(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Some projects take hours. Others take months. Few may even take several years.

In the case of the new Emergency Men’s Shelter in Beaver County, it was all three.

Following years of fundraising, months of construction, and countless hours up until the ceremony itself…the official ribbon cutting for the new shelter facility in Vanport took place on the afternoon of June 5. The new facility, located on 697 State Street (Route 68), was manifested and will be under the operation of The Cornerstone of Beaver County (TCBC). The men’s shelter will provide shelter to the homeless men of Beaver County and surrounding areas under 24-hour operation.

The new three-story shelter contains dozens of beds for rest for those who enter, a classroom, fully operational kitchen, fitness room, shower room, laundry room bathrooms, and multiple main gathering rooms…along with office spaces for the operations staff and isolation rooms to be used when necessary.

TCBC executive director Marie Timpano spoke about the new facility with elation and confidence, speaking about the origins of creating a shelter for men following the death of her brother, Michael, in 1996. “Beyond seeing the transformation of a building, I saw the opportunity to transform lives,” she stated. “I have waited two and a half years–actually, I’ve been waiting twenty-seven years.”

The “two and a half years” that Timpano referred to was the $1 million grant funding awarded to TCBC through the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, which helped put the project in motion; in cooperation with the Beaver County Commissioners, the Beaver County CDP, and Vanport Township. The construction of the building began in 2022, with WTW Architecture and Graham Construction taking care of the tangible aspects.

Even though a building is now finalized in its renovated state, Timpano implied that the ribbon-cutting is just the beginning.

“Today is a huge step for us towards a vision of ending homelessness in Beaver County,” Timpano added. “Some people will tell you that we don’t have a homeless problem in Beaver County, and I’m here to tell you that we do…and I hope that the Cornerstone, and some of our partner agencies in the continuum of care, are part of the reason why we don’t.”

Timpano was joined at the podium by Maureen Herrington–President for the TCBC Board of Directors–along with Beaver County Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp and CDP director Marlene Landrum. TCBC board secretary Darrell Jerome presented Timpano with a check for $15,000 in grant funding from New York Life Insurance.

Also in attendance for the ceremony were County Commissioner Jack Manning, District Attorney David Lozier, Controller Maria Longo, Treasurer Sandie Egley, Beaver Falls mayor Dr. Kenya Johns, and Beaver Falls city manager Charles Jones–just to name a few.

The shelter will officially open for operation on June 12.

To view pictures from the ceremony, including a look at the interior spaces of the new Emergency Men’s Shelter, check out the gallery below!

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Middletown, PA – The Pennsylvania Lottery and officials with Powerball^® today announced the Pennsylvania Lottery’s Online Prize Drawing for the NASCAR Powerball Playoff™. This special Online Prize Drawing offers players the chance to win a VIP trip to Arizona to attend NASCAR Championship Weekend™ at the Phoenix Raceway. The trip will also include the opportunity to win $1 million in a special drawing that will be held on Sunday, November 5.

“The NASCAR Powerball Playoff will have race fans and lottery players alike on the edge of their seats, as this exciting new promotion will culminate in one player winning a $1 million prize at the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race,” said Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. “Players can also feel good about the fact that, in Pennsylvania, proceeds go to help older residents with life-sustaining programs and services. While these are exciting times, we remind players to please play responsibly and always within their means.”

Now through June 14, the following Draw Games purchased online, including subscriptions, are eligible for entry: PICK 2, PICK 3, PICK 4, PICK 5, Treasure Hunt, Match 6 Lotto, Cash4Life®, Powerball®, and Mega Millions®.

Including Pennsylvania, there are 24 U.S. lotteries participating in the NASCAR Powerball Playoff promotion. Here is how it will work:

• In Pennsylvania’s Online Drawing, 45 Pennsylvania semi-finalists will be drawn to be submitted for the NASCAR Championship Weekend™ and the chance to win $1 million.
• Each of the 45 PA Lottery semi-finalists will also receive a prize of $100 bonus money to play the PA Lottery online.
• Sixteen semi-finalists from all of the U.S. Lotteries will then be drawn with no more than one semi-finalist per lottery advancing.
• The 16 semi-finalists will be announced during the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale, the Coke Zero Sugar 400, at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, August 26.
• Those 16 semi-finalists will then go head-to-head in a series of drawings that will coincide with the elimination rounds of the NASCAR Playoffs.
• Four semi-finalists still in the playoffs after the fourth drawing will win a VIP trip to the NASCAR Championship Weekend™ at Phoenix Raceway, November 3-5, and advance as finalists to the $1 million drawing.

Cash prizes will be awarded to all 16 national semi-finalists based on their elimination position.

For more information, please visit www.powerball.com/nascar-powerball-playoff.

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Aliquippa Fire Chief Dave Foringer reported that a one-brick, two-story building on Main Avenue was damaged by an early morning last Saturday at 4 a.m., and a triplex and two-story frame home were damaged on Erie Avenue. Aliquippa was assisted by 10 other departments and remained on scene until 9 a.m.

The state fire marshal is also investigating another fire that occurred in that area on Saturday, May  27, 2023.

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Ana Cecelia de Mireles, 45, was captured at the US-Mexico border by US Marshals on homicide and arson charges in connection with  a fire and  homicide at a Big Beaver rental home on March 14, 2021. She fled to Mexico following the fatal fire. de Mireles was charged by Beaver Falls Police and Beaver County Detectives last week and placed. in the Beaver County Jail.

Mireles faces 2 charges of criminal homicide, 2 counts of arson, 1 count of criminal conspiracy, 1 count of abuse of a corpse, 1 count of tampering with/fabricating physical evidence, and 1 count of flight to avoid apprehension, trial or punishment.

She faces a preliminary hearing in Beaver County Central Court on  Tuesday, June 13 at 8:45 a.m.  

Listings will remain on the website and will be read on air for 1 month.  Call or email yankeetrader@beavercountyradio.com  to let us know if something has sold.

NO NAME GIVEN ON MAIL IN LISTING    724-252-6284

Manual push lawn mower in good condition.  Shovels and garden tools. PRICE: Make an offer.

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Wilma 724-846-9952 Leave a message

1.  Pampered Chef Executive non-stick Grill Pan with grill grids.  11″ square.  Also an 8 1/2″ square Press for making Paninis.  Yummmm  PRICE: $60 for both,
2. Star Wars Episode 1 Phantom Menace FRAMED poster. 28″ X 41″  PRICE: $25.00
3. Empire Strikes Back Special Edition FRAMED poster, 28″ X 41″  PRICE: $25.00
4. Star Wars “Concept” poster that features the art of Ralph McQuarrie.  It’s a picture of Luke with Darth Vader.  3′ X 2′ 28″ X 41″  PRICE: $75.00

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Frank     724-846-0331  Leave a message

3 BRAND NEW TIRES-ALL ON RIMS

1. 205-75-15″ Remington PRICE: $40.00
2. 205-70-15″ Invicta  PRICE: $40.00
3. 195-75-15″   Goodyear  on heavy aluminum rim.  PRICE: $40.00
4. Christmas Lawn Ornaments.  2 reindeer, 1 sleigh, 1 angel with moving halo.  All have lights.  PRICE: $50.00 for all

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Tony   724-770-0762

Very powerful electric Leaf Blower.  2 years old.  Not heavy.  Paid $79     PRICE: $30.00

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Val 724-513-9390

1. Wooden Chest (or Toy Box)     Approx 31″ wide.  PRICE: $50.00
2. 1700 Sports Trading Cards-primarily Baseball & Football.  They are in albums.  Purchase by the album or individual cards.  Prices negotiable.
3. Child’s Plastic Free Standing Basketball Hoop  PRICE: $35.00
4. Panasonic Land Line Cordless phone with 5 handsets.  2 Base dial pads.  Caller ID, Answering Machine.  PRICE: $109.00

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Betsy 724-843-0774  (Church items)

1. Hand Carved Oak Church Pews.  Approx. 8-10′ long.  Make a donation.
2. Small Organ with 1 row of keys.  Make a donation.

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Howie 724-774-6397   50 Scale Auto Magazines from 1986-2004.  Make an offer.

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Carl 724-480-5704   Saris Bones 2 BIKE RACK.  Can mount on trunk or hatchback.  Holds 2 bikes.  Nes $169.           PRICE: $120.00

PITTSBURGH – A former resident of Baden, Pennsylvania has been sentenced in federal court to a total term of 124 months’ imprisonment followed by lifetime supervised release on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor and for violating the terms of federal supervised release, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Andrew Kincaid, age 35, formerly of Baden, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one count before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
According to information presented to the court, on March 16, 2021, Kincaid knowingly possessed an electronic device containing child sexual abuse material, in violation of federal law and the conditions of Kincaid’s supervised release related to his 2010 federal conviction, also for possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.
Assistant United States Attorney Heidi M. Grogan is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. Homeland Security Investigations-Pittsburgh conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Kincaid.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

In this week’s episode of “Heroes”, Jim Roddey talks with Allegheny Health Network psychologist P.V. Nickell about the connections between psychology and neurology.  Then, Mr. Roddey talks with Mary Ellen Austin, who is the Vice President of Development for Friends of the Pittsburgh Fisher House.

“Heroes” is presented by Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the Allegheny Health Network, airing Saturdays at 10:00 AM and Sundays at 12:30 PM on Beaver County Radio. Archived editions of “Heroes” can be heard at the Beaver County Radio Podcast Library.

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Fifteen months ago, Dev Shah spent a miserable five hours spelling outdoors in chilly, windy, damp conditions at a supersize regional competition in Orlando, Florida, only to fall short of his dream of returning to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“Despondent is the right word,” Dev said. “I just didn’t know if I wanted to keep continuing.”

Look at him now.

Soft-spoken but brimming with confidence, Dev asked precise questions about obscure Greek roots, rushed through his second-to-last word and rolled to the National Spelling Bee title Thursday night.

Dev, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area, first competed at the national bee in 2019, then had his spelling career interrupted. The 2020 bee was canceled because of COVID-19, and in the mostly virtual 2021 bee, he didn’t make it to the in-person finals, held in his home state on ESPN’s campus at Walt Disney World.

Then came the disaster of last year, when he was forced to compete in the Orlando region because his previous regional sponsor didn’t come back after the pandemic.

“It took me four months to get him back on track because he was quite a bit disturbed and he didn’t want to do it,” said Dev’s mother, Nilam Shah.

When he decided to try again, he added an exercise routine to help sharpen his focus and lost about 15 pounds, she said.

Dev got through his region. He flexed his knowledge in Wednesday’s early rounds by asking questions that proved he knew every relevant detail the bee’s pronouncers and judges had on their computer screens. And when it was all over, he held the trophy over his head as confetti fell.

“He appreciated that this is a journey, which sounds very trite but is really quite true,” said Dev’s coach, Scott Remer, a former speller and study guide author. “I think the thing that distinguishes the very best spellers from the ones that end up not really leaving their mark is actually just grit.”

Dev’s winning word was “psammophile,” a layup for a speller of his caliber.

“Psammo meaning sand, Greek?” he asked. “Phile, meaning love, Greek?”

Dev soaked up the moment by asking for the word to be used in a sentence, something he described a day earlier as a stalling tactic. Then he put his hands over his face as he was declared the winner.

“I would say I was confident on the outside but inside I was nervous, especially for my winning word — well, like, before. Not during,” he said.

Runner-up Charlotte Walsh gave Dev a congratulatory hug.

“I’m so happy for him,” said Charlotte, a 14-year-old from Arlington, Virginia. “I’ve known Dev for many years and I know how much work he’s put into this and I’m so, so glad he won.”

The winner’s haul is more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. When Charlotte returned to the stage later to congratulate Dev again, he reminded her that the runner-up gets $25,000.

“Twenty-five thousand! What? I didn’t know that,” Charlotte said.

Earlier, when the bee was down to Dev and Charlotte, Scripps brought out the buzzer used for its “spell-off” tiebreaker, and Dev was momentarily confused when he stepped to the microphone.

“This is not the spell-off, right?” Dev asked. Told it was not, he spelled “bathypitotmeter” so quickly that it might as well have been.

“I practiced for the spell-off every day, I guess. I knew it might happen and I prepared for everything, so I kind of went into spell-off mode,” he said. “But I also was scared for the spell-off.”

Dev is the 22nd champion in the past 24 years with South Asian heritage. His father, Deval, a software engineer, immigrated to the United States from India 29 years ago to get his master’s degree in electrical engineering. Dev’s older brother, Neil, is a rising junior at Yale.

Deval said his son showed an incredible recall with words starting at age 3, and Dev spent many years in participating in academic competitions staged by the North South Foundation, a nonprofit that provides scholarships to children in India.

The bee began in 1925 and is open to students through the eighth grade. There were 229 kids onstage as it began — and each was a champion many times over, considering that 11 million participated at the school level.

The finalists demonstrated an impressive depth of knowledge as they worked their way through a sometimes diabolical word list chosen by Scripps’ 21-person word panel, which includes five past champions.

This year’s bee proved that the competition can remain entertaining while delving more deeply into the dictionary — especially early in the finals, when Scripps peppered contestants with short but tough words like “traik” (to fall ill, used in Scotland), “carey” (a small to medium-size sea turtle) and “katuka” (a venomous snake of southeastern Asia).

“There are a lot of hard words in the dictionary,” Dev said. “There are realms of the dictionary that the word panelists need to dive into and I think they did a great job of that today.”

With the field down to four, Shradha Rachamreddy was eliminated on “orle,” a heraldry term that means a number of small charges arranged to form a border within the edge of a field (she went with “orel”). And “kelep” — a Central American stinging ant — ousted Surya Kapu (he said “quelep”).

While sometimes Scripps’ use of trademarks and geographical names can anger spelling traditionalists who want to see kids demonstrate their mastery of roots and language patterns — and even the exceptions to those patterns — Scripps has made clear that with the exception of words designated as archaic or obsolete, any entry in Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged dictionary is fair game.

Dev is happy to be closing that book for now.

“My main priority is sleep. I need to sleep. There have been a lot of sleepless nights these last six months,” he said. “I need to sleep well tonight, too. There’s a lot more sleep debt.”