Author: Beaver County Radio

Betty Jane (Hellar) Ruby (1927-2025)

Betty Jane (Hellar) Ruby, 97, of Ambridge, passed away on February 3rd, 2025 in Heritage Valley Sewickley.

She was born in Somerset on May 23rd, 1927, the daughter of the late Ambrose and Cora (Burkett) Hellar. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband, Willard Meredith Roby. She is survived by her daughter, Carol Ann (Roby) Berkey, son, Wolfard Roby, four grandchildren: Rob, Jenn, Chad, and Natalia; as well as three great grandchildren, Robert, James and Eric.

Betty was a wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.  She lived through nearly a century of change, yet her kindness, strength and unwavering love remained constant. Betty will be loved and missed by all near and dear to her.

At the family’s request, no services are being held. Arrangements have been entrusted to the John Syka Funeral Home, 833 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge.

William Steinmetz (1947-2025)

William Steinmetz, 77, of Ambridge, passed away at Good Samaritan Wexford on February 4th, 2025.  He was born in Warrendale, Pennsylvania on July 15th, 1947, a son of the late Jerome Steinmetz and Roberta (Schwertz) Goss. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Richard Peter Steinmetz. He is survived by his sister, Barbara (Jay) Alexander, two nieces, Amanda and Ashley, a nephew, Richard Steinmetz and his long-time companion and the love of his life, Martha Farkasovsky.

William jumped at the chance to putt on “the green” as an avid golfer. He truly loved people, whether friends or strangers, and would go out of his way to help anyone.  William took great pride in his appearance and was considered a “sharp dresser.”  He took the best care of his beloved Martha and was a great travel companion to her as well.

At the family’s request, no services are being held.  Arrangements have been entrusted to the John Syka Funeral Home, 833 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge.  A celebration of William’s life will be held this summer.  Family and friends will be notified.

Cora Mae (Teddi) Nolder (1933-2025)

Cora Mae (Teddi) Nolder, 91, of Monaca passed away in her home on February 3rd, 2025. She was born on July 24th, 1933 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, a daughter of the late Stu and Clara Sinclair. Cora grew up on Marion Hill New Brighton with her eight brothers and sisters, MaryAlice, Jerri,Gig, Ron, Annabelle, Jack, Skip and Dan.

She married the love of her life in 1952, Dutch, and on their first dates, he would pick her up in his convertible and take her to Jerry’s. They had forty-nine wonderful years together until his passing in 2001. Cora and Dutch had five children together: Dutchie, Ray, Pam (David)Kerns, Dan/Booney & Donny Nolder.

Her true joy in life was her grandchildren: Cory Nolder, Marie (Robert)Knox, Michael (Chad)Kerns, Brooke (Rome) Riggins, Daniel Nolder, William Nolder and numerous great grandchildren. She retired from Phoenix Glass in Monaca, working in the decorating department with thirty-two years of service.

In her spare time, she enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s sporting events, traveling and lunch with her friends, Mary and Carol. She was an avid Steeler fan who loved the Monaca Indians and her Boston terriers. Teddi will be greatly missed by her family.

In accordance with Cora’s wishes, all services were private. Arrangements have been entrusted to Simpson Funeral and Cremation Services, 1119 Washington Avenue, Monaca.

Tommy Pham joins 10th big league team, agrees with Pirates on 1-year deal worth $4,025,000

FILE – Kansas City Royals outfielder Tommy Pham (22) heads for first base on an RBI single against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning of Game 2 of the American League baseball playoff series, Oct. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

BC-BBO–Pirates-Pham, 1st Ld-Writethru

Feb 6, 2025 11:42 AM

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Outfielder Tommy Pham joined his 10th major league team, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates worth $4,025,000. The deal is pending Pham, who turns 37 next month, passing a physical. The signing is the most notable free agent acquisition by the Pirates, who have been relatively quiet during the offseason. Pittsburgh re-signed designated hitter Andrew McCutchen in December and signed second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier in late January. The well-traveled Pham gives the Pirates another potential option to join Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz in the outfield. Pittsburgh is Pham’s 10th stop during his 11-year career.

Freedom Resident Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Labor Union Assets

(File Photo)

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Freedom, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of embezzlement of labor union assets, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Vincent Wolf, 57, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from approximately April 2013 through April 2021, Wolf served as the financial secretary for the United Steelworkers Local Union 623 in Freedom. As financial secretary, Wolf was responsible for maintaining all financial records, preparing annual reports, and issuing payments on behalf of Local 623 related to union officers’ salaries and expenses. An audit of the union’s finances following Wolf’s re-election loss revealed that Wolf omitted from those records disbursements that he made to himself in the form of writing
union checks to himself, ATM withdrawals, and using the union debit card to buy lunch and alcohol.
The audit determined that Wolf embezzled a total of $14,695.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for June 4, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10 million or twice the gross pecuniary gain to Wolf, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards conducted the
investigation that led to the prosecution of Wolf.

Educators voice concern of Pennsylvania immigrant student protections

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: Schoolgirl rising her hand at geography lesson. Rear view)

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Immigration policy changes under the Trump administration are instilling fear in Pennsylvania schools, as educators and advocates warn of their effects on students and families. Over 62-thousand immigrant children are residents in the Keystone State. Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner with Moms-Rising says children are living in fear of family separation and a terrified child in a classroom full of fearful children can’t learn or thrive. Pittsburgh Public Schools’ website states that ICE requests to access student information or school grounds must be reviewed by the district’s Law Department and the Superintendent’s Office. ICE officials cannot access students without prior legal approval and required documentation.

Pennsylvania State Representative continues to urge for Pennsylvania private and public elementary schools to teach cursive handwriting

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – In this April 9, 2020, file photo, Sunnyside Elementary School fourth-grader Miriam Amacker does school work in her room at her family’s home in San Francisco. Teachers across the country report their attempts at distance learning induced by the pandemic are failing to reach large numbers of students. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Luzerne County, PA) A Pennsylvania State Representative is proposing legislation to make Pennsylvania another state to have its private and public elementary schools teach handwriting in cursive. On January 8th, State Representative Dane Watro started legislation which would bring cursive as another part of the Pennsylvania Public Schools Code for “subjects of instruction.” Public schools in twenty-three states teach cursive, which include Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. 

 

Hopewell Senior High School holds first-time Unified Robotics Competition

(File Photo of Hopewell High School Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hopewell, PA) Hopewell Senior High School hosted a Unified Robotics Competition last week with over one hundred students from schools around the area for the first time. The event focused on both robotics and coding as robots were timed in a race and specific tasks had to be completed by the robots themselves through the coding of the students. Fields in STEM were also incorporated through the company Unified Robotics, while the school got support from local organizations such as CCBC and Penn State Beaver.

Conway recycling plant catches fire

(File Photo of Conway Fire Truck and Fire Department Station 49)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Conway, PA) On Wednesday, a Beaver County recycling plant was spotted with smoke rising through it. According to Beaver County emergency dispatchers, emergency crews went to Freedom Conway Recycling on Crows Run Road in Conway for this incident. The initial report from investigators was that a dumpster fire occurred. There were no reported injuries.

Driver hits tree and goes off of Hardins Run Road in single-vehicle crash

(File Photo of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Badge)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hanover Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver report that a single-vehicle crash occurred in Hanover Township on January 11th, 2025. According to police, at 3:12 a.m., an unidentified female driver did not have control of her truck on Hardins Run Road. The driver went down the side of a hill after going off the road and then hit a tree. The vehicle had to be towed following the incident.