(File Photo of the PennDOT logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to a release from PennDOT in Pittsburgh yesterday, local officials highlighted the accomplishments of the 2025 construction season, including $512 million in infrastructure investments in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties spotlighting upcoming work on the I-376 Commercial Street Bridge replacement project. PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said: “The Shapiro Administration is dedicated to continuing to invest in our Pennsylvania roadways and bridges to enhance the commute and safety of the customers we serve. We are proud to announce with the infrastructure funding in the greater Pittsburgh region this year, PennDOT District 11 delivered dozens of quality projects for local residents and others traveling through.” That same release from PennDOT states that the highlights in the 2025 construction season for their District 11 include: “49 projects put out to bid, approximately 724 miles of paving and roadway maintenance, 44 bridges repaired or replaced, including 13 in poor condition and 42 slides repaired.”

(File Photo of the Highmark Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Highmark announced the launch of (un)Hungry yesterday, which is a yearly community movement that addresses food insecurity during the holiday season. The campaign represents a continuation of deep and long-standing commitment that Highmark has to improve food insecurity across Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and New York. According to a release from Highmark yesterday, the initiative is designed to raise awareness and complement existing food and monetary donations during the holiday season, when individuals are more likely to give and request support and the campaign benefits 15 food partners across its footprint, including the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Westmoreland Food Bank locally.

(Photo Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Lottery)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) An unidentified person in Pennsylvania won $760,000 from a Match 6 Lotto Pennsylvania Lottery ticket by buying it at the Shop ‘N Go Deli on Route 837 in West Elizabeth in Allegheny County for a drawing on Monday. The ticket matched all six of these numbers: 19, 25, 31, 33, 37, and 38. The store that sold this ticket will receive a $5,000 bonus. Over 28,000 other Match 6 Lotto tickets won prizes in the drawing on Monday. 

(Photo of Jason Lando Courtesy of Justin Guido/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A source told WTAE last night that newly elected Pittsburgh mayor Corey O’Connor will nominate Jason Lando as the next police chief of the Steel City. The Pittsburgh native spent over twenty-one years as a commander with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. According to a preliminary budget, the police chief is expected to make about $180,000 next year. Lando also attended the Tree of Life Synagogue when he was growing up and directed operations there during the worst anti-semitic shooting in United States history on October 27th, 2018. The official announcement from O’Connor on this nomination is expected to be at 1:30 p.m. today.

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: PennDOT, PSP, PTC, Construction Industry Highlight National Work Zone Awareness Week)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that today, weather permitting, a lane restriction on southbound I-279 (Parkway North) in the City of Pittsburgh will occur. From approximately 10 a.m. to noon today, a single-lane restriction will occur on southbound I-279 between the East Street (Exit 4) and East Ohio Steet (Exit 2B) interchanges as crews from Swank Construction will conduct paving operations in the left shoulder and two southbound lanes will remain open to traffic while the paving work occurs. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: President Donald Trump signs the funding bill to reopen the government, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks.

The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.

The Republican president blamed the situation on Democrats and suggested voters shouldn’t reward the party during next year’s midterm elections.

“So I just want to tell the American people, you should not forget this,” Trump said. “When we come up to midterms and other things, don’t forget what they’ve done to our country.”

The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had already passed the measure Monday.

Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced tax credit expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time.

“We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don’t work,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “They never achieve the objective that you announce. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that objective yet, and you’re not going to.”

A bitter end after a long stalemate

The frustration and pressures generated by the shutdown was reflected when lawmakers debated the spending measure on the House floor.

Republicans said Democrats sought to use the pain generated by the shutdown to prevail in a policy dispute.

“They knew it would cause pain and they did it anyway,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

Democrats said Republicans raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year that they say mostly will benefit the wealthy. But the bill before the House Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero guarantee there will ever, ever be a vote to extend tax credits to help everyday people pay for their health care,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would not give up on the subsidy extension even if the vote did not go their way.

“This fight is not over,” Jeffries said. “We’re just getting started.”

The House had not been in legislative session since Sept. 19, when it passed a short-term measure to keep the government open when the new budget year began in October. Johnson sent lawmakers home after that vote and put the onus on the Senate to act, saying House Republicans had done their job.

What’s in the bill to end the shutdown

The legislation is the result of a deal reached by eight senators who broke ranks with the Democrats after reaching the conclusion that Republicans would not bend on using a government funding to bill to extend the health care tax credits.

The compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of government funding through Jan. 30. Republicans promised to hold a vote by mid-December to extend the health care subsidies, but there is no guarantee of success.

The bill includes a reversal of the firing of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began. It also protects federal workers against further layoffs through January and guarantees they are paid once the shutdown is over. The bill for the Agriculture Department means people who rely on key food assistance programs will see those benefits funded without threat of interruption through the rest of the budget year.

The package includes $203.5 million to boost security for lawmakers and an additional $28 million for the security of Supreme Court justices.

Democrats also decried language in the bill that would give senators the opportunity to sue when a federal agency or employee searches their electronic records without notifying them, allowing for up to $500,000 in potential damages for each violation.

The language seems aimed at helping Republican senators pursue damages if their phone records were analyzed by the FBI as part of an investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. The provisions drew criticism from Republicans as well. Johnson said he was “very angry about it.”

“That was dropped in at the last minute, and I did not appreciate that, nor did most of the House members,” Johnson said, promising a vote on the matter as early as next week.

The biggest point of contention, though, was the fate of the expiring enhanced tax credit that makes health insurance more affordable through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

“It’s a subsidy on top of a subsidy. Our friends added it during COVID,” Cole said. “COVID is over. They set a date certain that the subsidies would run out. They chose the date.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the enhanced tax credit was designed to give more people access to health care and no Republican voted for it.

“All they have done is try to eliminate access to health care in our country. The country is catching on to them,” Pelosi said.

Without the enhanced tax credit, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans. More than 2 million people would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the Congressional Budget Office projected.

Health care debate ahead

It’s unclear whether the parties will find any common ground on health care before the December vote in the Senate. Johnson has said he will not commit to bringing it up in his chamber.

Some Republicans have said they are open to extending the COVID-19 pandemic-era tax credits as premiums will soar for millions of people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies. Some argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals rather than go directly to insurance companies.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Monday that she was supportive of extending the tax credits with changes, such as new income caps. Some Democrats have signaled they could be open to that idea.

House Democrats expressed great skepticism that the Senate effort would lead to a breakthrough.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Republicans have wanted to repeal the health overhaul for the past 15 years. “That’s where they’re trying to go,” she said.

(File Photo of the Beaver County Courthouse)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver, PA) Several topics were discussed at the Beaver County Commissioners’ work session this morning at 10 a.m. at the Beaver County Courthouse in Beaver. One was the Beaver County budget, which Beaver County Financial Consultant Corey Troutman noted was around $23 million. There was also a very close election result in Beaver County from last week because the race for the North Sewickley Township supervisor between Democrat Emmitt J. Santillo and Republican Beth Meteney ended in a tie. During the Solicitors’ report of the session, Beaver County Solicitor Garen Fedeles stated: “there were five provisional ballots that were just counted right now, it looks like that there was a victor by one vote in that particular race.” According to Beaver County Director of Elections Colin Sisk, the unofficial result was a win for Santillo with 876 votes over Meteny with 875 votes. Commissioner Jack Manning also gave an update on two Beaver County bridges during the Commisioners’ report of the session as they will be on the tip for 2026. One of the two bridges that Manning mentioned is the Aliquippa-Ambridge bridge, which will have financing for a study in 2026 to figure out the process of how to replace it. The other bridge mentioned by Manning was the Country Club Bridge on Route 65 which will have financing to be replaced in 2026. Some of the recent resolutions mentioned by Fedeles during the solicitors’ report included a Liberty Bell being put up at the Beaver County Courthouse to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America in 2026 and an agreement to continue lease some space at the Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca for the Senior Center there.

SCOTT TADY

PITTSBURGH — We can start with the numbers: An 83-year-old musical legend thrilling a sold-out PPG Paints Arena crowd with 35 songs expertly paced throughout two-hours-40-minutes of nonstop fun.

But it’s the unquantifiable measures of passion and professionalism; joy and jests — a supreme songbook performed by a brilliant band — that made for a magnificent concert Tuesday from Paul McCartney.

McCartney looked like he was having a blast, as audience and artist fed off each other’s energy, throughout a show starring Beatles and Wings hits, with a few surprises and enjoyable deeper cuts sprinkled in.

The pre-show concern centered around the strength of his singing voice. Could he still sing with power?

The night’s opening selection, a revved up “Help,” which McCartney  is playing in its entirety on this tour for the first time in 50 years, didn’t instantly assuage any worries, as his voice did sound thin.

But as we’ve heard at concerts from other senior peers, like Rod Stewart, it just took a few songs for McCartney to warm up vocally, and get back to where his voice belonged. By “Drive My Car,” four songs in, any distractions about vocal flaws largely had dissipated. You couldn’t resist the urge to smile and sing along as McCartney delivered vocals with feeling, conviction and sufficient sturdiness, backed by twin guitar blazers Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, drumming ace Abe Laboriel Jr. and slick Wix Wickens on keys, with added punch from the three-man Hot City Horns.

McCartney began on his trusty Hofner bass guitar radiating warmth on picks like The Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life.”

McCartney later would showcase his southpaw strumming skills on acoustic guitar, mandolin and ukulele, that latter instrument shining in his solo on the George Harrison-penned “Something”. McCartney pointed skyward in his tribute to Harrison. McCartney also touchingly spoke about his other deceased Beatles mate, John Lennon, to whom he dedicated 1982’s “Here Today” and “Now And Then,” the 2023-Grammy Award nominated Beatles song that originated as a Lennon home demo.

Beatles and Wings footage from “Magical Mystery Tour,” “Let It Be,” the “Band on The Run” album cover shoot and other pivotal moments cropped up regularly on video screens.

There were tiny moments that mattered Tuesday, too, like the band adding a snippet of Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn Theme” amid “Coming Up,” and ending “Let Me Roll It” with a full-throttle jam on Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxey Lady.” McCartney told a story about being one of a handful of people in a club when Hendrix’s trio showed up unannounced and performed a full set of jaw-dropping greatness. Word spread quickly, as the next night a rock ‘n’ roll Who’s Who including Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck and McCartney attended to witness more Hendrix magic.

Seated at a piano, McCartney enthusiastically directed band traffic with hand gestures to ensure perfect timing to the start of “Maybe I’m Amazed.” It wasn’t vocally flawless, but sung with uplifting potency.

McCartney’s witty banter kept the entertainment non-stop. “That’s my one wardrobe change” he said after removing his vest early on.

“That’s our choreography” he later added when Laboriel did some booty shaking as part of “Dance Tonight.”

A timing issue with guitarist Anderson brought the launch of “I’ve Just Seen a Face” to an abrupt halt, and then a do-over.

“At least you know we’re playing live,” McCartney said.

McCartney musically strode down memory lane with “In Spite of All The Danger” from he, Lennon’s and Harrison’s pre-Beatles band The Quarrymen.

Expanding on a story he told on the 2010 opening night of PPG Paints Arena (then-Consol Energy Center), McCartney explained how he wrote the Beatles’ “Blackbird” as a song of support for the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He said the Beatles refused to play a Jacksonville, Fla. show until the show promoter agreed the audience would not be racially segregated.

In the show’s final hour, Beatles and Wings hits came with an exhilarating flurry. “Jet” lifted off with crisp and loud double barrel guitar. “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da” allowed for an audience singalong.

“Band on The Run,” “Get Back” and McCartney back at piano for a soul-stirring “Let It Be” was a super trifecta.

The stage lights turned red, fire aggressively shot up from the stage and pyro explosions boomed and cascaded sparks as “Live and Let Die” amped up the energy.

Camera cranes flanking the stage beamed to the video screens images of fans singing along blissfully to “Hey Jude”.

The encore began with McCartney magically doing a virtual duet with Lennon, shown and heard on the video screens singing “I’ve Got a Feeling” from the Fab Four’s famed rooftop concert. McCartney said he and the band believe Lennon’s voice needed to be featured in that segment of the show.

An appropriately feisty “Helter Skelter” paved the way for the “Abbey Road” medley romp through “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight” and “The End,” building mightily to McCartney’s profound vocal line “And in the end/The love you take/Is equal to the love you make.”

A lovely night it was.