Affidavit: FBI feared Pennsylvania would seize fabled gold
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
An FBI agent applied for a federal warrant in 2018 to seize a cache of gold that he said had been “stolen during the Civil War” while en route to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, and was “now concealed in an underground cave” in northwestern Pennsylvania. That’s according to court documents unsealed Thursday. The FBI had long refused to confirm why exactly it went digging on state-owned land in Elk County in March 2018. Federal authorities say the dig came up empty. The FBI said in the newly released court documents that it feared the state of Pennsylvania would claim the gold for itself, setting up a costly legal battle.
Lawmakers OK letting students repeat year because of COVID
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Lawmakers are sending the governor a bill to let Pennsylvania parents decide whether to have their children repeat a year of school. It’s a measure designed to help children catch up after a year of schooling disrupted by the pandemic. The Senate voted 50 to 0 on Thursday for the proposal. It also would permit students in special education to return for another year, even if they have reached the maximum age of 21. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf hasn’t said if he’ll sign it. Under the bill, parents would have to decide by July 15 whether their child should repeat a grade.
After a year of waiting in isolation for the night skies to light up, PUSH Beaver County–along with the help of Zambelli Fireworks, Beaver County Radio, and other countless sponsors–will crank up the tunes and shoot up the sky with colorful light as Beaver County BOOM! returns for Summer 2021.
PUSH BC head men Mark & Nate Kopsack joined Matt Drzik in studio to preview this year’s festivities, from the live music at Thursday’s in Bridgewater to the food truck cavalcade at Bridgewater Park, to the skydiving exhibition provided by Studio SMC at 8:30, all leading up to the musically choreographed live fireworks display taking place at 9:45 over the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio Rivers.
All coverage of the evening’s festivities will be broadcast live on Beaver County Radio beginning with live coverage at 6:00 PM. Eddy Crow and Curtis Walsh will be live at Thursday’s with the Wrangler Band playing music throughout the evening, while Matt Drzik and Bob Barrickman will have the Beaver County Radio Prize Caddy out at Bridgewater Park, and will provide live updates during the evening. Plus Beaver County Radio will be livestreaming the fireworks on Facebook Live at 9:45, allowing this year’s BOOM! to be experienced worldwide.
To see the full interview with Nate, Mark, and Matt–click on the Facebook feed below!
By Stephanie Fox, Navy Office of Community Outreach
GROTON, Conn. – A New Brighton, Pennsylvania, native is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard USS California, one of the world’s most advanced nuclear-powered submarines.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Schmuck, a 2019 New Brighton Area High School graduate, joined the Navy two years ago. Today, Schmuck serves as an electronics technician.
“I joined the Navy to obtain an affordable education,” said Schmuck. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and I didn’t want a pile of debt. Now, I know when I go back I will have the support of the Navy and I can study something I know I am passionate about.”
According to Schmuck, the values required to succeed in the military are similar to those found in New Brighton.
“My father always told me that nothing worth earning comes easy in life,” said Schmuck. “Since joining the Navy I see just how true that is. It’s been a lot of hard work, but I know anything I achieve I have personally worked for.”
Fast, maneuverable and technically advanced, submarines are some of the most versatile ships in the Navy, capable of silently conducting a variety of missions around the world.
There are three basic types of submarines: fast attack submarines (SSN), ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) and guided-missile submarines (SSGN).
Fast attack submarines are designed to hunt down and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; strike targets ashore with cruise missiles; carry and deliver Navy SEALs; carry out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions; and engage in mine warfare. Their primary tactical advantage is stealth, operating undetected under the sea for long periods of time.
The Navy’s ballistic-missile submarines, often referred to as “boomers,” serve as a strategic deterrent by providing an undetectable platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles. SSBNs are designed specifically for stealth, extended patrols and the precise delivery of missiles. Their design allows the submarines to operate for 15 or more years between major overhauls. On average, the submarines spend 77 days at sea followed by 35 days in port for maintenance.
Guided-missile submarines provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Armed with tactical missiles and equipped with superior communications capabilities, SSGNs are capable of directly supporting combatant commander’s strike and Special Operations Forces requirements. Each SSGN is capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, plus a complement of heavyweight torpedoes to be fired through four torpedo tubes.
Serving in the Navy means Schmuck is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“National security is important because it involves the safety of everyone in our country,” said Schmuck. “Our presence itself is a deterrent that prevents foreign adversaries from entering our shores.”
With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.
“What our undersea forces accomplish every day is vitally important to our nation’s defense,” said Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, Commander, Submarine Forces. “Our Submarine Force is a critical part of global maritime security and the nation’s nuclear triad. Every day, our submariners are at the tip of the spear, forward deployed and ready – from the depths, we strike!”
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Schmuck, as well as other sailors, know they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.
“Serving in the Navy is my way to honor my great grandfather,” added Schmuck. “He was a veteran and without the assistance of Veterans Affairs (VA), he wouldn’t have been able to stay at home as long as he did. The VA helped my family care for him. I’m deeply grateful I have the chance to give back.”
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Amanda Rae Moreno
(Pittsburgh, PA) – Pennsylvania State Police have reported via release that on June 22nd, 2021 around 10:43 p.m. at River’s Casino here in Pittsburgh, Daniel Coker, a 33 year old man from Pittsburgh, PA, was arrested at the Casino for violating a lifetime ban.
(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that they were dispatched to a vehicle accident Monday, June 21, 2021, at 3:25 PM on Interstate 376 west bound in Hopewell Township.
Upon arriving on the scene and investigating Troopers reported via release that Robert Jackson of of Pittsburgh was driving a 2013 Dodge Avenger when he started hydroplaning. Jackson lost control of the vehicle and his vehicle slid off of the roadway and struck the center cable barrier with the front passengers side of the vehicle and then the rear of the vehicle. Jackson’s vehicle came to a rest in the left lane of traffic. The release states that Jackson wasn’t injured but he was issued a written warning for not driving a vehicle at a safe speed as road conditions dictate.
(Photo of 3rd Ave. in New Brighton as dawn approaches on June 24, 2021, taken by Frank Sparks)
A beautiful Early Summer day is expected and the five day forecast is showing summer temperatures: You can see your 5-day Beaver County Forecast from the National Weather Service in Moon Twp. below:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 84. South wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 6 to 8 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind around 6 mph.
Saturday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 89.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Monday: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
(Aliquippa, Pa.) Two people were injured in a drive-by shooting in the 1100 block of Main Street in Aliquippa on Wednesday evening.
Someone fired at least twelve shots into a Nissan Altima in which two victims were riding. Both victims were injured and were taken to a local hospital. Their conditions are unknown at this time and police don’t have any suspects at this time.
Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano is working on this story and we will have an update for you as soon as one is available.
(Washington, D.C.) A New Brighton man and a Baden man are two of three local men were arrested Wednesday morning on charges stemming from the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Mitchell Vukich of New Brighton was arrested along with Nicholas Perretta of Baden, and Samuel Fox, of Mt. Pleasent on charges of entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and demonstrating in a Capitol building.
Vukich and Perretta were also charged with theft of government property. Vuckich appeared via Zoom for an initial appearance in federal court Wednesday afternoon.
As a condition of being released from custody pending his trial, Vukich agreed to surrender his passport, stay out of Washington, D.C. unless for court purposes, abide by a $10,000 unsecured bond and remove all guns from the home he shares with his father.
Fox and Perretta were also released under similar conditions following their hearings on Wednesday afternoon.
Vukich was identified after several tips and social media posts where he claimed to be on of the first 15 people inside the building. He was also seen on surveillance footage walking in several areas of the building. Police said he also admitted to being present in the U.S. Capitol during the events and admitted to taking paperwork, which he described as a congressional session.
Perretta was identified in surveillance footage as being with Vukich at the time. Police said Perretta admitted to being in the building with Vukich and taking papers from the interior of the Capitol, which he described as three-month-old congressional papers, that they later threw away outside of the Capitol.
Worker dies after fall through roof of building in park
SOUTH PARK, Pa. (AP) — Authorities in western Pennsylvania say a masonry company worker was pronounced dead after falling through the roof of a large building in a park near Pittsburgh. Allegheny County police and paramedics were called shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday to the Agricultural Building in the South Park Fairgrounds and found the 59-year-old man unresponsive. He was pronounced dead the scene, officials said. Detectives said the man was an employee of Marsa Masonry who was doing work on the building, and a witness reported seeing him fall backwards and go through a skylight in the roof, falling about 21 feet. His name wasn’t immediately released.
