Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published June 9, 2025 7:13 A.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) Aliquippa Police want residents to be aware that they are enforcing their noise ordinance. If you live in Aliquippa, whether you’re young or old, you must comply with the ordinance of no noise after 10pm. Police are asking that you abide by the ordinance, and say that applies to children, too. Officers will be patrolling neighborhoods to check for noise.

FILE – In this April 24, 2020 file photo, customers lineup outside a Michaels store in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Craft labels from the now-shuttered fabrics seller Joann are making their way to a new home: Michaels.

The Michaels Companies announced on Thursday that it had completed its purchase of Joann’s intellectual property and private label brands — in an acquisition that arrives as the Texas-based arts and crafting chain works to expand its own fabric, sewing and yarn offerings.

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to welcome JOANN customers into our creative community and are committed to delivering the selection, value, and inspiration they are looking for at Michaels,” Michaels CEO David Boone said in a statement. The deal, he added, allows the company to better “respond to rising demand” among both new and existing customers.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The Associated Press reached out to Michaels for further information on Friday.

With roots dating back to a single Ohio storefront in 1943, Joann had grown into a destination for generations of sewers, quilters, knitters and lovers of other crafts for more than 80 years. But more recently, operational challenges continued to pile up — with the retailer pointing to sluggish consumer demand, inventory shortages and rising competition.

Joann announced it would be going out of business back in February, just one month after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time within a year. At the time, the company said financial services company GA Group, together with Joann’s term lenders, had been selected as the winning bidder to “acquire substantially all of Joann’s assets” and conduct going-out-of-business sales at all store locations.

Michaels on Thursday said that its purchase of Joann’s IP and private brands included the acquisition of “Big Twist” yarns, which had become a staple in Joann stores over the years.

Those “Big Twist” labels are now being developed as part of Michaels’ portfolio — and will be available in-stores and online later this year, the company said. In the meantime, Michaels has also dedicated a landing page to welcome former Joann customers online.

And as part of its overall expansion into fabrics, Michaels said on Thursday that its adding more than 600 new products from new and existing brands — including quilting supplies and fabrics, specialty threads, sewing machines and more.

Michaels, founded in 1973, currently operates 1,300 stores across 49 U.S. states and Canada. Its parent company also owns Artistree, a framing merchandise manufacturer.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published June 8, 2025 1:08 P.M. 
Screenshot of video shown above taken from video originally posted by Rachel Rausch.

(Ellwood City, Pa) A video has gone viral of an interaction between a young man and an Ellwood City police officer. The incident took place at a Sheetz in Ellwood City when a young man was trying to retrieve his cell phone he had lost at the location.

A video taken by another person shows an Ellwood City officer behind the counter speaking to the man who was demanding his phone back. The two are seen exchanging words briefly before the officer shoves the man to the ground and yells at him in a corner.

Before the shove, the man is heard asking “who else was here?” and the Police officer states that he is. The man then tells the officer “I don’t give a f***, I just want my phone” before being pushed to the ground. The officer states “I’m not going to put up with this s***” as the man is on the ground.

The officer is seen tossing the phone in question on a table before continuing to speak with him. The video cuts abruptly as the officer appears to put his hand over it. A second officer is seen in the video observing the incident.

Further details of the incident are not yet known and it is unclear if any charges were filed. An online petition has been started in regards to the incident to “Demand justice for the assault victim”.

The video had over 250,000 views on Facebook as of Sunday morning.

UPDATE JUNE 10th: According to a report by KDKA-TV CBS Pittsburgh, Ellwood City Mayor Anthony Court says the incident is under investigation. The officer is on personal time off and was recently promoted to sergeant after being with the department for 26 years.

He was previously investigated in 2017 for excessive force.

ORIGINAL FACEBOOK POST (LANGUAGE WARNING):

(File Photo)

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing joint habilitation activities on Interstate 376 (Beaver Valley Expressway) in Hopewell and Center townships, Beaver County will begin Monday night, June 9 weather permitting.

Lane restrictions will occur weeknights from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., as needed, in both directions of I-376 between the Hopewell (Exit 48) and Center (Exit 42) interchanges as crews conduct micro-surface asphalt application, line eradication, and line painting operations. Weekend work will occur as needed.

The overall project will continue through mid-September.

Crews from the Swank Construction Company and Suit-Kote Corporation will conduct the work.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways 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 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Allegheny, Beaver, Lawrence counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District11.

Information about infrastructure in District 11, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D11Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

Follow PennDOT on X and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.

(File Photo of the Community College of Beaver County logo)

(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

(Monaca, PA) The Community College of Beaver County is offering a free STEM program for 6th through 8th graders. This program takes place from Monday, June 9th through Thursday, July 3rd and Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch is also free and will be provided. CCBC will also be hiring students that are in high school and college to be counselors for the program. Local students can expect topics of 3D printing, entrepreneurship that is social, thinking for design and augmented reality in this CCBC STEM program. 

(File Photo of Police Lights)

(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

(Ambridge, PA) The man who killed twenty-six-year-old Mason Lang-Goins of Ambridge on Tuesday was charged Wednesday. Twenty-six-year-old Nicholas Tyler Andrews of Ambridge was charged with criminal homicide from Ambridge Police. According to a police report from Ambridge Police, Andrews discharged a black Rock Island 38 special revolver and struck Goins twice in the arm and torso. That report also confirms that six spent shell casings were in the chamber of the gun. The murder of Goins occurred at the home of Andrews in Ambridge. Beaver County Deputy Coroner Bill Pasquale pronounced  Goins dead at the scene. Andrews was taken into police custody along with bystander Kevin Freeman. Andrews is in the Beaver County Jail and his preliminary hearing will be on Tuesday, June 17th at 10 a.m. in the Beaver County Court.

(File Photo of a Sign Located at the Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News (Updated at 10:36 A.M. to Provide Reason for the Store Closing)

(Monaca, PA) The JCPenney store at the Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca will close this year. According to employees of that store, September 17th, 2025 is the closing date. Officials confirm that a lease that was expired was the reason that the JCPenney store at the Beaver Valley Mall will close. This store was removed from a list of JCPenney stores that were going be closed in July of 2020 even though JCPenney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May of 2020.