(File Photo of the Beaver County Courthouse)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver, PA) Several topics were discussed at this morning’s Beaver County Commissioners’ work session at the County Courthouse.

County Department of Sustainability and Waste Management Director and Recycling Coordinator Becca Naber also noted that the county will hold its yearly household waster event on October 3rd so people can recycle responsibly.

Naber said that the Commissioners sponsored this event.

Beaver County Recreation and Tourism Director Tony Caltury told the Commissioners that he would meet with someone who is helping with the liner of the pool at Old Economy Park in Baden for a “final walk through and sign off.”

Caltury will also meet with the YMCA tomorrow as well as a staff that is helping out with this project so an announcement can come to move forward with opening the pool “in some capacity in the coming weeks,” to get it up and running.

Caltury also mentioned that this Saturday at 11 a.m. is when the Rainbow Bridge will open at the dog park area at Brady’s Run Park, which was possible through donations from private citizens.

Commissioner Jack Manning talked about the passing about the state budget by Governor Josh Shapiro on Sunday which passed before the end of this year even though it did not pass at the deadline of June 30th.

Manning also let the audience of the session know of the Vietnam Veterans’ Moving Wall from tomorrow to July 20th at Franciscan Manor to pay tribute to local veterans who lost their lives in the line of duty in the Vietnam War.

County Solicitor Garen Fedeles also mentioned the the law library at the county courthouse is free for the public to use and presented a certificate of recognition to Brittney Hamy for winning the American Association of Law Libraries Government Law Library Special Interest Section Law Library Advocate Award.

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) Pittsburgh Technical College could have a new owner because a court approved Chapman Properties, which is a developer out of Leetsdale, to buy its campus in North Fayette Township last week.  

The campus located off of McKee Road is 170 acres and includes an administration building, as well as classrooms and student housing. 

Chapman Properties told the Pittsburgh Business Times that North Fayette Township wants the property back on the tax rolls, and everything can be repurposed, but it will require zoning changes and some creativity.

(File Photo of Handcuffs)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Cumberland County, PA) Two people from New Jersey are now facing charges after police said over $3 million worth of marijuana was found in their van during a traffic stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. 

According to Pennsylvania State Police, troopers pulled over a Ram 3500 van on Interstate 76 West in Lower Mifflin Township in Cumberland County, around 9 p.m. on July 9th because it was going 99 mph in a 70 mph zone.

Police confirm that the driver, 19-year-old Yackov Bitan of Lakewood, New Jersey, was not licensed to drive a vehicle.  

After searching the vehicle, troopers affirmed they learned the van was hauling more than 700 pounds of marijuana and 200 THC vape cartridges and state police affirm that overall, the drugs had a street value of over $3.3 million. 

Police also stated that the drugs were seized and Bitan and his passenger, 34-year-old Yosef Marchette of Toms River, New Jersey, were arrested. 

Both Bitan and Marchette received a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and police note that they have been arraigned, and their bail was set at $500,000.

The duo is in the Cumberland County Jail pending a preliminary hearing. 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Beaver Valley Mall)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Monaca, PA)  The Beaver Valley Mall is having an event called Celebrating America 250 this Saturday, July 18th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The activities for this event include face painting, games, raffles and giveaways.  

The schedule of special events throughout Celebrate America 250 at the mall in Monaca are a patriotic pet contest and The Gathering Market craft show starting at 10 a.m., an obstacle bounce course starting at 11 a.m. and both DJ entertainment and a life flight helicopter visit starting at noon.

You can also honor a patriot of your choice by either writing a special message or writing the name of an active-duty service member, veteran or a first responder on a commemorative star.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Vehicles move past signs that indicate payment methods for driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the entrance ramp in Gibsonia, Pa. in this file photo from Aug. 30, 2021. Gov. Tom Wolf gave final approval on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, to legislation aimed at getting owners or operators of some 25,000 vehicles to pay their overdue bills for turnpike usage, The law that could trigger the suspension of thousands of vehicle registrations early next year. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Middletown, PA) The Pennsylvania Turnpike is now delaying a plan to text drivers about unpaid tolls.

The Turnpike Commission was preparing a pilot program which would send text reminders to drivers before unpaid tolls were sent to collections.

The commission notes that it is saving the idea for the time being.

The agency also commented in part of a statement: “Based on feedback, and until we can more clearly distinguish ourselves from scammers, we are not moving forward with the additional text messaging pilot at this time.”

The goal of this proposed texting program, according to agency officials, was to collect payments faster and reduce the number of accounts sent to collections.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: The Capitol is seen in Washington, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — There will be no turning back the clock if the House has its way.

The House passed a bill Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent. Proponents, including the White House, argued the change would provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active. The vote was 308-117.

Daylight saving time is that period between spring and fall when clocks in most parts of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time. States could opt out if their respective legislatures act to do so before the bill’s enactment. The Senate would also have to pass the bill before it could be signed into law, but it’s unclear if it will do so.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said Americans are ready to “ditch the switch,” saying that changing the clock twice a year creates unnecessary disruption. More important, he said, it would give families more daylight time in the evening to spend outdoors and support local businesses.

“In my home state of Florida where tourism is a cornerstone of our economy, having more predictable daylight hours is a practical improvement that benefits workers, businesses and visitors alike,” Bilirakis said.

Detractors said permanent daylight saving time would lead to darker and potentially more hazardous winter mornings where children will be waiting for school buses and parents will be driving to work in darkness.

“Millions of Americans will wake up during the winter months in complete darkness with the sun not rising until long after people get up and travel to school or work or have to go about their days,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass, said he supported the bill, but he questioned whether it was the best way for Congress to be spending its time.

“For folks getting crushed by rent, groceries, utility bills and healthcare costs, is this really the best the majority can do?” McGovern said. “Is this really the most pressing issue before the American people at this moment?”

A 2025 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that if forced to choose, most Americans would prefer to keep that extra hour of daylight in the evening.

If they had to choose one option for the entire country to use, more than half of adults — 56% — prefer making daylight saving time permanent, with less light in the morning and more light in the evening. About 4 in 10 prefer standard time, with more light in the morning and less in the evening.

The White House weighed in before the House vote, calling the “Sunshine Protection Act” a popular, common-sense reform and saying advisers would recommend the president sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

Members of Congress have long been interested in the potential benefits and costs of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. The Senate passed a bill four years ago to make daylight saving time permanent, but it stalled in the House.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – A sign on a door at The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania at the Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Feb. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Lawmakers in Harrisburg do not have too much longer to decide on a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling from earlier this year.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in March that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for second-degree murder convictions are unconstitutional.

This charge is also known as felony murder and it is used when someone participates in a violent crime which ends in death. 

This decision stemmed from the case against Derek Lee, who is now serving a sentence of mandatory life in prison for felony murder after a jury convicted him of the 2014 killing of Leonard Butler in the West End of Pittsburgh.

The deadline to decide on this ruling is July 24th. 

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Sewickley, PA) The former business manager of a local nonprofit organization pleaded guilty to bank fraud in federal court yesterday. 

According to information shared by the Department of Justice, sixty-three-year-old Judith A. Hetzell of Sewickley, pleaded guilty to seven counts of bank fraud. 

Hetzell served as the business manager for an organization which offered guardianship in the Western Pennsylvania area from November of 2023 to February of 2025. 

Police confirmed that as the business manager, Hetzell had access to bank accounts that belonged to people who were using the nonprofit’s fiduciary services. 

She was accused of fraudulently drafting checks against those bank accounts. 

The name of the nonprofit has not been released by prosecutors, and they did not say exactly how much money Hetzell received from this situation. 

Hetzell’s sentencing is scheduled for October 13th and she faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in jail, a fine of up to $1 million, or both.