BEAVER COUNTY RADIO

That concert Donnie Iris did last week, opening Pittsburgh’s newest concert venue, will be his last.

Iris announced Friday he is retiring from live concerts performances.

The Beaver Valley’s resident rock star cited health issues and the stamina necessary to deliver a high-energy show. When he headlined Sept. 28’s opening night of Citizens Live at The Wylie, Iris told concertgoers he had undergone radiation treatment earlier that day.

Iris still delivered a crowd-pleasing, hour-long performance at the Wylie, singing while seated on a chair. Digging deep, he hit those signature high, soaring notes and screams on hits like “Love Is Like a Rock,” though sounded a bit more restrained as the show neared its end with western Pennsylvania’s favorite local rock song, “Ah! Leah!”

Iris’ retirement announcement, posted on his Facebook page, addressed his fans, bandmates, crew members and collaborators, saying, “It has been my great honor to make music for you.”

In March 2023, Iris announced he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, shortly after his 80th birthday concert. Through treatments, he recovered well enough to continue headlining yearly birthday shows, at UPMC Events Center in Moon, and the Palace in Greensburg, along with doing other stage appearances at Pavilion at Star Lake and in Ohio.

A former Ellwood City and Patterson Heights resident, Iris first experienced chart-topping success as a member of The Jaggerz, with their 1970 smash “The Rapper.”

After a stint in Wild Cherry, Iris went solo with a backing band, The Cruisers, which recorded songs at Jeree Recording in New Brighton.

(File Photo of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Cars)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Raccoon Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported yesterday that a woman from Freedom was bit by a dog on her property in Raccoon Township on September 24th.

Police were dispatched to 949 State Route 18 at 8:39 p.m. because of a dog law violation.

Thirty-year-old Ann Forman was the person who was bit by a dog, and she was transported to AHN Beaver for a medical evaluation as a result of this incident. 

(FIle Photo of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Logo)

Noah haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington, D.C.) The Justice Department and FBI announced yesterday court-authorized seizures, which included seven domains, to deny access to “Microscan” and “FishHub.”

These are two intrusion tools that are used by malicious cyber actors to scan and, in some cases, hack U.S. and foreign critical infrastructure systems and other networks.  

As alleged in court documents that were unsealed in the Western District of Pennsylvania, cyber actors who were working for Integrity Technology Group (Integrity Tech), which is a company based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), operated and used the tools as part of their hacking activity known to the private sector as “Flax Typhoon.”  

Integrity Tech has contracts with the PRC government. 

According to court documents, Integrity Tech created and used a network of internet-
connected devices infected with a variant of Mirai malware.

This botnet employed the Microscan tool to conduct reconnaissance among other things, via the botnet and otherwise, of victim computer networks for vulnerabilities that its clients would later exploit.

Integrity Tech was able to access Microscan through one of the domains that was seized.

The targets of Microscan vulnerability scanning included a U.S. power company that is based in South Carolina, a multi-national Non-Governmental Organization, airports in Japan and Poland, Taiwanese critical infrastructure companies that are in the natural
gas and power sectors, and two universities in Taiwan.

FishHub is alleged to have facilitated the exploitation of computer networks through spear phishing.

FishHub downloaded additional malware to the victim network after an initial network compromise.

This malware, which was delivered through five of the domains that were seized, provided clients of Integrity Tech with unauthorized remote access to the
victim network or searched for specific files and sent them to servers that were controlled by Integrity Tech.

The confirmed victims of FishHub activity included approximately 20 universities in Taiwan.

Integrity Tech also used an unauthorized remote administration software that was tied to a seventh seized domain to connect several victims’ networks to a server from Integrity Tech.

(File Photo of the Crabnerry Township Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Cranberry Township, PA) The American furniture and mattress retail brand Bob’s Discount Furniture is getting ready to open a new showroom in Cranberry Township. 

This new store will open at 20111 Route 19, Suite B, on November 20th and it will provide the local community with about 20 jobs in the space that will be 28,400 square feet. 

The store will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on its first day and give $5,000 in check presentations to a local school and nonprofit organization. 

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported yesterday that twenty-seven-year-old Kenneth Rainey of Aliquippa was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs in Aliquippa on September 27th.

Police stopped Rainey along 100 5th Avenue at 6:55 p.m. because he committed a vehicle violation.

According to police, Rainey was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of a controlled substance. 

(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Darlington, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported yesterday that twenty-five-year-old Noah Willard of Darlington was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Chippewa Township on September 16th.

Willard was stopped by police in the area of Constitution Boulevard and Braden School Road at 12:11 a.m. because he committed a vehicle code violation.

According to police, Willard was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage.

Charges against him are pending.

(File Photo of a Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that a ramp closure on eastbound I-376 (Beaver Valley Expressway) in Potter and Vanport townships will begin on Monday, October 12th.

Starting at approximately 10 A.M. that day, the ramp from Route 68 (State Avenue) to eastbound I-376 will be closed to traffic round-the-clock through late October as crews conduct concrete patching operations.

Traffic will be detoured, and the detour route can be found below, according to a release from PennDOT District 11:
 

Posted detour
 

• From Route 68, take the ramp to westbound I-376 

• Take the Brighton (Exit 36) exit 

• Turn left on Brighton Road 

• Turn left onto the ramp to eastbound I-376 

• End detour 

This work is part of the I-376 (Beaver Valley Expressway) Vanport Bridge Steel Repair project worth $4.8 million between the Route 68 Midland/Beaver (Exit 38 A/B) and Route 18 Monaca/Shippingport (Exit 39) interchanges.

Steel repairs and spot painting will occur on the Vanport Bridge that is located over the Ohio River in Potter and Vanport townships.

Long-term lane restrictions are expected on I-376 until the work concludes in the late part of 2026.

The prime contractor for this work is Mosites Construction.

(File Photo of State Representative Rob Matzie)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Ambridge, PA) State Representative Rob Matzie announced yesterday that a $250,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will fund urban and community forestry projects benefiting Beaver County and western Pennsylvania. 

According to Matzie, the funding to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will allow it to expand its forestry and tree planting programs and build tree stewardship capacity throughout the region. 

Matzie confirmed that the programs will support the conservancy’s work in Beaver County and Allegheny, Armstrong, Blair, Cambria, Erie, Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties. 

This funding comes from DCNR’s Environmental Stewardship Fund, which is a fund that supports conservation, outdoor recreation and state parks. 

(File Photo of Congressman Chris Deluzio)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Carnegie, PA) Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced yesterday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Beaver County $200,000 to invest in mental health and substance abuse services across the county.  

This federal funding will help the county execute its REACH (Respond Educate Assist Connect and Help) Program. 

HHS’s Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) awarded this funding and it is housed in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration program. 

The CMHS aims to improve the nation’s mental health by increasing access in the community and state to mental health services, promoting outcomes of recovery for Americans that have behavioral and mental health conditions and addressing serious mental illness.