Author: Beaver County Radio

Mary (Murga) ReKasie (1923-2025)

Mary (Murga) ReKasie, 101, of Edgeworth, Pennsylvania, passed away on February 20th, 2025. She was born in Ambridge on May 20th, 1923, the daughter of the late Vasil and Mary (Suchy) Murga. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband, John W. ReKasie and her beloved brothers, Sgt. John Murga and William (Hilda) Murga. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Lee (Rick) Darbut and Gloria (Bill) Pulkowski, a granddaughter and grandson-in-law, two cherished great-grandsons, three nieces, Carol (Tom) Britton, Janet (Tom) Smith and Mary Anne (Scott) Michigan, along with several great-nieces and a great-nephew.

Mary was a long-time resident of the area. She recently resided in South Carolina and Virginia. After graduating from Ambridge High School, Mary worked as a beautician before taking on the role of caregiver for her husband, a WWII veteran, who was disabled. She was a deeply committed member of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, and her faith provided her with strength, comfort, and a sense of peace throughout her 101 years. Mary was known for her loving and generous nature. She was always making pierogies, decorating Easter eggs, and baking for church festivals.

She took immense joy in spending time with her children, granddaughter, and great-grandchildren. In addition to her family, Mary enjoyed the simple pleasures of life, including bingo and hunting for bargains. She lived her life with grace, always putting others first, and her faith, love, and generosity will be remembered fondly by all who were blessed to know her. Her memory will live in the hearts of her family and friends.

Family and friends are welcome to gather for a visitation on Friday, February 28th from 4 P.M. until the time of service at 7:30 P.M., in the John Syka Funeral Home, 833 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge. Translation to the church will take place at 8 P.M. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 1st at 10 A.M., in the St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, 450 Glenwood Drive, Ambridge. Interment will follow in Sylvania Hills Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to, St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church.

Larry Ray Barkfelt, Sr. (1944-2025)

Larry Ray Barkfelt Sr., 80, of Brighton Township, formerly of Fallston, passed away unexpectedly on February 25th, 2025 at home.

He was born in Fallston on November 7th, 1944, a son of the late Ray T. and Margaretta (Hall) Barkfelt. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Carol “Tootsie” McGafffic, sister, Dorothy Symonak and brothers, Richard and LeMoyne Barkfelt. He is survived by his children: Melzina (Miles Clark) Barkfelt, Teresa (Mark Brown) Barkfelt, Terry (Jim) McGaffic-Westfall, Lisa McGaffic-Markley, Melissa McGaffic, Larry (Sonja) Barkfelt II and Michael (Vicki) McGaffic: many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild, sister, Leatrice Donovan and many nieces and nephews.

Larry retired as a machine operator from Adams Manufacturing. He was a member of the Croatian Club and Eagles of New Brighton.  He loved dancing with his wife “Tootsie” and loved his family.

In accordance with Larry’s wishes, no services will be held. Arrangements have been entrusted to the J & J Spratt Funeral Home, 1612 Third Avenue, New Brighton.

Private burial will be held at St Joseph Catholic Cemetery of New Brighton.

Debra M. (Cancelliere) Rodriguez (1958-2025)

Debra M. (Cancelliere) Rodriguez, 66, of Baden, passed away on February 25th, 2025. She was born on August 27th, 1958, a daughter of the late Angelo and Dorothy Cancelliere.

Debra is survived by her loving husband of 46 years, Joseph Rodriguez, her children, Timothy (Jennifer) Rodriguez and Matthew (Lindsey) Rodriguez, her siblings: Joseph (Mary) Cancelliere, Angelo (Donna) Cancelliere, Renee Guerrieri, and Robert Cancelliere; as well as her cherished grandchildren: Cameron, Jackson, Rylee and Myles Rodriguez.

Debra was a devoted wife, mother and Mimi who will be deeply missed. Arrangements have been entrusted to Alvarez-Hahn Funeral Services and Cremation, LLC, 547 8th Street, Ambridge.

Gregory Walter Heidel (Passed on February 25th, 2025)

Gregory Walter Heidel, 57, a lifelong resident of Monaca, passed away on February 25th, 2025 at Heritage Valley Beaver surrounded by his family.

He was the son of the late George Joseph and Barbara Sue (Dotson) Heidel. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his grandparents, Walter W. and Violet A. Dotson and Uncle Jerry Dotson and Uncle Raymond Mancheff. He is survived by a son, Jonathan (Sara) Heidel, a granddaughter, Ellie Heidel as well as his brother, George Jeffrey (Tanya) Heidel and his beloved Aunt, Ann Mancheff who was like a second mother to him.

Gregory graduated from Monaca High School with the class of 1985. He earned an Associate Degree from CCBC and was a dedicated employee of the Rochester Giant Eagle store for over 35 years.

He was known for his love of bicycling having traveled over 10,000 miles in one year and also found pleasure in white water rafting.

He was a devout member of St John the Baptist Catholic Church of Monaca.

Services and arrangements have been entrusted to Simpson Funeral and Cremation Services, 1119 Washington Avenue, Monaca.

I Ye “Judy” Hunter (1941-2025)

I Ye “Judy” Hunter, 84, of Daugherty Township, passed away on February 26th, 2025 in her residence.

She was born in South Korea on January 5th, 1941. She was preceded in death by her husband, David J. Hunter and her daughter, Sherri Lynn Hunter.

She is survived by four children: Brenda (Alan) Miller, Tina Galbraith, David J. (Michelle) Hunter II and Linda (Dave) Habrle; six grandchildren: James Dietz II, Ashley Dietz, Amanda Galbraith, Thomas Galbraith II, Nicholas Habrle and Nathan Habrle; as well as three great-grandchildren, Liam, Oriyah and Arlo.

Friends will be received on Saturday, March 1st from 10 A.M. until the time of services at 1 P.M. in the Gabauer Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc., 1133 Penn Avenue, New Brighton.

Interment will follow in Grandview Cemetery of Big Beaver Borough.

Beaver County Radio To Broadcast WPIAL Championship Triple Header on Saturday

(Brighton Twp., Pa.) Beaver County Radio is proud to announce that we will be broadcasting  a High School Basketball  triple header on Saturday, March 1, from the WPIAL Championships at the Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh.  It all gets started at 10:30 AM  with the pregame and then at 11AM the Aliquippa Lady Quips will take on Neshannock Lady Lancers. In game two of the triple header the Aliquippa Quip boys will take on south Allegheny Gladiators in the 3A final. We’ll finish up the day with the Lady Cougars of Blackhawk that will be taking on Oakland Catholic Lady Eagles in the 4A final at 3PM. Mike Azadian, Frank Salopek, and Gene Matsook will have the call of all three games on Beaver County Radio.

You can listen to the games on our website by going to: https://streamdb6web.securenetsystems.net/cirruscontent/WBVP?CFID=8cee42d2-a317-444a-9fb6-0ad212472410&CFTOKEN=0

You can also download the St. Barnabas Broadcasting  App for free at the Google Play and Apple I-Tunes Store.

Central Valley School District officially names their new superintendent

(File Photo of Central Valley School District logo)

(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

(Center Township, PA) Central Valley School District officially named Shawn McCreary as its superintendent last Thursday at its board meeting. McCreary spoke with Giordano Wednesday and said: “My biggest concern is to provide a safe, nurturing culture in the district and to improve communications with the school district community.” McCreary also talked about upgrading the facilities in the district, specifically at the high school and middle school. McCreary graduated from Monaca High School and got his undergraduate degree from Geneva College. He earned his principal’s certification at Franciscan  University in Steubenville, Ohio. He also attended Point Park University to attain his letter of eligibility to become a school superintendent.

The City of Beaver Falls Police Department looking for sedan occupied by two people who allegedly spoke with children at a bus stop

(File Photo of Police Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver Falls, PA) An incident involving a dark sedan with two people allegedly talking with children near a bus stop on Tuesday in Beaver Falls is being investigated by The City of Beaver Falls Police Department. At about 8:30 a.m., a car that police suspect has an out of state registration was in the vicinity of 6th Avenue and 11th Street. Police are looking for a bearded black man and a white woman who was his passenger who were allegedly interacting with the children. The two people involved in this incident occupied the car. If you have any information about the car, please call 724-846-7001.  

$20 million invested by Shapiro administration for improvements to traffic safety

(File Photo of the PennDOT logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) PennDOT announced that around $20.4 million will go to twenty-five municipalities across the state for thirty-one safety projects for Automated Red-Light Enforcement. This funding brings the total to around $162 million through a program supported by the Shapiro Administration. The Automated Red-Light Enforcement program works to increase safety at intersections with signals. Twenty-four applications were submitted by municipalities with requests of $33.5 million. According to a release from PennDOT, here are the projects that were approved:

Allegheny County

  • Bethel Park Borough: $77,643 for a capacity and safety project at the intersection of Library Road (Route 88) and Kings School Road.
  • City of Pittsburgh: $647,050 for the modernization of the traffic signal at the intersection of East General Robinson Street and Sandusky Street as well as a road diet with pedestrian safety improvements in the North Shore neighborhood.
  • City of Pittsburgh: $335,982 for the construction of a new traffic signal at the intersection of Centre Avenue and North Dithridge Street located in the North Oakland neighborhood near the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon campuses.
  • Richland Township: $235,000 for new traffic signal installation at the intersection of Gibsonia Rd (Route 910) and Community Center Drive.

Bedford County

  • Bedford Township: $556,834 to modernize traffic signals at eight intersections, replace six flashing approach lights, install traffic signs on a rural road with curves, and install camera surveillance for the Belden Road bridge.

Bucks County

  • Penndel Borough: $350,990 for traffic signal modernization at the intersection of Durham Road (Route 2049) and Lincoln Highway (Route 2037).
  • Upper Southampton Township: $837,449 for traffic signal modernization along Street Road (Route 132) and the two closely spaced intersections of Davisville Road and Maple Avenue.
  • Northampton Township: $760,100 to improve pedestrian safety and operational efficiency at the intersections of Buck Road (Route 532 and Middle Holland Road/Stoney Ford Road, as well as Buck Road and East Village Road/West Village Road.

Butler County

  • Center Township: $563,970 to fully replace the traffic signal equipment at the intersection of Route 8 and Beech Road to meet modern day operational and safety standards.

Clearfield County

  • Morris Township: $101,250 for a safety upgrade to the existing traffic signal at the intersection of Philipsburg-Bigler Highway (Route 53) & Ninth Street (Route 2043) Troy Hill Road

Delaware County

  • Swarthmore Borough: $388,560 for a full modernization at the intersection of North Chester Road (Route 320) and College Avenue to upgrade traffic signal structures and equipment, including ADA facilities.

Lackawanna County

  • City of Scranton: $104,004 to update the traffic signal for Washburn and Main Avenue to include high-visibility crosswalks and installation of no-parking pavement markings where parking is not permitted.

Lancaster County

  • Mount Joy Borough: $296,969 to install two crosswalks and ten shared lane markings near the Mount Joy shopping center.

Lehigh County

  • Upper Macungie Township: $317,600 to upgrade 13 intersections to camera or radar signal detections.
  • City of Allentown: $1.9 million to redesign a 1.2 mile stretch of South Jefferson Street between Elm and Lehigh Streets, to reduce to two lanes with a central turning lane and install dedicated bike lanes.

Luzerne County

  • Laurel Run Borough: $103,781 to implement a mid-block pedestrian crossing over East Northampton Street (Route 2007) at Giant’s Despair/Heritage Park.

Mercer County

  • City of Sharon: $85,000 to update traffic signal equipment at 17 intersections.
  • City of Sharon: $120,000 to increase overall vehicular and pedestrian safety at the intersection of North Sharpsville Avenue and Pitt Street.

Montgomery County

  • Lower Merion Township: $630,921 for traffic signal modernization and pedestrian safety improvements at Lancaster Avenue (Route 30) and Church Road.
  • Upper Hanover Township- $485,600 for full traffic signal modernization and minor widening at the intersection of Route 663 and Schoolhouse Road/Montgomery Avenue.

Philadelphia County

  • City of Philadelphia: $1.5 million to continue the Slow Zone program and bring the speed management toolkit to two neighborhoods experiencing high rates of crash-related injuries and deaths. The Indiana project area is located in the Fairhill/West Kensington neighborhood in the area of Allegheny Avenue, Front Street, Lehigh Avenue, and Second Street. The Hestonville project area is located in West Philadelphia in the area of Lancaster Avenue, 52nd Street, Girard Ave, and 54th Street.
  • City of Philadelphia: $2 million to continue the “Signal Integration” program and to focus this program on City Avenue, between Presidential Boulevard and 77th Street. which currently runs as adaptive response signal control. With updated signal integration via fiber, the corridor will be retimed and operated via ATMS.  Funds may also be used to supplement similar signal integration projects throughout the City.
  • City of Philadelphia: $1.5 million to improve safety for transit users at intersections along SEPTA’s Trolley Modernization corridors. Proposed work will improve sight distance, reduce pedestrian crossing time, and allocate additional right-of-way time for transit. This project will be concentrated on remaining intersections with high crash clusters along Lancaster Avenue from 40th Street to 52nd Street, Woodland Avenue from 50th Street to Cemetery Avenue, and Baltimore Avenue from 54th Street to 61st Street.
  • City of Philadelphia: $2 million to construct modern roundabouts at two or more locations citywide, replace geometrically over-capacity or overly complex signalized intersections having adequate existing right-of-way. Proposed locations are 11th & Wagner Avenue and 10th & Fisher Avenue.
  • City of Philadelphia: $3.6 million for Roosevelt Blvd Parallel Corridor Intersection Modifications. The program will fund design and construction at several locations, which be determined by project viability, crash data, and funding gaps for projects currently underway. Possible corridors for intersection improvements include Castor Ave (from Van Kirk to Cottman) Rising Sun Ave (from Van Kirk to Cottman Ave), and Adams Ave (from Rising Sun to Roosevelt). Other corridors and intersections may be considered in the vicinity of Roosevelt Blvd, depending on need. This project will help to slow traffic at intersections, improve sight distance between drivers and pedestrians, and reduce pedestrian vulnerability by reducing pedestrian crossing times.

Schuykill County

  • Butler Township- $20,280 for a purchase of four “Radar Sign Safety in a Box” kits to help reduce excessive speeds as well as the frequency and severity of motor vehicle accidents on Fairgrounds Road and Fountain Street.

Washington County

  • North Strabane Township: $116,000 for installation of speed management devices along McDowell Lane and Demar Boulevard.
  • Peters Township: $219,998 for traffic signal modernization at the intersection of Washington Road (Route 91) andGallery Drive to enhance safety and mobility using modern technology and design.

Westmoreland County

  • Murrysville Borough: $374,850 to replace all the older style LED vehicular and pedestrian signal heads at 11 intersections. This project will also include new power supply units at each intersection.
  • City of Greensburg: $141,875 to increase the safety and mobility at the intersections of South Main Street (Route 119) and Euclid Avenue/Mt.Pleasant Street; and E. Pittsburgh Street (Route 130) and Urania Avenue by installing radar detection and a left turn arrow.

York County

  • West Manchester Township: $74,806 to improve intersection safety by installing left turn arrows and to install radar detectors and allow the application of Dilemma Zone Protection on the Route 30 mainline.

Crescent Township man indicted on charge of possessing material involving sexual exploitation of a minor

(File Photo of Gavel)

Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Revetti announced Wednesday that a resident of Crescent Township was indicted on a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor. Twenty-year-old Aidan Harding had this material on or around December 11th, 2024. This included videos depicting a minor’s sexual exploitation. Revetti also stated that Harding was charged by criminal complaint on January 27th, 2025 and was held without bond pending trial after being forced to do so on February 12th, 2025 during a detention hearing. According to Revetti, Harding could face a maximum of twenty years in jail, an up to a $250,000 fine, or both provided by the law.