Author: Beaver County Radio

Police in North Versailles Investigating Shooting Following Crash

NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. (AP) — Police in North Versailles are trying to determine how gunshots were followed by a 3-vehicle crash which left one man dead and 10 people taken to hospitals, including five children. Officers arrived at the collision on Route 30 around 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Police say they believe a white Nissan was pursuing a black Chrysler on Route 30 west when gunshots were fired from the Nissan. The driver of the Chrysler had at least one gunshot wound and died at the scene.

Sinkhole Opens, Swallows Part of City Bus During Rush Hour

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The front of a city bus is up in the air after a sinkhole opened under it during rush hour in downtown Pittsburgh. The Port Authority of Allegheny County says only the driver and one passenger were aboard the bus when it plunged into the hole. The passenger was taken to a hospital for a minor injury Monday, and the driver was not injured.

Demolition Continues at Site of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church

(All photos taken by Sandy Giordano)

Demolition continues at the site of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in West Aliquippa. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has more…

October is Agent Orange Awareness Month

OCTOBER HAS BEEN DECLARED AGENT ORANGE AWARNESS MONTH. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO REPORTS. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

Today is National First Responders Day

Today is National First Responders Day…as we hear in this report from Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

Jury Selection Begins Today For Death Penalty Trial of Man Charged in Shooting Death of Police Officer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jury selection begins today for the death penalty trial of a man charged in the shooting death of a western Pennsylvania police officer almost two years ago. Testimony is slated to begin next week for the trial of 31-year-old Rahmael Sal Holt in the November 2017 slaying of New Kensington officer Brian Shaw. Prosecutors have said they intend to seek capital punishment if Holt is convicted of first-degree murder. Holt has maintained that he wasn’t the one who fired the shots.

Pirates fire GM Neal Huntington, shake front office again

Pirates fire GM Neal Huntington, shake front office again
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates’ front-office overhaul is complete. The team fired general manager Neal Huntington on Monday, the third high-profile dismissal following a last-place finish in the NL Central.
Pittsburgh parted with manager Clint Hurdle on the final day of the regular season. Team president Frank Coonelly stepped away last week and will be replaced by former Pittsburgh Penguins executive Travis Williams. Kevan Graves will serve as interim general manager while the club begins the search for Huntington’s full-time replacement.
Huntington arrived in Pittsburgh in 2007 and oversaw a franchise-wide makeover in which the club emerged from two decades of losing to reach the playoffs three straight times from 2013-15. The team began to slide out of contention in 2016 and has finished under .500 in three of the last four seasons. Huntington and Hurdle signed four-year contract extensions in 2017 saying they were confident the team had the right plan to stay competitive in one of baseball’s toughest divisions.
Now they’re both out of work following a stunning second-half collapse in which Pittsburgh finished 69-93 amid a series of on-the-field and off-the-field issues, including the arrest of All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez on felony charges related to a sexual relationship with an underage girl.
Pirates chairman Bob Nutting appeared to give Huntington a vote of confidence when the team dismissed Hurdle, saying on Sept. 29 he strongly believed “Huntington and the leadership team that he has assembled are the right people to continue to lead our baseball operations department.”
After what he called a “thorough review,” Nutting changed course. Coonelly walked away last week, saying he felt new voices were necessary for the franchise to move forward. Nutting stressed that Huntington’s dozen years in Pittsburgh “should always be remembered for ending a long stretch of futility” but felt the move to fire Huntington was “critical” to giving Williams the fresh slate necessary so the Pirates can start anew.
Williams spent a decade with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, eventually rising to chief operating officer while serving as part of a management team that helped the franchise win Stanley Cups in 2009, 2016 and 2017. He left the Penguins last fall to become president of business operations for the New York Islanders.
Williams will have his hands full when he starts Friday. Finding a general manager will take top priority. The team said it is halting the managerial search until the general manager job is filled.
“Travis was an integral part of the Penguins leadership team over the past decade of success,” Nutting said. “He has a keen understanding of Pittsburgh and appreciates how important our fans are. He will drive a culture of success within our organization.”
Williams called the decision to join the Pirates a “homecoming.”
“It is a tremendous opportunity to come back to a city and a team that I love,” Williams said. “I am excited about working with Bob and the rest of the Pirates family to return this franchise to a winning tradition.”
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue Draws Steady Stream of People on One-Year Anniversary of Deadly Shooting

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A steady stream of people have been stopping by the closed Pittsburgh synagogue that one year ago was the scene of the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Lining the fence outside the Tree of Life synagogue stand 11 flowerpots, each bearing one of the names of a person killed in the attack, which also wounded seven others. People have also been piling bouquets and crocheted hearts and hanging signs on the fence.