughts are with the two families who lost loved ones to this highly contagious virus, as Pennsylvania faces the worst measles outbreak in more than three decades,” the state’s health secretary, Dr. Debra Bogen, said in a statement Tuesday, referring to the two most recent deaths — those of the adults.

“We remain committed to working with our partners across Pennsylvania to stem this outbreak and prevent more deaths. That means ensuring people have the facts about measles and access to the MMR vaccine, which kept measles outbreaks at bay for decades.”

The nation eliminated the domestic spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, but they have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks. Meanwhile, measles infections have been surging in recent years.

In November, international health officials will meet to determine if the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.

The problem has been years in the making, as fewer kids get routine vaccines due to parental waivers, health care access issues and rampant disinformation. More recently, Trump administration health officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have questioned and sown doubt about the established safety of vaccines at an unprecedented level while also defunding local efforts to improve vaccination rates.

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced yesterday that a resident of Pittsburgh has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months of imprisonment, to be followed by 48 months of supervised release, on his conviction for possession with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of fluorofentanyl, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of cocaine, and a quantity of crack cocaine.

Thirty-seven-year-old Anthony Johnson was sentenced. 

According to information presented to the Court, in the spring of 2022, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General opened a drug investigation into Johnson. The investigation established that he resided in Pittsburgh and stored distribution quantities of controlled substances within a stash house that was located in Verona. 

Authorities executed a search warrant upon Johnson’s stash house on May 10th, 2022, and that house is where they seized controlled substances, $57,239, and drug packaging material.

A forensic scientist weighed and analyzed those controlled substances, and determined that the substances included 21 grams of a fluorofentanyl and fentanyl mixture, 100 grams of fentanyl, 544 grams of cocaine, and 14 grams of cocaine base in the form commonly known as crack.

(Photo courtesy of Dr. George Zambelli)

Virgina Avenue/Adams Street reopened to traffic.

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is announcing the long-term closure of Route 68 (Adams Street, Virginia Avenue) in Rochester Borough and Rochester Township, Beaver County has been lifted.

Crews closed Route 68 between the Rochester Roundabout at Adams Street and Jefferson Street at Virginia Avenue on April 6 to conduct full-depth roadway reconstruction, drainage upgrades, concrete curb removal and replacement, shoulder improvements, and signal and intersection updates. The work requiring the full closure has been completed, and the road has reopened to traffic two months ahead of schedule.

There will continue to be alternating single-lane restrictions controlled by flaggers from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM weekdays, as needed, through mid-November to allow crews to complete drainage work, line painting, and other miscellaneous construction activities.

The Route 68 Virginia Avenue/Adams Street project began in May of 2025 for a cost of $7.04 million. The project is anticipated to conclude by late fall of 2026 and will include roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements, guide rail and signing updates, traffic signal upgrades, pavement markings and delineation, and other miscellaneous construction from the roundabout in Rochester Borough continuing approximately 1.3 miles to the intersection of Route 68 (Virginia Avenue) and Sunflower Road in Rochester Township.

Travelers can check conditions on major roads by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.

Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and find transportation results in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict11.

(Credit for Photos Below and Headline Photo: Photos Courtesy of Dr. George Zambelli, Posted on Facebook on September 15th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Rochester, PA) Adams Street in Rochester will be reopening tonight after the road closed for construction work.

Dr. George Zambelli reported the reopening of the road and that the topcoat of pavement is going on it today.

The original entrance to get to Zambelli’s office is also open today.

This comes after Zambelli worked with Rochester Borough officials to demolish a home that he owned to make a new temporary roadway entrance so patients can gain access to the parking lot of his office during the construction work on Adams Street.

The plan included adding an entrance and exit connecting the lot to an alley behind the office between New York Avenue and Ohio Street.

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today that a resident of Valencia, Pennsylvania, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with receiving a firearm and ammunition, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the firearm and ammunition would be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism, including providing, attempting to provide, and conspiring to provide
material support or resources to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Twenty-one-year-old Jonathan Hunter Kramer received this charge and FBI agents
interdicted him this weekend as he returned to a hotel in possession of three 30-round capacity rifle magazines and five boxes of rifle ammunition.

The FBI executed search warrants, seized a semiautomatic rifle and ammunition from his hotel room, and arrested him outside of the Cranberry Park Hotel.

One subsequent investigation confirmed that Kramer had been using the online persona of “Hamza Al Rashid” who claimed affiliation with ISIS and put up an offer to share explosive manuals with others, as well as making an expression for his intent to prepare for his “mission” and that he was just missing a “weapon.”

The United States has requested detention of Kramer and that he be held without bond pending trial, because the U.S. asserts that he is a danger to the community.

Kramer waived a detention hearing during his initial appearance in court yesterday,  but requested a preliminary examination hearing on the complaint, which is scheduled for tomorrow.

(File Photo of State Representative Rob Matzie)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) State Representative Rob Matzie announced today that new grants totaling nearly $2.7 million from the Commonwealth Financing Authority will fund multiple water infrastructure improvements and the purchase of new police and fire vehicles for Beaver County municipalities.

Matzie confirmed that many of the 17 grants secured will support construction and engineering costs to improve municipal water, wastewater, and stormwater services. 

According to a release from Matzie’s office, Matzie said the funding includes:

• $300,000 to Ambridge Borough for the purchase of a new ladder fire truck to replace the current unit, which has exceeded its useful life.
• $300,000 to Baden Borough to allow the Baden Volunteer Fire Department to purchase a new fire engine to replace an aging, malfunctioning one.
• $250,000 to Center Township Water Authority to replace deteriorating and undersized infrastructure in the water distribution system along Old Brodhead Road, including replacement of 2,300 feet of waterline plus service reconnections and site restoration.
• $250,000 to Hopewell Township to address frequent, localized flooding at Hopewell Community Park through 500 feet of stream restoration, riparian buffer planting and storm sewer installation.
• $200,000 to the Aliquippa Municipal Water Authority to replace 35,000 feet of antiquated cast iron waterlines joined with leaded sealant in the Plan 6 area constructed in the1900s-1930s. Work will include 50 water service line replacements, service reconnections and site restoration.
• $200,000 to Center Township Water Authority to replace 1,500 feet of aging/undersized waterlines on Elm Drive, part of Highland Avenue, and Chestnut Drive between Old Brodhead Road and Highland Avenue (plus service reconnections and site restoration) to improve reliability and fire protection.
• $200,000 to Center Township Water Authority to replace 1,700 feet of aging/undersized waterlines along Wickham Drive to reduce line breaks, service disruptions and improve pressure and fire safety. Work will include two new hydrants, service reconnections and site restoration.
• $150,000 to Baden Borough to repair an aging stormwater system causing poor drainage along State Route 2012/Philips Street. Work will include replacing 258 feet of pipe and treating another 1,459 feet with cure-in-place pipe lining.
• $150,000 to Center Township for storm sewer improvements to reduce flooding along Golfview Drive adjacent to Beaver Valley Mall, including replacing 770 feet of storm sewer pipe, seven inlets, and one manhole; spot repair to 200 feet of concrete curb; and site restoration work.
• $100,000 to Center Township to replace the existing stormwater culvert that carries the Moon Run stream under Wolfe Drive to improve water quality and motorist safety. Work will include installing a new culvert, storm sewers and related infrastructure, plus site restoration.
• $100,000 to Conway Borough to help the Beaver Valley Regional Police Department purchase six new patrol vehicles for use in Baden, Conway and Freedom boroughs and Rochester Township.
• $100,000 to the Freedom Borough Collection and Conveyance Authority for critical rehabilitation work to 3,785 feet of aging sanitary sewer infrastructure on 6^th to 8^th avenues between 14^th and 18^th streets, to restore pipe integrity and prevent blockages and overflows.
• $100,000 to Harmony Township for landslide remediation work to address areas of slope movement along Forest, Ridge and Valley roads. The project will include stabilizing active slide areas, anchoring unstable soils, constructing reinforced walls and other work.
• $100,000 to Rochester Area Joint Sewer Authority to replace the treatment plant’s belt filter press, which filters out sludge from water.
• $75,000 to Ambridge Water Authority to replace 650 feet of aging waterline along Maplewood Avenue in Ambridge, install 1,560 feet of restrained joint ductile iron pipe, replace lead lines as identified, reconnect 80 water services, install hydrants and perform site restoration.
• $75,000 to Rochester Township to demolish the existing exposed salt storage structure and construct a new, enclosed salt storage pole barn to safely house winter deicing materials.
• $25,000 to Rochester Borough for equipment for the Rochester Borough Police Department.

These grants come from the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Local Share Account, which is funded by gaming revenue and local share assessments that are generated by licensed gaming facilities such as casinos and racetracks.