Category: News

Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz injured with hamstring issue

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz watches his single off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz left in the fourth inning against Seattle with discomfort in his left hamstring Wednesday night.

Esmerlyn Valdez pinch hit for Horwitz and had an RBI single during a five-run fourth in which the Pirates took a 5-1 lead.

Horwitz finished 1 for 3 and is hitting .280 with 10 home runs, 33 RBIs and 40 walks in 74 games.

Beaver Falls woman hits deer with her vehicle in Hopewell Township

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hopewell Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported today that a thirty-five-year-old woman from Beaver Falls was not charged after crashing her vehicle in Hopewell Township on June 9th. Melinda Fernandez was driving on I-376 West near Exit 48 (Hopewell) at 9:17 p.m. and a deer entered on the road. Fernandez could not avoid a collision with the deer and hit it with her vehicle. There were no reported injuries. 

Beaver teenager charged after two-vehicle crash in Hopewell Township

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hopeell Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported today that an eighteen-year-old boy from Beaver was charged after a two-vehicle crash in Hopewell Township on June 5th. Charles Gordon was traveling on I-376 West at 4:26 p.m. and was behind the vehicle driven by twenty-year-old Miracle Moreland of Aliquippa. Gordon hit the vehicle of Moreland after Moreland started to merge into the right lane. The passenger in Moreland’s car suffered a suspected minor injury and was the only person involved in this crash that was injured. 

Former Lincoln Park standout guard and University of Arkansas freshman Meleek Thomas drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft

(Credit and Caption for Photo: Meleek Thomas poses for a photo with NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday in New York. (AP))

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Brooklyn, NY) Former Lincoln Park standout basketball player and University of Arkansas freshman guard Meleek Thomas was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2026 NBA draft as the 34th overall pick last night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Sacramento Kings originally owned the 34th pick, but Thomas went to the Cavaliers because of a trade between the two teams. Thomas averaged 15.6 points per game, while shooting 43% from the field and 41% from the three-point line for his first season with the Razorbacks. Thomas is the second former Beaver County high school basketball player to be drafted into the NBA in two years because Los Angeles Lakers forward and Quaker Valley alum Adou Thiero was selected in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft as the 35th overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets before he was subsequently traded to the Lakers. Both Thomas and Thiero were coached at the University of Arkansas by its head coach, Moon Township native John Calipari.

Pirates unveil team memorabilia display hall and event and meeting space at PNC Park called Legacy Hall

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Posted on Facebook on June 24th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pittsburgh Pirates announced yesterday the opening of Legacy Hall, which is a new event and meeting space at PNC Park that features the largest display of Pirates memorabilia at the ballpark. Legacy Hall is a multi-use space which is located next to the Left Field Entrance along Federal Street at the Willie Stargell statue. The venue has a capacity for up to 150 guests and it will accommodate corporate meetings, family events and networking events. It will also be open to all ticketed fans on game days when not reserved for a private event and will serve as the new starting point for ballpark tours. The unique area will feature a collection of Pirates memorabilia, with many items never previously displayed at PNC Park. 

Darlington teenager charged after two-vehicle crash occurs in Bridgewater Borough

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Bridgewater Borough, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported today that a sixteen-year-old boy from Darlington was charged after a two-vehicle crash occurred in Bridgewater Borough on June 14th. The teenager was traveling on State Route 51 on Riverside Drive at 4:22 p.m. Sixty-two-year-old Kevin Baird of Aliquippa was driving on the same road in the opposite direction. The teenager hit Baird’s vehicle when the teenager turned left while approaching the intersection of Veterans Memorial Bridge and the teenager did not yield for the vehicle of Baird. Both the teenager and his passenger sustained suspected minor injuries and Baird sustained a possible injury. 

No charges filed after two-vehicle crash in Aliquippa

(File Photo of a Pensnylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported today that no charges were filed after a two-vehicle crash occurred in Aliquippa on June 3rd. Sixty-five-year-old Arthur Piroli of Aliquippa was driving on Franklin Avenue at 7:50 a.m. and yielded for a police vehicle that was traveling behind the vehicle driven by thirty-year-old Zakery Mata of Beaver. Mata passed Piroli’s vehicle before Piroli yielded to the police vehicle. The front tire on the passenger side and the fender of Piroli’s vehicle hit into the driver’s side front and rear door of Mata’s vehicle. There were no reported injuries. 

Ashcraft, Rodriguez, O’Hearn help Pirates rout AL West-leading Mariners 11-1

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Esmerlyn Valdez, left, celebrates as he stands on first base after driving in a run with a single off Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft pitched six strong innings, batterymate Endy Roriguez drove in three runs and Ryan O’Hearn had three hits to help the Pittsburgh Pirates rout the Seattle Mariners 11-1 on Wednesday night.

Ashcraft (7-3) had 10 strikeouts without a walk while allowing one run and five hits. He became the first Pirates pitcher to have at least two starts in the same season with at least 10 strikeouts and zero walks since at least 1901.

Rodriguez’s two-run double opened the scoring in a five-run fourth inning against Bryan Woo (6-6) as the Pirates went ahead 5-1. Rodriguez also singled in a run in a four-run seventh that pushed the lead to 9-1.

Carmen Mlodzinski pitched four scoreless innings for his second save.

Tyler Callihan tripled home Rodriguez in the fourth, Jake Mangum, and Esmerlyn Valdez followed with run-scoring singles.

O’Hearn doubled twice, including one that drove in a pair in the seventh. Valdez and Nick Gonzales had two hits and Callihan had two RBIs.

Woo started the game with three hitless innings, but then fell apart in the fourth and was lifted at the end of the inning. He gave up five runs and six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

The AL West-leading Mariners got their run in the first when J.P. Crawford, Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez hit consecutive singles to begin the game. Ashcraft eventually settled in and retired the last 10 batters.

Rodriguez and Josh Naylor had two hits for the Mariners.

Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz left the game with left hamstring discomfort in the fourth inning. Valdez pinch-hit and delivered an RBI single.

Up next

Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (3-1, 1.58) was set to start against RHP Bubba Chandler (2-7, 4.62) on Thursday in the series finale.

State House adopts Matzie resolution designating September 21st-27th, 2026 as “Rail Safety Week” in Pennsylvania

(File Photo of State Representative Rob Matzie)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) The Pennsylvania House adopted state Rep. Rob Matzie’s resolution in Harrisburg yesterday that designates the week of Sept. 21-27, 2026, as “Rail Safety Week” in Pennsylvania. According to Matzie, he introduced House Resolution 537 to raise awareness about preventable rail casualties. Matzie’s Rail Safety Week is scheduled to concurrently run with Operation Lifesaver’s nationwide awareness campaign called “See Tracks? Think Train® Week,” that seeks to reduce collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail crossings and prevent trespassing on or near tracks. The efforts of Matzie to improve rail safety in Pennsylvania includes his work to reduce train derailments. In response to the 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio that spread toxic fumes throughout the region, Matzie introduced legislation that was recently passed by the House which would implement common-sense guidelines to prevent a similar catastrophe. 

New Castle woman sentenced to up to three years in jail for not renewing male patient’s medications, causing deadly seizure in 2021

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lawrence County, PA) A former personal care administrator was sentenced after she was convicted of neglecting to renew a patient’s medications, which caused a deadly seizure. 

Fifty-year-old Kelly Gonzales of New Castle, worked as a personal care administrator for ARC of Lawrence County. 

A male resident in her care home who suffered from a seizure disorder, died from a fatal seizure on December 2nd, 2021. 

According to prosecutors, Gonzales failed to renew his prescription for medication that could have prevented the seizure from happening. The man went without the medication for over 10 days before his death. 

Lawrence County President Judge Craig J. Cox sentenced Gonzales to one to three years incarceration yesterday. She is prohibited from serving in a personal care capacity while on supervision and was also ordered to pay $5,093 in restitution.

Gonzales was convicted on February 17th. She was charged with felony counts of neglect of a care-dependent person and tampering with records as well as misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter in November of 2023.