Author: Beaver County Radio

PennDOT, AAA East Central Highlight Safety Ahead of Students Returning to School

(File Photo of Busses Rolling Down Third Street in New Brighton0

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) As students go back to the classroom in Beaver County next week, AAA and PennDOT met up at Wyland Elementary School in Allison Park recently to discuss school bus safety, pedestrian safety and motorist safety. Tips for motorists include getting rid of distractions, putting your phone away or down while driving and stopping completely at an intersection and a crosswalk. These tips are to help prevent fatal accidents or accidents during the school year. According to a release from PennDOT District 11, some other tips for safety during the school year from PennDOT and AAA can be found below:

Motorist Safety Tips

Pedestrian Safety Tips

  • Make eye contact with the driver before crossing in front of their vehicle to increase visibility.
  • Stay in well-lit areas when crossing the street and walking on sidewalks.
  • Avoid distractions like a phone, and don’t wear headphones so you can be sure to hear traffic around you when near the road.
  • Always use crosswalks and use crossing guards when possible.

PennDOT is reminding parents to get their child prepared for the school commute by talking with their child about the route for waling to school or the stop for the school bus, letting children know about safe walking areas, and what to do in case an emergency occurs when children are riding on the school bus.

Tips related to the school bus for school safety include to follow the school bus driver’s instructions, knowing where emergency exits are located in the bus, how to exit the bus safety. This can help students feel increased confidence and preparation when riding on the school bus.

Overnight closures of the northbound I-79 to westbound I-376 Parkway West ramp will begin, weather permitting

(File Photo of Road Closed Signs on a Road)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Robinson Township, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that occurring tomorrow night, weather permitting, overnight closures of the northbound I-79 to westbound I-376 (Parkway West) ramp in Robinson Township, Allegheny County will begin. According to a release from PennDOT District 11, paving operations and pavement marking installation work will be conducted by crews along I-376 (Parkway West) between the Campbells Run Road (Exit 62) and I-79 (Exit 64A) interchange ramps and on the interchange ramps at I-79 and the northbound I-79 ramp to westbound I-376 (Exit 59B) will close for milling and resurfacing and pavement marking installation work according to the following schedule:

Weekend Closures, August 15-18

  • 6:00 PM Friday, August 15 to 7:00 AM Saturday, August 16
  • 9:00 PM Saturday, August 16 to 7:00 AM Sunday, August 17
  • 9:00 PM Sunday, August 17 to 5:00 AM Monday, August 18

Weeknight Closures, August 18-21

  • 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM each night Monday through Thursday

Weekend Closures, August 22-25

  • 6:00 PM Friday, August 22 to 7:00 AM Saturday, August 23
  • 9:00 PM Saturday, August 23 to 7:00 AM Sunday, August 24
  • 9:00 PM Sunday, August 24 to 5:00 AM Monday, August 25

Weeknight Closures, August 25-26

  • 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM, Monday and Tuesday

Ramp traffic will be epxerience a detour, and according to that same release from PennDOT District 11, here is the detour route:

Posted Detour

  • Continue straight on northbound I-79 past the closed ramp
  • Take the Route 60 Crafton/Moon Run (Exit 60) off-ramp
  • Turn left onto Route 60 (Steubenville Pike)
  • Take the ramp to I-79 South toward Washington
  • From southbound I-79, take the ramp to West 376 toward Pittsburgh International Airport/Beaver (Exit 59B)
  • End detour

I-376 will keep having single-lane restrictions happening in both directions between the Ridge Road (Exit 61) and I-79 (Exit 64A) interchanges from 9 P.M. to 5 A.M. on weeknights and from 9 P.M. to 7 A.M. on weekends through late October. Milling, paving, and pavement marking installation work occurring in coordination with the ramp closures will be seen by motorists. Motorists will be driving on milled roadway surfaces until paving work occurs as the project progresses as part of this work.

Neil Diamond musical making its Pittsburgh debut

By Scott Tady

PITTSBURGH — Good times may have never seemed so good when “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical,” makes its Pittsburgh premiere Sept. 9-14 at the Benedum Center.

Created in collaboration with Diamond himself, “A Beautiful Noise” has been hailed for its uplifting and authentic portrayal of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 120 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline,” an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy Award Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world, Diamond’s story was made to shine on Broadway-and head out on the road across America.

“Some of my most thrilling nights have been while I was on tour, bringing my music to audiences across the world,” Diamond said in a media release. “Having ‘A Beautiful Noise’ go on tour is an honor and I can’t wait for audiences across North America to experience this show. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.”

Nick Fradiani will portray the younger Diamond in Pittsburgh, directly from playing the role on Broadway since October 2023. Fradiani won the title of “American Idol” in 2015, and released his debut album “Hurricane” in 2016. Currently On tour with Fradiani are Tony Award nominee Robert Westenberg (Neil Diamond – Now), Hannah Jewel Kohn (Marcia Murphey), Lisa Reneé Pitts (Doctor), Michael Accardo (Bert Berns/ Kieve Diamond), Tuck Milligan (Fred Weintraub/ Tommy O’Rourke), Kate A. Mulligan (Ellie Greenwich/ Rose Diamond), and Tiffany Tatreau (Jaye Posner), with Joe Caskey as the standby for Neil — Then.

Nick Fradiani (center) as Neil Diamond “Then” (center) in “A Beautiful Noise_ The Neil Diamond Musical”. Photo: Jeremy Daniel.

The Broadway production had featured North Sewickley Township native and Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School graduate Amber Ardolino, who’s currently playing Jordan Baker in Broadway’s “The Great Gatsby Musical.”

“Neil is one of the best live entertainers the world has ever seen… In his 50-year career, he’s performed for millions of fans around the globe. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to honor his legacy than having ‘A Beautiful Noise’ touring North America, visiting the same cities where he gave so many people so much joy,” the show’s producer, Ken Davenport, said.

“A Beautiful Noise,” Broadway’s Neil Diamond musical, makes its Pittsburgh premiere. (Photo: Jeremy Daniel)

“A Beautiful Noise” was written by four-time Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Two Popes”).

For tickets, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website, TrustArts.org; or pick them up in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh; or by calling 412-456-4800.

Kate A. Mulligan as Ellie Greenwich in “A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical,” making its Pittsburgh premiere in September. (Photo Jeremy Daniel)

“A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical” has raised $750,000 for the Parkinson’s Foundation. For more information on how you can help visit abeautifulnoisethemusical.com/partners

Single-lane restriction in the Fort Pitt Tunnel in the city of Pittsburgh will occur, weather permitting

(File Photo of the Fort Pitt Tunnel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced tomorrow night, weather permitting, a lane restriction in the Fort Pitt Tunnel on I-376 in the City of Pittsburgh will occur. From 10 P.M. tomorrow to 5 A.M. on Saturday morning, a single-lane restriction will occur in the outbound westbound Fort Pitt Tunnel. Drainage work will be conducted by PennDOT crews.

Update on the status of the survivors of the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works plant explosion in Clairton

(File Photo: Source for Photo: The Clairton Coke Works, a U.S. Steel coking plant, is seen Tuesday, Aug 12, 2025, in Clairton, Penn. (Sean Stipp/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review via AP)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Clairton, PA) A recent confirmation from hospital officials states that seven of the ten people that got injuries from the explosion that took place at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke works plant on Monday got released. According to a UPMC spokesperson, three patients are still being treated at UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. No word was given on their condition. Thirty-nine-year-old Timothy Quinn and fifty-two-year-old Steven Menefee of Clairton were the two people that were killed from this explosion in Clairton on Monday. The number of the people that got treated at the scene of this explosion is unknown. The cause of this explosion is still being investigated. Routine maintenance had been scheduled in Batteries 13 and 14 of the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke works plant, which is where this explosion happened. Several batteries of that same plant are still shut down from the explosion. A GoFundMe campaign to assist the families of those who were injured and the families of both Quinn and Menefee by United Steelworkers Local 1557 can be found below:

Click here for the link to the GoFundMe Fundraiser by Travis Laing : Help Families of USW Local 1557 Clairton works

Tractor trailer gets overturned partially on a Downtown Pittsburgh road

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: police car lights at night in city with selective focus and bokeh background blur) Credit for Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images/iStockphoto/z1b)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A tractor-trailer got overturned partially on a Downtown Pittsburgh road this morning. Crews responded to the scene of this incident which happened on the road of Fort Pitt Boulevard and Stanwix Street, which police were also blocking at the scene. It appeared that the tractor-trailer cab was upright and its back got turned over on the road of the scene. The cause of the crash is unknown at this time and there were no reported injuries.

New Brighton powerlifter achieves six more world records during two national meets, one in Pittsburgh and another in Detroit, Michigan

(File Photo of New Brighton)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Seventy-year-old Tom Proya, a powerlifter from New Brighton, achieved six world records during two national meets held in June and July of 2025. One of those meets that Proya competed in recently was the USPA Nationals meet in Pittsburgh where he was in the 165 lb. weight class and was in the master raw bench press 70-to-74 age group. The other of those meets that Proya competed in recently was the WPC National Championships in Detroit, Michigan. Proya bench pressed 331 pounds in one meet and 336 pounds in another to get first place in both as well as awards for outstanding master raw bench press in both. During both meets, Proya also made three national records. In November of 2024, a 42nd world record was set by Proya on the bench press at the WPC World Championships in Chicago, Illinois. Proya was also the winner of the 2014 WPC World Championships and in 2011, he was one of the people that competed in the APF Ohio State meet. In October of 2025, Proya will compete in the 2025 IPL Olympia Pro Powerlifting meet in Las Vegas, Nevada.  

Dog helps family escape temporary fire that occurred at an Upper St. Clair home

(File Photo of Fire Background)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Upper St. Clair, PA) Yesterday morning, a dog of a family helped them escape a fire that happened that day in Upper St. Clair at a home on the 1400 block of Meadow Road just after 4:30 a.m. The fire was under control after around forty-five minutes of work by fire crews from Upper St. Clair. They even had to get a fire hydrant down the road because one hydrant could not be operated and a collapse was seen at one part of the house that caught on fire. According to Upper St. Clair Fire Chief Ted Hale, the dog of two adults and a one-year-old child woke them up and got them safely displaced before the fire happened. This fire is being investigated by the Allegheny County fire marshal. The cause of this Upper St. Clair house fire that is believed to have started on the back porch of that home is unknown at this time. 

East Deer Township man accused of allegedly sexually assaulting twelve-year-old girl multiple times along a walking trail in Allegehny County

(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) Forty-year-old Brian Ball of East Deer Township is in jail and is accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a twelve-year-old girl along an Allegheny County walking trail multiple times. The charges for Ball include indecent exposure, indecent assault, aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors. This alleged incident occurred on the night of July 28th, 2025 on a walking trail near the Allegheny River and the Allegheny Valley Police Department responded to a sexual assault report. According to witnesses, two female minors were on the trail and Ball made an offer to help them off of it. Ball then allegedly sexually assaulted the twelve-year-old victim multiple times after offering the two minors marijuana. Ball is in the Allegheny County Jail and later this month will be when he will make an appearance in court. 

Seventy-seven year old man last seen in Polish Hill before he went missing found dead near the East Busway in Pittsburgh

(Photo Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to Pittsburgh officials yesterday, a seventy-seven-year-old man who was reported missing in July was found dead near the East Busway in Pittsburgh last week. Pastor Rodriguez Rivera, Jr. went missing and a search for him was conducted on July 21st, 2025. Officials confirm that before he went missing, Rivera was last seen on the 1000 block of Herron Avenue at a facility for senior living in Polish Hill. Rivera was found dead on Friday, August 8th, 2025 and the Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group got the credit for helping to find Rivera. At this time, the manner and cause of death for Rivera is unknown and according to the family of Rivera, he was in the beginning stages of dementia.