(File Photo: Source for Photo: Rescue workers search through the night in a sinkhole for Elizabeth Pollard, who disappeared while looking for her cat, in Marguerite, Pa., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Unity Township, PA) According to police, the search for a woman that probably fell into a sinkhole in Pennsylvania to look for her missing cat continues. State police have confirmed that Elizabeth Pollard was seen previously close to 5 p.m. on Monday calling out to Pepper, the name of her escaped cat. Early Tuesday morning, one of the members of the family of Pollard contacted state police to validate that she was missing. Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Bacha has verified that dogs, cameras, as well as other devices that are electronic are being used to try to find Pollard. Bacha also notes that the mine that is the prime location for the search is broken in several areas and is making those looking for Pollard go past just sending people down to rescue her as they are getting worried about Pollard and her level of oxygen. The Bureau of Mines also gave the search party maps that existed back in the 1940’s that were drawn by hand as well. This is a developing story, and we will have updates as soon as they are available.

(File Photo of Third Avenue in New Brighton)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(New Brighton, PA) Beginning on Friday evening and ending this Saturday evening, New Brighton will be holding their Christmas Fest. From 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday night, the seventh year of the Wassail Walk, which is a tour full of hearing carolers sing, along with serving both appetizers and wassail, will occur. The event has tickets worth $20, with children receiving free admission, while the New Brighton Public Library, which is also where the tickets can be bought, will receive the proceeds. The festival continues Saturday with a free look around the main street of New Brighton transforming into a Christmas themed atmosphere from 2 to 8 p.m. There will be several activities for both the adults and the kids. That night will have music, movies for the holiday season, games guests can interact with, vendors selling food, rides on horse-drawn sleighs, a petting zoo, a market with holiday items, a candy cane themed miniature golf course, an auction for wreaths held by the New Brighton Elementary School, a holiday light show with LED lights and drinks themed for the holidays for adults with identification provided. From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Third Avenue and its vehicular traffic will be closed along with its side streets for the festivities on Saturday, and Fifth and Second Avenues will be the detour locations while Third Avenue is closed.

(File Photo of Snowy Weather on Fifth Street)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to a release from Jim Garrity, Director of Affairs at AAA East Central, storms in winter, road conditions that are sloppy, and bad weather, are reasons that close to half a million crashes and over 2,000 deaths occur on the road each year. Garrity also provides some tips that you can use to stay safe driving in the snowy weather and to get your vehicle ready for the upcoming winter, and they are:

• Stay Home. If the weather forecast is precarious and you don’t have to be anywhere, this is the number one way to avoid a crash in the winter. 
• Leave Early. Running late to work leads to anxiety, which can cloud judgment and possibly lead to risky driving behaviors.
• Slow down. Accelerate, turn, and brake as gradually and smoothly as possible. This will help maintain control in rough conditions.
• Don’t tailgate. Normal following distances of three to four seconds on dry pavement should be extended to a minimum of five to six seconds when driving on slippery surfaces. The extra time will provide additional braking room should a sudden stop become necessary. 
• Never use cruise control on slippery roads. If a vehicle hydroplanes or skids, motorists will lose the ability to regain some traction simply by lifting off the accelerator. If cruise control is active, it will be harder to recover from the loss of traction.
• If a car begins to skid, continue to steer it in the direction you want it to go.
• Have the vehicle’s battery tested. This is the number one call that AAA receives in the wintertime. If a battery is more than two years old, it should be tested.
• Replace worn windshield-wiper blades. The blades should completely clear the glass with each swipe and should be replaced if they leave streaks or miss spots. Consider installing winter wiper blades that wrap the blade frame in a rubber boot to reduce ice and snow buildup.
• Use the right washer fluid. Fill the windshield washer fluid reservoir with a winter washer fluid blend to prevent it from freezing.
• Inspect tires. Ensure tires have adequate tread depth – at least 4/32” – as worn tires can affect a motorist’s ability to stop in slick conditions. An easy way to check for wear is by inserting a quarter into the tread groove. If the top of Washington’s head is exposed, the tread depth is less than 4/32″ and it’s time to replace tires. Also, check if the vehicle has a spare tire and keep it properly inflated. In harsh winter climates, snow tires may be a wise investment.
• Carry an emergency kit equipped for winter weather. The kit should include sand or cat litter, a small shovel, flashlight, an ice scraper or snow brush, booster cables, a blanket, gloves or mittens and flares or reflective triangles.

 

 

The following school districts have either delayed or canceled for today: 12/05/24 (We will continue to update the list throughout the morning)

Blackhawk Area School District: 2 hour delay Thursday Morning

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Preschool in Moon Township: Opens at 8:30 A.M. Thursday Morning on their Delay Schedule

Moon Area School District: 2 hour delay Thursday Morning
North Catholic High School: 2 hour delay Thursday Morning
Seneca Valley School District: Thursday Morning: 2 Hour Delay, Modified Kindergarten
St. James in Sewickley: Thursday Morning: 2 Hour Transportation Delay For Private, Parochial, and Charter.

St. Killian’s Parish School in Cranberry: 2 Hour Delay Thursday Morning

St. Stephen’s Lutheran Academy in Zelienople: 2 Hour Delay Thursday Morning

Snow watch is sponsored by Munroe Auto Body, the Lisa Lathom Team at EXP Realty, the Cornerstone of Beaver County, and Beaver County Radio.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published December 4, 2024 3:58 P.M.

(Beaver, Pa) The Beaver County Commisssioners met Wednesday Morning at the County Court House for their weekly Work Session. It was announced that the election vote recount has concluded including an audit that took place some of the votes. According to the Board, everything has checked out regarding the election in the County.

Treasurer Sandy Egley brought up a suggestion that the furniture in the Courthouse Cafe should be replaced. Commissioner Jack Manning relayed that even the chairs in the Commissioners meeting room are getting worn out. The county will explore the options of replacing the aging furniture.

During public comment, the Commissioners were asked about the Styropek plant which has recently went up for sale. Commissioner Manning weighed in on the subject stating that he doesn’t believe there will be a buyer of the plant itself, meaning it will close. Although, he believes the site will likely be redeveloped.

 

 

 

Rescue workers continue to search, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, for Elizabeth Pollard, who is believed to have disappeared in a sinkhole while looking for her cat, in Marguerite, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
By GENE PUSKAR and MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press

UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Rescuers contemplated the safest way Wednesday to search for a woman who apparently fell into a Pennsylvania sinkhole while looking for her lost cat, saying a crumbling old coal mine beneath the surface was complicating efforts and endangering workers.
Crews worked through the night in the Unity Township community of Marguerite to find Elizabeth Pollard, 64. A state police spokesperson said early Wednesday they were reassessing their tactics to avoid putting the rescuers in danger.
“The integrity of that mine is starting to become compromised,” Trooper Steve Limani told reporters at the scene about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh.
Sinkholes occur in the area because of subsidence from coal mining activity. Rescuers had been using water to break down and remove clay and dirt from the mine, which has been closed since the 1950s, but that was increasing the risk “for potential other mine subsidence to take place,” Limani said.
“We’re probably going to have to switch gears” and do a more complicated dig, he said.
On Tuesday, crews lowered a pole camera with a sensitive listening device into the hole, but it detected nothing. Another camera lowered into the hole showed what could be a shoe about 30 feet (9 meters) below the surface, Limani said. Searchers also deployed drones and thermal imaging equipment to no avail.
Marguerite Fire Chief Scot Graham, the incident commander, said access to the immediate area surrounding the hole was being tightly controlled and monitored, with rescuers attached by harness.
“We cannot judge as to what’s going on underneath us. Again, you had a small hole on top but as soon as you stuck a camera down through to look, you had this big void,” Graham said. “And it was all different depths. The process is long, is tedious. We have to make sure that we are keeping safety in the forefront as well as the rescue effort.”
Pleasant Unity Fire Chief John Bacha, the operations officer at the scene, said they were “hoping that there’s a void that she could still be in.”
Pollard’s family called police at about 1 a.m. Tuesday to say she had not been seen since going out Monday evening to search for Pepper, her cat. The temperature dropped well below freezing that night.
In an interview with CBS News, Pollard’s son, Axel Hayes, said he is experiencing a mix of emotions.
“I’m upset that she hasn’t been found yet, and I’m really just worried about whether she’s still down there, where she is down there, or she went somewhere and found somewhere safer,” Hayes said. “Right now, I just hope she’s alive and well, that she’s going to make it, that my niece still has a grandmother, that I still have a mother that I can talk to.”
Police said they found Pollard’s car parked behind Monday’s Union Restaurant in Marguerite, about 20 feet (6 meters) from the sinkhole.
Hunters and restaurant workers in the area said they had not noticed the manhole-size opening in the hours before Pollard disappeared, leading rescuers to speculate that the sinkhole was new.
“It almost feels like it opened up with her standing on top of it,” Limani said.
Searchers accessed the mine late Tuesday afternoon and dug a separate entrance out of concern that the ground around the sinkhole opening was not stable.
“Let’s be honest, we need to get a little bit lucky, right?” Limani said Wednesday. “We need a little bit of luck on our side. We need a little bit of God’s good blessing on our side, right?”
Pollard lives in a small neighborhood across the street from where her car and granddaughter were located, Limani said.
The young girl “nodded off in the car and woke up. Grandma never came back,” Limani said. The child stayed in the car until two troopers rescued her.
It’s not clear what happened to Pepper.
___
Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Kathy McCormack in New Hampshire and Sarah Brumfield in Maryland contributed to this report.

(File Photo of Aliquippa Quips Logo Flag)

(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano, Published on December 4th, 2024 at 9:40 A.M.)

(Aliquippa, PA) Two football standouts from Aliquippa are signing their letters of intent today. According to a release from the Aliquippa school district, seniors Arison Walker and Tikey Hayes will be in the Black Box Theater at Aliquippa high school at 2 p.m. today. Hayes has committed to Penn State. Walker will announce his intention at that same theater at 2 p.m. today. 

(File Photo of a cardinal in snow)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Moon Township, PA) A sale that benefits the Moon Township Garden Club, their annual Holiday Greens Sale and Gift Shoppe, will occur on Saturday, December 7th from 9 to 3 p.m. at Robin Hill Center, located on 949 Thorn Run Road. This event helps to provide Christmas decorations, including centerpieces, handmade wreaths, covers for mailboxes, swags, and garlands, as well as plants, items for pets, decorations for gardens, cookies made from scratch, and gift baskets. Moon Township Garden Club President Christy Klug confirms that the personality or thought of the upcoming holiday is similar to the mission of giving a handmade souvenir to the community for Christmas. Klug also noted that any money used to purchase these gifts will help environmental causes, charities, and organizations that are civic based, along with helping both the library and garden at Robin Hill Park, as well as assisting a scholarship that the club supports for graduates of Moon Area.