The featured image above shows a packed house in the South Side High School Auditorium
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published October 5, 2022 11:15 P.M.(Hookstown, PA) Hundreds attended a school board meeting at South Side Area School District Wednesday evening in regards to a teacher placed on administrative leave. Daren Cusato was suspended from his teaching job at the district last Friday after refusing to use the preferred pronouns of at least one transgender student. Cusato stated that using the pronouns goes against his religious beliefs.  The majority who spoke at the meeting were in favor of the teacher and did not agree with LGBTQ requests such as shared bathrooms and gym locker rooms in addition to students choosing their pronouns. Some think there is a middle ground to find to make everybody comfortable.  Public opinions were heard for over two hours, including a short statement from Cusato. The board ultimately decided to hold an impromptu voting session to suspend the current directive policy from the district solicitor which protected the rights of transgender students and their pronouns.  With the policy suspended, Cusato can return to teaching and the board said they will work to figure out how to proceed with their student and teacher policies.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“We really feel we’ve got a lot of people out there that are really wanting to do something, to start their own businesses…and they just don’t know how to do it.”

The Beaver Valley Hub For Innovation & Entrepreneurship (BHIVE) held its first meeting–an open house for many community leaders–at the Carnegie Free Library in Beaver Falls on October 5. The library is being used as a temporary meeting space while the official, permanent site for the BHIVE is being constructed; the new location will be located two doors down from the library at 1317 7th Avenue (the old WIC offices).

According to BHIVE President John Hertneky, who emceed the late afternoon open house, the BHIVE was started “with the idea of creating areas for people who want to start their businesses…and entrepreneurs who are looking for information, mentorship, and coaching on how to start a business.” The hub was initially affiliated solely with Penn State University through its “Invent Penn State” program which created the LaunchBox & Innovation Network hubs.

While the LaunchBox program will be available through Penn State Beaver at the BHIVE, the BHIVE as a whole will incorporate several educational institutions. “We’ve engaged Geneva College and the Community College of Beaver County as partners in this, in terms of bringing in resources for training and mentorship, and for other resources,” Hertneky stated. “We’re really looking at this as a community project.”

The BHIVE will be free to those who want to use their services at their Beaver Falls location; those who want to use the facilities for an extended period will pay rent for the long-term usage. Hertneky said that the funding to pay for the building will come mostly from grants and private donations: “That in addition what we will be hopefully collecting in rent will essentially make us sustainable.”

Among those in attendance for the open house were State Representative Jim Marshall, Commissioners Jack Manning and Tony Amadio, Beaver Falls mayor Kenya Johns, and several other members of Beaver Falls City Council.

Regular meetings will be held at the Carnegie Free Library every Wednesday from 3:00 until 4:00 (revised from earlier declaration of 4:00 until 5:00) until further notice.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The good news about Brady’s Run Park was plentiful at the Beaver County Commissioners’ work session on October 5.

“We got word yesterday that the final hydroseeding of the tennis courts, basketball courts, and pickleball courts project at Brady’s Run Park,” Parks & Recreation director Tony Caltury revealed at the meeting. “So that should be about another week, and we’re looking to set an official grand opening next week; I’m looking at tentatively Tuesday or Wednesday.” The Commissioners agreed to Wednesday, as to avoid conflict with a previously scheduled meeting for next Tuesday.

Caltury also provided an update on the final piece of the outdoor court’s renovation–the deck hockey court: “We submitted a resolution to the law department that should be on next week’s agenda,” he stated. “The gentleman who will be doing this from Sport Court says it’s about a three-week lead time…but once it’s in, it should be a two-to-three-day process of installation.”

Futhermore, the new water line for Brady’s Run Park was delivered, according to Caltury. Public Works director Dan Colville confirmed that the line will be established in the grass area behind the parking lot of the Beaver County Ice Arena. The original plan, per Colville, was to install the water line near the Horse Arena or Brady’s Run Lodge, but that “they wanted to keep it centrally located.”

“I’m just excited about the water lines going into Brady’s Run Park,” Commissioner Tony Amadio exclaimed. “I knew we had the money now, but the actual fact that the water lines are delivered…it’s been a long time in coming.”

The next Commissioners’ work session is set for October 12 at 10:00 AM.

(File Photo)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) A resident of Freedom, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on Receipt of Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor as well as Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The two-count Indictment, returned on Sept. 27, 2022, and unsealed on Friday, named
Mark Kriss, 64, as the sole defendant.
According to the Indictment, on or about May 22, 2021, Kriss did knowingly receive a
visual depiction of a minor using any means and facility of interstate and foreign commerce, namely, the Internet and a cellular telephone, the production of which visual depiction involved the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and that depicted a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Further, Kriss knowingly attempted to solicit the child to engage in a commercial sex act.
Specifically, the indictment alleges Kriss was engaged in a text message conversation with the minor and asked the child to send him sexually explicit images of herself. Kriss received the images and also solicited the child to have sex with him for money. Kriss later picked up the child in a church parking lot before taking her to a motel room and sexually assaulting her.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than ten years and up to life in prison, a fine not to exceed $250,000.00, and a term of supervised release of at least five years.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin J. Risacher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Northern Regional Police Department
conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

FILE – The logo of the Organization of the Petroleoum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is seen outside of OPEC’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, March 3, 2022. A cut in oil production is on the table when OPEC oil-producing countries meet Wednesday, Oct. 5. The OPEC+ alliance that includes Saudi Arabia and Russia is weighing a cut of a million barrels or more. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner, file)
By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries has decided to sharply cut production to support sagging oil prices. The move Wednesday could deal the struggling global economy another blow and raise politically sensitive pump prices for U.S. drivers just ahead of key national elections. Energy ministers meeting at the Vienna headquarters of the OPEC oil cartel cut production by 2 million barrels per day at their first face-to-face meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides a token trim in oil production last month, the major cut is an abrupt turnaround from months of restoring deep cuts made during the depths of the pandemic and could help alliance member Russia weather a looming European ban on oil imports.

(File Photo of the Beaver County Commissioners during a work session at the Beaver County Courthouse. Photo taken by Matt Drzik, Beaver County Radio Staff)

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Tune into 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA, 99.3 FM, 95.7 FM or beavercountyradio.com this Thursday October 6, 2022 at 9:10 a.m. for “Ask the Commissioners” Commissioners Chairman Dan Camp, Commissioner Tony Amadio, and Commissioner Jack Manning will be live in studio to answer your questions on Beaver County Radio during hour one of Teleforum with Eddy Crow. You can submit any questions you might have to news@beavercountyradio.com or by sending a direct message to the Beaver County Radio Facebook Page at  https://www.facebook.com/beavercountyradio/
You can also click on the Facebook Logo below at show time to watch the show streaming live on the Beaver County Radio Facebook Page.
You can also download our free apps by clicking on the proper store icon for your platform of a device:

(Photo of Police Captain John Hall receiving the Distinguished Services Award from Beaver County Detective Andy Gall.)(Photo used with permission)

Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News
(Center Township, Beaver County, Pa.) The Center Twp. Board of Supervisors met on Monday night for a work session and named John Coladonato as a new member of the township’s planning commission. He will serve until 2025.  He replaces Dave Ambrose who resigned.

(Photos of the event provided by Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker)

Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News
(Washington, D.C.) Last Thursday, September 29, 2022, City of Aliquippa Mayor Dwan  Walker went to Washington, D.C. and represented, not only the city but Beaver County  at a  Building a Better Pennsylvania event at the White House. The mayor said that President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to the event  and  called him by name and shook his hand.

Mayor Walker said that the attendees were  from Pennsylvania and upon entering had COVID- 19 testing.  Walker said “It was amazing,” and he was one of four mayors invited to the event.

A tour of the White House and the oval office was featured.  The  mayor took the Aliquippa flag along and took many pictures for all to see.

Mayor Walker said the idea of the trip was to make politics local. The representatives were told to keep  doing what they are doing in their  municipalities.

Doug Imhoff, who is a lawyer, was also in attendance . His focus  was on infrastructure, climate change, allocation of funds and resources.