(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – A sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, on May 4, 2021.
Effective immediately, the Internal Revenue Service will end its decades-old policy of making unannounced home and business visits — in a nod to worker safety and combatting scammers who pose as IRS agents. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington D.C.) The IRS opened the 2026 filing season today and started accepting and processing federal individual income tax returns for the tax year of 2025. The IRS is expecting about 164 million individual tax returns for the 2025 tax year to be filed ahead of the federal deadline of Wednesday, April 15th, 2026. IRS.gov is where taxpayers in Pennsylvania and beyond can find a range of filing options and tools to assist them in filing and preparing their tax returns. According to a release in Washington D.C. from the IRS, here is some more information about filing your taxes this year:

Get help preparing and filing electronically

• Filing electronically and choosing direct deposit remains the fastest way to receive a refund.
• IRS Free File, which you can access by clicking here, offers eligible taxpayers brand-name tax preparation software at no cost.
• Free File Fillable Forms, which you can access by clicking here, are available to taxpayers who are comfortable preparing and filing their own returns, regardless of income level.
• Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs, which you can access by clicking here, offer free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals.
• More than half of taxpayers use a tax professional to prepare and file their tax returns. The IRS encourages taxpayers to review tips for choosing a tax preparer and learn how to avoid unethical “ghost” return preparers, which you can find out about by clicking here.

Most refunds are issued within 21 days.

• Direct deposit is the fastest way to receive a refund. Additionally, in accordance with Executive Order 14247, which you can find out about by clicking here, the IRS began phasing out paper tax refund checks on September 30th, 2025, meaning most taxpayers must provide their routing and account numbers to receive refunds directly deposited into their bank accounts.
• Taxpayers can track refund status using Where’s My Refund? by clicking here, the IRS2Go app by clicking here, or their IRS Individual Online Account by clicking here.
• While the IRS issues most refunds in fewer than 21 days, some returns require additional review and may take longer.

EITC and ACTC refunds available by March 2nd

• The IRS expects most refunds for the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit to be available in bank accounts or on debit cards by March 2nd, 2026, for taxpayers who chose direct deposit and have no other issues with their returns. Some taxpayers may receive their refund earlier, depending on their financial institution. Where’s My Refund? will provide projected deposit dates for most early EITC/ACTC refund filers by February 21st, 2026.
• For more information and tools to help file a complete and accurate return, which you can find by clicking here and avoid errors that can delay refunds, visit IRS.gov.

(File Photo of the Mongotmery Locks and Dam)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington D.C.) According to a release from Washington D.C. from Congressman Chris Deluzio’s office, Deluzio (PA-17) celebrated today that funding for four of his community projects were signed into law, bringing more than $185 million in federal funds back to key projects in Western Pennsylvania. The single biggest item of those projects is funding to help modernize the Montgomery Locks and Dam along the Ohio River in Beaver County, along with other projects to fund local water infrastructure and police equipment. According to that same release from Deluzio’s office, the $185,356,000 in funding that was passed into law across the following four projects:  

• $183,829,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ mega project to modernize the Montogomery Locks and Dam in Beaver County 

• $900,000 for the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa to purchase updated wastewater treatment equipment 

• $502,000 for Ross Township Police Department to purchase body-worn cameras 

• $125,000 for the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department to purchase a police river patrol boat

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hopewell Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported via release today that a man was charged after causing a single-vehicle crash in Hopewell Township on the early morning of January 17th, 2026. At approximately from 2:30 to 3 a.m., the male driver was driving on I-376 West before Exit 45, and he related to police that he hit a cable barrier after he lost control on black ice on the road. He also stated to police that he continued to Exit 45 and parked his vehicle in the Green Garden Plaza before he called for a ride. The man who was charged did not advise of any injuries on the scene of the crash and the vehicle that he was driving was not towed from the scene. 

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of AAA East Central)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Gas prices are five cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at about $3.12 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas has gone up six cents over the past week to $2.88 as winter weather has affected most of the country. The report states that at this time a year ago the average price for a gallon of gas in Western Pennsylvania was around $3.52 and the average price that you can expect for a gallon of unleaded gas here in Beaver County is about $3.15. According to a release from AAA East Central and AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report, here are the average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline this week in various areas:

$3.156      Altoona
$3.151      Beaver
$3.275      Bradford
$2.968      Brookville
$3.118      Butler
$3.095      Clarion
$3.159      DuBois
$3.066      Erie
$3.093      Greensburg
$3.096      Indiana
$3.099      Jeannette
$3.263      Kittanning
$3.095      Latrobe
$3.147      Meadville
$3.118      Mercer
$2.968      New Castle
$3.126      New Kensington
$3.159      Oil City
$3.102      Pittsburgh
$2.928      Sharon
$3.093      Uniontown
$3.422      Warren
$3.112      Washington

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Raccoon Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported via release today that two people were extracted from a vehicle after a single-vehicle crash occurred in Raccoon Township on Wednesday evening. At approximately 9:18 p.m., fifty-two-year-old Juan Murillo Zaragoza was driving on Ewing Hill Road when the road conditions were extremely slippery and icy. Murillo Zaragoza and thirty-six-year-old Porfilo Pacheco-Guatemala of Monaca were extracted from the vehicle they were inside by the Raccoon Volunteer Fire Department after they crashed along 116 Ewing Hill Road.  

January 27th, 2026

(File Photo of a Fire Background)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Latrobe, PA) Multiple firefighters responded to a fire that occurred at a bar and grill in Westmoreland County last night. A report came in for a fire at about 11:40 p.m. and it happened at Lucky B’s American Grill located on Lincoln Avenue in Latrobe. All four people who live in the three apartments that were upstairs to the building that caught fire were able to escape with no injuries. The building was damaged, but the cause of the fire is unknown at this time. The tenants also expressed that they were told to reach out to the Red Cross. The owners of the restaurant stated that right now they are looking at potentially re-opening, but they want to go through the whole insurance process first to see what is possible.

(Photo Courtesy of WPXI-TV Pittsburgh, Posted on January 25th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The service for Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) is running again. However, some of the routes are either delayed or cannot be served at the moment because of the winter storm that covered western Pennsylvania with snow over the weekend. PRT confirmed in a statement this morning: “Light rail riders may experience delays of up to 15 minutes. Riders should board inbound platforms between Steel Plaza and First Avenue Station. PRT buses are operating where road conditions allow with service delays of up to 60 minutes.” PRT also noted that the Downtown Service Center will stay closed today. You can see which routes for PRT that are delayed or out of service by clicking here.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Marissa Orbanek, Press Secretary for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Somerset, PA) The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission launched its new Super Plow over the weekend on the turnpike near Somerset just in time for the big winter storm of 2026 that covered western Pennsylvania with snow. That piece of equipment is a tri-drive truck with 550-horsepower and three rear axles. Its front and wing plows can clear a path that is 27 feet wide in one pass combined. Turnpike officials are planning to use the Super Plow in plow trains during heavy storms with another truck that follows behind to clear all lanes in one pass, but even by itself, the Super Plow can remove snow from more of the highway much quicker than the current trucks.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: (File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Corey O’Connor speaks at a candidate’s forum held at Perry Traditional Academy in Pittsburgh, April, 24,. 2025. (AP Photo/ Gene J. Puskar, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor declared a state of emergency today following a historic winter storm that covered the region of the city in deep snow. City officials stated at a press conference this morning that they were on a pace that was solid in cleaning the streets until over a third of their plow trucks started breaking down. Mayor O’Connor confirms that 37 of the 95 plows are now in a garage to be repaired, and the rest of that fleet is struggling to keep up, which caused him to make a declaration of this state of emergency to receive more help. For now, Pittsburgh will need to use its trucks that are available and call for outside help even though there are plans and funding to address this issue.