Author: Beaver County Radio

Renee Lutz (1965-2025)

Renee Lutz, 60, of Freedom, passed away unexpectedly on November 16th, 2025. She was born in Sewickley on September 26th, 1965, a daughter of Madeline (Matanick) Lutz and the late Charles Lutz.

In addition to her mother, she is survived by three sisters, Roxanne (Jeffrey) Soltis, Rhonda (Gary) Lazzaretti and Rochelle (Randy) Hinzman, a combination of nieces/nephews and great-nieces/great-nephews, Chanda (Max) Fallecker and their children, Eli and Serena, Melinda (Andrew) Pisano and their children: Lucas and Cameron, Becky Hinzman (J.C. Reboton) and Breanna (Larry) Musgrave; and their children, Eva and Larry, and soon-to-be expected, River, Laura Hinzman, Mitchel Lazzaretti, Ashton (David) Weatherly, and their child, Margo. In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by a special nephew, Nicholas Soltis.

Renee worked at Walmart. All are welcome to gather for a visitation on Wednesday, November 19th from 3-7 P.M., in the John Syka Funeral Home, Inc., 833 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge, who was in charge of her arrangements, and where Funeral Prayers will be offered on Thursday, November 20th at 10 A.M., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 A.M. in the Good Samaritan Church, 725 Glenwood Avenue, Ambridge and Interment will follow in the Good Samaritan Cemetery there.

Vote held by New Brighton and Rochester school boards on potential co-operative athletics agreement

(File Photo of New Brighton Area School District Logo and Rochester High School Athletics (Ram) Logo: Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of New Brighton Area School District and Rochester Area School District)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Both the Rochester and New Brighton school boards met yesterday to vote on a potential cooperative agreement between the athletic programs of the two districts for select sports beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The board of Rochester voted 6-1 in favor of tabling to both receive input and to gather more information, while the New Brighton board voted unanimously in a 9-0 vote to move forward. According to New Brighton superintendent Dr. Joseph Guarino, he will be meeting with members of Rochester’s administration to discuss the next steps after Rochester chose not to officially vote on the matter. 

Pittsburgh man crashes vehicle into a deer in Findlay Township

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Findlay Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Pittsburgh reported via release today that fifty-four-year-old Andrew Jenkins of Pittsburgh crashed his vehicle into a deer in Findlee Township in the early morning of November 3rd, 2025. Upon further investigation, Jenkins was traveling in the right-hand lane of I-376 East at 12:28 a.m., west of the Moon Business Loop, and when a deer entered that lane, he could not stop in time to avoid hitting it with his vehicle. Jenkins was not injured during this crash. 

Driver charged for causing a three-vehicle crash in Moon Township

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Moon Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Pittsburgh reported via release today that an unidentified driver was charged after causing a three-vehicle crash in Moon Township on the morning of November 5th, 2025. This driver was traveling on I-376 West and crashed their vehicle with two other vehicles at 11:36 a.m. at mile marker 58. The driver that was charged was traveling in the center lane and was trying to merge into the left lane, but they did not see another driver’s vehicle traveling in the left lane and also hit a third driver’s vehicle traveling in the right lane when the first driver traveled across the center lane. There were no injuries after this crash occurred. 

Man from Niles, Ohio charged after causing a two-vehicle crash in Findlay Township

(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Findlay Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Pittsburgh reported via release today that thirty-nine-year-old Jeremy Wood of Niles, Ohio was charged after causing a two-vehicle crash in Findlay Township on the morning of September 3rd, 2025. Wood was driving on the left lane of I-376 East at approximately mile marker 57 at 11:01 a.m. and merged into the right lane and hit a truck that had merged onto I-376 East from McClaren Road. There were no injuries after this crash occurred.

Seller of home in Beaver County with German hate symbols in property did not have to inform buyers of these symbols

(Photo Courtesy of KDKA-TV, CBS Pittsburgh, posted on Facebook post on August 25th, 2025)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) A ruling came last Wednesday from the Pennsylvania Superior Court that the seller of a home that is now in Beaver County did not have to inform potential buyers of hate symbols embedded in his property. This comes after the Wentworth family filed a lawsuit when they found a swastika and what appeared to be a German war eagle which was tiled under rugs and a table on the floor of their basement. The court decided that symbols tiled into the basement home of homeowner Lynn Rae Wentworth were not “material defects” that the seller needed to disclose prior to the purchase of the home. Wentworth now has just under thirty days to appeal. 

Big fire occurs at BrickYard Auto Parts in Darlington Township

(Photo Courtesy of the Chippewa Township Volunteer Fire Department, Beaver Falls)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Darlington Township, PA) A big fire occurred yesterday afternoon at BrickYard Auto Parts, a scrap yard and auto parts store in Darlington Township. The Chippewa Township Volunteer Fire Department and dozens of other fire departments responded and started working on the blaze on Morris Street in Darlington, and officials confirm the blaze started at approximately 2 p.m. Hazmat was also called to help contain the fire after several hours, and the cause of it is unknown at this time. 

Suspect of a recent murder in the South Side Flats neighborhood of Pittsburgh arrested in Swissvale

(File Photo of Handcuffs)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Swissvale, PA) WPXI sources confirm that twenty-six-year-old Moniem Strothers was arrested by U.S. Marshals and Pittsburgh SWAT in Swissvale yesterday. Strothers is the suspect of a shooting that occurred on October 12th, 2025 in the South Side Flats neighborhood of Pittsburgh in which thirty-three-year-old Steve Robertson of Squirrel Hill was shot and killed on East Carson Street. According to online court records, Strothers is charged with criminal homicide and firearms charges. Strothers is being held in the Allegheny County Jail and was denied bail.

Two children hospitalized, one woman injured after physical altercation in Allegheny County

(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) According to police, two children were taken to the hospital in stable condition, and a woman suffered minor cuts on her hand following an altercation in Allegheny County. Officials told WTAE that Pittsburgh police were called to the 1100 block of Brownsville Road at 4 p.m. yesterday following reports of a physical altercation. One woman reported she was assaulted by two other women that she knew while she was outside with her children. One of the two women pulled out a knife towards the mother and swung it in the direction of her. The mother refused medical treatment after suffering minor cuts to her hand. City officials later stated two of the children told authorities they had willingly entered the vehicle of one of the women involved in the altercation. The unidentified woman returned the children to officers a short time later. A spokesperson for police noted the children were returned to officers in the 1200 block of Banksville Road. Both children were evaluated on the scene by Pittsburgh EMS and later taken to a local hospital in stable condition. An investigation into this incident is ongoing. 

Lawsuit filed over 2 deaths in January air ambulance crash in Philadelphia

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Investigators work the scene after a small plane crashed in Philadelphia, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The families of two of the eight people killed earlier this year when an air ambulance crashed in Philadelphia filed a lawsuit on Monday, claiming the medical air transport company and others negligently caused their deaths.

The wrongful death case was filed by the estates of Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, a pediatrician, and Lizeth Murillo Osuna, the mother of a girl who was flying home to Mexico after being treated at a Philadelphia hospital.

All six people on board the Learjet 55 were killed, along with two people on the ground. More than 20 people were hurt.

About a minute after takeoff from Northeast Philadelphia Airport on Jan. 31, the Tijuana, Mexico-bound plane crashed into a busy neighborhood, “erupting in a massive explosion that engulfed multiple vehicles and houses and sent fiery debris raining down on terrified and helpless bystanders,” the plaintiffs alleged in the lawsuit.

The crash occurred near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping center in the Rhawnhurst neighborhood.

The National Transportation Safety Board has said the voice recorder on the plane was not working and that the crew made no distress calls to air traffic control.

The defendants are the Guadalajara air ambulance company, Med Jets, S.A. de C.V., which does business as Jet Rescue, along with unspecified others who were responsible for the plane’s design, manufacture, maintenance and inspection.

Messages seeking comment were left Monday for a Jet Rescue spokesman, for lawyers listed as representing Med Jets in a related federal lawsuit, and for a Jet Rescue Air Ambulance facility in Florida.

Arredondo and Osuna were both described in the lawsuit as Mexican citizens. Arredondo lived in Atizapan de Zaragoza, Osuna in Ensenada.