PennEnergy rescinds its permit to withdraw 1.5 million gallons of water every day from Big Sewickley Creek

(File Photo of the PennEnergy Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) PennEnergy recently rescinded its permit to withdraw 1.5 million gallons of water every day from Big Sewickley Creek. The company got approval for removing the water in January of 2024 and asked the state of Pennsylvania to get rid of two permits in March. The first was to remove water from the Cooney Hollow Road creek in Economy Borough. The second was to build a waterline above-ground to carry the same water to a shale gas well pad nearby.

Man from Harmony gets prison sentence for sexually assualting a minor

(File Photo of Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) According to a release from Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office, a man from Harmony got 14 to 34 years in prison for sexually assaulting a pre-teen child. Forty-seven-year-old Shaun Sheffer began his actions when the victim was at the age of seven. According to the investigation into Sheffer, the assaults occurred in Butler County between 1995 and 2000 when the victim was between seven and twelve years old. Sheffer was also acquainted with the victim.

Beaver County woman pleads guilty to killing a man from New Castle in a car crash in 2023

(File Photo of Police Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Franklin Township, PA) A Beaver County woman got a prison sentence of three to ten years after pleading guilty Tuesday to killing sixty-five-year-old James Barge of New Castle in a crash on May 4th, 2023. Twenty-seven-year-old Kassandra Clyde of Fombell sent the guilty plea for a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. Clyde also admitted her guilt to a charge of homicide by vehicle. Barge was killed in Franklin Township when Clyde struck his car from the opposite direction.

Man that got convicted for killing Rebecca Miller on a trail close to Geneva College in 2024 receives a life sentence in jail

(File Photo of Handcuffs)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Tyrik Jones, the man that got convicted for killing Rebecca Miller on a walking trail close to Geneva College, received a sentence in jail for the rest of his life on Tuesday. According to online court records, Jones will have a life sentence in prison. Jones got the accusation of killing Miller after Miller was found dead from being stabbed on January 11th, 2024. Four days of deliberation ended onApril 4th,2025 for a jury to give Jones a guilty first-degree murder charge.

Two Republican lawmakers will be introducing NIL registration for protection of student athletes getting NIL compensation

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – The nation office of the NCAA is shown in Indianapolis on March 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) According to a release from Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper’s office, legislation for student athletes involving their name, image and likeness will soon be introduced. Topper and Representative Perry Stambaugh will have a legislation that will soon give protections for student-athletes that have both compensation and use of NIL. Colleges and universities also would give student-athletes both resources and financial literacy education during a mandate.

Male suspect in custody for shooting and killing a man in Ambridge

(File Photo of Police Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Ambridge, PA) A man was shot and killed in Ambridge on Tuesday. According to Beaver County Coroner David J. Gabauer, the victim was twenty-six-year-old Mason Goins. Ambridge Police Chief John DeLuca confirms twenty-six-year-old Nicholas Tyler Andrews shot Goins during an argument at the home of Andrews at 1603 Church Street. Andrews is in police custody with pending charges.

Confusion on sensor plane’s abilities delayed response in Ohio train derailment, report says

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

(AP) A specialized plane equipped with advanced sensors that the government deploys to chemical disasters could have helped authorities avoid needlessly blowing open five rail tank cars and burning their toxic contents after the disastrous 2023 East Palestine train derailment, a new report says.

The report released Tuesday found the single-engine Cessna wasn’t called into action until the night before the rail cars filled with vinyl chloride were blown open because officials with the Environmental Protection Agency on the ground didn’t fully understand the aircraft’s sophisticated capabilities.

The report by the EPA’s Inspector General said the agency’s on-scene coordinator mistakenly thought the so-called ASPECT plane could only measure 20- to 30-degree differences in temperature. In reality, the report noted, the sensors can measure slight temperature differences of less than 1 degree.

That information could have helped first responders avoid the key mistake the National Transportation Safety Board identified of blowing open the tank cars filled with the toxic plastic ingredient.

The on-scene coordinator’s “limited awareness or use of the full range of ASPECT capabilities could negatively impact emergency response decision-making,” the report said.

The towering plume of black smoke

The explosion and fire generated a massive plume of black smoke over East Palestine that billowed eastward over the nearby Ohio-Pennsylvania border three days after the derailment. State and local officials in charge of the response feared those tank cars would explode even though the limited temperature information they had showed the cars were starting to cool off.

The National Transportation Safety Board had previously faulted the Norfolk Southern railroad for not sharing the opinion of the chemical maker that the vinyl chloride wasn’t going to explode with decisionmakers. Norfolk Southern has said OxyVinyls officials offered conflicting information that left the railroad’s experts worried about a dangerous chemical reaction.

Much of the small town of East Palestine had to be evacuated for days because of the toxic chemical fire. Many residents still complain of lingering health symptoms, fearful of potential long-term health consequences.

The EPA has maintained that dangerous levels of chemicals were never found after the evacuation order was lifted five days after the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment.

Some have questioned whether the agency did enough to detect the chemicals in the aftermath and doctors are still trying to determine what prolonged exposure to low levels of the chemicals might mean. Recently released records show officials with the Federal Emergency Management Administration have acknowledged residents’ fears that cancer clusters could develop years from now in area residents despite the EPA’s assurances.

Robert Kroutil, the man who wrote the software and helped interpret the data from the plane’s advanced radiological and infrared sensors, has said having accurate temperature data from the plane could have helped avoid the vent-and-burn operation.

“The report noted that EPA officials believe that the on-ground monitoring equipment provided superior detection capabilities, which is incorrect,” Kroutil said. “This demonstrates EPA’s complete lack of understanding of the ASPECT technology and how it works to protect chemically impacted sites.”

EPA updates its policies

The East Palestine derailment was the worst rail disaster in a decade. It prompted a national reckoning with rail safety and calls for reform — although proposals for new industry rules stalled in Congress.

The railroad’s contractors who led the response to the derailment told the NTSB they had difficulty getting accurate temperature readings on the cars because the fire surrounding them made it especially dangerous. Kroutil’s concerns prompted the IG investigation.

The EPA said in its official response to the report that it has developed a detailed fact sheet and plans to train its emergency responders about the plane’s capabilities and when it should be deployed over the next year. But the agency didn’t immediately respond Tuesday to questions about the delayed response in East Palestine.

Lingering questions about the flights

The Government Accountability Project watchdog group that helped Kroutil document his concerns questioned why the Inspector General didn’t look into other aspects like Kroutil’s concerns that the plane’s sensors were intentionally shut off over the creeks around East Palestine and that the final report on the flights was changed to overlook the incomplete data that was generated in just two flights before the plane was sent home.

GAP’s Senior Environmental Officer Lesley Pacey said “the investigation’s scope was too narrow, failing to address the most serious allegations.”

The EPA didn’t even call for the sensor plane until two nights after the derailment when officials were already contemplating the vent-and-burn operation.

The plane took off from its Texas base within a half hour of getting the call, but it didn’t make a pass over the derailment as it flew into the area that night, and then weather conditions kept it from flying during the controversial burn operation the next day. It didn’t gather any data until the following day after most of the chemicals had already been distributed by the wind.

The Inspector General said the emails and documents it reviewed showed that officials followed existing practices on deploying the plane, but those procedures lacked the clarity needed to help them decide when to deploy the plane.

Still One Vote Shy Of Renewal After Revote on Aliquippa Basketball Coach Status

(File Photo of Aliquippa Coach Nick Lackovich taken by Beaver County Radio Satff)

(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

(Aliquippa, PA) The Aliquippa head boys’ basketball coach has not been decided yet after a recent meeting. The Aliquippa School board voted 4-3 on Monday in favor of renewing head coach Nick Lackovich’s contract. However, they needed one more vote of 5-3 to reinstate him. The board president, Tina Price-Genes, abstained from the vote. Board member Yvonne Jackson walked out of the meeting and did not return. The vice president of the board, Nicole Bible and board members, Sandra Gill and Brian Sims voted against renewing Coach Lackovich’s contract. The board members who voted for Coach Lackovich’s contract to be renewed were: Janice Cain, Catherine Colalella, Torri Durham Flannigan and Kenny Rainey. The next meeting to decide the head coach for Aliquippa boys’ basketball will be on Wednesday, June 11th at 6 p.m., the only meeting of that month for the Aliquippa School Board.

Snack Wrap Returning to McDonald’s on July 10

(Photo provided with release)

From countless social posts to full-fledged petitions, McDonald’s fans have spent years rallying for the Snack Wrap to return to menus. Their unmatched passion inspired the ultimate comeback: Starting July 10, the Snack Wrap returns to participating restaurants nationwide, including the Three Rivers area – and this time, it’s here to stay.

Fans can get them in two delicious flavors:

  • Spicy: Bold, zesty and unapologetically fiery – the Spicy Snack Wrap brings the heat with a habanero kick that fans know and love from the Spicy McCrispy sandwich.
  • Ranch: Smooth, rich and irresistibly savory – the Ranch Snack Wrap delivers a satisfying burst of cool ranch goodness, with hints of garlic and onion.