Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published February 4, 2026 10:38 P.M.
(New Brighton, Pa) Emergency crews responded to what appeared to be a person struck by a vehicle on 3rd Avenue around 9:30pm Tuesday.
Beaver County Radio witnessed a person laying in the road being attended to by emergency personnel.
A vehicle was also seen stopped in the southbound lane of the road.
The scene was cleared shortly before 10pm. We have no additional details to share at this time.
(File Photo of the Beaver County Courthouse)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver, PA) Several topics were discussed at the Beaver County Commissioners’ work session this morning at the Beaver County Courthouse in Beaver. One of them was during the audience participation segment of the session. Jeff Pflug, the executive director of the Beaver County Conservation District, notified the Commissioners during that time that even though there were concerns from citizens last year about the streambank located in Brush Creek Park, a grant was awarded through the Department of Environmental Protection to help out that community. Specfically, the Beaver County Conversation District received three grants last month for three different streambank stabilization projects, one of which was a total of $42,238 along Brush Creek. Pflug stated that he will be working with people including the Commissioners to set up meetings for this endeavour. In other business, Beaver County Recreation and Tourism Director Tony Caltury mentioned during the Department Head Report of the session about several items for America250PA, the event to celebrate the 250th year since the founding of the United States of America in Pennsylvania. Caltury suggested with moving forward to planning a kickoff event “later in February” for America250PA. Caltury also stated that Brush Creek is one of five courses in the region that was part of Pittsburgh being given the 2026 Professional Disc Golf Association World Juniors Tournament last week. This three-day event will be held in July of 2026 with about 600 people participating in disc golf. Beaver County Solicitor Garen Fedeles also mentioned during the Solicitors’ report of the session that he spoke with Beaver County Emergency Services Director Eric Brewer recently and Brewer indicated that “at this point, there’s not been any funding released from the state for the purposes of assisting with the snow removal that occurred over the last week.” This was brought up because some communities reached out about whether state of emergencies should be declared in regards to the snow in which funding can be opened up and would become available for them.
(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership/Klavon Design Associates)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Smithfield Street, one of the most popular corridors in Downtown Pittsburgh, will be undergoing a significant transformation that is aimed at improving accessibility, safety and the overall vibrancy of the city. According to the City of Pittsburgh and the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, the goal is to reimagine Smithfield Street as a place where people want to spend time, not just pass through. New renderings show a brighter, more open streetscape designed to support drivers, local businesses and pedestrians. The first changes that are visible will take place between Forbes Avenue and Sixth Avenue. The first phase of construction for this project is expected to begin this summer and it could take nearly two years to complete. The next phase of the Smithfield Street reconstruction project includes a full rebuild of the roadway, sidewalks that are extended, landscaping that is new, signage that is improved, as well as other upgrades intended to make the area more inviting.
(Photo of Jason Lando Courtesy of Justin Guido/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Two new members of the administration of Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor became official today. Pittsburgh City Council took a vote that was unanimous to confirm Jason Lando as the police chief and Sheldon Williams as the public safety director of the Steel City. Lando is a Pittsburgh native who spent over twenty-one years as a commander with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. Williams began his career with the city of Pittsburgh as a paramedic before spending over thirteen years with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
(Photo Courtesy of Gavin Thunberg)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Aliquippa, PA) Dozens of firefighters were called to battle flames at a home in Aliquippa last night. The fire broke out around 11:45 p.m. on Baker Street and it caused damage to an upper floor of the home. A woman, who has not been identified yet, was evaluated at the scene even though she was not taken to a hospital. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – In this image released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Wesley Routh, a man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff’s Office via AP, File)
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of trying to assassinate President Donald Trump on a Florida golf course in 2024 was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon pronounced Ryan Routh’s fate in the same Fort Pierce courtroom that erupted into chaos in September when he tried to stab himself shortly after jurors found him guilty on all counts.
Prosecutors had asked for life without parole, saying Routh is unrepentant and has never apologized. A defense attorney brought in for his sentencing asked for 27 years, noting that Routh is already turning 60.
Routh also received a consecutive seven-year sentence for one of his gun convictions.
Routh’s sentencing had initially been scheduled for December, but Cannon agreed to move the date back after Routh decided to use an attorney during the sentencing phase instead of representing himself as he did for most of the trial.
Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that Routh has yet to accept any responsibility and should spend the rest of his life in prison, in accordance with federal sentencing guidelines. He was convicted of trying to assassinate a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon and using a gun with a defaced serial number.
“Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk, and his life demonstrates near-total disregard for law,” the memo said.
Routh’s new defense attorney, Martin L. Roth, asked for a variance from sentencing guidelines: 20 years in prison on top of a seven-year, mandatory sentence for one of the gun convictions.
“The defendant is two weeks short of being sixty years old,” Roth wrote in a filing. “A just punishment would provide a sentence long enough to impose sufficient but not excessive punishment, and to allow defendant to experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.”
Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the Republican presidential candidate played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.
At Routh’s trial, a Secret Service agent helping protect Trump on the golf course testified that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and run away without firing a shot.
In the motion requesting an attorney, Routh offered to trade his life in a prisoner swap with people unjustly held in other countries, and said an offer still stood for Trump to “take out his frustrations on my face.”
“Just a quarter of an inch further back and we all would not have to deal with all of this mess forwards, but I always fail at everything (par for the course),” Routh wrote.
In her decision granting Routh an attorney, Cannon chastised the “disrespectful charade” of Routh’s motion, saying it made a mockery of the proceedings. But the judge, nominated by Trump in 2020, said she wanted to err on the side of legal representation.
Cannon signed off last summer on Routh’s request to represent himself at trial. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that criminal defendants have the right to represent themselves in court proceedings, as long as they can show a judge they are competent to waive their right to be defended by an attorney.
Routh’s former federal public defenders served as standby counsel and were present during the trial.
Routh had multiple previous felony convictions including possession of stolen goods, and a large online footprint demonstrating his disdain for Trump. In a self-published book, he encouraged Iran to assassinate him, and at one point wrote that as a Trump voter, he must take part of the blame for electing him.
(File Photo of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Harrisburg, PA) Leaders of the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus responded yesterday to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget proposal in Harrisburg that day with the following comments:
House Republican Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford/Fulton):
“As with past budget proposals from this administration, the product unveiled today spends too much, grows government too much and relies too much on unsustainable sources of revenue. I am also deeply concerned about the illegitimate use of the Rainy Day Fund to create a $100 million slush fund that obscures the lines of federalism. Our number one priority must be providing the foundation for substantial economic growth in the Commonwealth to balance any future state budgets. We also must begin—right now—the hard work of reducing the size and scope of government so we do not continue to take too much from hardworking Pennsylvania taxpayers who are already struggling to make ends meet.”
House Republican Whip Tim O’Neal (R-Washington):
“The affordability crisis is real and people are struggling. This proposal by Gov. Shapiro is irresponsible and will contribute to rising costs across the state. We cannot continue to rely on new taxes and accounting tricks to fill in the gaps. The only way to raise revenue without digging deeper into the pockets of Pennsylvanians is to inject new life into our state’s economy. Get government out of the way by making it easier for people to save money, get to work and earn in Pennsylvania.”
House Republican Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Struzzi (R-Indiana):
“The governor’s proposal today is just the start of the budget process. This $53.26 billion budget is an increase of $2.72 billion, or 5.4%, over the current fiscal year. I have major concerns not just on the spending side, but also on the revenue proposals and fiscal solvency of the Commonwealth in future years. I look forward to our three weeks of budget hearings to review this budget line-by-line and work toward a comprise budget that meets the needs of all Pennsylvanians.”
(Credit for Photo: Courtesy of KDKA)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Filming is set to begin soon in Pittsburgh for the final season of “Mayor of Kingstown” and a casting call is now going out that is looking for extras. Movie Casting Pittsburgh announced yesterday that filming is scheduled to begin in early March and is expected to continue through June. Earlier this year, Paramount+ announced plans to renew “Mayor of Kingstown” for its fifth and final season. The drama stars Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner and Emmy winner Edie Falco and centers around the McLusky family in the fictional town of Kingstown, Michigan. You can apply for this opportunity by clicking here.
(File Photo: Caption for Photo: police car lights at night in city with selective focus and bokeh background blur, Credit for Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images/iStockphoto/z1b)
Noah Haswell, Baver County Radio News
(Homewood Bourogh, PA) A man is now accused of fleeing from police in a Jeep and brandishing a gun at them in a snow-covered borough located in Beaver County. According to court documents, police were called to Third Avenue in Homewood Borough on Sunday for reports of a Jeep that was stuck on a snow drift with the driver nearby acting strange. Officers confirmed that the driver, who was later identified as forty-eight-year-old Benjamin Carl Hertweck, was arguing with a nearby homeowner when they arrived and he got back into the Jeep and took off after seeing emergency lights. Then, police mentioned that after the Jeep drove through a yard to avoid getting stopped, it got stuck in snow again in a nearby alley. Police state that Hertweck eventually ran into his house on the 100 block of Fourth Avenue and officers stated he appeared in the upstairs window brandishing a shotgun and told police they “should’ve shot him when they had the chance.” Police also noted that Hertweck smelled strongly of alcohol and told officers that he was “just having fun.” The situation did not escalate at that point and police expressed they were able to convince Hertweck to come out of his home. Hertweck faces thirteen misdemeanor charges and a felony charge of fleeing or attempting to elude officers.
(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)
Noah Haswell, Baver County Radio News
(Moon Township, PA) A Moon Township mother is now saying she is lucky to be alive after a massive piece of ice flew off a tractor-trailer and crashed through her windshield on the Parkway West. Madeline Grace was driving on the Parkway West Saturday morning when a large sheet of ice flew off a tractor-trailer on the opposite side of the highway and crashed straight through her windshield. State police are trying to track down the truck that the ice came from and are asking anyone who might have been in the Parkway West area Saturday morning around 10 a.m. to check their dash cams.