(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of AAA East Central)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Gas prices are steady in Western Pennsylvania this week at about $3.96 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. The national average for a gallon of gas $3.99, which is up four cents over the past week and over one dollar since last month. Crude oil prices are still high as the Iran conflict hits the four-week mark. The national average could reach $4/gallon in the coming days for the first time since August of 2022. Gasoline demand is also on the rise as spring break season continues, which is another factor in surging pump prices. The report states that the average price for a gallon of gas in Western Pennsylvania at this time a year ago was around $3.46 and the average price that you can expect for a gallon of regular unleaded gas here in Beaver County is about $3.98. According to a release from AAA East Central and AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report, here are the average prices of unleaded self-serve gasoline this week in various Pennsylvania areas:

$3.986      Altoona
$3.975      Beaver
$3.994      Bradford
$3.734      Brookville
$3.987      Butler
$3.951      Clarion
$3.854      DuBois
$3.971      Erie
$3.956      Greensburg
$3.992      Indiana
$3.992      Jeannette
$3.996      Kittanning
$3.958      Latrobe
$3.978      Meadville
$3.996      Mercer
$3.948      New Castle
$3.970      New Kensington
$3.994      Oil City
$3.974      Pittsburgh
$3.877      Sharon
$3.956      Uniontown
$3.999      Warren
$3.985      Washington

(File Photo of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Cars)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(North Sewickley Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Gibsonia reported via release today that sixty-one-year-old Mark Preste of Toronto, Ohio crashed his vehicle in North Sewickley Township on Friday. Preste was driving on I-76 West when he moved too far to the right and hit the end of a guide rail at 6:25 a.m. He was not charged and there were no reported injuries.

(File Photo of a Sign in New Brighton)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(New Brighton, PA) Downtown New Brighton will host its free 2026 Easter Bunny Hop and Shop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 4th. Kids and their families will be able to take photos with the Easter Bunny in the Central Business District and the event will also have treats and Easter activities. Shops will also be open to sell their items with spring discounts available. Restaurants will also be open to serve meals for your family.

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today that a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has charged six residents of the greater Pittsburgh area with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act,
obstructing justice, and conspiring to obstruct justice in relation to a September of 2024 attack on a Jewish male in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, The seven-count Indictment named these six individuals as defendants: twenty-seven-year-old Muhammed Koc of Pittsburgh, twenty-eight-year-old Omar Alshmari of Monroeville, twenty-two-year-old Abraham Choudhry of Monroeville, twenty-four-year-old Emirhan Arslan of McKees Rocks, nineteen-year-old Ali of Pittsburgh and twenty-two-year-old Adeel Piracha of Murrysville. According to the Indictment, on or about September 27th, 2024, at 2:01 a.m., the defendants except for Piracha were all part of a group that made virulent antisemitic statements to a passerby in Oakland upon seeing the individual’s necklace bearing a Star of David pendant. After a verbal
confrontation, during which additional antisemitic comments were made, Alshmari and Koc physically attacked the victim, which caused bodily injury that included physical pain, a split lip, and headaches. The Indictment charges Koc and Alshmari, aiding and abetting one another, with willfully causing bodily injury to the victim because of the individual’s actual and perceived race and religion.
Later that day, and throughout the following months, Piracha and the other defendants discussed the incident via social media messaging and group chats, during which Alshmari identified himself and Koc as two of the individuals listed in a University of Pittsburgh crime alert about the attack. In subsequent conversations by text messaging, both Alshmari and Koc admitted to being involved in the attack on the victim. The Indictment further alleges that the defendants conspired with one another to obstruct and did obstruct the due administration of justice regarding this crime by, for example, agreeing to falsely align their testimony about the attack and providing false and misleading information before the federal grand jury. Several defendants testified falsely as to whether they or others struck the victim, whether the attack was related to the victim’s Jewish identity and Star of David necklace, and whether
they had discussed with any others what to say to the grand jury, among other false statements. The defendants could face a maximum total sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, provided by the law, for the hate crime and obstruction of justice counts. The defendants could face a maximum total sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, provided by the law, for the conspiracy to obstruct justice count.

(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Big Beaver Borough, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Gibsonia reported via release today that charges were withdrawn from twenty-year-old Tessa Shaw of Aliquippa after she crashed her vehicle in Big Beaver Borough on March 16th, 2026. Shaw was driving on I-376 East and her vehicle began to slide on the snow-covered roads before she hit a grass embankment median off of the left side of the road at 8 p.m. She was transported from the scene because of a suspected minor injury. 

(File Photo of the AAA East Central Logo: Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A new study reveals a growing crisis on the roads in America, which leaves injured people alone, without assistance, and too often without accountability. The latest research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS) finds that 15% of all police-reported crashes in 2023 involved a driver who fled the scene, the highest percentage recorded in any recent year. Pedestrians and cyclists are especially vulnerable because, 1 in 4 pedestrians and nearly as many cyclists were killed in crashes in 2023 were hit by a driver who fled the scene. They are frequently struck in darkness during the late-night or early morning hours, which is when visibility is low and there may be no one nearby to call for help. According to a recent release from AAA East Central in Pittsburgh, here are some other notable findings from this study:

• Hit-and-run fatalities most often occur late at night or in the early morning hours, when it is dark and witnesses are less likely to be present.
• Among known hit-and-run drivers in fatal crashes, 40% did not have a valid driver’s license, and more than half were driving vehicles not registered in their name.
• The majority of identified hit-and-run drivers were young, male, and crashed within a short distance of their homes.
• Research suggests drivers are less likely to flee when they believe they will be caught, pointing to the potential impact of traffic cameras and “Yellow Alerts” that notify and seek information from the public after serious or fatal hit-and-run crashes.

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A new clinical study just published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, which you can find by going to this website, (https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2025-224112) linked exposure to high pollen levels to poorer performance on major end-of-year exams. Researchers analyzed test scores of more than 90,000 high school students between 2006 and 2020 in the study and compared results with daily tree pollen counts. They found that even with modest pollen increases, measurable drops in standardized test scores were observed. According to a release today from Allegheny Health Network, Robert Traister, MD, pediatric allergist and immunologist, provides the following tips for families These tips are also for kids, who are hit the hardest during the spring allergy season:

• Minimize kids’ exposure: For seasonal allergies in severe cases, sometimes the best course of action is to stay indoors and minimize exposure to outdoor allergens; simple things like keeping windows closed at home or in the car can make a noticeable difference.
• Wipe off before coming back indoors: After children are finished playing outdoors, have them change their clothes and wipe their faces, hands and legs to minimize outdoor pollen making its way inside the home. This also goes for pets that track in pollen and mold spores.
• Over-the-counter medications: The first line of allergy management is over-the-counter antihistamines, which can be taken once daily for moderate symptoms and twice daily for more severe symptoms in consultation with your pediatrician. Non-drowsy antihistamines like Claritin or Zyrtec can be recommended safely for children, in addition to a nasal spray like Flonase.
• Specialist visit: If it’s unclear whether a child truly has allergies, or if the child’s symptoms persist despite medication, a visit to a pediatric allergist may be warranted. The allergist may consider immunotherapy — allergy shots — to reduce symptoms and decrease the need for daily medication.

(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 charges were withdrawn from seventy-four-year-old Frederick Ceccarelli of New Castle after he crashed his vehicle in Lawrence County yesterday. Ceccarelli was driving on US Highway 422 at the intersection with Rhodes Lane in Slippery Rock Township at 4:16 p.m. and lost control of his vehicle before hitting a guide rail. He was flown from the scene to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital because of his extensive medical history after suffering unknown injuries. It was unknown if he was wearing his seatbelt when this crash occurred. 

(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lawrence County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle reported via release today that an incident of harassment occurred in Lawrence County on Saturday. An unidentified twenty-eight-year-old woman from Portersville, Pennsylvania was pushed and shoved by an unidentified twenty-one-year-old man from New Castle during a verbal argument along Trusel Road at 11:45 p.m. According to police, both parties were separated and charges will be filed.