(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 thirty-two-year-old Nicholas Hamilton of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania was charged for tailgating after a crash occurred in Lawrence County yesterday morning. At 6:49 a.m., Hamilton rear-ended a horse-drawn buggy that was operated by forty-two-year-old Anna Mast of New Castle on State Route 208 in Wilmington Township. The horse broke free from the buggy and was hit by the vehicle of fifty-three-year-old Lauren Dieter of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. There were no injuries.

Beaver County Radio

BEAVER FALLS — The Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls hosts polka fusion sensations the Polkamaniacs on March 21.

Attendees can expect a lively night of music and fun with The Polkamaniacs — a Pittsburgh musical group known for turning every performance into an unforgettable party. The Polkamaniacs bring a high-energy, “plaid-tastic” sound, which
blends traditional polka with roots rock, Americana, classic punk and touches
of vaudeville flair.

This isn’t your grandparents’ polka band — though they do play polka classics. The
Polkamaniacs take the oom-pah tradition and fuse it with modern energy, playful
audience interaction and plenty of toe-tapping beats. Their eight-piece ensemble
features instruments like accordion, guitars, banjo, trumpet, trombone, bass and
drums, creating a fun and danceable experience that appeals to all ages.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the fundraising performance begins at 7 p.m.

Real Nutz Vodka also will be on site, offering a signature cocktail for sale, as well as bottles of locally-made vodka for purchase.

Complimentary snacks and drinks will also be available.

Tickets are on sale now at cflbf.org for $25.

Proceeds will go towards renovations at Beaver Falls’ 123-year-old library, such as the temporary removal, cleaning and strengthening of the stained glass windows.

Deanna Jacobs, secretary for the Board of Trustees at the Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls, was a guest Tuesday on the Beaver County Radio Morning Show. Here is her interview:

 

 

 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Police detain Emir Balat after he attempted to detonate an improvised explosive device during a counterprotest against far right influencer Jake Lang staging an anti-Islam protest outside Gracie Mansion, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Julius Constantine Motal)

NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI found explosive materials in a Pennsylvania storage unit after two men were charged with bringing homemade bombs to a protest outside the home of New York City’s mayor, authorities said Tuesday.

Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, told investigators after their arrests Saturday near Gracie Mansion in Manhattan that they were inspired by the Islamic State group, according to law enforcement officials and a criminal complaint. Both men are from the Philadelphia suburbs.

Much remained undisclosed about their motives, how much they planned and how they knew each other. Tests were being performed on some of the explosive devices recovered at the scene.

The FBI said Monday that it had conducted multiple searches in connection with the investigation. The police department in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania, said Tuesday that the FBI conducted controlled detonations of explosive materials found at a Public Storage facility in Langhorne, near where Balat’s family lives. Kayumi is from Newtown, about 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) north of Langhorne.

Residents “may have heard several loud bangs during the overnight hours,” the police department said in a Facebook post. “While the noise may have been startling to some residents, there was no danger to the public at any time.”

Balat’s lawyer has portrayed him as a confused teenager who didn’t know what he was doing.

Prosecutors, police and FBI officials say Balat and Kayumi drove to New York City on Saturday and joined a throng of counterprotesters at a small, anti-Muslim rally organized by the far-right Christian nationalist Jake Lang.

Journalists photographed Balat hurling a device, smoking with a lit fuse, that was later found to contain the explosive TATP. The object, which also contained nuts and bolts, extinguished itself without harming anyone.

Balat then dropped a second object near some police officers and tried to run, but was tackled and arrested, according to a court complaint.

Balat and Kayumi were being held without bail after a court appearance Monday on charges that include attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction. They were not required to enter a plea.

Balat’s lawyer, Mehdi Essmidi, said outside court that his client, a high school senior, had “complicated stuff going on” in his personal life.

“I believe he’s 18 and he doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing,” Essmidi said. He added that he didn’t believe Balat and Kayumi had known each other for long.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday there were no indications that the attack was connected to the ongoing war in Iran.

After Balat was arrested, police officers asked him whether he was aiming to accomplish something akin to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people.

“No, even bigger,” Balat replied, according to a criminal complaint.

(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported via release today that twenty-six-year-old Tyron Malone was the suspect who escaped on foot from the scene of a domestic dispute at an Aliquippa apartment early this morning. Twenty-six-year-old Javen Alford of Aliquippa was stabbed by Malone at 12:28 a.m. at the Valley Terrace Building B, and twenty-two-year-old Alyssa Ashby of Aliquippa sustained injuries during a domestic incident at the same time. Alford was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital because he sustained a knife wound. The investigation into this incident is ongoing and charges against Malone are pending.

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of Lifesteps)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Butler, PA) According to a release yesterday in Butler from Lifesteps, their Child Check program is providing free developmental and autism screenings for children from birth to age five. The early years are a critical time in the development of a child. Milestones that are notable in a child’s development include certain aspects of hearing, talking, seeing, playing and basic social skills. Parents are provided with knowledge about their child’s current state of development and guided to resources when delays are detected through Lifesteps’ Child Check Program. These screenings of approximately thirty minutes use engaging activities to determine a child’s current level of development and the results are discussed immediately with parents/guardians. Appointments for in-person or online screenings are required, and to schedule one, call Lifesteps at either 724-283-1010 or 1-800-225-2010 or visit lifesteps.net.

(File Photo of a Dollar Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) Representative Summer Lee announced on Monday that her office had secured over $14 million in federal funding to go toward local community improvement projects. The money will fund a total of 15 projects within Lee’s district of Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, which serves the city of Pittsburgh, surrounding eastern suburbs, the Monongahela Valley, and a portion of Westmoreland County. According to a report from WPXI, the projects include:

• $3,000,000 to expand affordable housing options for people exiting homelessness in Allegheny County.
  • Funding will support the acquisition of underutilized apartment buildings and conversion of vacant units into 50 affordable homes for individuals transitioning out of homelessness.
• $1,200,000 for the Mon Valley Strategic Blight Removal Project.
  • The project will demolish 16 unsafe structures across McKeesport, White Oak, North Braddock and Clairton to prepare sites for future housing, green space and economic development.
• $1,092,000 for Transite Water Line Replacements in Monroeville.
  • The project will replace approximately 9,700 feet of aging asbestos-cement water lines, improving the safety and reliability of the local drinking water system.
• $1,075,000 for the Biddle Property Access and Irwin Discharge Elimination Project in Westmoreland County.
  • The project will support initial remediation efforts to address one of Pennsylvania’s largest sources of abandoned mine drainage pollution affecting local waterways.
• $1,015,000 for Blight Elimination in North Braddock Borough.
  • Funding will support the creation of an internal demolition unit and the purchase of heavy equipment to address more than 700 abandoned properties, helping eliminate blight and improve public health and safety.
• $1,015,000 for the Rehabilitation of the Carnegie Library of Homestead in Munhall.
  • The funding will support critical renovations to the historic facility, ensuring continued access to educational resources and community programming while preserving a cultural landmark that has served the Mon Valley for more than 125 years.
• $1,000,000 for Downtown Pittsburgh Office-to-Housing Conversion Projects.
  • The funding will help convert vacant office space into affordable housing while activating ground-floor retail and supporting downtown economic recovery.
• $850,000 for reconstruction of the 2nd Street Bridge in the City of Jeannette.
  • The project will improve safety for vehicles, emergency responders and pedestrians through structural improvements and ADA-compliant sidewalks and ramps.
• $850,000 for the replacement of the Versailles Avenue Viaduct in McKeesport.
  • Funding will support a major bridge replacement project that will reconnect critical routes to schools, healthcare services and local businesses.
• $850,000 to support construction of a Community and Recreation Center in West Mifflin.
  • The facility will provide space for athletics, meetings, internet access and other community programming.
• $675,000 for a new Department of Public Works Facility in the Borough of Whitaker.
  • The project will construct a facility to house municipal equipment and support maintenance operations, improving service delivery for street maintenance, snow removal and emergency response.
• $520,000 for the Piney Fork Interceptor Lining Project in Bethel Park.
  • Funding will upgrade a deteriorating sewage interceptor using modern sewer lining technology to reduce stormwater infiltration and prevent sewer overflows.
• $400,000 for the Greenfield Elementary School Community Schoolyard Project in Pittsburgh.
  • The project will transform an asphalt schoolyard into a green play and learning space while helping reduce flooding through permeable surfaces and gardens.
• $350,000 for the Juvenile Justice Prevention Project operated by Youth Advocate Programs in Pittsburgh.
  • The program will provide mentoring, family engagement and career guidance to help adjudicated youth successfully reintegrate into their communities.
• $250,000 to create a Community Hub at the Thaddeus Stevens Center in Pittsburgh.
  • Funding will transform unused space in the former elementary school into a gathering place for youth- and family-serving organizations in the West End.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the New Castle Police Department)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(New Castle, PA) According to New Castle police on Sunday, a man named Ismael Davila has been found and was taken for medical treatment. Davila has dementia and he is from New Castle. Police noted that he went missing from his Parkwood Court home and was last seen at 8:30 a.m. Saturday when he initially went missing.

(File Photo: Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS – stock.adobe.com)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(New Castle, PA) A New Castle bakery was found to be out of compliance with regulations again after a recent follow-up health inspection. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture inspectors visited Bill’s Bake Shoppe on Liberty Street in New Castle on Friday for a follow-up inspection. A report states that inspectors located six violations that put the business out of compliance. Five of the violations included in the report are considered repeat issues, like the person in charge not demonstrating “adequate knowledge of food safety,” rodent feces throughout the facility, no sanitizer test strips or test kit, not using an approved detergent-sanitizer and dirty non-food contact surfaces. Inspectors gave Bill’s Bake Shoppe until March 20th to resolve all the most recent violations. The bakery will be inspected again within seven to ten days and its license will not be renewed until it’s deemed compliant again.