(File Photo of Pa State Rep Rob Matzie (16th) speaking on the Pa. House floor)

(AMBRIDGE, Pa.) Beaver County workers will benefit from new training and job opportunities in the masonry trades, thanks to nearly $300,000 in new state funding to bolster a successful apprenticeship program serving the region, state Rep. Rob Matzie announced today.

Matzie, D-Beaver, said the funding will help the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 9 continue its Western Pennsylvania Bricklayers Masonry Training Program, which teaches bricklaying, tile setting, terrazzo work and stone masonry.

“Our region’s need for skilled workers in the masonry trade is only growing,” Matzie said. “Securing this funding will help meet that demand by supporting a program that helps apprentices train under the supervision of journeymen, get extensive, real-world experience in a four-year course, and step into good, family-sustaining jobs.

“It builds our workforce and helps create pathways to jobs, which is an all-around win.”

The funding is administered through the Department of Community and Economic Development under the Pre-Apprentice and Apprenticeship Grant Program. More about the funding is available here: https://dced.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-announces-new-funding-awarded-to-train-masonry-trades-apprentices-in-29-pennsylvania-counties-for-in-demand-jobs/.

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio Staff
(Bridgewater, Beaver County, Pa.) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver are reporting that they have charged a Bridgewater Police Officer with a traffic signal violation after they were dispatched to the scene of a two vehicle accident involving a Bridgewater Police Cruiser at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.
Troopers said via release upon arriving and investigating it was learned that Officer Jonathan Nguyen was operating a 2021 Dodge Charger Police Cruiser south on Market Street in Bridgewater when he activated the emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop. Nguyen drove through a steady red signal at the intersection of Market and Bridge Street and collided n the middle of the intersection with a 2022 Chevy Blazer that was being driven east on Bridge Street by 56-year-old Crystal Conjeski of Beaver.  The Police Cruiser came to a final uncontrolled rest in a parking lot near the intersection and Conjeski’s vehicle came to a final uncontrolled rest in the middle of the intersection.  Medic Rescue EMS responded to the scene and evaluated both drivers. Officer Nguyen was not injured in the accident but was transported to Heritage Valley Beaver for further evaluation. Conjeski told Troopers that she had an injury to the left side of her ribs and she also displayed an injury to her left arm.
Both vehicles were disabled from the collision and towed from the scene. State Troopers cited Officer Nguyen with a traffic signals violation.

(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT District 11 is announcing a traffic pattern change at the intersection of Freedom Road (Route 2004) and Route 989 in New Sewickley Township, Beaver County will begin today, Tuesday, September 6 weather permitting.

Beginning at approximately 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, the temporary traffic signal at the intersection of Freedom Road and Route 989 will be removed. Bi-directional traffic will use a portion of the newly constructed roundabout.

Traffic will continue to follow the same detour routes listed below.

Freedom Crider Road between Route 989 and Crows Run Road Posted Detour

West of the Closure

From Freedom Crider Road, take Crows Run Road westbound

Turn left onto southbound Route 65

Turn left onto 11th Street

11th Street becomes 7th Avenue

7th Avenue becomes 13th Street

13th Street becomes Conway Wallrose Road

Turn left onto Route 989

Follow Route 989 back to Freedom Crider Road

End detour

East of the Closure

Same route in the opposite direction

Route 989 is currently being detoured between Freedom Crider Road and Lovi Road. Detoured traffic uses Route 989, Lovi Road, and Freedom Crider Road.

The work is part of the final phase of the Freedom Road Upgrade project which began in November 2021 and will cover several construction seasons, ending in the fall of 2024. The $21.75 million project located between Park Quarry Road and Route 989 includes realignment of the roadway, culvert replacements, roadway reconstruction and widening, new shoulders, guide rail updates, drainage improvements, additional turn-lanes, a roundabout installation, and utility relocations. Motorists will see detours, single-lane restrictions, lane narrowing, and alternating traffic during different stages of construction.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties at www.penndot.gov/District11.

Information about infrastructure in District 11, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.gov/D11Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews and like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/.

(Robinson Twp., Pa.) A Pittsburgh police officer was injured in a motorcycle crash on the Parkway West Monday returning from President Joe Biden’s speech in West Mifflin.
The crash happened in the westbound lanes of Interstate 376 near Exit 59 in Robinson Township.
Pittsburgh Public Safety reported that the officer was alert and conscious and taken to a local hospital after the crash.
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating what caused the crash

(File Photo)

Story by Frank Sparks, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Jim Riggio from the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority reported Tuesday morning that water service was restored Tuesday morning around 6AM after a 24″ transmission line ruptured yesterday afternoon in the area of 10th Ave and 26th Street in the City of Beaver Falls. Jim said basically anyone who is in the 15010 zip code is currently under a boil water advisory until further notice. Riggio said the water is not contaminated and the boil water advisory was only issued as a precaution and it is required by the DEP.
Currently the BFMA is in the sampling process and sending samples to the DEP. Once those samples pass DEP regulations the Boil Water Advisory will be lifted. He is expecting it to last around 24 to 48 hours.
If your water is brown Jim said to go to the lowest point in your home or business and run the cold water only for about 5 minutes and it should clear up. If it doesn’t and you have to keep running the water you can call BFMA and they will give you a credit on your water bill.

(File photo of Cracker Plant in Potter Twp. during construction)

Story by Beaver County Radio Staff
(Potter Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) Shell Inc. is reporting on their Shell Chemicals Pennsylvania Facebook Page that they are one step closer to starting up the cracker plant in Potter Twp. and there is a lot of activity on site in preparation for startup that you will not see or hear. The company did say however, in the next day or so, you may see additional flaring activity and hear intermittent noise coming from the site as they start up some of the machinery and systems. Shell said in the post that they hope these events will cause you little to no inconvenience. Flares are important environmental controls and safety devices, used in refineries and petrochemical processing plants like the cracker plant and they are utilized as a safe way to burn hydrocarbon gases, as an alternative to releasing the gases directly into the atmosphere. This protects the community and employees from exposure. Shell’s flares are designed to achieve a minimum of 98% combustion efficiency and the combustion products are mainly carbon dioxide and water.
Shell said they will continue to keep everyone updated on activities as they continue to commission the plant on the way to full operation.

(File Photo)

Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News
(Racoon Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) PA State Police in Beaver responded to a one vehicle accident, in which four people were injured, at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning  on Service Church Road in Raccoon Township. Beaver County 9-1-1  said that Raccoon Township asked PSP to take over the investigation. As of 840 am Tuesday morning crews were still on scene.

Stay tuned to Beaver County Radio as this is a developing story.

(File Photo)

(Homewood Borough, Beaver County, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that they conducted a DUI Checkpoint along Big Beaver BLVD in Homewood Borough on Friday Night September 2, 2022 around 11:00 PM.
Troopers said via release that during the DUI Checkpoint 103 motorists were contacted and it resulted in four DUI arrests, several citations, and numerous warnings.

(File Photo)

Story by Frank Sparks, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Jim Riggio from the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority reported to Beaver County Radio that a 24 inch transmission water line broke in the area of 10th Ave. and 26th Street in Beaver Falls Monday afternoon around 3PM.
Riggio said that as of 8:45 PM Monday evening all of Beaver Falls is without water as well as part of Eastvale. BFMA is hoping to have water service restored sometime around midnight Monday Night.
All of Beaver Falls and Eastvale are currently under a boil water advisory and Riggio said once the water service is fully restored all of the rest of the Upper Beaver Valley will be under a boil water advisory for up to 48 hours per DEP regulations. The advisory will continue until samples submitted to the DEP meet regulator standards. The communities involved that the BFMA services that will be in the boil water advisory are The City of Beaver Falls, Eastvale Borough, Big Beaver Borough, Patterson, White Township, West Mayfield, South Beaver, and Chippewa Township.  Riggio said that if you are north of the Beaver Falls-New Brighton Bridge and you are serviced by BFMA you will be part of the boil water advisory.
This story is continuing to develop. Stay tuned to Beaver County Radio as we are expected to get an update from Jim around 7:30 AM Tuesday morning.

Update: You can read the updated story from Tuesday morning by clicking below:

All of 15010 Zip Code Under Boil Water Advisory, Water Service Restored to Beaver Falls Early Tuesday Morning