(File Photo of the Beaver County Courthouse) 

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

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

The biggest development came when County Solicitor Garen Fedeles provided an update on the possible reopening of Wildwood Road in the solicitors’ report of the session. 

Fedeles confirmed that the Commissioners “have been hearing rumblings that that (Wildwood Road) is going to be opening up here very soon.” 

Wildwood Road has been closed since April 5th, 2025 and the road in Brighton Township has been a shortcut for a long time between Route 51 and Dutch Ridge Road to get to the hospital there.

The Commissioners previously talked to PennDOT and wanted the company to consider putting in a one-way stop sign in each direction on Wildwood Road which would allow traffic to go over the area where it is slid and consider to expediate the road.

Another local road closure that was discussed was Achortown Road, which has been closed in Beaver Falls since 2018.

The state of Pennsylvania has money to fix Achortown Road, but if the Commissioners apply for a program called “The Takeback Program,” the state can fix it and then turn it back to the county.

However, the Commissioners will be working with Representative Kail in terms of

Another interesting part of the session was that a Beaver County time capsule for the year 2076 was displayed on a table in the county courthouse’s meeting room where the Commissioners have their work sessions.  

Fedeles explained that this time capsule, which is made of the finest pine wood in the county, will be displayed in the year 2076 for America300, when the United States of America will be celebrating its 300th anniversary of its founding. 

The United States celebrated America250 this year for the 250th anniversary of its founding on July 4th.  

Fedeles also read a “mysterious” letter that was inside the time capsule to the audience that is addressed to the people residing in Beaver County in 2026. 

The people who sent the letter are Beaver County’s “citizens of 2076,” and they wanted the 2026 county residents to make a time capsule and to put items inside to show the 2076 citizens what keepsakes and memories the county had in 2026.  

This is so the future generation can have conversations throughout the future about these items in the county and beyond. 

The 2076 county time capsule will also be at the America250 parade this Saturday on Third Street in Beaver so county residents can celebrate their memories and put items in it. 

County Recreation and Tourism Director Tony Caltury also thanked his team on the work they have done to put on the America250 parade which will begin at 10 a.m. on Third Street this Saturday in Beaver, which will feature 13 out of the 14 county high school bands.

(File Photo of Representative Aaron Bernstine)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Representative Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler/Lawrence) announced today that nearly $1.2 million in Local Share Account (LSA) grants have been approved by the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) to support water infrastructure, road maintenance, public safety and municipal services in Butler and Lawrence counties. 

Local Share Account grants are funded through the gaming revenues under Act 71 of 2004 and support community improvements, economic development and projects that enhance the quality of life for residents of Pennsylvania.

According to a release from Representative Bernstine’s office, the approved projects include: 

• Adams Township Municipal Water Authority – $400,000 to extend a water line along Harbison and Forsythe roads in Middlesex Township, Butler County. The project will create a looped connection between existing distribution lines, improving water service reliability and fire protection for nearly 1,000 residents, businesses, farms and essential facilities. 

• Clay Township – $155,000 to purchase a new smooth drum vibratory soil compactor to replace an aging and undersized roller. The new equipment will support maintenance of the township’s 43.73 miles of roads while reducing equipment downtime and repair costs. 

• Ellport Borough – $50,000 to purchase a new truck equipped with a snowplow to replace a 15-year-old vehicle with increasing maintenance costs. The vehicle will help the borough maintain approximately 20 miles of roadway. 

• New Beaver Borough – $50,000 to purchase and upfit a police vehicle to replace a vehicle that has been out of service since September 2024. The new vehicle will help the borough police department meet emergency response needs while restoring a second operational police vehicle. 

• Plain Grove Township – $150,000 to purchase a new tractor with mower, broom and ditcher attachments to replace a 2003 tractor and worn equipment. The new equipment will be used for roadside mowing, winter operations and ditch maintenance to improve roadway safety and drainage. 

• Slippery Rock Township – $200,000 to purchase a new JCB Hydradig wheeled excavator and attachments. The equipment will support maintenance of the township’s 48.5 miles of roads, including mowing, tree removal, grading and berm maintenance. 
• Washington Township – $150,000 to purchase a tractor with boom mower and ditcher attachments. The equipment will allow the township to mow and trim vegetation along roadways and maintain roadside ditches to improve visibility, drainage and roadway safety. 

(File Photo of Senator Camera Bartolotta)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Senator Camera Bartolotta announced today that nearly $8 million in state grants have been awarded to communities across the 46th Senatorial District through the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Local Share Account (LSA) Program.

This funding will support 26 projects across Beaver, Greene and Washington counties, and this includes improvements to public safety, infrastructure, recreation, municipal services, stormwater management, transportation, broadband access and community facilities.

The LSA Program uses the gaming revenue to support projects that advance community improvement, economic development and public interest.

According to a release from Senator Bartolotta’s office, here is more information about where the funding went to and more information about the projects that they will help:

Beaver County 

• Hanover Township will receive $698,631 for South Side Athletic Field Improvements, including new LED lighting at three baseball/softball fields and an adjacent playground to expand opportunities for youth sports, tournaments and community events. 

Greene County

• Carmichaels Borough will receive $254,307 for Phase I of its Sidewalk Connectivity Project, addressing deteriorated sidewalks and ADA accessibility issues along East George Street and around Center Town Square.

 

• Freeport Township will receive $151,870 to purchase a new dump truck equipped with a plow and spreader for maintaining township roads, rights-of-way and public property.

 

• Jefferson Township will receive $529,888 for Phase II of its Multipurpose Community Facility, which will create a digital access center with free high-speed internet, a computer lab, telehealth and remote-work space, public Wi-Fi and other resources for residents.

 

• Perry Township will receive $488,015 to replace the deteriorating Lemley Hill Road bridge with a permanent arch-plate culvert, improving safety and access for residents, emergency responders and public service vehicles.

 

Washington County

 

• Canonsburg Borough will receive $104,025 to install three ADA-compliant concrete restroom facilities at Canonsburg Town Park, replacing temporary portable restrooms.

 

• Carroll Township will receive $140,735 to stabilize the slope along Columbia Road following significant landslide damage and restore the affected roadway.

 

• East Finley Township will receive $270,872 to purchase a new mower for maintaining rural road shoulders, drainage ditches and steep embankments.

 

• Fallowfield Township will receive $122,000 to expand and improve its Veterans and Fire Fighters Honor Roll, including new memorials, walkways, lighting, landscaping, benches and flagpoles.

 

• Greene County Industrial Developments, Inc. will receive $90,993 for the Blueprints Foster Transportation Initiative to purchase two vehicles providing reliable transportation for children and youth in foster care and independent living programs.

 

• Houston Borough will receive $983,665 to construct a new municipal building, replacing its flood-prone facility and allowing borough operations to continue during future flooding.

 

• Houston Borough will receive $120,691 to replace an aging work truck used for borough maintenance and public services.

 

• Independence Township will receive $147,000 to replace the failing #408 Bridge with a permanent prefabricated aluminum box culvert, improving safety and access for vehicular traffic.

 

• Morris Township will receive $116,450 to construct a new sports court with pickleball and basketball amenities, expanding recreational opportunities for residents of all ages.

 

• Mount Pleasant Township, on behalf of the Northern Washington County Regional Police Department, will receive $399,569 to purchase and equip six new police vehicles to support 24/7 regional patrol services.

 

• North Franklin Township will receive $200,000 for stormwater improvements along Hazelwood Drive, including a detention pond to help address recurring flooding.

 

• North Franklin Township will receive $38,000 to purchase a utility vehicle for its 90-acre Waterside Park, assisting with trail maintenance, debris removal and snow and ice clearing.

 

• North Strabane Township will receive $300,000 for the first phase of Alexander Park improvements, including ADA-accessible parking and walking surfaces, a renovated basketball court, three pickleball courts, new fencing and updated playground equipment.

 

• Peters Creek Sanitary Authority will receive $450,000 to extend public sewer service to 43 properties along Church Hill Road and eliminate the Old Trail Lift Station.

 

• Peters Township will receive $1 million to replace the existing soccer field at Peterswood Park with a high-performance turf system supporting soccer, football and lacrosse.

 

• Redevelopment Authority of the County of Fayette, on behalf of Food Helpers, will receive $92,000 to pave the receiving area and parking lot at the Greater Washington County Food Bank in Centerville Borough, improving access for food deliveries.

 

• Smith Township will receive $200,000 for Phase I of a new community park, including parking, a pavilion, recreational amenities, utilities and landscaping.

 

• Somerset Township will receive $600,000 to extend public water service along Hixon Road and surrounding roads, providing reliable water to residents, agricultural operations and a business currently relying on wells, cisterns and hauled water.

 

• Union Township will receive $200,000 to purchase equipment for its Public Works Department, improving efficiency and reducing the need to rent equipment for township projects.

 

• Washington City will receive $254,875 for the Tyler Avenue Drainage Project, including new stormwater infrastructure to address recurring flooding and erosion affecting residential properties.

 

• • Washington County Redevelopment Authority will receive $37,100 to reseal the Century Plaza parking lot and replace deteriorated sidewalks, improving safety and accessibility for its residents age 62 and older.

(File Photo of Senator Elder Vogel, Jr.)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Senator Elder Vogel, Jr. announced today that projects in Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties were awarded over $6.8 million in Statewide Local Share Account funds from the Commonwealth Financing Authority. 

The Pennsylvania Gaming Act allocates the proceeds from online gaming revenue to support projects in the public interest across the state of Pennsylvania. 

According to a release from Senator Vogel’s office, a breakdown by county of the approved state funding can be found below: 

Beaver County: 29 municipal projects were awarded more than $5 million.

Butler County: 10 municipal projects were awarded $1.7 million.

Lawrence County: Two municipal projects were awarded a total of $100,000. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Nick Reiner appears during his arraignment on murder charges for the deaths of his parents, Feb. 23, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Chris Torres/Pool Photo via AP, file)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner‘s son will not face the death penalty on charges he fatally stabbed his parents after lying in wait at their home in Los Angeles late last year, prosecutors said Tuesday.

If convicted, the maximum sentence 33-year-old Nick Reiner could get is life without the possibility of parole, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a news conference. Before reaching its decision, Hochman said his office did a thorough review, including speaking to Rob and Michele Singer Reiner’s families and evaluating mitigating factors in Nick Reiner’s favor.

Nick Reiner, who briefly appeared at a court hearing Tuesday morning, has twice pleaded not guilty. The death penalty had been on the table because of the lying-in-wait allegation, the fact that multiple people were killed, and the use of a knife, which is considered a dangerous weapon. However, it’s been two decades since California’s last execution, and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a moratorium on the practice in 2019.

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Badge)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lawrence County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle will be having a car seat event on Sunday, September 20th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This is happening at the Wilmington Township Building in Lawrence County.

According to police, certified car seat technicians will be on scene to assist with car seat installations and any questions asked. 

(File Photo; Source for Photo: FILE – Dr. Jessica Early holds a vial of the combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at Prisma Health Pediatrics in Greer, S.C., March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Pennsylvania officials have reported a fourth measles-associated death.

The latest death involved an 18-year-old resident of Mifflin County, in the center of the state, the county coroner’s office said in a Facebook post. The cause was acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a rare and severe neurological complication of measles, it said.

On Saturday, a 40-year-old woman from Jefferson County, a rural area in western Pennsylvania, died of measles complications. And last month, two measles-infected infants died in Lancaster County, in the southeastern part of the state.

None of the four were vaccinated, according to the state health department. The infants were too young for vaccinations, according to current recommendations.

The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991 and has seen seven reported measles-associated deaths in the last two years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades.

Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak continues to grow, with nearly 700 illnesses reported so far this year across 38 counties, including about 100 cases in the last seven days. The measles-associated deaths are the first reported in the state in 35 years, state officials say.

“My thoughts are with the two families who lost loved ones to this highly contagious virus, as Pennsylvania faces the worst measles outbreak in more than three decades,” the state’s health secretary, Dr. Debra Bogen, said in a statement Tuesday, referring to the two most recent deaths — those of the adults.

“We remain committed to working with our partners across Pennsylvania to stem this outbreak and prevent more deaths. That means ensuring people have the facts about measles and access to the MMR vaccine, which kept measles outbreaks at bay for decades.”

The nation eliminated the domestic spread of measles in 2000 by maintaining high vaccination rates, but they have fallen in recent years to below the 95% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks. Meanwhile, measles infections have been surging in recent years.

In November, international health officials will meet to determine if the U.S. and Mexico have lost their measles-free status.

The problem has been years in the making, as fewer kids get routine vaccines due to parental waivers, health care access issues and rampant disinformation. More recently, Trump administration health officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have questioned and sown doubt about the established safety of vaccines at an unprecedented level while also defunding local efforts to improve vaccination rates.