HARRISBURG – Attorney General Michelle A. Henry announced that her office filed a lawsuit against North Hills Auto Mall and its president for deceiving consumers about the conditions of vehicles – which often broke down shortly after sales, or did not pass inspection.

The suit also alleges that the dealership deceived consumers into believing they were purchasing vehicles in good condition and under warranty. In reality, the dealership had classified the vehicles as being sold “as is,” and the “warranty” was actually a limited service contract from a third party.

Pennsylvania law prohibits the sale of vehicles where the dealer knew or should have known about serious issues involving the offered vehicle – even if the vehicle is sold “as is.”

“This is every used cay buyer’s worst fear – paying hard-earned money and realizing soon after that the vehicle is in poor condition,” Attorney General Henry said. “My office has a duty to uphold state law and regulations that prohibit deceptive car dealers from swindling consumers in this fashion, and we will do everything in our power to uphold that duty. Consumers deserve nothing less.”

The Office of Attorney General filed suit this week in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas against North Hills Auto Mall and its president, Regis Mannke.

The lawsuit calls on the court to order Mannke and North Hills Auto Mall to:

• Pay restitution to all consumers who have suffered losses;
• Be permanently prohibited from doing business as a seller of motor vehicles in Pennsylvania or to Pennsylvania consumers, and engage in any practices that violate the Consumer Protection Law, Auto Regulations, the Vehicle Code, and/or the Board of Vehicles Act;
• Pay civil penalties of $1,000 for each violation of the Consumer Protection Law and $3,000 for each violation involving a consumer age 60 or older.

According to the lawsuit, North Hills Auto Mall also required deposits of at least $500 to secure availability of a vehicle and did not refund the deposit if, for any reason, the sale did not go through. North Hills Auto Mall also allegedly violated the state Auto Regulations by failing to provide consumers with required documentation, such as the purchase agreement and warranty information.

Consumers who believe they or someone they know may have been a victim of North Hills Auto Mall should file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection online, by calling 800-441-2555 or emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov. Repair facilities, dealers, or anyone else who may have information regarding the alleged business practices of North Hills Auto Mall or Regis Mannke should also contact the Bureau.

The lawsuit was filed by Deputy Attorney General Jaimie George.

(Photos by Frank Sparks, Curtis Walsh, Keith Walsh, and Matt Drzik)

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) It was a Chamber of Commerce kind of day on Saturday for the 32nd Annual Beaver Falls Car Cruise. Beaver County Radio’s Mike Romigh Emceed the opening ceremonies that featured appearances from local officials as well as the car cruise marshal, Steve Peterson. Steve had resigned as a committee chairman last year and this years cruise committee wanted to honor him for all of his hard work.

Donna Groom from the Skyliners sung the National Anthem which was followed by a flyover by Air Heritage’s C-47 WWII Vintage airplane named “Luck of the Irish” The car cruise committee also presented a $500 donation to both the Beaver Falls Police K-9 fund and to the Tiger Pause Youth Ministry.

JD Merkel the host of Solid Gold Saturday played the tunes for everyone live on 7th Ave. Beaver County Radio talents Eddy Crow, Curtis Walsh, Frank Sparks and Mike Romigh broadcasted live throughout the day.

You can see a replay of the opening ceremonies below as well as all of the photos from a fun day in downtown Beaver Falls:

Tesla charging station in Cranberry Township, PA

DETROIT (AP) — Electric vehicles made by General Motors will be able to use much of Tesla’s vast charging network starting early next year. In addition, GM will adopt Tesla’s connector, the plug that links an electric vehicle to a charging station. GM joins Ford in shifting its vehicles to about 12,000 of Tesla’s chargers, and both Detroit automakers are pushing to make Tesla’s connector the industry standard. GM CEO Mary Barra and her Tesla counterpart, Elon Musk, made the announcement during a Twitter Spaces conversation. Their discussion comes two weeks after Ford CEO Jim Farley joined Musk to announce that Ford’s electric vehicles would gain access to much of Tesla’s EV-charging network, the largest in the nation.

Harrisburg, PA – Today, June 9, 2023, The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day throughout the entire Commonwealth for fine particulate matter. Children, sensitive populations such as older people, those who exercise or work outdoors and those with lung or respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema, or bronchitis should reduce or eliminate their outdoor activities.

Smoke due to wildfires in eastern Canada will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Orange range on Friday. Changing weather conditions compared to earlier in the week are making conditions better. Residents are encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area.

The weather pattern causing the poor air quality is anticipated to move out of Pennsylvania over the weekend. DEP will continue to update the forecast to determine ongoing needs for Air Quality Alerts.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Air Quality Index (AQI) provides standardized color codes for forecasting and reporting daily air quality. Green signifies good air quality; Yellow means moderate air quality; Orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people; and Red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.

An Air Quality Action Day is declared when the AQI is forecasted to be Code Orange or higher. On an Air Quality Action Day, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.

For more information, visit DEP at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/AQPartnersWeb and EPA’s AirNow at www.airnow.gov.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, please visit the website or follow DEP on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

FILE – Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, March 4, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

MIAMI (AP) — Donald Trump’s historic criminal case on felony charges of mishandling classified documents is set to unfold in Florida and will at least initially be overseen by a federal judge who issued rulings favorable to him last year and expressed repeated skepticism of Justice Department positions. The assignment of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, confirmed Friday by a person familiar with the development, is a rare bit of good news for Trump in the face of an indictment with several criminal charges that carries the prospect of a years-long prison sentence. Trump has declared his innocence. He is due in court Tuesday in Miami.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published June 9, 2023 11:46 A.M.

(Beaver, PA) Dozens of people held a rally outside the courthouse yesterday voicing their frustrations with the Shell cracker plant. Approximately 50 members of the Shell Accountability Campaign were in attendance and presented a petition to the Beaver County Commissioners at their meeting to take action. The plant in Monaca has received three pollution violations by the PA DEP since it begun operations.

NEW YORK (AP) — A thick, hazardous haze of wildfire smoke is looming over daily life for millions of people across the U.S. and Canada for a third day, and it’s expected to persist as long as the weekend. The conditions Thursday sent asthma sufferers to hospitals, delayed flights, postponed ballgames and pushed back a White House Pride Month celebration. If the worrisome haze is an unnerving novelty for millions of people on the United States’ East Coast, it’s a reminder of what other places experience more regularly. And scientists say it’s a wake-up call about the future.

This photo of bullet-damaged prayer book in the Tree of Life synagogue building in Pittsburgh was entered May 30, 2023, as a court exhibit by prosecutors in the federal trial of Robert Bowers. He faces multiple charges in the killing of 11 worshippers from three congregations and the wounding of seven worshippers and police officers in the building on Oct. 27, 2018. The charges include the obstruction of the free exercise of religion, resulting in death. (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania via AP)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Worshippers, police officers and other witnesses have testified to the horror of the nation’s deadliest antisemitic attack in the ongoing federal trial of Robert Bowers. He is charged with killing 11 and wounding seven at the Tree of Life synagogue building in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, 2018. The trial may seem an exercise in proving the obvious. Bowers’ own defense attorney admitted he committed the killings, though she is questioning some of the motives the prosecution is attributing to him. Bowers’ conviction seems certain, but even at this phase of the trial, his defense team’s ultimate goal is to spare him the death penalty.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published June 9, 2023 11:42 A.M.

(Beaver County, PA) Beaver County Court Judge Kim Tesla has been ordered by the PA Superior Court to hold the hearing for convicted killer Sheldon Jeter, Jr. The Superior Court ruled Judge Tesla erred when he denied a request by defense attorneys following Jeter’s trial in the death of Kaezon Pugh in 2021 to explore allegations of a juror’s misconduct at the trial.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published June 9, 2023 11:38 A.M.

(Ambridge, PA) At approximately 1:55 p.m. Thursday Ambridge Police were patrolling  in a high drug trafficking area of the borough , they came upon a suspicious vehicle with a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. They attempted to initiate a traffic stop in a marked police cruiser with lights activated and sirens at a slow rate of speed.   The vehicle continued travelling at a low rate of speed  before an unmarked cruiser with light activated pulled head on to the suspect’s vehicle. Officers kept a safe distance  from the suspect’s and followed it until reaching 8th St. and Route 65. A female passenger then jumped from the vehicle , running north onto Route 65, she was apprehended a short time later.  The suspect’s vehicle headed southbound on Route 65 toward Leetsdale. Officers recovered the female passenger. She had approximately 90 MDA pills, digital scale, a large sum of US currency, a firearm, and a magazine from a different firearm. Officers recovered approximately 9.4 ounces of powdered cocaine from inside the vehicle. The driver, who hasn’t been apprehended, is described as a light skinned black male from the Pittsburgh area. Any information on the identification of the male is asked to contact the Ambridge Police Department of 9-1-1.