(File Photo: Source for Photo: (File Photo: Source for Photo: Authorities investigate a crash between a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter and a small plane at the Carlisle airport in Carlisle, Pa. Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Carlisle, PA) An investigation is now underway into a crash that occurred in Carlisle yesterday at around 7 p.m. in which a Cessna 150 airplane and a Pennsylvania State Police Bell 407 helicopter collided in midair.

The pilot of the plane died as a result of this incident.

He has been identified as fifty-seven-year-old Paul Sokoloski of Hershey, and the Cumberland County Coroner’s Office pronounced him dead at the scene.

According to a report from WJAC and Penn State Health’s website, Sokoloski was an emergency medicine physician for Penn State Health.

Authorities believe that Sokoloski was the only person on the plane.

Two Pennsylvania State Police troopers were injured because of this incident, Corp. Bryce Corman and Tpr. Jason Mills. 

(File Photo of the Starbucks Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Vanport Township, PA) A new business is preparing to open in Vanport Township.

A Starbucks coffee shop and drive through will be opening after several months of planning and building.

It will be located across from the Nick Crivelli Chevrolet in Beaver.

The opening date for this store has not been announced at this time.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Lottery)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) A Pennsylvania Lottery player recently won a jackpot of $1.63 million by buying a Match 6 Lotto ticket online.

According to a news release provided by the Pennsylvania Lottery, that ticket correctly matched all six winning numbers, 1, 17, 22, 26, 31 and 41, in yesterday’s drawing.

The winner has not been identified at this time and that person has one year from the drawing date to claim their prize.

Online winnings will appear in the player’s account automatically after the claim has been processed.

BEAVER COUNTY RADIO

SEWICKLEY — In 1943, Italian prisoners of war captured in North Africa and Sicily ended up at Letterkenny Army Depot outside of Chambersburg, Pa. Their fairly short stay left an impact on that region that is still felt today.

That’s the topic of an award-winning documentary, “Fedeltà. Soldier. Prisoner,” making its Pittsburgh area debut Sept. 3 at the Lindsay Theater in Sewickley.

The film’s maker, military veteran Steve Mancini, a native of Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, will attend, hosting a Q&A session as part of the 7:30 p.m. screening.

As part of the Lindsay’s latest Emerging Filmmakers Showcase, “Fedeltà. Soldier. Prisoner.” is an internationally acclaimed film. Tickets are free, and RSVPs are recommended in advance due to space limitations.

“The film shows that the people of Chambersburg were so kind that to this day, the families of the prisoners still make trips to visit,” says Mancini. “It’s a way of remembering their fathers and grandfathers, and also a display of appreciation because of how kindly those communities treated their fathers and grandfathers.”

“Fedeltà” chronicles the prisoners’ journey from war to peace, leveraging original documents and footage from numerous sources. It’s a moving and hopeful film that depicts how this difficult situation turned into a prime example of community-building that left a lasting, positive mark on Chambersburg.

“After more than 80 years, people who have never been here still speak well of our community,” says Mancini. “How incredible is that!”

Mancini spent 20 years in the military before returning home to Pittsburgh. In addition to filmmaking, he hosts two podcasts—Talking Business and Life (formerly Italian Impact Weekly) and The Unlikely Catholic— and serves as an assistant professor of computer and information systems at Robert Morris University.

His formative years in Pittsburgh’s Little Italy inspired him to pursue documentary projects such as “Fedeltà.” The film has already earned numerous festival honors, including Best Feature Documentary at Dallas MovieFest; Best First Time Director at the 2025 Bomarzo Soulplace Film Festival; and both Best Director Debut and Best Historical Film at the 2024-25 Beyond the Screen Film Festival.

“Fedeltà” premiered in Chambersburg, and this Lindsay screening will be Western Pennsylvania filmgoers’ first chance to watch Mancini’s work on the big screen.

“The film shows that even during our worst moments, kindness and goodness can still be found,” says Mancini. “This is a deeply personal lesson that everyone should remember. Seeing it in a theater is a wonderful way to get people together, looking across the aisle and seeing others—hopefully in an even better light.”

(File Photo of the Allegheny Health Network Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Allegheny Health Network (AHN) announced today the opening of a new specialized clinic that is dedicated to providing advanced care for patients with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).

It is called the AHN Advanced COPD Clinic, and it offers therapies that are cutting-edge and an approach that is multi-disciplinary to significantly improve the quality of life for patients that are suffering from COPD that is severe.

It is based at AHN Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) and the Breathing Disorders Center at the AHN McCandless Outpatient Center.

COPD is a progressive lung disease which causes breathing difficulties and hinders airflow.

It is caused primarily by prolonged exposure to smoke from cigarettes and pollution from the air.

COPD stands as the third-leading cause of death worldwide and it affects millions of Americans.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: President Donald Trump arrives at the White House after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington, D.C.) The Trump Administration made an annoucement yesterday that an investment in $35 million is being delivered to improve health outcomes for Pennsylvanians through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).

This investment will make expansions, upgrades and modernizations for screening technology, as well as make purchases of equipment to bring more operating rooms online, and also make expansions for options of transportation that remove access barriers for patients.

This investment in both equipment and supplies, which will help improve care and services, advances the commitment of the Trump administration to strengthen rural healthcare and the investment ensures that Americans can access this high-quality no matter what their zip code they have.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of AAA East Central)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) New resarch from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety confirms that speeding has become so common that many motorists now consider it a normal part of driving.

Three in ten drivers agreed with this statement: “No one actually drives the speed limit.”

Even though most motorists agreed that posted speed limits are appropriate, many also considered driving 10 miles per hour over speed limits acceptable.

Nearly half of motorists believed that keeping up with traffic is safer than obeying the law of the posted speed limit.

However, the consequences could be deadly, because according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was a factor in nearly 30% of traffic fatalities in 2024.