Author: Beaver County Radio

Man in Wheelchair Accused of Trying to Rob Pittsburgh Bank

A man in a wheelchair accused of trying to rob a Pittsburgh bank – and then changing his mind – is now behind bars. On Aug. 14, Emanuel Luna – who is in his 60‘s, according to police – went into the First National Bank on East Carson Street on Pittsburgh’s South Side and handed the teller a note. The note said: “I have a bomb. If you don’t want to die you will give it to me. It is in my backpack and I will press the button and kill us all for no less than $50,000.Please try me”. Police said Luna then said, “Forget it” and left without any money. Police said they looked at cameras and noticed the man abandoned the wheelchair on East Carson Street and used a cane to get into a Port Authority bus. Police said they also found a fingerprint on the wheelchair that connected the crime to Luna. Luna is currently in the Allegheny County Jail.

Man Stopped for Loaded Gun at Pgh International Airport, Marks 24th This Year

A man from Greensburg was stopped by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday for having a loaded handgun. The man was stopped at the security checkpoint with a .380-caliber handgun loaded with six bullets. TSA contacted Allegheny County police, which responded, confiscated the firearm and detained the main for questioning. A typical first offense for carrying a handgun into a checkpoint is $4,000. This is the 24th handgun stopped at one of the airport’s checkpoints so far this year. In 2018, TSA officers at PIT caught 34 firearms at the checkpoint.

Fatal Erie Day Care Center Fire Still Under Investigation

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities have collected electrical cords and other items from the scene of a Pennsylvania day care center fire that killed five children. The Erie Times-News reports that an electrical engineer, city authorities and agents from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the scene Friday. Authorities say the fire on Aug. 11 killed five children ranging in age from 8 months to 7 years. The owner of the Erie day care was hospitalized but has since been released.

Former Athletic Director for Beaver Area School District Facing Drug Charges

The former athletic director for Beaver Area School District is facing charges after being found with 22 pounds of marijuana and prescription pills during a traffic stop near the Poconos earlier this month. Patrick McDanel was pulled over August 11th on Interstate 80 in Tobyhanna Township. McDanel left his role with the school district about a month earlier to move to another state where his wife and in-laws live. The 33-year-old is free on ten-thousand-dollars bail ahead of his September 5th preliminary hearing.

Drug Free School Zones Identified as Students Head Back to Class

MORE STUDENTS ARE HEADED BACK TO CLASS THIS WEEK IN BEAVER COUNTY…AND LOCAL OFFICIALS HAVE SCHOOL SAFETY ON THEIR MINDS.
BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS MORE. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

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Wildwood Road Daylight Closures Continue Today, Tuesday in Brighton Twp

PennDOT District 11 is announcing daylight closures of Route 4033 (Wildwood Road) in Brighton Township, Beaver County will occur Monday and Tuesday, August 26-27 weather permitting. Wildwood Road will close to through traffic between Constitution Boulevard (Route 51) and Dutch Ridge Road (Route 4018) from 8 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. each day. Traffic will be detoured via Dutch Ridge Road, Bradys Run Road (Route 4012) and Route 51. Improvement work includes milling and paving, base repairs, drainage improvements, guide rail upgrades, pavement marking installation, shoulder repairs, widening and other miscellaneous construction activities. The prime contractor is A. Folino Construction, Inc. on this $2.89 million group project. Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 950 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

STOP, DROP & RUN RACE October 12th

STOP, DROP & RUN RACE

Whether you’re six or ninety six, there is something for you on October 12th at the Monaca VFD “STOP, DROP & RUN RACE” which includes a 5K, an obstacle course or BOTH! Yes, children can participate too. This event is 100% VOLUNTEER organized so all of the funds go to supporting our fire departments.

Zechariah Cartlegdge, a 10 year old from Florida who started the Running for Heroes Foundation will also be there to host a Run for Heroes One Mile Run prior to the start of the race with responders running by his side. Zechariah will then present the thin blue line flag to the Chief of Police and Borough Mayor.
If you wish to be a sponsor or to participate in the event contact Chris Shotter at either 724-417-4482 or chris.shotter@monacafire.com

Big Ben makes preseason debut, Steelers beat Titans 18-6

Big Ben makes preseason debut, Steelers beat Titans 18-6
By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger needed three short series to show he’s ready for the regular season, even though he wasn’t happy the Steelers didn’t score earlier.
The Tennessee Titans made it very clear protecting Marcus Mariota on a wet and ugly night was their top priority.
Roethlisberger capped his night with a 17-yard touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Titans 18-6 Sunday night to remain perfect this preseason.
“I wasn’t as crisp as I would’ve liked to have been, but I think we got enough accomplished,” Roethlisberger said.
The Steelers (3-0) came up with four of seven sacks by halftime and had a turnover as they pummeled all three quarterbacks for the Titans (1-2). Six different Steelers had at least a sack apiece.
Roethlisberger made his preseason debut and was a bit rusty with two short series. After Stephon Tuitt sacked Mariota in the end zone for a safety, Roethlisberger then drove the Steelers 48 yards after the free kick and finished with the TD pass to Smith-Schuster.
He nearly gave the Steelers a 10-0 lead but Jaylen Samuels fell down after catching the pass on a 2-point conversion attempt. Roethlisberger spent the rest of the night watching and was 8 of 13 for 63 yards passing. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin was content with what he got out of Roethlisberger and the rest of his Steelers in their first road trip this preseason.
“Although it wasn’t a complete body of work, we were able to get them some situational ball and watch them execute and do some things there, so a good night in that regard,” Tomlin said.
A night after Andrew Luck retired, the Titans played safe with their starting quarterback and pulled Mariota after he was sacked for the safety on his second series. Mariota was 0 of 3, including an uncharacteristic drop by veteran Adam Humphries. That proved a smart move with backup Ryan Tannehill sacked on his third play.
“We’re going to make sure we can protect our quarterback, and that’s important,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “And it’s imperative that we do that as a staff and we do that as an offensive group.”
Pittsburgh is still trying to figure out Roethlisberger’s backup, and Mason Rudolph helped himself with a 41-yard TD pass to James Washington on his first throw of the game. That put the Steelers up 15-0 after the first quarter with a 159-25 edge in total offense. Rudolph finished the first half and was 6 of 9 for 75 yards.
Joshua Dobbs took over in the third quarter and didn’t get much help. One receiver was out of bounds after pushing off for offensive pass interference, and the Steelers needed review to show Trey Griffey did have control and both feet down on a catch after Dobbs scrambled to find him for a 23-yard catch. That set up a 31-yard field goal by rookie Matthew Wright.
The Titans intercepted both Rudolph and Dobbs, who was 4 of 9 for 79 yards.
TWO-SACK QUARTER
Tuitt not only got a sack and the ball back for the Steelers, the veteran going into his sixth season had two in the first quarter taking both of the Titans’ top two quarterbacks down. Tuitt smothered Mariota in the end zone for the safety, then got to Tannehill on the third play of his first series. Tuitt is coming off a career-high 5 1/2 sacks last season.
“We’re expecting big things from him,” Tomlin said. “He’s expecting big things from him. He’s had a good preseason both in stadiums and out, so that was not unlike what we’ve been looking at from him.”
SUCCOP’S RETURN
The best part of the game for Tennessee was veteran Brett Kern’s punting with a 70-yarder along with kicker Ryan Succop’s preseason debut. Succop had offseason knee surgery and wasn’t cleared from the physically unable to perform list until Monday. He kicked a pair of field goals for the Titans’ only points.
BAD MEMORIES
The Titans gave up sacks so early and often that the game started feeling like last October when Baltimore set a franchise-record with 11 sacks. Right tackle Jack Conklin said the Titans didn’t come out strong and fast in the showcase game of the preseason.
“We can’t have our quarterback getting hit,” Conklin said. “He shouldn’t have been touched nearly as many times as he did. It’s definitely things we can get fixed.”
UP NEXT
Steelers: Visit Carolina on Thursday night.
Titans: Visit Chicago on Thursday night.
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(This story has been updated to edit the punctuation on Titans coach Mike Vrabel’s quote on protecting quarterbacks.)
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Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL