(File Photo of the Shell Polymers Monaca Logo)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Monaca, PA) Shell Polymers Monaca will be using their ground flares and elevated flare today because of an offline unit. They will provide an update once this activity is complete. If you have questions, you can call 844-776-5581.
(File Photo of a Dollar Sign)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver County, PA) Twenty-eight Beaver County municipalities and/or organizations recently received a total of $100,000 to plan activities and events that will make the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 something to remember. Beaver County Recreation and Tourism partnered with the America250 Beaver County Committee and the Beaver County Commissioners to award mini-grant funding to projects that “highlight community pride, creativity, heritage and civic engagement,” and the approved projects include community festivals, public art installations, educational programming, historical interpretation and placemaking enhancements, according to the awards announcement posted at the Beaver County America250 website.
These municipalities and organizations were also awarded America250 Beaver County mini-grants: Air Heritage Aviation Museum, Beaver County Library System, Beaver County Rehabilitation Center Inc., Beaver Valley Choral Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters Beaver County, Borough of Baden, Brighton Township Parks and Recreation Department, Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls; Chippewa Township, Community College of Beaver County, Conway Borough, Experiencing the ’40s at Hopewell Park, Freedom Borough, Gen. Anthony Wayne Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, Harmony Township, Laughlin Memorial Library, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, Monaca Community Development Corp., Monaca Public Library, Neighborhood North Museum of Play, New Brighton Historical Society, North Sewickley Township, Old Economy Village – Friends of Old Economy, Penn State University Extension (Beaver County), South Heights Borough, South Side Historical Village Association, the Beaver Cemetery and Mausoleum and the Larry Bruno Foundation.
Beaver County Radio
NEW SEWICKLEY TWP. — The Big Knob Grange Maple Syrup Festival announced the musical lineup for the new event at the Big Knob Grange Fair.
On Saturday, April 18, James Tobin and the Dewey Decimators will entertain on the festival’s main stage from 9 to 11:30 a.m., with County Crew playing between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m.
On Sunday, April 19, the HonkyTonk Heroes play from 9 to 11:30 a.m., with the Project Band performing from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The festival’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days.
Taking the reins this spring from the Beaver County Maple Syrup & Music Festival, which was canceled this year, the Big Knob Grange Maple Syrup Festival will include a pancake breakfast with sausage and choice of drink, costing $16 for adults, $11 for kids ages 4–10.
Unlimited pancakes will come in buttermilk, buckwheat and gluten-free varieties, plus locally sourced sausage from Milkhouse Meats.
Along with the food and music, the festival offers local vendors, maple syrup sales, flour sales and a Kids Zone.
Parking will be on-site.
Big Knob Grange is at 336 Grange Road, New Sewickley Township, site of the grange’s annual summer fair.
(File Photo of Senator John Fetterman)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Washington, D.C.) Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) recently sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to request a heightened federal security designation ahead of the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh. The Department of Homeland Security initially designated that draft as a Level 3 Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) event. Fetterman requested that the Department elevate it to a Level 2 SEAR event because of the changing threat environment in the wake of war in Iran. This designation would provide coordination and deployment of federal, state, and local law enforcement that are greater, as well as counter-drone support, K9 units, and intelligence analysis and sharing. Fetterman stated in the letter: “Increasing the SEAR designation for the draft will help ensure that additional resources are deployed to keep participants and fans secure and able to enjoy the draft without fear.”
(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Lawrence County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle reported via release today that a seventeen-year-old girl from Monaca was not charged after a two-vehicle crash occurred in Lawrence County on April 1st, 2026. The female driver was traveling on State Route 18 at its intersection with Galilee Road at 2:32 p.m. and it was determined that while attempting to turn left onto State Route 18 from Galilee Road, she proceeded without clearance during a stop. The vehicle of twenty-six-year-old Kayla Amadio of New Castle hit the vehicle of the teenage driver even though she tried to avoid the collision. Amadio hit a guide rail with her vehicle and she was taken to UPMC Jameson Hospital for further evaluation because of an injury with an unknown severity. The teenage driver and her passenger were not injured.
(File Photo of a City of Beaver Falls Police Department Car)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver Falls, PA) Beaver Falls Chief of Police David Johnson sent out a press release this morning to provide an update about the shooting incident that occurred on Saturday which killed twenty-eight-year-old Stephon Peake. Officers were dispatched at approximately 9:21 p.m. to the area of 1327 8th Avenue and Peake was found shot to death on the front porch of his home. Johnson stated that Peake was found with multiple gunshot wounds, was treated on scene, and was flown by medical helicopter to a hospital in the Pittsburgh area where he later died. Johnson also confirmed that there is no indication of a current threat to the community and the incident is under investigation. Anyone that has information that is relevant to the investigation can call the City of Beaver Falls Police Department at 724-775-0880 or 724-846-7000.
(Credit for Photos: Headline Photo and Photos Below Courtesy of the Cranberry Artists Network)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Cranberry Township, PA) According to a recent release from the Cranberry Artists Network, Marian Sallade and Deb Letterie are their featured artists for the month of May 2026. Their art shows will be featured at that time at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center. The hours for the CAN Art Gallery in the Cranberry Township Municipal Center are Mondays – Thursdays from 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM., Fridays from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturdays 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sallade confirms that landscapes are usually her central theme painting. Letterie states that she has experimented with mediums like oils and soft pastels.
(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported via release today that thirty-two-year-old Joseph Cambou of Pittsburgh was charged after a two-vehicle crash occurred in Beaver County on April 1st, 2026. Cambou was driving on Gas Valley Road in Greene Township at approximately 5:50 a.m. and traveled through a stop sign on State Route 168. Forty-five-year-old Gary Johnston, Jr. of Lisbon, Ohio hit the vehicle of Cambou with his vehicle. Cambou was transported to Sewickley Hospital after sustaining minor injuries and Johnston was not injured.
(File Photo of AAA East Central Logo Provided with Release Courtesy of AAA East Central)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) AAA is urging the public to recognize the deadly consequences of inattention behind the wheel. As incidents of distracted driving increase across the country, Distracted Driving Awareness Month (April of 2026) serves as an important reminder to all motorists of the potentially fatal risks that can be caused by texting, talking on the phone, or using other mobile apps. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,275 people were killed and more than 324,000 were injured in distracted driving crashes in 2023: an average of nine deaths and nearly 900 injuries every day. According to a release from AAA East Central in Pittsburgh, AAA recommends motorists to follow these tips to stay focused behind the wheel and help prevent tragedies:
(File Photo: Source for Photo: This image provided by NASA on Monday, April 6, 2026, shows a view of the moon taken by the Artemis II crew before going to sleep on flight day 5. (NASA via AP)
HOUSTON (AP) — With the moon looming ever larger, the Artemis II astronauts raced to set a new distance record Monday from Earth on a lunar fly-around promising magnificent views of the far side never seen before by eye.
The six-hour flyby is the highlight of NASA’s first return to the moon since the Apollo era with three Americans and one Canadian — a step toward landing boot prints near the moon’s south pole in just two years.
A prize — and bragging rights — awaits Artemis II.
Less than an hour before kicking off the fly-around and intense lunar observations, the four astronauts were set to become the most distant humans in history, surpassing the distance record of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) set by Apollo 13 in April 1970.
Mission Control expected Artemis II to surpass that record by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers).
Artemis II is using the same maneuver that Apollo 13 did after its “Houston, we’ve had a problem” oxygen tank explosion wiped out any hope of a moon landing.
Known as a free-return lunar trajectory, this no-stopping-to-land route takes advantage of Earth and the moon’s gravity, reducing the need for fuel. It’s a celestial figure-eight that will put the astronauts on course for home, once they emerge from behind the moon Monday evening.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen were on track to pass as close as 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) to the moon, as their Orion capsule whips past it, hangs a U-turn and then heads back toward Earth. It will take them four days to get back, with a splashdown in the Pacific concluding their test flight on Friday.
Wiseman and his crew spent years studying lunar geography to prepare for the big event, adding solar eclipses to their repertoire during the past few weeks. By launching last Wednesday, they ensured themselves of a total solar eclipse from their vantage point behind the moon, courtesy of the cosmos.
Topping their science target list: Orientale Basin, a sprawling impact basin with three concentric rings, the outermost of which stretches nearly 600 miles (950 kilometers) across.
Other sightseeing goals: the Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites from 1969 and 1971, respectively, as well as fringes of the south polar region, the preferred locale for future touchdowns. Farther afield, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn — not to mention Earth — will be visible.
Their moon mentor, NASA geologist Kelsey Young, expects thousands of pictures.
“People all over the world connect with the moon. This is something that every single person on this planet can understand and connect with,” she said on the eve of the flyby, wearing eclipse earrings.
Artemis II is NASA’s first astronaut moonshot since Apollo 17 in 1972. It sets the stage for next year’s Artemis III, which will see another Orion crew practice docking with lunar landers in orbit around Earth. The culminating moon landing by two astronauts near the moon’s south pole will follow on Artemis IV in 2028.
While Artemis II may be taking Apollo 13’s path, it’s most reminiscent of Apollo 8 and humanity’s first lunar visitors who orbited the moon on Christmas Eve 1968 and read from the Book of Genesis.
Glover said flying to the moon during Christianity’s Holy Week brought home for him “the beauty of creation.” Earth is an oasis amid “a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe” where humanity exists as one, he observed over the weekend.
“This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing and that we’ve got to get through this together,” Glover said, clasping hands with his crewmates.