(Photo and Story by Sandy Giordano)
(Aliquippa, Pa.) St. Elijah Serbian  Orthodox Church in Aliquippa held its annual Fall Food Festival Saturday and Sunday. It was a well–attended event with plenty of traditional food such as lamb, rice pilaf, Serbian potato salad, gibanica, burek, chicken , sarma, chicken noodle soup, grai kupus, and  pastries for those that love sweets.

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio Staff
(Perry Township, Lawrence County, Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they were called to the scene of a one vehicle accident on Portersville Road in Perry Twp. on Friday, September 30, 2022, at 10:26 PM.
Upon arriving and investigating it was determined that 44-year-old Christopher Ragula of Prospect crashed the 1996 Dodge that he was driving into a guard rail resulting in the vehicle rolling on the roadway. Ragula was suspected by Troopers to be driving under the influence of alcohol and was transported via EMS to UPMC Jameson for suspected injuries.
There is no word on his condition. Troopers reported that charges are pending at the local magistrate’s office.

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio staff
(Muddy Creek Township, Butler County, Pa.) Pa State Police in Butler are reporting that they were dispatched to the scene of a one vehicle accident on Route 19, Perry Highway in Muddy Creek Township, Butler County at 5:09 PM on Saturday, October 1, 2022.
Upon arriving and investigating it was determined that 31-year-old Travis Miller, from Fombell, was driving his 2007 Jeep Liberty too fast for conditions and lost control of the vehicle. The Jeep left the east berm of the roadway, overturned, and struck an embankment. Miller received minor inquires in the accident and was observed running from the scene.
He was charged by Troopers with not properly driving a vehicle at a safe speed.

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio Staff
(New Castle, Pa.) Pa State Police in New Castle are reporting that they were call to UPMC Jameson Hospital in New Castle on Friday, September 30, 2022, at 5:17 PM because 31-year-old John Dierfield of New Galilee was there and the involved knew that he had an active warrant for his arrest.
Troopers said via release when they arrived at the hospital to take custody of Dierfield he had already left without being discharged.
There is no word on what the warrant was for or if he had since been apprehended.

(File Photo of Acrisure  Stadium when it was Heinz Field)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office early Monday morning identified the man who fell off an escalator and later died at Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium. Authorities say that 27-year-old Dalton Ryan Keane of Monaca died at a Pittsburgh hospital shortly after he fell. The Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety say police and emergency service personnel were alerted after Keane fell around 4:45 p.m., shortly after the end of New York’s 24-20 victory over the Steelers. Paramedics administered care on site to the him before he was transported to the hospital in critical condition were he later died. There is no word on how he fell and the Steelers said in a statement that the organization is working with local authorities during the investigation.

Eduardo Tocuya carries a dog he recovered in hopes of reuniting it with its owners, two days after the passage of Hurricane Ian, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

By MEG KINNARD and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Rescuers continue to search for survivors in flooded homes in Florida after Hurricane Ian’s passage earlier this week. Meanwhile, authorities in South Carolina are awaiting daylight Saturday to assess the damage from the storm’s strike there. Ian made another landfall Friday on South Carolina’s coast and is now a post-tropical cyclone moving across parts of North Carolina and Virginia. The powerful storm terrorized millions of people for most of the week and officials say it’s blamed for at least 27 deaths in Florida and three deaths in Cuba. But authorities say they expect the death toll to rise further.

(File Photo of Bernstine’s official Photo)

(Harrisburg, Pa.) Legislation sponsored by Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) that would focus on the parole process for violent offenders was vetoed today by Gov. Tom Wolf.

“I am upset, disappointed and disgusted with the governor’s decision to veto this important, commonsense legislation,” said Bernstine. “This bill would have kept the most dangerous inmates from a premature release in order to protect our Commonwealth residents and would have saved Markie’s life.”

House Bill 146, or Markie’s Law, was named after Markie Mason, an 8-year-old boy who was brutally stabbed to death by a man who was paroled at the end of his minimum sentence for homicide, even after being convicted of committing two separate assaults of other inmates while in prison.

The bill would postpone consideration of a violent inmate’s parole an additional 24 months following the inmate’s minimum release date for each conviction of a violent offense while incarcerated. In addition, it would suspend consideration of an inmate’s parole an additional 12 months if the inmate attempts to escape, smuggles contraband, or retaliates or intimidates witnesses while incarcerated.

In his veto message, the governor called the legislation “misguided and does not promote public safety.”

Bernstine disagrees with Wolf. “Had this animal who murdered Markie Mason remained behind bars, he would still be alive today. How does this bill not promote public safety? The legislation is all about keeping criminals locked up so they can’t be harmful to society.”

Markie’s Law passed the Senate by a 41-9 vote and then the House voted 133-69 to concur with changes made by the Senate to the original bill.

Bernstine said he will continue his fight to protect the public from violent offenders.