(File Photo of Handcuffs)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Pennsylvania State Police at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh report that sixty-two-year-old Rhonda Watson of Pittsburgh was arrested on August 31st, 2025 for entering the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh that day. According to police, Watson arrived on property of the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh on August 31st, 2025 when she was the subject of an active lifetime ban for guest misconduct.
(File Photo of two City of Pittsburgh Police Cars with two businesses in the background and a bystander walking in the Background)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Pennsylvania State Police at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh report that that forty-seven-year-old Claudio Marcelo Barrionuevo of North Versailles, Pennsylvania trespassed into the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh on September 7th, 2025. According to police, Barrionuevo was not licensed or privileged to enter the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and a notice against trespass was given to Barrionuevo in communication with him.
(Photo Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Donald Henson of Penn Hills got taken into custody this morning after he allegedly rammed a vehicle into the gate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Field office in the South Side of Pittsburgh. According to the FBI, Henson used his car to ram the gate to the building around 2:40 a.m. this morning and at that time of that crash, there were no injuries. FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano also confirms that Henson grabbed an American flag from inside the vehicle and threw it over the gate after crashing into the gate. Witnesses in the area have stated they saw a man get out of the vehicle, drape an American flag over the gate, yell something and then walk away. There was also a message including expletives written in a color of red on the door on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Giordano stated today: “We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI. This was a targeted attack on this building.” The FBI also notes that Henson is believed to be a former military member, Henson is believed to have a history of mental health issues and that Henson recently visited the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Field office in the South Side of Pittsburgh.
(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
(Robinson Township, PA) According to police, a boy and a woman were stabbed in Robinson Township on K Row at about 8 a.m. on Sunday by a man who later died in a crash. An unidentified juvenile male with mutiple stab wounds and an undientified woman who had multiple lacerations were found by police. Both of them were taken to a hospital. Police confirm that critical but stable condition was the condition that the boy was in and minor injuries was what the woman was being treated for at a hospital. A preliminary investigation shows that a man stabbed the boy and the woman at a home on K Row and escaped in a vehicle that was stolen and crashed in South Fayette Township along I-576. The unidentified suspect was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. This crash is being investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and if you have any information about it, contact 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: Noah Wyle accepts the award for outsanding lead actor in a drama series for “The Pitt” during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh is currently serving as a site for filming for season two of the HBO Max Original series, “The Pitt,” which got five wins at the 2025 Emmy Awards across thirteen nominations, with one of its wins being Outstanding Drama Series. According to a release from Allegheny Health Network, filming locations will include the hospital’s LifeFlight helipad, a rooftop which provides scenic views of the city, and various entryways to the facility and interior scenes will continue to be filmed on set at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, which meticulously replicates the unique architectural and historic details of Allegheny General Hospital. “The Pitt” is a realistic series that displays an examination of the present challenges that American healthcare workers face as seen through the frontline heroes working at a Pittsburgh hospital that is modern-day. The cast of “The Pitt” includes Noah Wyle, who earned the a 2025 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for “The Pitt.” It is emphasized by hospital officials that patient care and hospital operations will not be impacted during filming, just like for filming at locations including Allegheny General Hospital during the first season of “The Pitt.”
(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Community College of Beaver County)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Monaca, PA) According to a release from the Community College of Beaver County, CCBC in Monaca has been recently awarded $285,441 through the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE). This funding will help the efforts of CCBC to address workforce gaps that are critical in the industry of aviation across 20 counties that are Applachian in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and South Carolina. According to Statista, global airline shortages are projected to reach 50,000 pilots by 2025, while the National Air Traffic Controllers Association reports that the FAA is short of nearly 4,000 air traffic controllers. $323,305 in matching funds from both CCBC and its partners will go to this project. The partners of CCBC include High Flight Academy, Piedmont Flight, St. Vincent College, Southern Alleghenies Workforce Development Board, Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Investment Board, USAeroFlight and many others across Pennsylvania, North Carolina and South Carolina. The Appalachian Regional Commission’s goal of creating stronger multistate collaborations to build resilient economies across Appalachia aligns with this project. The Appalachia Regional Commission has invested $157 million in 56 collaborative, multistate projects through ARISE to date. CCBC’s James M. Johnson School of Aviation Sciences has a national reputation presently for both its high quality and high standards that include being the only Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) school to operate its own tower, placing an air traffic controller in every tower in the country, putting a pilot in the cockpit of every major airline and partnering with 22 flight providers in Pennsylvania and the southeast to offer online piloting training.
(Photo of the the late Stephen Williams of Pittsburgh Courtesy of Pittsburgh Public Safety)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) According to court paperwork, twenty-five-year-old Jose Soto recently got charges that include criminal homicide and robbery that are in connection with the death of forty-two-year-old Stephen Williams of Pittsburgh. The body of Williams was pulled from the Ohio River near the rivers Casino in Pittsburgh on September 9th, 2025 and Williams was reported missing in Downtown Pittsburgh on September 5th, 2025. The criminal complaint filed by police alleges that Soto and another man were seen on surveillance video assaulting and robbing Williams before throwing him into the nearby river and that before the alleged actions happened, surveillance cameras spotted Williams walking on Strawberry Way before making his way through Downtown Pittsburgh. Police confirm that Soto and another unidentified man followed Williams down a ramp located under the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to the walk of the Ohio River, which is when, according to police, the assault and robbery occurred, which included Soto stealing the backpack of Williams before running away. According to the criminal complaint, police say surveillance footage shows Soto running up the steps connecting to the 9th Street Bridge. It is unclear if Williams knew either Soto or the other man that allegedly assaulted him, robbed him and threw him into the Ohio River. Police also confirm that Soto did not identify the accomplice that worked with him and that charges of conspiracy for criminal homicide, criminal homicide and robbery are what Soto is facing as he is being held in the Allegheny County Jail without bail.
(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Pennsylvania State Police at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh report that eighteen-year-old Luke Kelln of Shattuck, Oklahoma was arrested on Saturday for possessing a false identification at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh that day. According to police, Kelln had a fake Oklahoma driver’s license that depicted that he was over twenty-one years old and charges were filed against Kelln.
Eva (Mrkonja) Silvestri, 97, a lifelong resident of Aliquippa, lovingly known as “Mama Tootsie,” passed away peacefully on September 15th, 2025. She was born on December 20th, 1927, a daughter of the late Mike and Margaret Mrkonja. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Leo Silvestri and several siblings: Marie (Frank) Battalini, Ann (Anthony) Marcello, Lil (Joseph) Taormina, Joan Mrkonja, Milan (Stella) Mrkonja, Joseph (Elizabeth) Mrkonja, George Mrkonja, Nicholas (MaryAnn) Mrkonja; along with two infant siblings, Rudolph and Rosemary. She is survived by her brothers, Louis Mrkonja, with whom she had a close relationship with, as well as John Mrkonja. She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews. She maintained a close relationship with her devoted nieces, Valerie Battalini (Rick Cropper ) and Vicki (Martin) Thomas, her nephew, Tony Marcello, and her great nieces and nephews: Martin Thomas, Austa (Kevin) McDanel and their children, Urban and Una and Quinn Thomas, whom she cared for with great dedication as if they were her own children.
Eva will be remembered and cherished for her wit, enduring strength and snappy sense of humor. She was the eldest sister of 13 siblings who lived a life that was full of care and devotion to her family. Her greatest joy was spending time with her closest nieces and nephews. One would never see her without her two sisters. The trio of Eva, Marie and Joann would go gallivanting around town and Joann was the chauffeur. The only thing better for her was the luck of good scratch ticket. She enjoyed the simple pleasure of good company and lunch at her local McDonald’s. She was full of quick humor who was proud of her Serbian heritage and was an overall joy to be around.
Eva will be buried with her husband at St. Elijah Serbian Cemetery of Aliquippa.
The family would like to thank Dr. Gandhe and staff at the staff Gateway Hospice for the care that was extended to Tootsie. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Anthony Mastrofrancesco Funeral Home, Inc., 2026 McMinn Street, Aliquippa.
Jennie M. Straile, 97, of Rochester Township, passed away on September 15th, 2025 at her home. She was born in Beaver on May 27th, 1928, a daughter of the late Anthony and Concetta Rivezzi Ezzo. In addition to her parents, she preceded in death by her husband, Robert H. Straile Sr., one son, Paul F. Straile, a son-in-law, William E. Wright, two brothers, Marion and Michael Ezzo, a sister, Carrie Ezzo, and a sister-in-law, Agnes Ezzo. She is survived by one daughter, Sandra M. Wright of Rochester Township, three sons and daughters-in-law, John R. and Kellie Straile of Conway, Richard J. and Kathy Straile of Brighton Township, Robert H. “Robbie” Straile Jr. of Rochester Township and Rebecca Straile of Daugherty Township, as well as ten grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, a beloved special grandson, Drew Wright of Chippewa, a special niece Linda Knott of Vanport, two nephews and numerous other nieces. Jennie was a retired cafeteria worker with the Rochester Area School District and a member of St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church of Rochester, part of Our Lady of the Valley Parish, where she was a Christian Mother. She had previously worked with the former Woolworth Company in the Beaver Valley Mall. She was also a member of the Beaver County YMCA who enjoyed craftwork and painting. Jennie’s wish was to be cremated with no service. All arrangements have been entrusted to William Murphy Funeral Home Inc., 349 Adams Street, Rochester.