(New Brighton, Pa.) The Borough of New Brighton posted on their Facebook Page on Wednesday  that The Beaver Falls Municipal Authority is repairing a water line in the area of Mercer Avenue and Third Street in the Oak Hill section of New Brighton. During this time, residents and merchants from Dewhirst Avenue to Fourth Street, on the football field side of Oak Hill, will experience limited or no water service.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Another longstanding Pittsburgh building has changed its name.

The newly named Kamin Science Center will replace the moniker of the Carnegie Science Center, which has been the lone name of the North Shore facility since its opening in October 1991. The name change is the result of a $65 million gift to the Science Center from longtime patrons Daniel and Carole Kamin that was made public on Tuesday.

It is one of several Pittsburgh entertainment venues to change names in the last decade, following such changes at Acrisure Stadium, PPG Paints Arena, and the former KeyBank Pavilion.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Sport Clips, a haircut franchise with over 1,800 locations across the United States and Canada, will be opening a location in Chippewa in the near future.

Owner AJ Rodriguez made the announcement on Tuesday that the new store, which will be located at 2580 Constitution Boulevard, “offers our clients the expertise of well-trained stylists in a fun and clean environment where they can enjoy watching sports on TV during their haircut.”

Customers can receive a variety of styles and services, including  the “MVP Experience” that features a precision haircut, massaging shampoo, hot steamed towel, and neck and shoulder treatment.

An official opening date has yet to be announced.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

An Ellwood City woman has been arrested for shoplifting at the Giant Eagle in Franklin Township.

State police received a call Tuesday evening at around 4:26 PM about an act of retail theft at the Giant Eagle located at 289 Route 288. It was at the scene that they learned that 30-year-old Kaitlyn Simmons of Ellwood City had taken two Red Bull energy drinks without paying for them.

Charges were filed against Simmons with the Magisterial District Judge.

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares advanced Wednesday after China’s central bank announced fresh measures to boost its slowing economy and stabilize financial markets.

The announcement late Wednesday pushed Hong Kong’s benchmark up 3.6%. Shares fell in Tokyo but rose in most other major markets. Oil prices advanced.

In early European trading, Germany’s DAX gained 1.1% to 16,803.96 and the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.6% to 7,429.36. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.3% to 7,505.18. The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.4% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.2%.

The People’s Bank of China said it would cut its reserve ratio requirement by 0.5 percentage points as of Feb. 5, putting an additional 1 trillion yuan ($141 billion) into the economy. Chinese markets have languished in recent weeks, adding to concerns that investors had grown too gloomy as the country’s recovery from the pandemic-related shocks faltered.

Also Wednesday, the vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Wang Jiangjun, called for better protections for investors and for instilling confidence in the potential for gains in the markets, which have faltered in recent months.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 3.6% to 15,899.87, helped by gains in technology companies like e-commerce giant Alibaba, which surged 5.5%.

The Shanghai Composite index recovered from early losses, climbing 1.8% to 2,820.77.

Also Wednesday, Japan reported its exports rose almost 10%, supported by strong demand for machinery, vehicles and semiconductors. For the full year, Japan’s exports grew nearly 3% in 2023 while imports fell 7%, leaving a trade deficit of 9.2 trillion yen, preliminary customs data showed, a sharp drop from the 20.3 trillion yen deficit reported the year before.

But economists are forecasting that the revival in export growth will be short-lived.

“Looking ahead, we expect export growth to slow this year as pent-up foreign demand for Japanese goods eases,” Gabriel Ng of Capital Economics said in a commentary.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.8% to 36,226.48 as investors renewed speculation that the Bank of Japan is edging toward a change in its longstanding lax monetary policies, which have flooded the markets with ample cash.

In South Korea, the Kospi fell 0.4%, to 2,469.69. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% higher to 7,519.20.

India’s Sensex lost 0.1%, while the SET in Bangkok advanced 0.2%.

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 climbed to another record, gaining 0.3% to 4,864.60 as the earnings reporting season for big U.S. companies gathered pace.

The Nasdaq composite also climbed, up 0.4%. But the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3%, a day after topping 38,000 for the first time.

Earnings season has kicked into gear, and more than 50 companies are scheduled to release results later this week, including Tesla and Intel.

Analysts have forecast companies in the S&P 500 will deliver weaker overall earnings per share than a year earlier, which would be the fourth such decline in the last five quarters, according to FactSet. But stocks have still rallied to records in anticipation that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates several times this year.

Such cuts can boost prices for investments while relaxing the pressure on the economy and financial system.

Treasury yields have already eased considerably since the autumn on expectations for coming rate cuts, though critics warn traders may have gone overboard again in forecasting how many cuts will come and how soon the Fed will begin.

In other trading Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil rose 48 cents to $74.85 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gave up 39 cents on Tuesday.

Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 38 cents to $79.93 per barrel.

The U.S. dollar slipped to 147.54 Japanese yen from 148.38 yen. The euro rose to $1.0901 from $1.0855.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published January 23, 2024 8:35 P.M.

(Beaver Falls, Pa) The Beaver Falls City Council met Tuesday evening for thier second meeting of January. The council heard a presentation by Bobby Lincoln of Dusquense Light regarding electric vehicle charging stations. The City is eligible for grants and assistance in funding if they decide to bring chargers into the community.

The proposed location for the chargers is 4 spots in the community parking lot located next to Vocelli Pizza on 7th Avenue. Dusquene Light would take care of the costs associated with running power to the chargers. Lincoln says the city could let the chargers be free for public use or charge a fee for using them.

The chargers would enable vehicles to drive roughly 30 to 50 miles on an hour charge. The city will have future discussions before making a descision.

Council heard from the new owner of the former Stray Cat Studio building at 507 7th Avenue. Seth Whitted plans on bringing local artists together to paint a mural on the side of the building. Council did not have any objections to the project.

Also during the meeting, the city accepted the resignation of Aaron Baer from the City of Beaver Falls Police Department. Two Cadets, Devin Lewis and Gabriel Morales were hired as civilian jailers. Jerry Ford was approved to serve as Civil Service Board Alternate.

The Council will meet again on Febuary 13th.

NEW YORK (AP) — After a tumultuous movie year marred by strikes and work stoppages, the Academy Awards showered nominations Tuesday on Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic, “Oppenheimer,” which came away with a leading 13 nominations.

Nolan’s three-hour opus, viewed as the best picture frontrunner, received nods for best picture; Nolan’s direction; acting nominations for Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt; and multiple honors for the sweeping craft of the J. Robert Oppenheimer drama.

Reached by phone Tuesday morning in Los Angeles, Emma Thomas, Nolan’s wife and producing partner, said she woke up to a flurry of congratulatory messages and then roused Nolan with the news.

“Don’t take it as being blase,” Nolan told The Associated Press, laughing. “We just didn’t want to jinx anything.”

Though Nolan is regarded as the big-canvas auteur of his era, he’s never won an Academy Award, nor have any of his films won best picture. This, though, could be his year. Reflecting on the rarity of his film’s success — a lengthy drama dense with talk and the convulsions of history that nevertheless grossed nearly $1 billion — Nolan called Oppenheimer “one of the great American stories.”

“I grew up loving Hollywood movie and believing studio filmmaking can take on anything,” said Nolan. “Seeing audiences respond to that this summer was incredibly thrilling and getting this kind of recognition from the academy, I don’t know what to say, really. It certainly confirms our faith in what studio filmmaking can be.”

The year’s biggest hit, “Barbie,” came away with a nominations haul slightly less than its partner in Barbenheimer mania. Greta Gerwig’s feminist comedy, with more than $1.4 billion in ticket sales, was nominated for eight awards, including best picture; Ryan Gosling for best supporting actor; and two best-song candidates in “What Was I Made For” and “I’m Just Ken.”

Gerwig was surprisingly left out of the best director field. She was nominated for best director in 2018 for her solo directorial debut, “Lady Bird.” At the time, Gerwig was just the fifth woman nominated for the award. Since then, Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) and Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) have won best director. Before those wins, Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker,” in 2010) was the only woman to win the Oscar’s top filmmaking honor.

Both Yorgos Lanthimos’ Frankenstein riff “Poor Things” and Martin Scorsese’s Osage epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” were also widely celebrated, with 11 and 10 nods apiece.

Lily Gladstone, star of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” became the first Native American nominated for best actress. For the 10th time, Scorsese was nominated for best director. Leonardo DiCaprio, though, was left out of best actor. The late Robbie Robertson, who died in August, also became the first Indigenous person nominated for best score.

“I only wish that Robbie Robertson had lived to see his work recognized — our many years of friendship and Robbie’s growing consciousness of his own Native heritage played a crucial role in my desire to get this film onscreen,” Scorsese said in a statement.

“Poor Things,” a dark Victorian era fantasy about Bella Baxter’s sexual awakening, received nominations for Lanthimos’ direction, Emma Stone’s leading performance, Mark Ruffalo’s supporting performance and widespread nods for the old-school craft of its fantastical design.

The 10 films nominated for best picture were: “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie,” “Poor Things,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “The Holdovers,” “Maestro,” “American Fiction,” “Past Lives,” “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest.”

That group, which mirrored the Producers Guild Awards nominees, went much as expected and, as critics noted, a remarkably strong collection of films. For the first time, three of the best picture nominees were directed by women: “Past Lives” by Celine Song; “Anatomy of a Fall” by Justine Triet, who was also nominated for best director; and Gerwig’s “Barbie.”

But surprises abounded in other categories.

The best actor category had been seen one of the most competitive. In the end, the nominees were Murphy, Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”), Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction”), Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”) and Colman Domingo (“Rustin”). Domingo’s nomination, for his performance as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, made him just the second openly gay man to be nominated for playing a gay character, following Ian McKellen for the 1998 film “Gods and Monsters.”

“American Fiction,” Cord Jefferson’s insightful drama about a frustrated novelist, had an especially good day, collecting five nominations. That included a nod for Sterling K. Brown for best supporting actor. Robert De Niro (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) rounded out that category with Downey Jr., Gosling and Ruffalo.

Best actress was also closely contested. Along with Gladstone and Stone, the nominees were Carey Mulligan (“Maestro”), Annette Bening (“Nyad”) and Sandra Hüller (“Anatomy of a Fall”). That left out Margot Robbie, the star of “Barbie,” and Fantasia Barrino from “The Color Purple.”

In supporting actress, the frontrunner Da’Vine Joy Randolph of “The Holdovers” continued her march to her first Oscar. She was joined by Blunt, Danielle Brooks (“The Color Purple”), Jodie Foster (“Nyad”) and America Ferrera (“Barbie”).

Though “The Color Purple” had set out with larger Oscar hopes, Brooks ended up the film’s sole nominee.

“I’m very humbled by it all, because I know, as we all know, you can’t do these things by yourself. That’s not how it works,” Brooks said by Zoom from New Zealand where she’s shooting a movie. “I thought it was huge shoes to fill just come in after Miss Oprah Winfrey. But now I feel like I’m doing this for the team Color Purple, you know?”

Lead nominees “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie,” “Poor Things” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” made for a maximalist quartet of Oscar heavyweights. Nolan’s sprawling biopic. Gerwig’s near-musical. Scorsese’s pitch-black Western. Lanthimos’ sumptuously designed fantasy. Each utilized a wide spectrum of cinematic tools to tell big, often disturbing big-screen stories. And each — even Apple’s biggest-budgeted movie yet, “Killers of the Flower Moon” — had robust theatrical releases that saved streaming for months later.

The Associated Press notched its first Oscar nomination in the news organization’s 178-year history with “20 Days in Mariupol,” Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing chronicle of the besieged Ukrainian city and of the last international journalists left there after the Russia invasion. It was nominated for best documentary, along with “Four Daughters,” “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” “The Eternal Memory” and “To Kill a Tiger.”

“20 Days” is a joint production between The Associated Press and PBS’ “Frontline.”

The nominees for best international film were: “Society of the Snow,” (Spain); “The Zone of Interest,” (United Kingdom); “The Teachers’ Lounge” (Germany); “Io Capitano” (Italy) and “Perfect Days” (Japan).

The best-picture collection of films — all of which played in theaters for at least a month, including Netflix’s “Maestro” — reflected the industry’s rebalancing after years of experimentation during the pandemic. Netflix came away with the most nominations of any studio with 18, but industry consensus has, for now, turned back to believing cinemas play a vital role in the rollout of most movies. Apple and Amazon, which in 2022 acquired MGM, have each made theatrical a priority.

In heaping nominations on “Oppenheimer,” Oscar voters are poised to do something they haven’t done in a long time: Hand its top award to a big-budget blockbuster. Granted “Oppenheimer” isn’t your average big-screen spectacle, but the academy has for years favored smaller films for best picture, movies like “CODA,” “Nomadland” and last year’s winner, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Ben Affleck’s 2012 film “Argo” was the last best picture winner to surpass $100 million domestically. “Oppenheimer” grossed $326.8 million in the U.S. and Canada, and nearly $1 billion globally.

Historically, blockbusters have helped fueled Oscar ratings. Through the pile-up of award shows (an after-effect of last year’s strikes) could be detrimental to the Academy Awards, the Barbenheimer presence could help lift the March 10 telecast on ABC. Jimmy Kimmel is returning as host, with the ceremony moved up to 7 p.m. EST.