(File Photo of Kennywood logo)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(West Mifflin, PA) Kennywood has announced its schedule for 2025 and opening date on April 12th. The park will be open that day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will feature a special event featuring the Kennywood Easter Bunny and activities to welcome the spring season. On May 25th, Kennywood will start operating for their first full week in 2025.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump listens during an event on combating antisemitism at Trump National Golf Club, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, in Bedminster, N.J. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
(AP) As he assumes the presidency for a second time, Donald Trump brings with him a broad expanse of business relationships and financial entanglements — and the possibility that those associations could influence his decision-making in the White House.
Trump’s team dismisses such concerns. “President Trump removed himself from his multibillion-dollar real estate empire to run for office and forewent his government salary, becoming the first President to actually lose net worth while serving in the White House,” Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Unlike most politicians, President Trump didn’t get into politics for profit — he’s fighting because he loves the people of this country and wants to make America great again.”
But questions remain. Here’s a look at the various connections and potential conflicts in Trump’s second administration.
Launched in 2021, Winning Team Publishing is run by Donald Trump Jr. and Sergio Gor, a Trump adviser selected by the president-elect to run the White House personnel office. Gor also led the pro-Trump super PAC Right for America.
Trump has earned at least $11.6 million in royalties over the last two years from two of his books produced by Winning Team, according to financial disclosure statements filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
“Letters to Trump” is an anthology of correspondence from celebrities and politicians written to him over the years. “Our Journey Together” features hundreds of photos from his first presidential term with captions “handpicked” by Trump. Another coffee table book, “Save America,” features reminiscences from Trump’s presidential campaigns and term in office, as well as a lengthy reflection about his brush with death during a July assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania.
Campaign finance records show Trump’s political fundraising committees have paid Winning Team Publishing more than $242,000 for unspecified books and printing services.
The company also publishes titles written by Trump’s staunchest supporters, including GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro and conservative provocateur Charlie Kirk.
Trump’s name and image are branded on a dizzying array of merchandise that he promotes and profits from through licensing agreements, including Bibles, diamond-encrusted watches, gold-colored sneakers and guitars that cost as much as $10,000.
Thousands of copies of the “God Bless the USA” Bible Trump sells were printed in China, a country he has repeatedly accused of stealing American jobs and engaging in unfair trade practices. As president, Trump would be able to exempt Bibles and other religious texts from hefty tariffs he’s threatened to impose on imported Chinese products.
Trump’s endorsement of a line of guitars led to a “cease and desist” letter from Nashville-based Gibson Guitars. A company representative said in a brief statement the design of the Trump guitars infringes upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the body shape of the company’s iconic Les Paul model.
Judgments of more than half a billion dollars from civil lawsuits hang over Trump and will be more difficult to avoid than the criminal cases brought by the federal government and then abandoned after his election in November.
A New York judge ordered Trump and his companies earlier this year to pay more than $450 million after ruling he had manipulated his net worth in financial statements to secure favorable loans. That penalty came shortly after Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million to the writer E. Jean Carroll for damaging her reputation after she accused him of sexual assault. A separate jury awarded Carroll $5 million from Trump for sexual abuse and defamation.
Trump has appealed the rulings in the fraud case and one of the Carroll cases. His latest financial disclosure list more than $101 million in liabilities stemming from the two cases.
As president, Trump can’t pardon himself for penalties imposed in civil cases unrelated to his official government duties, said Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School in New York. And because the trials have already occurred, he’ll have difficulty arguing the cases are an undue burden on his time.
The constellation of high-end golf resorts Trump owns or manages generated hundreds of millions of dollars for him in 2024 and may pull in even greater sums once he’s back in the Oval Office.
Trump’s financial disclosure reported close to $267 million in “golf-related” income, with another $161 million in combined “golf and hotel” proceeds from his Doral golf club in Miami.
During his first term, Trump frequently promoted his golf courses and routinely played at them with a large, taxpayer-funded entourage in tow, leading to criticism that he was using the power of the presidency to enrich himself. Trump pushed to host the international Group of Seven summit at the Doral property in 2019. But he dropped the plan amid accusations he would violate the emoluments clause of the Constitution that bans presidents from receiving gifts or payments from foreign governments.
The golf courses may also attract foreign officials and special interest groups hoping to gain access and curry favor by spending large sums at Trump properties.
Since the start of Trump’s first term in office, the cost to join his private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, has soared to $1 million, allowing wealthy people to mix pleasure with politics and government business during his frequent visits to the club.
While Trump collects income from Mar-a-Lago — $111 million over the last two years — he’s been accused of charging the U.S. Secret Service “exorbitant” room rates of more than $800 per night for agents assigned to protect him when he traveled there and to other Trump family properties.
Who Trump meets with while at Mar-a-Lago and what he discusses are largely hidden from public view. The Secret Service has no electronic systems to screen or monitor presidential visitors to the estate, according to a 2020 federal appeals court ruling.
Trump launched his social media platform, Truth Social, in early 2022, after he was banned from major sites such as Facebook and the platform formerly known as Twitter following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
While he’s since been reinstated to both, Trump has often used Truth Social for more personal commentary, leaving traffic on X and other platforms for more formal statements and pronouncements. The company hasn’t disclosed how many users it has, so it’s hard to know how broad Trump’s reach there is.
But what is clear is that Trump is the primary player in Trump Media & Technology Group, which started trading on the NASDAQ stock market in March. The incoming president has a majority stake in the company, and said shortly after his general election win that he had “NO INTENTION OF SELLING” his shares, which have significantly boosted Trump’s net worth, and at that time were valued at around $3.5 billion.
Trump has promised to make America the “crypto capital of the planet” as he returns to the White House, a promise that would likely pay off for him personally.
Amidst the 2024 campaign, Trump launched a new venture to trade cryptocurrencies that he has promoted on the same social media accounts he used for his campaign. His two eldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, have also posted about their new platform, called World Liberty Financial, as has his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who is married to Eric and also serves as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
The new moneymaking venture could explode in value if Trump pushes through legislative and regulatory changes long sought by crypto advocates.
During his first term, Trump said he was “not a fan” of cryptocurrency but he has since taken a more favorable view — from announcing in May that the campaign would begin accepting donations in cryptocurrency to attending a Bitcoin conference in Nashville, promising to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet” and create a Bitcoin “strategic reserve” using the currency that the government currently holds.
Several of Trump’s cabinet nominees, including Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick and Trump’s pick for the Securities and Exchange Commission, Paul Atkins, have substantial cryptocurrency investments.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., speaks during a campaign event in York, Pa., Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — When Democrat John Fetterman got elected to Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, many backers hoped he’d challenge convention and the status quo.
He did and has — just not in the way many had expected.
Fetterman has broken with his party on some policy matters and warmed to President-elect Donald Trump, a man he bashed on the 2024 campaign trail as a “felon” who is “obsessed with revenge.” Fetterman later became the first Senate Democrat to meet with Trump since the election.
In fact, Fetterman has warmed to Trump so much that some in his party are quietly disavowing the man they supported in 2022, when the Pennsylvanian easily won a three-candidate primary and survived a stroke amid a high-pressure campaign to become the only Democrat to flip a Republican Senate seat that year.
Christine Jacobs, who founded Represent PA, an organization to help elect Democratic women to Pennsylvania’s legislature, said the Democrats she’s talking to are both disappointed and concerned by Fetterman’s dalliance with Trump.
Their worry, Jacobs said, is that “Trump can say he’s talking to Democrats like John Fetterman, but it’s not going to change what he does and it’ll end up looking like John Fetterman’s being used.”
Fetterman’s approach is reminding some Democrats of former Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both of whom clashed with their party during President Joe Biden’s term, became political independents and didn’t run for reelection.
Still, Fetterman — who often mocked Manchin during his 2022 Senate run — isn’t the only one adjusting to the new political reality.
Democrats are grappling with election losses across battleground states, including Pennsylvania, that gave Trump and his party control of the White House and Congress. Democrats are weighing how much to challenge Trump and whether to embrace some of his policies as they try to rebuild their coalition.
“I haven’t changed my core values throughout out all this,” Fetterman told KDKA-AM radio in Pittsburgh on Thursday. But, he said, engaging with Republicans is “one of the reasons why they elected me, they wanted me to do these things.”
Now Pennsylvania’s senior senator, Fetterman had a difficult start to his Senate career. He was diagnosed with auditory processing disorder, a complication from the stroke, and checked himself into the hospital for depression just one month after taking office.
Six weeks later, Fetterman returned to the Senate seemingly transformed — joking with colleagues and shedding his suit-and-tie for the hoodies and shorts that had long been his trademark.
He quickly made waves — for instance, lambasting then-Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., for remaining in office while facing bribery charges. Menendez was convicted last year.
After Hamas attacked Israel, Fetterman became an outspoken supporter of Israel on an issue that had firmly divided Democrats.
Now, Fetterman has become the only Senate Democrat to meet with Trump, after flying to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last weekend. Fetterman said it was only reasonable to meet with the incoming president in what Fetterman has described as a good and honest conversation that lasted for over an hour.
“And I can only see good things emerging from that,” Fetterman told KDKA.
For his part, Trump told the Washington Examiner that they had a “totally fascinating meeting” and that Fetterman is a “commonsense person” and “not liberal or conservative.”
Some Democrats say Fetterman is a smart politician who is acknowledging political reality.
Mustafa Rashed, a Philadelphia-based Democratic strategist, said Pennsylvania should be considered a Republican state after Trump’s second victory there in three tries and the GOP’s down-ballot trouncing of Democrats in November’s statewide races.
“He’s in a red state,” Rashed said. “Of course he’s got to go meet with him. And if you want to continue to represent a red state, of course you’ve got to meet with the president.”
Fetterman — who is among 10 Senate Democrats representing states won by Trump — is distinguishing himself in other ways.
He’s met with several of Trump’s Cabinet picks — unlike his fellow Democrats — and pledged to vote for some, even posing for photos with a thumb’s-up, which Trump often strikes in photos with well-wishers.
Fetterman is also not dismissing Trump’s eyebrow-raising idea of acquiring Greenland, the massive and rare earth mineral-rich Danish territory. On Fox News, Fetterman called buying Greenland “a responsible conversation” and compared it to the Louisiana Purchase.
He co-sponsored a GOP bill to detain unauthorized immigrants accused of certain crimes and helped get it past a procedural hurdle in the Senate. Amid brewing Democratic opposition, Fetterman remarked on Fox News that if enough Democrats couldn’t join with Republicans to pass the bill “then that’s a reason why we lost” the 2024 election.
Democratic strategists note Fetterman forged his political career largely on his own, independently from the party.
As a small-town mayor in Braddock, Fetterman became a minor celebrity for his looks — he’s 6-foot-8 and tattooed with a shaved head — and his efforts to put the depressed former steel town back on the map.
He endorsed insurgent Democrat Bernie Sanders in 2016’s presidential primary and ran from the left against the party-backed Democrat in 2016’s Senate primary. When the state Democratic Party looked to endorse a candidate in 2022’s three-way primary, Fetterman shrugged it off as an “inside game.”
Jamie Perrapato, executive director of Turn PA Blue, which helps organize and train campaign volunteers, said she’s seeing a lot of outrage on the left over Fetterman engaging with Trump. But nobody should be surprised, she said.
Fetterman is a “wild card,” Perrapato said, and if anyone thought he’d fall in line with Senate Democratic leadership, “they were crazy.”
Fetterman’s drift has given rise to whispers that he may change his registration.
Last month, appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Fetterman said that he’s not leaving the Democratic Party, but that meeting Trump nominees and aligning with some GOP policy views is part of “representing the kind of state that we have in Pennsylvania.”
Still, Fetterman hasn’t backed away from his bedrock issues, such as support for labor unions, abortion rights or LGBT rights.
He has had close relationships with some top Pennsylvania Democrats, including former Sen. Bob Casey, and Jim Burn, a former state Democratic Party chairman, said Fetterman campaigned hard for Vice President Kamala Harris before she lost to Trump.
“Nobody can say John Fetterman was hedging bets for the Republicans,” Burn said, “because he was working his tail off for Kamala Harris all over the state.”
(Photo Provided with Release)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver Falls, PA) On Saturday, January 25th from 5-9 p.m., Pittsburgh artist Darrin Milliner will have an art exhibit and a workshop at the Baby Bello building on 9th Avenue in Beaver Falls. The exhibit is called Catalyst, which highlights the topic of change in assemblages, collages, and media art. Milliner will also have an artist talk at 7 p.m. A $10 donation is also suggested at the event. You can register online, and the link to do so can be found below.
Click here to register at this link: Events | The Baby Bello
(File photo of Transportation Security Administration Logo)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Washington, D.C.) According to a release from the Transportation Security Administration, TSA intercepted a total of 6,678 firearms at airport security checkpoints in 2024 out of 904 million people screened. Penalties include a fine that could reach up to $14,950 and the eligibility for TSA precheck being revoked for five years or more. There could also be a citation or arrest from officers depending on the scenario.
Somesh C. Bose, 84, of Moon Township, passed away on December 25th, 2024. He was born in Patna, India on July 23rd, 1940, a son of the late Amaresh Bose and Renuka (née Sen) Bose. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Pompa (née Roy Chowdhury) Bose, their two sons, Rajesh Bose and his companion Scanlynn Daniel, Neilesh Bose and his wife Melia, beloved granddaughter Chandni Joya Belli Bose, sister Mani M. Majumdar, brother Samiresh C. Bose and his companion Vlasta Stastna.
Somesh had a long and successful career as a civil and structural engineer. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from the Bengal College of Engineering and Technology (B.E. College) in West Bengal, India. He left India as a young man to pursue higher education in the U.K., and then established his career in the United States. He holds a Master of Science from the University of Southampton in Civil Engineering as well as a Master of Business Administration from Robert Morris University. His meticulous nature, relentless work ethic and wry humor served him well in his career and helped him navigate life with adventure and determination. He was dedicated and selfless in service to his family. His family will cherish the enduring values and guidance he imparted to them. Arrangements have been entrusted to the branch of Huntsman Funeral Home and Cremation Services.
Palma P. (Pollice) Simonette, 95, of Ingram, passed away on January 15th, 2025 in The Willows of Oakmont. She was born in Coraopolis on July 7th, 1929, the daughter of the late Dr. Adelmo & Mary (DeJuliis) Pollice. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Joseph N. Simonette, a great-grandson Jeremiah Simonette and brothers, Philip Pollice MD, Felix Pollice, & Eugene Pollice MD. She is survived by her son Joseph Felix Simonette (Chris) of Ross Township, four grandchildren: Amber Myers, Joseph Simonette, Sabrina Simonette & Santino Simonette, four great grandchildren: Ameira, Maisie, Joseph & Olive; along with her sister Jill Mowry.
Friends will be received on Sunday, January 19th from 1-5 P.M. in the Huntsman Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Moon Township, 1522 Coraopolis Heights Road, where a funeral service will be held on Monday, January 20th at 10 A.M. Interment will follow at Calvary Catholic Cemetery of Pittsburgh.
Dona L. Eckman, 87, of Beaver Falls, passed away on January 13th, 2025 at Providence Health and Rehab Center. She was born in Beaver Falls on November 15th, 1937, the daugther of the late Raymond and Eleanor Eckman. She is survived by her three children, son, Scott (Doreen) Hezlep, daughters Cheryl (Richard) Winkle and Susan (Joseph) Kantz, six grandchildren: James (Cassie) Hezlep, Kevin (Stephanie) Hezlep, Jason (Heather) Winkle, Lynnsey (Tony) Savina, Abigail (Benjamin) Helmick and Adam Kantz and eight great-grandchildren: Emma, Scarlett, Sophie, Aubree, Ryleigh, Jameson, Jaxson, Eliana and one on the way.
Dona was a very loving daughter, cousin, aunt, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She always put everyone before herself. She was a woman of many talents. Dona was the head majorette throughout high school in Beaver Falls, a bank teller, worked for Schmuckers Jelly, a cashier supervisor at K-Mart, and an entrepreneur, who owned and operated her own business for 20 years as a dog groomer.
In her retirement, she became an avid puzzle builder, enjoyed making crafts, but most of all, Dona loved spending quality time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A public visitation will be held on Sunday, January 19th at 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. and on Monday, January 20th at 10-11 a.m. with a funeral service at 11 a.m. with Rev. Dr. David S. Oyler officiating at Corless-Kunselman Fruneral Services, LLC 3801 4th Avenue, Beaver Falls, followed with a private interment at Grandview Cemetery.
Carol Ann Robinson, 87, of Center Township, passed away at her residence surrounded by her family on January 9th, 2025.
She was born in Sewickley on December 23rd, 1937, the daughter of the late Steven and Catherine (Gregarus) Hettish. She is survived by her husband, Lesley C. Robinson, two sons, Timothy (Cynthia) Robinson and Ronald (Monica) Robinson, four grandchildren: Amy Robinson, Abigail Robinson, Sean (Renee) Robinson, and Ryan Robinson; along with two great-grandchildren, Connor and Chace.
Carol was a sales associate at Sears and a member of St. Frances Cabrini Church, part of Mary, Queen of Saints Parish. Carol fiercely loved her family and enjoyed spending time with them. Her humor and quick wit always lit up a room. She will be deeply missed.
All services for Carol were private along with an entombment at Sylvania Hills Memorial Park. Arrangements have been entrusted to the branch of Gabauer Funeral Homes.
(File Photo of Hopewell Area School District logo)
(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)
(Hopewell, PA) The Hopewell School Board made decisions regardingathletic positions at their Tuesday work session. Matt Mottes was unanimously picked as the Hopewell football coach for the 2025-2026 season. Terry Borkovic was hired as the volleyball coach for the junior high school team, while Lexi Thompson got hired as the assistant coach. Erica Herrinton was hired after being a long -term special education teacher at the junior high school. Christopher Keiper, who is the high school band director, resigned effective May 30th, 2025. Keiper will continue as the music teacher at the junior high school. The board also adopted a resolution certifying that they will not raise tax rates for the support of public schools more than PA’s Act 1 index limit, which is 2.5% for the 2025-26 school year. The next session for the Hopewell School Board is on Tuesday, January 28th at 7 p.m.