FILE -The Beatles, foreground from left, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr on drums perform on the CBS “Ed Sullivan Show” in New York on Feb. 9, 1964. Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania and with two of the quartet now dead, artificial intelligence has enabled the release of a “new” Beatles song.“Now And Then,” will be available Thursday, Nov. 2. (AP Photo/File)

NEW YORK (AP) — This is it — the last “new” Beatles song. Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania, the surviving members of the quartet are releasing the song “Now And Then.” Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr got a little help from artificial intelligence. The song was written and recorded in sketch form by the late John Lennon in the late 1970s. McCartney, Starr and the late George Harrison worked on it in the 1990s but were stymied by technical limitations. AI was used last year to clean up Lennon’s vocals, and McCartney and Starr added backing voices and instrumentation. It will be released next week.

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)

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is set to testify Nov. 6 in the civil business fraud case against him, following testimony from his three eldest children. State lawyers disclosed the schedule in court Friday, when the judge ruled that the former president’s daughter Ivanka also must take the stand. It was already expected that the ex-president and sons Donald Jr. and Eric would testify. But the timing became clear Friday. The schedule sets up a blockbuster stretch of the trial of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. She alleges that the former president overstated his wealth for years on financial statements. The ex-president denies any wrongdoing.

FILE – The al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria is seen on Oct. 22, 2018. The Pentagon says the U.S. military launched airstrikes early Oct. 27, 2023, on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. The strikes come in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region. (AP Photo/Lolita Baldor, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says U.S. fighter jets launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. The strikes come in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week. They reflect the Biden administration’s determination to maintain a delicate balance. The U.S. wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting the U.S. as strongly as possible to deter future aggression, while also working to avoid provoking a wider conflict. The U.S. does not have any information yet on casualties or an assessment of damage from Friday’s strikes.

East Palestine Train Derailment (Curtis Walsh)

(AP) The removal of contaminated soil from the site of February’s fiery Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio is expected to be completed sometime this weekend although the larger cleanup will continue. EPA officials and the railroad announced the milestone Thursday in East Palestine near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border nearly nine months after the derailment that forced thousands from their homes and left residents with many lingering health worries. The derailment also inspired nationwide worries about railroad safety and prompted calls for reforms. More than 167,000 tons of contaminated soil and more than 39 million gallons of tainted water have been removed from the site since February.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published October 27, 2023 4:10 P.M.

(Aliquippa, PA) A fire destroyed a portion of Brunton’s Dairy Thursday. Crews reponded to a large fire at the farm on Ridge Road located in Independance Township late Thursday afternoon. A barn used for milking and the bottling plant were destroyed in the blaze.
Brunton Dairy provides products throughout the region and is a 7 generation family farm.

Story by Curtis Walsh- Beaver County Radio News Director. Published October 26, 2023 10:09 P.M., UPDATED 11:31 P.M.

(Pulaski Township, PA) A potential double stabbing took place at Marion Hill Grill on Rochester Road in New Brighton. The incident happened around 9pm Thursday.
Beaver Valley Regional Police confirmed with Beaver County Radio that two people were being transported by Medivac helicopter from the New Brighton High School parking lot following a stabbing situation. The scene at Marion Hill Grill was cleared around 11:20pm.
We are currently working on gathering more details in this developing story.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing repair work on the Rochester Beaver Bridge (Route 51) in Rochester and Bridgewater boroughs, Beaver County will occur Thursday night, October 26 weather permitting.

A single-lane restriction will occur in the eastbound direction of the Rochester Beaver Bridge from 6 p.m. Thursday night through 6 a.m. Friday morning. Crews from JET Excavating Co. will conduct patching work. All ramps will remain open.

FILE—This is a Pittsburgh Transit Authority bus that was on the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh when it collapsed in this file photo from Jan. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)  

Harrisburg, PA – At a ceremony today, Governor Josh Shapiro will present a group of employees from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) with Governor’s Awards for Excellence in recognition of their efforts to replace the Fern Hollow Bridge in less than a year after its collapse, restoring a critical connection between communities in the City of Pittsburgh.

 

The honorees are all based in District 11, PennDOT’s Pittsburgh regional office:

• Michele Mara Acitelli, Senior Civil Engineer Manager;
• Robert Byrnes, Senior Civil Engineer Supervisor;
• Zachary Kamnikar, Civil Engineer Manager;
• Douglas Seeley, Assistant District 11 Executive, Design;
• Shane Szalankiewicz, Senior Civil Engineer Manager;
• Michael Szurley, Senior Project Manager;
• Douglas Thompson, Senior Civil Engineer Manager;
• Mark Young, Environmental Planning Manager; and
• Jason Zang, District 11 Executive.

 

“I’m incredibly proud that PennDOT and the project team have been recognized with this award,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Rebuilding the Fern Hollow Bridge in record time was the direct result of incredible collaboration and is a testament to what is possible when everyone is committed to taking action and finding solutions.”

 

The Fern Hollow Bridge carries Forbes Avenue over Frick Park, Fern Hollow Creek and Tranquil Trail, collapsed on the morning of January 28, 2022. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

 

Immediately following the collapse, then-Governor Tom Wolf and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey issued Declaration of Disaster Emergency Proclamations, which permitted the City of Pittsburgh, which owns the bridge, to enter into a legal agreement to allow PennDOT to manage the design and construction of the new Fern Hollow Bridge. The proclamations also provided the Federal Highway Administration and PennDOT the approval to immediately contract with Swank Construction Company and HDR Inc. for the removal of the collapsed structure, and the design and construction of the new Fern Hollow Bridge. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), signed by President Biden in November 2021, allowed PennDOT to quickly dedicate $25.3 million in federal funds to the project without impacting other critical regional needs.

 

Thanks to collaboration with the City of Pittsburgh and PennDOT’s innovative approach to the standard design process, multiple design phases occurred simultaneously including foundation, substructure, superstructure, utility relocation, environmental, and aesthetic aspects of the project, which allowed project delivery to be expedited by multiple years. The bridge opened to traffic on December 22, 2022, less than a year after the collapse.

 

The Governor’s Awards for Excellence recognize exemplary job performance or service that reflects initiative, leadership, innovation and increased efficiency. The PennDOT team was among 54 employees from eight state agencies honored by Governor Shapiro at a ceremony today for exceptional accomplishments in 2022.

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania State Police today announced the number of firearms purchase denials and subsequent investigations for the third quarter of 2023.

 

The Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) is used by county sheriffs, police chiefs of first-class cities, and licensed firearms dealers to determine an individual’s legal ability to acquire a license to carry firearms or obtain a firearm through a purchase or transfer. When an individual attempts to provide false information on a state and/or federal form, an investigation is initiated, and an investigation referral is sent to a law enforcement agency.

 

According to Pennsylvania law, a person commits a third-degree felony if they make a false oral or written statement on any federal or state agency form or willfully presents false identification that is likely to deceive the seller, licensed dealer, or licensed manufacturer. During the PICS process, some individuals are identified as having an active warrant for their arrest.

 

In the third quarter, the following investigations were initiated by the PSP Firearms Division and referred to PSP Troops, municipal police departments, or ATF for further investigation and possible prosecution.

 

 

Table 1: Third quarter PICS statistics (2022 and 2023)