FILE – A Star of David hangs from a fence outside the dormant landmark Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Apr. 19, 2023. Robert Bowers. Bowers, the gunman who massacred 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, has a “very serious mental health history” from childhood and a “markedly abnormal” brain, a defense expert testified Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in the penalty phase of the Bowers’ trial. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Survivors of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack have testified to the severe physical and emotional injuries they suffered during the deadliest antisemitic massacre in U.S. history. The testimony Wednesday came in the sentencing phase of the trial of Robert Bowers, who was convicted last month of killing 11 worshippers and could face the death penalty. Officer Tim Matson, who was shot in the head and body, spoke of being in a “dark place” emotionally. But he has drawn support from friends and family, as well as inspiration from an unlikely buddy: a resilient weed in his yard. Bowers’ lawyers presented testimony from a clinical psychologist who says Bowers was exposed to extraordinary risk and instability as a child.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published July 20, 2023 8:03 A.M.

(Hookstown, PA) State Police responded to an incident in the driveway of a home on Heizler Drive in Hookstown. The report says 28 year old Antonio Butera fired a warning shot in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. The altercation ended and parties were separated , with non residents leaving without further incident. During the Troopers investigation, it was discovered that the single round fired traveled approximately 100 yards through the woods and went through the siding of a neighbors house, travelling through a picture frame and through living room drywall before coming dislodged in a bathroom wall.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio news Director. Published July 20, 2023 7:49 A.M. (Photo obtained from Provident Charter School Website) 

(Baden, PA) A grand opening has been announced for the new Provident Charter School West in Baden. The new school is a tuition-free, public school designed for educating students with language-based learning differences such as dyslexia.  The institution will offer an environment tailored to supporting students who are struggling to read. The grand opening will feature tours, kids games and snacks. The event will run from 10am til 1pm, with a ribbon cutting set for noon. The school is located at the former site of Quigley High School, and Provident says Quigley Catholic alumni are welcome to attend the event.

(Photo obtained from Beaver Borough Facebook page)
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published July 19, 2023 2:34 P.M.

(Beaver, PA) The borough of Beaver has announced that renovations will take place at the former Beaver Pool House. They say it will serve as a “modernized hub for events, parties, meetings, and more.” The space is set to accommodate large gatherings indoors, while also offering an outdoor venue. The Beaver Pool closed and was filled in after being deemed unsafe in 2022.    

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published July 19, 2023 11:32 A.M., updated 3:11 P.M. 

(Beaver Falls, PA) The City of Beaver Falls released a statement Wednesday morning in regards to the ongoing wave pool revival project that was led by Tigerland Inc.. The City states that they had begun the process of transferring the property to Tigerland in January, but ultimately Tigerland denied their sale offer. The city says they are considering other development options for the future of the land with a purpose of betterment of the youth and community.  Tigerland Inc. raised funds and worked with the City Council for years in an attempt to restore the pool, with many snags along the way. The city says they will not be moving forward with Tigerland Inc. and will share more information when they have a concrete direction determined for the property.

Tyrone Ziegler of Tigerland Inc. issued a statement on Facebook alleging that the city’s statement was “lies”.  “We have presented and prepared several proposals of our progress to them (Beaver Falls City Council), which have fallen on deaf ears.” Ziegler is calling or residents to sign a petition to encourage the council to reconsider their decision. He went on to post a statement that “They never once put out a public statement to let the public know that the money was safe, or that the deal was even moving along. But here they are today pulling the deal off the table.”  Tigerland Inc. plans on presenting a final presentation at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 25th.

Tigerland Inc. released a statement on Facebook in April stating that just over $88,000 raised for the project was safe accompanied by bank statements. The following photos were obtained from the Tigerland Inc. Facebook page:  

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Right-hander Paul Skenes, taken by Pittsburgh with the first pick in this month’s amateur draft, agreed Tuesday to a contract that includes a $9.2 million signing bonus.

The amount is the highest for a drafted player, topping the $8,416,300 Detroit agreed to with first baseman Spencer Torkelson, the top pick in 2021.

Skenes helped LSU to this year’s NCAA title after transferring from Air Force. He was selected Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series after going 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 19 starts with 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3. innings.

“It was a pretty easy decision, with the organization and the people that are here,” Skenes said. “I was very comfortable wanting to come here. It was overall, a very easy offer, in my opinion, to take.”

Skenes’ first step as a professional player will be to report to the Pirates’ spring training complex in Bradenton, Florida. The Pirates will then decide when and where Skenes will make his debut.

General manager Ben Cherington said Skenes could win up pitching in the minor leagues this season or possibly in the Arizona Fall League.

“I think in terms of my stuff, I think I’m very close,” Skenes said when asked if he thought he was ready to jump directly to the major leagues. “It’s a different game, and I’ve never obviously been on a big league field. I’m going to do everything I can to get there as soon as possible and whatever that takes physically, mentally, whatever it is, I’m going do whatever it takes to get there as soon as possible There are different challenges, and I think it’s a lot more demanding than college.”

Skenes spent two years at Air Force as a two-way player, pitching and catching. He concentrated just on pitching once he got to LSU.

Neither Skenes nor Cherington ruled out Skenestrying to be both pitcher and hitter in pro ball.

“We’ll see,” Skenes said with a smile “I think that’s something we have to decide. We’ll see, that’s a different set of challenges.”

Pittsburgh is in a youth movement and started six rookies Monday night in an 11-0 loss to Cleveland. The franchise has not been to the World Series since 1979 or won a postseason series since 1992.

“I’m excited about the opportunity and looking forward to being a big part of a group that is going to win the World Series,” Skenes said.

(AP) A Pennsylvania woman who used a bullhorn to direct rioters attacking the U.S. Capitol was convicted on Tuesday of charges that she joined the mob in an attempt to keep President Joe Biden out of the White House.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth heard testimony without a jury before he convicted Rachel Marie Powell of felony charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, siege. Powell, who was convicted of all nine counts in her indictment, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 17, according to court records.

Powell, wearing a distinctive pink hat and fur-lined jacket hoodie, joined a mob of rioters who confronted police officers at bike rack barriers on the west side of the Capitol. She used her back to push against the police line, prosecutors said.

A video captured Powell using a bullhorn to encourage other rioters to “coordinate together if you’re going to take this building.” She also gave them “very detailed instructions” about the layout of the Capitol, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.

Powell told rioters they had “another window to break.” She herself used an ice-axe and a large pipe to break a window, according to prosecutors.

Powell, 41, of Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania, waived her right to a jury trial. The judge convicted her of charges that she interfered with police and obstructed the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress for certifying Biden’s 2020 electoral victory over Donald Trump.

Prosecutors asked Lamberth to jail Powell until her sentencing, but the judge agreed to let her remain free until the hearing.

A lawyer for Powell had no comment on the verdict.

Powell played a “leading role” during the riot, a prosecutor said at a February 2021 hearing.

“She is front and center in the incursion.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloi added, according to a transcript.

Powell was arrested nearly a month after the riot. FBI agents found several smashed cellular telephones, gun paraphernalia and other weapons when they searched her home.

Powell and her ex-husband shared custody of six minor children in 2021. She left her children at home when she went to Washington to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally, according to prosecutors.

Shortly before her arrest, The New Yorker interviewed Powell for an article headlined, “A Pennsylvania Mother’s Path to Insurrection.”

“Listen, if somebody doesn’t help and direct people, then do more people die?” she asked her interviewer.

Prosecutors said Powell “showed an inclination towards violence” before the Jan. 6 riot. She posted on Facebook in October 2020 that she agreed “with the possibility of civil war happening.”

“Unfortunately, the only way this is probably capable of being fixed is bloodshed because I’m not so sure our government can be fixed the political way anymore either,” she wrote.

Prosecutors also said Powell described her “surveillance” of an unidentified public official’s home in a November 2020 message to somebody who replied that they were “afraid to ask why” she was there.

More than 1,000 people have been charged with crimes related to the Capitol riot. Approximately 100 of them have been convicted by juries or judges. More than 600 others have pleaded guilty.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Josh Naylor homered twice, including a three-run shot that keyed a five-run first inning against All-Star Mitch Keller, and drove in six runs and the Cleveland Guardians rolled to a 10-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Naylor’s first homer gave the Guardians a 4-0 lead with none out in the first inning after Keller had thrown just seven pitches. Keller was making his first appearance since pitching one inning in last week’s All-Star Game in Seattle.

“It’s good to set the tone,” Naylor said. “Our offense was great all day today.”

In the ninth, Naylor connected again for a two-run blast, his 15th of the season, off Yohan Ramirez. In 22 games since June 18, the 26-year-old Naylor is hitting .396 with seven homers and 25 RBIs in 22 games and seems to be emerging as a star after going deep 20 times last season.

“I think we always hoped he’d be a middle-of-the-order bat,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “When you start to see it, it’s exciting.”

Steven Kwan led off the game with a double and scored on Amed Rosario’s single. After Jose Ramirez singled, Naylor hit his blast to right-center.

Myles Straw capped the first-inning outburst with an RBI single. The Guardians have won the first two games of the series by a combined score of 21-1 after being swept in three games at AL West-leading Texas over the weekend.

Rookie left-hander Logan Allen (4-2) pitched five scoreless innings of one-hit ball after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus prior to the game. The lone hit was a one-out single in the fifth inning by Jared Triolo, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

“I was just attacking guys, trusting more of my stuff on the plate,” Allen said. “I was able to land some off-speed (pitches) and think that really helped because I started getting ahead of guys a little bit better. We got the big lead and I just wanted to get our guys back in the dugout to try to score some more runs.”

Allen struck out eight and walked one.

Keller (9-5) was tagged for eight runs and 10 hits in six innings.

“Every once in a while, something like that happens,” Francona said. “He didn’t get a chance to settle in. He’s good and he will continue to be good, and he stayed out there for a long time and sucked up some innings for them.”

Pirates manager Derek Shelton agreed when he was asked if Keller got ambushed.

“Yeah, I think that’s a good word,” Shelton said. “They came out really aggressive and he didn’t come out extremely sharp and left some balls right in the middle of the plate, and they didn’t miss them.”

Josh Bell hit a two-run homer in the third, his 10th of the year. Naylor drove in another run with a ground out in the fourth to push the lead to 8-0.

Andres Gimenez had three of the Guardians’ 13 hits. Cleveland began the night in second place in the AL Central, 1 ½ games behind Minnesota.

Connor Joe’s solo homer in the sixth inning off Eli Morgan accounted for the Pirates’ lone run. Pittsburgh has lost five straight games since the All-Star break and is 2-12 in July.

WARREN, Pa. (AP) — A county prosecutor in Pennsylvania said Tuesday that he has asked the state attorney general’s office to take over the investigation surrounding a homicide suspect’s escape because of the possibility that jail staff might be charged with criminal negligence.

Warren County District Attorney Rob Greene said reports from the Warren city police investigation included information that “could possibly implicate” inmates and staff at the county jail as well as others in the July 6 escape of Michael Burham, 34. He was recaptured Saturday after a barking dog alerted a couple to his presence on their property.

Greene said he has seen nothing to indicate staff members participated or were complicit in the escape in which authorities say Burham climbed on exercise equipment, went through a window and scaled down a rope fashioned from jail bedding. But Green said staff could face criminal charges “if they were negligent in their duties to make sure Burham or other inmates did not escape.”

Greene said because he considers many jail staff in the small county his friends, and because he’s on the prison board, he asked the attorney general’s office to take over the escape case against Burham and any related case brought against anyone else.

Greene, who earlier also sought a state corrections department investigation, said he was “floored” at the idea of staff having some culpability. He also said he is “livid” about the negative attention the case had brought to the area. He added, however, that he didn’t believe there would be a problem with continued operations at the jail, emphasizing that his concerns involved only “negligence issues, complacency issues.”

“I can’t imagine, for the life of me, that any of those jail guards that might be under investigation at this point wouldn’t be straightening themselves up,” he said.

Greene acknowledged having potential suspects in mind but declined to say who or how many. He also declined to comment on whether anyone knew about Burham collecting sheets for his escape, saying it would be “an issue” in the attorney general’s investigation.

District Attorney Jason Schmidt, of Chautauqua County, New York, said in June that Burham was the prime suspect in the May 11 killing of Kala Hodgkin, 34, and a related arson in Jamestown, New York. Authorities also accuse him of abducting an older couple in Pennsylvania while trying to evade capture before his arrest in South Carolina. New York officials said they opted to let Pennsylvania handle the initial prosecution as they probe the killing and arson.

Greene said he will continue to handle the Pennsylvania kidnapping and burglary case that Burham was being held on.

Greene’s remarks came during the Crime Stoppers presentation of a $2,000 reward check to “Tucker the dog” and his owners, Ron and Cindy Ecklund, for their role in the recapture of Burham. Tucker, oblivious to the ceremony, barked as he tried several times to get Ron Ecklund to throw a new tennis ball for him to chase.

Cindy Ecklund said she and her husband recognized Burham as soon as they encountered him at the rear of their property. They tried to calmly but quickly withdraw in a golf cart they were using while calling 911. She said their dog not only alerted them to Burham’s presence but his aggressive barking once they encountered him likely intimidated the escapee.

“I think he was a little afraid of what Tucker might do,” she said.

Burham fled but was captured less than two hours later, looking wet, dirty and “worn-out,” police said.

The hero dog was sporting a new collar Tuesday and had a bucket of tennis balls, a few new toys, some treats from a well-wisher and a coupon for a spa day. And, “there is a ribeye steak in the fridge waiting for him after all this is over,” Ecklund said.

“He was protecting us, and you can’t ask for a better best friend than that,” she said.