Western Beaver Rolls Past Apollo-Ridge 41-14 To Advance

 

 

(Industry, Pa)

The Western Beaver Golden Beavers eliminated Apollo-Ridge on Friday night by the score of 41-14. Wyatt Sparbanie lead the way for the Golden Beavers with three rushing touchdowns.

Western Beaver advances to face Steel Valley next Friday night 11/14. The location is TBA.

McKees Rocks man in custody after accusations of beating pregnant ex-girlfriend for days and kidnapping both her and a one-year-old child

(Photo of twenty-four-year-old Justin Dougherty of McKees Rocks Courtesy of the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(McKees Rocks, PA) According to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, twenty-four-year-old Justin Daugherty of McKees Rocks was taken into custody in Stowe Township today. Daugherty is facing multiple charges including kidnapping of a minor and aggravated assault on an unborn child after being accused of beating his pregnant ex-girlfriend and kidnapping her and a one-year-old child after two people attempted to rescue her from a home. Police met with the ex-girlfriend of Daugherty on August 27th, 2025, when shots were fired in an apartment in McKees Rocks and she told authorities that she had been physically assaulted and restrained by Daugherty, and three days prior, he showed up at her apartment after being released from jail for physically assaulting her. Daugherty was allegedly angry the victim had a new boyfriend and told her, “You’re not going outside, you’re not going to work, you’re not going nowhere.” The ex-girlfriend of Daugherty also stated that Daugherty hit her in the abdomen and continued to do so for days. This happened when the victim was pregnant with her new boyfriend. According to a complaint, the new boyfriend and another man attempted to rescue the victim, but Daugherty shot at them. The other man was taken to a hospital where he was treated after getting hit by the gunfire. Daugherty allegedly grabbed the victim’s keys and forced her and a 1-year-old child into a car after firing gunshots and allegedly drove them around the area and continued to make threatening comments. The same complaint also notes that while this driving occurred, the ex-girlfriend of Daugherty secretly called dispatchers who were able to inform police and trace the vehicle she was in. A report confirms that Daugherty eventually released the one-year-old child and his ex-girlfriend, told her to go back to her apartment and added she needed to “say the right things” to police. Detectives went into a home and took Daugherty into custody after he allegedly attempted to flee out a window, but retreated when he saw a K9.

Vigil held in Kentucky to share sorrow over UPS plane crash that killed at least 13

(File Photo: Source for Photo: A plume of smoke rises from the site of a UPS cargo plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Two days after a deadly UPS plane disaster, a candlelight vigil was held Thursday in Louisville to remember the victims and thank first responders, while teams still worked to find or identify people caught in the crash and subsequent firestorm.

“Our hope is that we have located all of the victims at this point. But again, we do not know,” Mayor Craig Greenberg said earlier in the day.

The inferno destroyed the enormous plane and spread to nearby businesses, killing at least 13 people, including a child and three UPS crew on the cargo hauler. No one expects to find survivors in the crash at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub.

The plane had been cleared for takeoff Tuesday when a large fire developed in the left wing and an engine fell off, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.

Meanwhile, UPS Worldport operations resumed Wednesday night with its Next Day Air, or night sort, operation, spokesperson Jim Mayer said. All three runways at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport were also open again.

Death toll rises to 13

Teamsters Local 89, which represents UPS workers, hosted a candlelight vigil, which began with a moment of silence at 5:14 p.m., the approximate time of the crash two days earlier.

“This incident was so sudden, so unexpected,” the mayor told the crowd of 200. “No one had a chance to say goodbye to any of those who we have lost.”

Greenberg disclosed that the death toll had risen to 13.

Bob Travis, who is president of the Independent Pilots Association and flies for UPS, told vigil attendees that the work of emergency responders, public officials and the community has been “absolutely overwhelming and amazing.”

“Everybody’s seen the video,” he said of the crash. “It’s hard not to.”

Names of pilots released

UPS released the names of three people who died in the plane: Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond.

Truitt lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and had been a pilot for UPS since 2021, flying the MD-11 airliner, according to Truitt’s LinkedIn profile. Before that, he was a captain for SkyWest Airlines, a flight instructor at Bode Aviation and graduated from The University of New Mexico.

Wartenberg lived in Independence, Kentucky, which sits south of Cincinnati, according to public records.

Diamond, the flight’s international relief officer, live in Caldwell, Texas, less than a two-hour drive east of Austin, according to public records.

Black box provides insight

Earlier Thursday, Greenberg described the crash site as “horrific,” with “charred, mangled metal.” Part of the plane’s tail, he said, appeared to be sticking out of a storage silo.

“You hear people say, ‘Oh, you only see that in the movies.’ This was worse than the movies,” Greenberg told reporters.

The plane’s last data recordings showed it had reached an altitude of 475 feet (145 meters) and a speed of 210 mph (340 kph) before crashing just outside the Louisville airport, Inman said Thursday.

The engine’s main component and pieces of engine fan blades were recovered from the airfield. Inman said UPS indicated that no maintenance work was performed before the flight “that would delay it in any way.” He noted that investigators will look at video to see what, if anything, was being done around the MD-11 aircraft in preceding days.

The UPS package handling facility in Louisville is the company’s largest. The hub employs more than 20,000 people in the region, handles 300 flights daily and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.

Flames, panic and more questions

The crash and explosion caused even more blasts and destruction at businesses in an industrial corridor just outside the airport.

Sabit Aliyev, the owner of Kentucky Truck Parts and Service, still doesn’t know if his business is standing. He said he was inside the shop Tuesday when the burning plane passed by, followed by an explosion. He went outside and recorded what sounded like another explosion.

“It was like hell,” Aliyev said. “There was fire all over. It was sky high.”

He and his workers fled over vacant land but were suddenly trapped by a high security fence until a police officer used bolt cutters to cut open a gate.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, said a number of things could have caused the fire as the 34-year-old plane was rolling down the runway.

“It could have been the engine partially coming off and ripping out fuel lines. Or it could have been a fuel leak igniting and then burning the engine off,” Guzzetti said.

Flight records show the UPS plane was on the ground in San Antonio from Sept. 3 to Oct. 18, but it was unclear what maintenance was performed.

“We will look at every piece of maintenance done, from the San Antonio time all the way to the date of the flight. … It’s going to be a laborious process,” Inman of the NTSB said.

He said there was no reason to take any immediate safety actions against other MD-11 planes in service.

Congressman Chris Deluzio Replaces Lost Military Awards for Vietnam Veteran Residing in Aliquippa

(Photos Provided with Release Courtesy of Congressman Chris Deluzio’s Office)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Carngeie, PA) The office of Congressman Chris Deluzio recently helped a male veteran of the Vietnam War replace his awards he earned while he was in the military leading up to Veterans Day on Tuesday, November 11th, 2025. Mr. John M. Denk, a resident of Aliquippa who served in the U.S. Navy during the war in Vietnam called the office of Deluzio, who is a U.S. Navy veteran himself, to help Mr. Denk get replacements for his several military awards after he lost them. The office of Deluzio worked with the Department of the Navy to successfully get replacement awards, and during an emotional meeting, Deluzio presented them to Mr. Denk and his family. According to a release from Deluzio’s office, the replacement medals and ribbons that Deluzio presented to Mr. Denk included: 

  • Combat Action Ribbon 
  • Meritorious Unit Commendation 
  • Navy Good Conduct Medal 
  • National Defense Service Medal 
  • Vietnam Service Medal (with three Bronze Campaign Stars) 
  • Honorable Reserve Discharge Button

 

April 29th, 2025 Western Pennsylvania storms that killed three people classified as a derecho

(Photo Courtesy of WPXI/WPXI)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The storms that occurred in Western Pennsylvania on April 29th, 2025 were so powerful that three people were killed that evening in relation to these storms and hundreds of thousands of people lost power. They were also recently classified by the Storm Prediction Center as a derecho, which is a severe wind event with consistent wind gusts of over 58 miles per hour over the course of at least 25 miles. The trio of men that were killed in relation to these storms were sixty-seven-year-old Raymond Gordon, fifty-nine-year-old David Lepinsky of Reserve and twenty-five-year-old Andrew M. Celaschi of Jefferson. Gordon was killed when he was hit by tree on Evergreen Road in Allegheny County. Lepinsky was electrocuted by live wires in Pittsburgh on St. Martin Street. Celaschi was a passenger traveling in a vehicle on Jefferson Road in Franklin Township, and he was killed because of a tree that fell on top of the vehicle that he was in.

Three men in custody after a home burglary in Edgeworth

(File Photo of Handcuffs)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Edgeworth, PA) Three men are now in custody after a burglary that happened in Edgeworth at when the police chief of Edgeworth confirms was around 8:30 a.m. yesterday morning. A female homeowner on Oliver Road noticed her security cameras caught footage of two masked men attempting to break into the back door of the house, and then she called police. When the pair of suspects were inside, police surrounded the home, but the duo ran off. When a male neighbor in Edgeworth saw the suspects running through his backyard, he tackled one of them outside until police put him in handcuffs. The other suspect was hiding in a bush crawling on his hands and knees before a Leetsdale police officer caught him and arrested him. A third man was arrested after Ohio Township police discovered a car with Georgia license plates that authorities say may have been connected with the burglary incident. One witness noticed the police activity and also received a text that Quaker Valley High School was on lockdown after the reported home invasion. Even though the police chief of Edgeworth stated that the men that were arrested were not from the Pittsburgh area, authorities believe that the trio may be a professional group working in that area because they have video of the suspect’s car casing the house that was burglarized from yesterday.

AHN West Penn Hospital First in Country to Perform Hysterectomy with New Robotic-Assisted Surgery System as Part of Investigative Clinical Trial

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to a release from Allegheny Health Network, AHN West Penn Hospital announced today that it is the first U.S. site to participate in a clinical study involving use of the Medtronic Hugo™ robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system in gynecological procedures. This achievement was part of the “Embrace Gynecology” investigational device exemption (IDE) clinical study, which aims to evaluate both the effectiveness and safety of the Hugo RAS system for its use in gynecologic procedures, and this marks a significant step forward in the expansion of minimally invasive options for treatment for women in the United States. The very first procedure which was part of this national study, which was a total hysterectomy (uterus removal), was performed at AHN West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, and was completed successfully by Sarah Crafton, MD and Eirwen Miller, MD, who are both gynecological oncology surgeons.

Douglas Jay Fluharty (1951-2025)

Douglas Jay Fluharty, 74, of Beaver Falls, passed away on November 5th, 2025. He was born in Metz, West Virginia on February 5th, 1951, a son of the late Wayne Fluharty and Beulah Fluharty Miller and his stepfather, the late Cliff Miller. In addition to his parents and stepfather, he was preceded in death by brothers, David and Darrell Fluharty. He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Maria Fluharty, his children, Bridgette (Brandon) Hinzman and Jason (Erika) Fluharty, his grandchildren, Bailey and Braden Hinzman, and Alexis and Ty Fluharty, a brother, Donald (Doreen) Fluharty and numerous nieces and nephews.

Douglas proudly served in the United States Air Force and went on to dedicate over 20 years to the Beaver Falls Fire Department before retiring. He was an avid sports fan and could always be found cheering on his beloved Pittsburgh teams. Family and friends will be received on Sunday, November 9th, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at Corless-Kunselman Funeral Services LLC, 3801 4th Avenue, Beaver Falls, who was in charge of his arrangements, with a service following at 12 noon, officiated by Major Tom Hinzman. Private interment will take place at Beaver Falls Cemetery, 2045 Darlington Road, Beaver Falls.

Carol Marie Lowe (1945-2025)

Carol Marie Lowe, 80, of Chippewa Township, after a long struggle with illness, passed away on November 1st, 2025, at the Concordia nursing facility at Concordia at Villa St. Joseph in Baden. She was born on April 3rd, 1945, the daughter of the late Charles Reed and Mabel Elizabeth (Ward) McBurney. She is survived by her loving husband, George Duncan Lowe, her brother, Donald (Sharyn) McBurney, her children: James Lowe, Nora (Robert) Jefferson, Joanna Lowe-Anker and Everett (Tiffany) Lowe; as well as her grandchildren: Jessica, Serena, Haven, Desmond, Chaz and Lana.

Carol was a graduate of both Beaver Falls High School and Geneva College and spent much of her life as a teacher in Christian schools and as a pastor’s wife. Friends will be received on Friday, November 14th, from 6-8 P.M. in the CORLESS-KUNSELMAN FUNERAL SERVICES, LLC, 3801 4th Avenue, Beaver Falls, who was in charge of her arrangements. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 15th at 11 A.M. at Hope Community Reformed Presbyterian Church, 3400 5th Avenue, Beaver Falls. Interment will be private.

William J. Linger, Sr. (1936-2025)

William J. Linger, Sr., 89, of Beaver, passed away on November 5th, 2025, in Providence Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Beaver Falls surrounded by his loving family.

He was born in Horner, West Virginia on September 23rd, 1936, the son of the late Homer and Helen (Frona) Louise Smith Linger. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his loving wife, Virginia Linger and his sister, Helen Gregory. He is survived by his two sons, Robert (Janet) Linger and William (Janet) Linger, Jr., two grandchildren and numerous nieces & nephews.

William was a U.S. Army Veteran serving as a combat medic in Germany during the Vietnam War.

Friends will be received on Tuesday, November 11th from 3-7 P.M. in the John Syka Funeral Home, Inc., 833 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge, who was in charge of his arrangements, and where a blessing service will be conducted Wednesday, November 12th at 9:30 A.M. Interment will follow in National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, 1158 Morgan Road, Bridgeville with full military honors.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William Linger Sr., please visit the floral store of the John Syka Funeral Home, Inc by clicking here.