John Everett Spence (1941-2025)

John Everett Spence, 83, of Baden, passed away at home on January 19th, 2025. He was born on March 29th, 1941, the son of the late John and Viola Spence. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Shirley Triska-Spence, sister-in-law, Becky Triska and cousin, Ronnie Triska.

He is survived by his stepdaughter and her husband, Pam and Jack Spence, brother-in-law, Brad Triska, sister-in-law, Linda Triska, niece, Tawny (Hunter) Triska-Pollard, as well as many cousins and friends.

John was a dedicated steam fitter technician and also owned the House of Elegance beauty shop in Beaver. He had a deep love for his and Shirley’s farm in Marshall Township where they hosted many gatherings. A proud member of Steam Fitters Local 449, John also cherished spending time with his furry friends, especially enjoying visits to his stepdaughter’s home where he played with her cats.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 23rd, from 4-7 P.M. at Alvarez-Hahn Funeral Services and Cremation, LLC., 547 8th Street, Ambridge. A funeral service will take place at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, January 24th at the funeral home, followed by burial at Beaver Cemetery.

Heating, data tracking, and documents discussed at Commissioners work session

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News. Published January 22, 2025 11:36 A.M.

(Beaver, Pa) The Beaver County Commissioners met Wednesday morning for their weekly work session.

It was relayed during the meeting that solutions are being explored regarding heat in the entrance of the Courthouse. The Commissioners would like to see some type of heat source in place for Officers of the Sheriff’s Department and residents using the entrance.

Also during the meeting there was a brief discussion regarding the processing of documents currently stored in the Wampum Mushroom Mines. As the Commissioners continue to explore possibilities of moving the documents, County Controller Maria Longo is working to find out which documents can be destroyed or digitized and which ones need to remain.

Multiple resolutions were also discussed briefly during the session. One in particular is for the Recreation Department to deploy a visitor tracker system. The system would be used to track cell phone data to determine the amount of visitors to the county during events.

Another resolution brought up was a ban on electronic heaters in County Government facilities. All personal space heaters would effectively be banned due to fire concerns and interference with the building heat systems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fundraiser spaghetti dinner being held for victim of assault at an Aliquippa VFW bar

(File Photo of Center Township Map)

(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

(Center Township, PA) There will be a fundraiser spaghetti dinner on Saturday, February 1st in Center Township for Preston Coleman. Coleman’s condition is unknown after he was assaulted at an Aliquippa VFW bar two weeks ago. Donations of pasta, sauces, rolls, salads and desserts are requested. There will also be a silent auction for all donated baskets that will be raffled. The dinner will be held at the VFW hall at 138 Stone Quarry Road in Center Township from 1-4 p.m. and it costs $15 for adults and $10 for kids. For more information, please call 724-462-8821.

Gambling reaches peak of over $6 billion in 2024 thanks to online gaming

(File Photo of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Gambling in Pennsylvania reached a high of over $6 billion because of the online gaming industry last year. Taxes reached around $2.7 billion from the fees each year for this revenue and to operate slot machines. According to a report from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, 2024 revenues increased by 7.73% for over $6.1 billion. 

Pennsylvania is not keeping up with giving mental health services to school students

Source for Photo: A report card from the group Inseparable found Pennsylvania has one school counselor for every 369 students, while the recommended ratio is 1 to 250. (Adobe Stock) Danielle Smith – Keystone State News Service

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) As young people struggle with mental-health issues, schools often provide the best avenue for getting them help. However, Pennsylvania has fallen behind in providing services to students. A mental-health report card for Pennsylvania found that more than 57-thousand children with major depression didn’t receive treatment. Kate Fox is behavioral health policy coordinator with Children First P-A. She says schools are vital for identifying mental-health warning signs and intervening early, and emphasizes the need for system-wide, sustainable reforms that create a workforce pipeline for diverse mental-health professionals to support children in and out of schools. Fox says the report card also shows only one school social worker for every 3416 students, and that recommended ratio is one for every 250. Fox points out that access to school-based mental-health services in Pennsylvania varies significantly, largely due to funding disparities. Wealthier districts generally offer more robust support compared with underfunded districts. She adds the ADA was first passed in 1990 under President George H-W Bush, and its legal precedent was based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

 

TSA intercepts two separate handguns at Pittsburgh International Airport in airport security in 2025 so far during the same morning

(File Photo of Transportation Security Administration logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to TSA, two separate handguns were intercepted at Pittsburgh International Airport on Tuesday morning. The first situation occurred when a loaded .32 caliber handgun with six bullets that belonged to an unidentified man was intercepted. The second situation occurred when a .40 loaded caliber handgun was intercepted after being brought to the airport by a man from Baden. These are the first firearms that were intercepted in 2025 at the Pittsburgh airport after forty-two were found last year. 

Moon Township Police Department looking for public information after home invasion robbery occurs in Moon Township

(File Photo of Moon Township Police logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Moon Township, PA) The Moon Township Police Department is looking for public information about a home invasion robbery that occurred near Snyder Drive and Thorn Run Road early Monday morning. Both suspects are white males, one near 5 feet 8 and the other near 5 feet 11, as described by the victim. Masks, sweatshirts with hoods and gloves were all worn by the two suspects. One owned a Glock pistol and the other owned a rifle that was AR style. If you have any information about this incident, please call 412-262-5000 or send an email to jbrace@moonpolice.us.

AAA East Central’s gas price report states gas prices are up seven cents in Western Pennsylvania this week

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – In this Monday, Sept. 16, 2019, file photo, a woman pumps gas at a convenience store in Pittsburgh. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday, March 15, 2020, that gas prices could continue to fall as demand shrinks amid the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Gas prices are seven cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at around $3.45 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s gas price report. The report states that at this week last year, gas prices were priced at around $3.40 per gallon. The report also notes that the average price that you can expect for a gallon of unleaded gas here in Beaver County is around $3.41. 

According to AAA East Central, here are the average prices of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various Pennsylvania areas:

$3.509      Altoona
$3.411      Beaver
$3.573      Bradford
$3.212      Brookville
$3.477      Butler
$3.457      Clarion
$3.435      DuBois
$3.436      Erie
$3.441      Greensburg
$3.489      Indiana
$3.399      Jeannette
$3.465      Kittanning
$3.460      Latrobe
$3.456      Meadville
$3.553      Mercer
$3.340      New Castle
$3.460      New Kensington
$3.459      Oil City
$3.453      Pittsburgh

$3.306      Sharon
$3.472      Uniontown
$3.597      Warren
$3.454      Washington

New director appointed for the Esophageal Institute at Allegheny Health Network

(Photo Provided with Release)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to a release from Allegheny Health Network, the hospital announced Tuesday that Dr Kirsten Newhams was appointed as the new director of the Esophageal Institute. Dr. Newhams will succeed Dr. Blair Jobe after Dr. Jobe chose to retire. Dr. Newhams is also a speaker who is well-known in the medical field and is a member of a few professional organizations, including the American Foregut Society, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and the American College of Surgeons.

 

Republicans hold all three offices of Pennsylvania row officers for the first time as all three are sworn in

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Dave Sunday speaks to the audience in the Forum Auditorium across the street from the Capitol after taking the oath to become Pennsylvania’s next attorney general, Jan. 21, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s three statewide row officers were sworn in to new four-year terms on Tuesday, joining Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in Harrisburg and marking the first time that all three offices were filled at the same time by elected Republicans.

Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Auditor General Tim DeFoor embarked on their second four-year terms, while Attorney General Dave Sunday was sworn in to his first four-year term as the state’s top law enforcement officer.

They took their oaths in separate, back-to-back ceremonies in the ornate Forum Auditorium, across the street from the state Capitol. Shapiro spoke, as did former Govs. Mark Schweiker and Tom Corbett.

The trio is taking office amid divided government in Harrisburg and the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.

In his remarks, Corbett — also a former attorney general — told Sunday to have a thick skin for criticism: “You have to put the tortoise shell on and go forward.” He told the new attorney general to understand that the office will bring challenges that are as much about policy as they are about the law.

“I guarantee you could wake up tomorrow and somebody’s going to come to you with a problem that none of us have ever heard about and expect you to have an answer,” Corbett said.

He also warned Sunday about the political pitfalls of the times.

“You assume this office in a very unusual period of time in our history, a very unsettled period of time, I think, when it comes to politics,” Corbett said. “I would urge you to take the politics, as much as you possibly can, out of this.”

The meat and potatoes of the job of Pennsylvania’s attorney general is prosecuting fraudsters, drug traffickers, gun traffickers, public corruption and environmental crimes, while defending state agencies against lawsuits.

State attorneys general also are becoming big players in forging national policy by increasingly challenging federal laws and regulations in court, usually in bands of Republican-led states or Democratic-led states.

When Shapiro was attorney general, his office sued dozens of times over Trump administration policies, most often with other Democratic-led states, and defended the state’s 2020 presidential election in court against attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn it.

Already on Tuesday, attorneys general from 22 states sued to block Trump’s move to end a century-old immigration practice known as birthright citizenship guaranteeing that U.S.-born children are citizens regardless of their parents’ status. Pennsylvania was not among the states that sued.

Pennsylvania’s three row offices are often viewed as a springboard to running for higher office, and the row officers each have built-in watchdog duties that could affect how Shapiro governs.

For instance, a treasurer or auditor general must approve a general obligation bond issue, while both must approve a tax-anticipation note.

Treasurers can block payments they see as illegal, auditors general can probe politically sensitive programs to see if they comply with the law, and attorneys general have the authority to investigate political corruption.

Attorneys general must ensure all executive branch contracts are legal and can carry a governor’s policy agenda in the courts, such as in clashes with lawmakers or the White House.

All three offices can use their statewide platform to amplify an opposition message.

The three officers will be in office at a time when there is considerable friction between Shapiro and the Republican-controlled state Senate over state spending.

The state is projected to have a $10.5 billion surplus at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, but Garrity and other Republicans are warning that the pace of state spending could deplete that in a few years.

Garrity, meanwhile, is considered a potential GOP challenger to Shapiro as he gears up to seek a second four-year term in the 2026 election.

For his part, Shapiro made the shortlist of running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris in her White House bid last year, and he is widely viewed as a leading contender for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 2028.

Sunday, a Navy veteran, was York County’s district attorney for the past seven years. Before Sunday, the last Republican to win an election for attorney general in Pennsylvania was Corbett in 2008.

Four of the last five elected attorneys general went on to run for governor. Corbett won his race for governor in 2010 and Shapiro won in 2022. Both of them won two campaigns for attorney general and served six years in the office.