(Photos by Daniel Campbell and Frank Sparks)

(Ambridge, Pa.)  A warm December night was chilled out on Friday as Christmas was in the air on Merchant Street in Ambridge. The annual Christmas on Merchant Parade and Festival was held on Friday night.

There were many activities for everyone that featured a Christmas Parade along Merchant Street that featured the big guy from up north himself, Santa Claus.

Beaver County Radio did a live broadcast of the Christmas on Merchant and a live video stream of the event on our Facebook Page and You tube Channel.

You can see the video stream of Beaver County Radio’s broadcast below along wiht pictures of a fun night in Ambridge;

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, U.S. Representatives Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) and Mike Kelly (R-PA-16) sent this letter to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm opposing the Biden Administration’s proposed rule to mandate the use of amorphous metal (AM) cores instead of Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel (GOES) cores. GOES cores are used in electrical distribution transformers across the country.

Currently, there is only one facility in the United States producing GOES, located in Butler, Pennsylvania, which is represented by more than 1,300 United Auto Workers (UAW) employees. Implementation of this proposed rule would jeopardize the Butler, Pennsylvania facility, leave the U.S. electrical grid reliant on imports, and potentially cost over 1,500 American jobs.

Moreover, amorphous metal cores rely on imports of raw materials; a dependency that could leave Americans susceptible to a variety of disruptions, from production to shipping. The Department of Commerce has identified this as a threat to national security.

“Finalizing this rule would significantly impact the production of distribution transformers, which are already difficult to obtain,” the Congressmen wrote in their letter. “Grid security and reliability are vital to our economic and national security.  We respectfully urge you to make serious modifications that preserve utilization of GOES for transformer cores to the proposed rule and thank you for your consideration.”

The administration’s proposed rule comes when the supply chain constraint for distribution transformers has grown significantly, with demand exceeding current rates of production. The current lead time for procuring a distribution transformer is more than 16 months.

“This rule would severely limit the ability of our utility providers to ensure grid reliability and security while making us dependent on foreign imports of amorphous metal,” the Members continued.

The Proposed Rule increases efficiency standards on distribution transformers, which are already no less than 97.7% energy efficient. 

FILE – Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks to Texas state troopers and guardsmen at the South Texas International Airport, Nov. 19, 2023, in Edinburg, Texas. Trump’s lawyers are arguing that he had a good faith basis to question the outcome of the 2020 election that he lost. A defense motion filed late Monday in federal court in Washington asserts that Trump was not obligated to accept at face value the judgments of government officials who found no widespread fraud in the election. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court in Washington has upheld a gag order on former President Donald Trump in his 2020 election interference case but has narrowed the restrictions on his speech. The three-judge panel’s ruling Friday modifies the gag order to allow the Republican 2024 presidential front-runner to make disparaging comments about special counsel Jack Smith. Trump has described the gag order as unconstitutional muzzling of his political speech. Trump could appeal the ruling to the full court or to the Supreme Court. Prosecutors say the restrictions are necessary to shield potential witnesses from harassment and threats inspired by Trump’s incendiary social media posts.

FILE – Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, walks from Marine One upon arrival at Fort McNair, June 25, 2023, in Washington. Hunter Biden has been indicted on nine tax charges in California as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of the president’s son intensifies against the backdrop of the looming 2024 election.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden has been indicted on tax charges in California as a special counsel investigation into the business dealings of President Joe Biden’s son intensifies against the backdrop of the 2024 election. Thursday’s indictment has three felonies and six misdemeanors. Special counsel David Weiss says Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills.” Defense attorney Abbe Lowell argues prosecutors bowed to political pressure in the case, which had been expected to end with a plea deal before it imploded over the summer. The new charges are in addition to federal firearms charges in Delaware alleging Hunter Biden broke laws against drug users having guns in 2018.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Pennsylvania man described by authorities as the lead defendant in a drug distribution and human smuggling case has pleaded guilty to federal crimes in Louisiana. Court records show that 47-year-old Carl Allison of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty Thursday in New Orleans. Sentencing was scheduled for March 28. The U.S. Justice Department said Allison faces a possible life sentence. An investigation began after a vessel owned by Allison became disabled last year in the Gulf of Mexico and was nearly capsized during a storm. U.S. Coast Guard officials found Honduran nationals and cocaine aboard the vessel, which was bound for the small fishing village of Cocodrie, Louisiana.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Preliminary designs are being released for an outdoor memorial to the 11 victims of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack. The plans call for the memorial to be adjacent to the Tree of Life synagogue, scene of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Details remain to be determined, but the design includes a garden and 11 sculpted forms of open books, symbolizing the Book of Life in Jewish tradition. The design came after years of dialogue by family members of the victims. They consulted with representatives of other communities traumatized by mass-casualty attacks, and they heeded advice to go slowly and deliberately in planning the memorial.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published December 8, 2023 10:35 A.M.

(Baden, Pa) The Sheetz located along Route 65 in Baden planned their reopening for 8am Friday morning.
The location closed earlier this year to undergo an entire demolition and rebuild.
The new building features self checkout kiosks, indoor and outdoor seating, as well as 12 fuel dispensers.   

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published December 8, 2023 10:31 A.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) The Aliquippa School Board reorganized and hired new staff Wednesday night.
Tina Price Genes was reappointed board president and Nicole Bible was reappointed vice president.
Board meetings for the 2024 school year will be the second Wednesday for deliberation and third Wednesday for the voting meetings at 6 pm. Reorganization for the 2025 school year will be December 4, 2024 at 6 pm. All meetings are held in the JSHS Black Box Theater.
Several teaching positions were filled and their mentors were announced. Donjuneata Weir was hired as the JSHS nurse.
Katy Malone resigned from her position as an 8th grade math teacher effective 12/21/2023.