(File Photo of the Beaver County Courthouse)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver, PA) Several topics were discussed at today’s Beaver County Commissioners’ work session at the County Courthouse.

County Commissioner Jack Manning had a special announcement during the Commissioners’ report of the session.

Manning let the audience of the session know that Charles “Mick” Jones will be the new assistant director of veterans affairs at around the end of 2026.

Jones will be leaving his position as the city manager of Beaver Falls before he goes into his new role, and Manning stated: “We (the Board of County Commissioners) couldn’t be more pleased to have someone with the skill set and the commitment to veterans than Mick.”

Commissioner Tony Amadio also talked in the commssioners’ report of the session about how he and Commissioner Manning went to Beaver Falls Middle School yesterday and looked at an after-school program there that grants that the Board of Commissioners supported funded.

Amadio confirmed that this program gave kids a place to go after the school day is over to learn and play because some kids do not have that place to go to after school.

The times for this program is from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and activities that the kids are doing is accomplishing their homework, getting tutored, working with Neighborhood North Museum of Play with items like 3D Printing, a cooking program and a theater program.

Manning affirmed that Beaver Falls Middle School is the only school in the county that has this kind of program for kids that volunteer for it.

County Solicitor Garen Fedeles noted during the solicitors’ report of the session that there are close to 100 assessment appeals that have been filed for 2026.

Fedeles stated that there are twenty-five resolutions for tomorrow, and one of them is a new software (website) for the County Elections Bureau.

During the part of the session for other business, County Director of Elections Colin Sisk presented some new features of this.

This is specfically how it displays the results on election night.

Sisk noted that this feature was traditionally uploaded in PDF files about every twenty to thirty minutes.

The company that is assisting the county in this is SOE Software and when it is complete, viewers can see things like a precinct map for every contest.

Sisk said that these features “should be live on the county website by the end of the week.”

Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp also noted that the Board of Commissioners are working with the County Coroner to address the remains that are at a facility at the St. Barnabas Building from the Wampum Mushroom Mines.

Specifically, those parties are working with Beaver Cemetery to get a mausoleum to have those remains be placed there.

The goal of County Coroner David Gabauer is to have the process of having those remains moved to Beaver Cemetery by January of 2027.

(Caption for Photo: This photo provided by McDonald’s shows the McRib sandwich. McDonald’s announced that is was bringing its barbeque slathered sandwich with the cult following back for yet another run on Dec. 2. The fast-food giant said the sandwich would be available nationally for the first time since 2012, but only at participating restaurants for a limited time. (McDonald’s via AP)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A fan-favorite fast food item at McDonald’s is going to be available in the Steel City soon.

The McRib sandwich is returning to McDonald’s restaurants in Pittsburgh and participating locations that are across Pennsylvania for a limited time starting on Monday, October 26th.

The McRib consists of a seasoned boneless pork patty which is slathered in barbecue sauce and topped with slivered onions and dill pickles made on a homestyle bun.

Customers can buy the sandwich in stores or they can order through the McDonald’s mobile app.

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today that a resident of New Castle, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of trafficking fentanyl and cocaine.

Thirty-year-old Khalis Collins pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand to conspiring to distribute quantities of cocaine and fentanyl from August of 2025 to April of 2026, and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine on April 1st, 2026.

Judge Wiegand scheduled the sentencing of Collins for February 18th, 2027.

Collins could face a total sentence of up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $2 million, or both, provided by the law.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: The Department of Energy in Washington, May 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary Kyle Haustveit spoke with Frank Sparks on Beaver County Radio’s Driving in the Fast Lane yesterday about an announcement of a new conditional loan that will assist nuclear power in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Haustveit confirmed that President Donald Trump is focusing on abundance of energy and the protection of hard-working Americans.

This loan will make sure that data centers are not hurting people in the United States of America in terms of Americans’ electricity bills.

Haustveit noted that when it comes to data centers, “in many cases, they’re actually bringing more power than they’ll consume,” and they put more electrons and electricity on the grid when it is colder outside to help add more supply and bring costs down.

President Trump signed four executive orders last May, and one of them involves getting more electricity out of plants that are existing by new fuels and new technology, which more efficiently converts heat into electricity.

Haustveit states that this protects about four gigawatts, which is enough for over 3 million homes, and the output will be increased by about 10%.

This can result in thousands of jobs as these investments continue for local workers and adding about twenty years of life for power plants so they can continue to provide the reliable electricity that nuclear power has.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: The Italian cruise ship, the Costa Serena, that will house up to 5,000 officials and athletes for the Asian Games, arrives at a port in Nagoya, central Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. Credit for Photo: Courtesy of Kazushi Kurihara/Kyodo News via AP))

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The number of Americans planning cruise vacations is expected to hit a record high for the fifth year in a row.

AAA projects that 22.4 million people in the United States will go on domestic and international ocean cruises in the year of 2027, which is a 3.6% increase over the year of 2026.

2026 is also expected to end with higher than projected numbers for cruise travelers, as more of them turn to going on cruises for the convenience, value, and variety.

(Caption for Photo: A packed house listens during a council meeting ahead of a final vote on paid parental leave legislation at the Allegheny County Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (Massoud Hossaini/TribLive)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) Allegheny County Council voted 11-4 yesterday to approve a policy that requires many employers to provide eligible workers with up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave.

This policy applies to employers that have 15 or more employees and covers the birth or adoption of a child, as well as a stillbirth.

Employers with less than 15 employees are exempt.

Workers that are full-time must be employed for six months to qualify and workers that are part-time must work at least 625 hours.

Allegheny County would be the first county in the entire country to adopt a paid parental leave mandate independently.

This measure now goes to Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato for her signature.

(File Photo of a Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lawrence County, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that lane restrictions on I-376 in Union and Neshannock townships in Lawrence County, will begin tomorrow, weather permitting. 

Starting that day, single-lane restrictions will occur on I-376 in each direction between the Michell Road (Exit 9) and State Street/Poland, Ohio/Route 224 (Exit 13) interchanges weekdays from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M., and on Saturdays during the same time as needed.

Crews will perform asphalt milling, paving, and line painting operations through the early part of November. 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of (PRNewsFoto/SHEETZ, INC.), Caption for Photo: Sheetz logo.)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(New York City, NY) A new ranking from Fortune confirms that Sheetz is the third best retail workplace in the country.  

Fortune’s Best Places in Retail puts Sheetz only below Wegmans and Target. 

According to Sheetz, this ranking is its 11th straight year on the list. 

Sheetz employees said that they are encouraged to challenge the status quo and to try things that are new.

Fortune stated that Sheetz’s mentality of caring for others is “embodied from the top down.”

Sheetz is based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and it employs over 30,000 people at over 850 stores in multiple states, which includes Pennsylvania, Michigan, Maryland, Ohio, North Carolina, and West Virginia. 

Another Allegheny County based workplace made the top ten of this list of Fortune’s best retail workplaces in the country, as DICK’S Sporting Goods, which is based in Coraopolis, was number seven on this list.