(File Photo of Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) 14 animals have been adopted after they were rescued from a home in the Westwood neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Barr Avenue.

Pittsburgh police recently filed charges against Kelly Roberts Kormick, who moved to Beaver County and was a former resident of the now-abandoned home.

Police described the conditions that the 14 animals were living in as “deplorable” and “unimaginable” in court documents.

The animals were taken to the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (HARP) on the North Side of the City.

According to police, at one point, Roberts Kormick lived in the home, and the address was listed on her ID.

Roberts Kormick told police that the house originally belonged to her parents.

However, they no longer live there.

Investigators noted she told them she moved to Beaver County, she had not returned to the home in months, and she had no idea what it looked like.

Police paperwork stated that the animals were found with insects on their bodies and severely malnourished, surrounded by feces and flies on every surface that was imaginable.

Police also confirm that animal control officers and detectives found the bodies of dogs and skeletal remains after they responded to a 311 complaint of rotting trash that was piled up and the smell of ammonia on September 2nd.

One officer noted that he deemed it necessary to wear his gas mask because the odor was so strong.

Court documents affirmed that police said that the floors were wet with waste, squishy to walk on and stated that no dog food that is edible or sources of clean water were visible.

Roberts Kormick is facing over 40 counts of animal neglect or animal cruelty charges.

(File Photo of Congressman Chris Deluzio)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Sharpsburg, PA) Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) announced today that his campaign and leadership PAC raised more than $925,000 in the third quarter of 2026.

That brings Deluzio’s cycle total to over $3.7 million, with $1.3 million in cash on hand heading into the final campaign stretch.

Deluzio has received almost 30,000 donations from the people of Pennsylvania during this cycle, and that has an average individual contribution of $40.

People in all 67 counties across Pennsylvania have supported his campaign, and over 10,000 contributions have come from his constituents in the 17th Congressional District.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro talks to the media prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Long Pond, Pa. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton))

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll joined state and local officials today to highlight over $2 million in investments in Monaca and Ambridge boroughs through the Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF).

Governor Josh Shapiro recently announced an investment from this fund of more than $54 million in 50 infrastructure projects statewide.

Governor Shapiro and his administration have invested more than $197 million through the MTF to support transportation projects that connect communities, improve safety and grow local economies across Pennsylvania.

In the locally sponsored Monaca Gateway project worth $3.7 million, more than $200,000 from the MTF supports the construction of a roundabout to reduce congestion and potential crashes in Monaca Borough at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17^th Street.

Secretary Carroll also highlighted an almost $1.9 million MTF investment for safety and infrastructure upgrades along the Eighth Street (Route 989) corridor in Ambridge Borough.

The MTF provides grant funding to businesses, councils of governments, economic development organizations, municipalities, ports, public transportation agencies and rail freight entities to improve assets of transportation that enhance communities, pedestrian safety and transit access.

Applications for the next funding round of the MTF are being accepted until October 30th.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Voting booths are set up at a polling place in Newtown, Pa., Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt discussed on-demand mail ballot voting yesterday at his sixth weekly virtual media briefing before the election on November 3rd. 

According to Schmidt, “Pennsylvania voters have the option of going in person to their county elections office (click here to learn more), applying for a mail ballot, receiving it, filling it out, and returning it all in one visit. This option is available until October 27th, which is also the deadline to apply for a mail ballot.”

Voters should check with the elections office in their county for hours when that option is available.

Schmidt added. “Mail ballot voters also can fill out their ballot at home and mail it or hand-deliver it to their county elections office or a drop box designated by their county.”

County election offices must receive completed mail ballots by 8 p.m. on November 3rd for them to count. 

Schmidt also stated that the deadline to register to vote in the state of Pennsylvania in the November 3rd election is Monday, October 19th.

Pennsylvanians that are eligible to vote can register online (click here) at vote.pa.gov (click here) or at their county elections office (click here).

(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of McDonald’s)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Coraopolis, PA) McDonald’s will be celebrating artwork created by talented Cornell High School and Sto-Rox Junior Senior High School students in support of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The selected artwork by Vanessa Bosetti will be displayed and unveiled tomorrow at the Coraopolis McDonald’s at 4 p.m.

This event marks the culmination of the “Golden Arches Mural Program,” which is a McDonald’s-supported initiative that honors student creativity and community pride.

Bosetti will receive an award of $1,000 from McDonald’s in recognition of her artistic achievement. 

The art departments at Cornell High School and Sto-Rox Junior Senior High School will also receive a grant of $500 to support creative endeavors in the future. 

High school art students from Cornell High School and Sto-Rox Junior Senior High School were invited to participate in the program this semester in partnership with local McDonald’s Owner/Operator Sam Nwagbo.

Students were challenged to create artwork which blends McDonald’s nostalgia with their unique interpretation of Coraopolis, to showcase their personal connection to the city.

The winning artwork will be transformed into 5-foot by 5-foot mural and will be displayed at the McDonald’s in Coraopolis to highlight the commitment the McDonald’s has to celebrate creativity and culture in every community.

Bosetti’s piece and pieces created by other students that participated in the program will be on display at the McDonald’s at 1010 4th Avenue in Coraopolis.

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A federal jury in Pittsburgh recently convicted thirty-nine-year-old
Justin Lee Plunk of Corinth, Mississippi, of conspiring to distribute and distributing child sexual abuse material for profit over multiple years on platforms including Instagram and Telegram after less than two hours of deliberation.

The jury found Plunk guilty of the two counts on October 9th after a trial that lasted four days.

The evidence that was presented during the trial established that Plunk was part of a criminal conspiracy that operated online from at least 2021 to 2024 in which the conspirators recruited female minors, including ones as young as 10 years old, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and other places to make “packages” of 30 images and seven videos of child sexual exploitation material, and participate in live video calls with customers.

This conspiracy operated over messaging and social media platforms which included Instagram, Snapchat, and Telegram, with one female minor introduced to the conspiracy when she was on Roblox.

It used multiple payment methods, which included the payment services Cash App and Venmo as well as gift cards from Roblox and Walmart.

The evidence also established that Plunk was involved in the conspiracy in a lot of ways, which included receiving over $57,000 in proceeds from the conspiracy in the form of cash transfers and retail store gift cards.

Plunk had been convicted previously of enticement of a child for sexual purposes in 2016 in Mississippi.

Plunk’s sentencing is scheduled for January 26th, 2027 and he could face a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in jail, a fine of up to $250,000, or both on each count, provided by the law.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of Allegheny Health Network)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Allegheny Health Network (AHN) announced today that Nipun B. Merchant, MD, who is an internationally recognized healthcare executive, researcher, and surgical oncologist, has been appointed chair of the network’s Department of Surgery and its first surgeon-in-chief, effective February of 2027.

The newly created surgeon-in-chief role reflects the commitment that AHN has to creating a more integrated model of surgical care across its network that is growing.

Dr. Merchant’s appointment as chair represents an investment that is broader in elevating the Department of Surgery to national prominence in education, patient care, and research.

Dr. Merchant joins AHN from the University of Miami Health System and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, which are where his leadership spanned clinical care, health system operations and scientific investigation.

He was the Alan S. Livingstone Professor of Surgery and served in senior leadership roles including Chief Surgical Officer, Executive Director of Perioperative Services and Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology.

He was also Sylvester’s Associate Director of Translational Research and founding Director of the Sylvester Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute, which are roles that brought together cancer care, program development and translational science.

Dr. Merchant will serve as the senior physician executive for AHN’s surgical enterprise as surgeon-in-chief to provide strategic oversight for surgical services across the hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers of the network.

He will lead the Department of Surgery’s academic, clinical and strategic growth as chair of that department, with a focus on developing and recruiting outstanding faculty, expanding surgical programs that are advanced, building its research enterprise and strengthening education.

He will also help to drive improvements in patient experience, safety and quality by working closely with physicians, nurses and operational leaders.