Author: Beaver County Radio

James F. DiBenedetto (1945-2026)

James F. DiBenedetto (Jim), of Aliquippa, passed away on September 30th, 2026, at the age of 80. He was born in Rochester on November 7th, 1945, a son of the late Alice and James L. DiBenedetto. James was a graduate of Aliquippa High School, class of 1963, and completed both bachelor’s and master’s Degrees at the University of Pittsburgh. James enlisted in the United States Air Force at the age of 17 and served as a flight crew member aboard a C-130 “Hercules” during the Vietnam Conflict.
For over 30 years, he served the City of Aliquippa as a police officer and District Justice. He also held previous employment with the Conrail Railroad Police and Aliquippa Water Authority. He was always willing to volunteer his time, held offices with the Aliquippa School Board and Fraternal Order of Police. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Christine, and his sister and brother-in-law, Donna and Anthony Kulfan. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, James C.and Amy DiBenedetto of Hopewell Township and two grandchildren, Christian and Eva, a brother and sister-in-law, Dennis and Barbara DiBenedetto of Petersburg, West Virginia, a sister and brother-in-law, Celeste and Richard Peggs of St. Albans, West Virginia, a sister-in-law, Gloria Anderson of Oxford, Pennsylvania, and his nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends, many of whom kept in touch with James as his health declined.
His visitation is on Monday, October 5th from 9:30 a.m. until the time of departing prayers at 10:30 a.m. at the Anthony Mastrofrancesco Funeral Home Inc., 2026 McMinn Street, Aliquippa, who was in charge of his arrangements. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11 a.m. at Mary Queen of Saints Parish, St. Titus Church, 952 Franklin Avenue, Aliquippa. James will be laid to rest at Sylvania Hills Memorial Park, 273 PA-68, Rochester Township, alongside his wife and parents. The Beaver County Special Unit will conduct military honors at the cemetery. His family would like to thank Dr. Timothy Jackson and the staff of Tapestry Senior Living and Advanced Hospice for the care they provided during the most recent two years of his life.
He was very proud of his family, military service, and Aliquippa heritage. His memory will live on with those he touched during his life. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of James F. DiBenedetto please visit the Sympathy Store of the Anthony Mastrofrancesco Funeral Home, Inc. by clicking here.

Gerald “Jerry” R. Armstrong (1948-2026)

Gerald “Jerry” R. Armstrong, 78, of Clinton, passed away unexpectedly in his home on September 28th, 2026.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 7th, 1948, the son of the late Reverend Robert C. Armstrong and Maudie (Hargis) Armstrong.

As a young man, Jerry proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1969 to 1973.

He was a man of many talents and a tireless worker. He was a skilled carpenter and an amateur mechanic who took great pride in maintaining his own cars and trucks. Later in life, he obtained his CDL and worked as a commercial truck driver, traveling across the country delivering loads of drywall, steel, and motor oil.

In his spare time, he loved to garden, growing a wide variety of vegetables every year as well as landscaping his property. He was also an avid student of history, possessing an extensive and deep knowledge of both United States and world history.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 48 years, Anna P. (Pozdniakow) Armstrong, his four children: Richard Armstrong (Amy) of Lewisburg, Lucas Armstrong of Clinton, Jesse Armstrong (Julie) of Moon Township and Christopher Armstrong of Pittsburgh; as well as his four cherished grandchildren, Katie, Evan, Jacob, and Colton; as well as his sister, Diane Brosius (Larry).

All services at this time for Gerald are private.

The Huntsman Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Moon Township is in charge of his arrangements.

Interment with military honors will take place at a later date at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, 1158 Morgan Road, Bridgeville.

Memorial contributions can be made to Little Sisters of the Poor.

Pittsburgh Researchers Launch Novel Cell Therapy Trial Using Immune Cells From Fluid That Would Otherwise Be Discarded

(File Photo of the Allegheny Health Network Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Cancer Center is actively enrolling patients in a first-in-human clinical trial that tests an innovative cell therapy for advanced cancers which have spread to the lining around the lungs, and that is a condition which is known as malignant pleural effusion. 

Pleural effusion describes fluid buildup in the pleural cavity, which is the space around the lungs.

Malignant pleural effusion is the abnormal buildup of fluid and cancer cells in that space and it is most often associated with advanced lung and breast cancers, even though it can occur with other cancers. 

The fluid can cause chest discomfort, shortness of breath and a significant decline in quality of life.

Current treatments focus mainly on controlling fluid buildup and easing symptoms, rather than directly treating cancer in the pleural space. 

The Phase 1 clinical trial is known as RIOT-4 or Regional Immuno-Oncology Trial 4, repurposes the fluid drained from the chest cavity of cancer patients as a source of tumor-fighting immune cells, and this offers a faster and less invasive path to cellular immunotherapy.  

The lead clinical investigator for this trial is Patrick L. Wagner, MD, MPH, the vice chair of surgery and chief of surgical oncology at AHN Cancer Center.

Researchers in the cellular therapy lab at AHN, who are directed by Albert D. Donnenberg, PhD, the vice chair of clinical research, rapidly grow and activate the cells before returning them directly to the pleural cavity of the patient, which is where the cancer is located. 

Man apprehended in Brighton Township for failing to comply with Megan’s law registration requirements

(File Photo of Handcuffs)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Brighton Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported yesterday that sixty-five-year-old Michael Conci was taken into custody for failing to comply with Megan’s Law registration requirements in Brighton Township.

This arrest occurred yesterday in the area of 3800 Dutch Ridge Road at 1:22 p.m.

According to police, Conci was found to be out of compliance for requirements of Megan’s Law registration.

Conci was remanded to the Beaver County Jail and was unable to post a bail of $25,000.

A preliminary hearing for Conci will occur on October 5th, 2026 at 10 a.m. 

McMurray man arrested for driving under the influence of drugs in Vanport Township

(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Vanport Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported yesterday that twenty-five-year-old Carson Sinisko of McMurray was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs in Vanport Township on September 17th.

This incident occurred in the area of 390 I-376 West at approximately 11:20 p.m.

According to police, they received numerous 911 phone calls relating to a vehicle driving east bound in the west bound lanes of travel.

The female victim that was involved in this incident stated that her vehicle was hit on the driver’s side by a vehicle at Mile Marker 43 on I-376 West in Aliquippa.

Sinisko was the operator of the vehicle that hit the woman’s vehicle, and he was arrested for DUI at the scene of the incident. 

Ex-NFL star Antonio Brown appears in Miami court but judge delays hearing on expected plea deal

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Former NFL player Antonio Brown speaks with his attorney Mark Eiglarsh before a court hearing Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

MIAMI (AP) — Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown’s court hearing where he was expected to accept a plea deal and avoid prison time in an attempted murder case was postponed Wednesday.

Brown arrived in a Miami courtroom Wednesday morning and was ready to plead no contest to aggravated assault and be sentenced to probation, his lawyer said. But a Florida judge said she was in the middle of another trial and not ready to go forward. The hearing was pushed back to Oct. 28.

Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025, and firing two shots at a man he had been in a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators one of the bullets grazed his neck.

Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said Brown was looking forward to putting the case behind him. Eiglarsh said the plea deal offered by prosecutors was too good to turn down and that it says Brown would not be considered a convicted felon.

“It’s a setback because it’s another month that my client has an ankle monitor on and doesn’t have closure, which everybody in this case wants,” Eiglarsh said. He said he was “cautiously optimistic” the judge would agree to the terms.

Brown could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the original attempted murder charge. He has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and others were trying to steal jewelry from him.

Florida’s Stand Your Ground law allows people who believe they face death or serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves without a duty to retreat.

Nantambu said after Wednesday’s postponement that he hopes Brown will take advantage of the deal to “become a better person and be there for his family.”

“We want him to get the healing that he needs,” he said.

Richard Cooper, an attorney for Nantambu, said Nantambu forgave Brown and would not cooperate with law enforcement.

At one point in the court’s hallway, Brown slipped on a dark mask while talking to his attorney and then pulled it off before going into the hearing.

Brown, 38, spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in the 2021-22 season for Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl with quarterback Tom Brady the previous season.

Over the course of his career, much of it spent with Pittsburgh, he had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, including punt returns and one pass.

During a January 2022 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ending his career.

Brown has dealt with several legal problems over the years. He previously was accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents.

Brown was extradited in November 2025 from Dubai, where he has business interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June of the same year.

Almost 1,000 Duquesne Light Company union workers go on strike after failed contract negotiations

(File Photo of the Duquesne Light Company Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Almost 1,000 union workers from Duquesne Light Company (DLC) have recently gone on strike after not reaching a deal amid contract negotiations with their employer.  

According to Josh Ewing, the business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 29, the union has tried continuously to bargain in good faith and had a conversation with some of the company’s top executives yesterday evening. 

Issues that Ewing highlighted include adequate staffing, creating of non-union jobs, retiring healthcare, retiring benefits, the right to organize, and safety concerns that are not being listened to. 

DLC confirmed that the nearly 1,000 workersfrom the company serve over 600,000 customers in Beaver and Allegheny counties. 

A spokesperson for Duquesne Light stated that the company remains committed to engaging in good-faith negotiations with its workers, and that they have a responsibility to keep costs affordable for customers while providing reliable service to its community.   

Bartolotta Bill to Protect Pennsylvania Farmers Advances from Senate Committee

(File Photo of Senator Camera Bartolotta)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) The Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee approved legislation sponsored by Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-46) to prohibit the manufacture and sale of lab-grown meat and poultry in Pennsylvania yesterday. 

Senate Bill 1422 is intended to protect the farmers of Pennsylvania and the agricultural industry in the state from the growing push to replace traditionally raised meat with products that are produced in laboratory settings.

Pennsylvania would join seven other states which have enacted laws varying in scope to prohibit the distribution, manufacture and sale of cultivated meat products if this bill is enacted.

Senate Bill 1422 will now advance to the full Senate for its consideration.