Ex-church official who stole $1.2M sentenced on tax counts
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A former western Pennsylvania church administrator who is serving a state prison term for stealing $1.2 million has now been sentenced to a federal prison term on tax charges related to the embezzlement. David Reiter was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years and must also pay more than $1.4 million in restitution to the IRS. He had pleaded guilty to 16 federal counts last December. The federal prison term will run concurrently with the five to 10-year sentence he received for the state charges. Prosecutors say the money was stolen over the course of about 17 years from the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Upper St. Clair, where Reiter had been administrator since 2001.

State House advances 2-year child sex abuse lawsuit window
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania House has given its approval to a bill to establish a two-year window for civil claims over childhood sexual abuse. The vote on Wednesday is part of a belt-and-suspenders approach that also includes a potential constitutional amendment. The bill was sent to the state Senate by a vote of 149 to 52. Just two weeks ago, both chambers finished the first round of approvals for the constitutional amendment. Supporters say the proposed legislation and amendment are a way to get justice for victims who lost the right to sue when they turned 18 or were young adults, depending on Pennsylvania state law at the time.

Hawaii vacation of 3 friends from East Coast ended in death
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — A New Jersey man says a Hawaii vacation with his two friends from Pittsburgh ended in death after one of them became “psychotically” drunk. Alexander Germany-Wald of Montclair, New Jersey, testified at a preliminary hearing for his college buddy, Benjamin Fleming, who is charged with murder in the strangulation of their friend, Abhishek Gupta. Germany-Wald says he and Gupta got into a fistfight at their Big Island vacation rental after Gupta was asked to leave a bar. Germany-Wald says Fleming intervened and restrained Gupta, who later stopped breathing. Germany-Wald and Fleming were arrested. Germany-Wald was later released, and Fleming was charged with murder.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Hopewell Twp., Pa.) PA State Police in Beaver are reporting that a camper trailer came dislodged from a truck while travelling on I-376 in Hopewell Township Tuesday night around  6:30 p.m. . When Troopers arrived on the scene the vehicle was  blocking the road , Troopers closed the section of road and provided traffic control while the  roadway was cleared. No injuries were reported

(Potter Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting  that a 2016 Peterbuilt Truck was traveling south along Pa. Route 18 around 6 pm on March 21, 2021 in Raccoon Twp. when the exhaust stack on the passenger’s side struck a low hanging wire. As the truck traveled along a left-handed curve the wire pulled the exhaust stack down causing it to become removed from the truck. When troopers arrived on the scene they found that a low hanging wire was pulled away from the roadway by a support wire that was attached to a dead tree that had broken off causing the wire to hang over the roadway. Troopers notified Verizon and Duquesne Light who completed repairs before officers left the scene. No Injuries were reported.

(Moon Township, PA,) A new Adult Behavioral Health Unit opened at Heritage Valley Health System’s Kennedy Township hospital campus on Tuesday, April 7, 2021 . The newly constructed 24-bed adult Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) focuses on the treatment and care of individuals, ages 18 and older, with behavioral health disorders.

“The new unit was developed with thoughtful input from our clinical staff working with architects and engineering professionals. The environment supports the emphasis we provide on therapeutic communication by offering expanded group areas, privacy, and safety features,” said Linda Homyk, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Heritage Valley Health System. “Specific attention was given to adding features to enhance patient safety and adhere to evolving environmental requirements for reducing self-harm set forth by Joint Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.”

The unit complements the existing geriatric behavioral health unit at Heritage Valley Kennedy. Additionally, three new intake rooms were added to the emergency department at the Kennedy Township hospital, for those arriving with specific behavioral health needs. With this new unit opening, the behavioral health unit at Heritage Valley’s Sewickley campus will close and current staff will transition to the new unit.

Heritage Valley Health System has a long tradition of serving the behavioral health care needs in the community. The Heritage Valley Health System Board of Directors and leadership team is committed to providing high-quality behavioral health care. Beyond the inpatient behavioral health care at Heritage Valley Kennedy and Heritage Valley Beaver hospitals, the Health System continues a long-standing partnership with Staunton Clinic, an outpatient mental health and resource coordination center, that enables care to continue, uninterrupted, when patients return home. 

“Heritage Valley’s continuum of behavioral health care services is one of the many ways the Health System seeks to expand our reach and mission to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” added Ms. Homyk. 

(Photo of Jim from Rosalind’s 100th Anniversary Celebration Oct. 4, 2014)

(New Brighton, Pa.) A man known to many as simply “The Candyman” has passed away.

71-year-old Jim Crudden the long time owner of Rosalind Candy Castle in New Brighton passed away unexpectedly while surrounded by his family on Good Friday.  The announcement was made in a Facebook post on Rosalind Candy Castle’s page on Friday Evening.

The post stated that our Father was and amazing person. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He will be missed by all that knew him. We will all miss his humor, laughter, generosity, leadership and kindness. Jim had a passion for giving to the community. We encourage donating time or money to local groups and organizations in his honor. He loved to help others. We love you dad and you will be missed so much. Till we meet again.

Born August 16, 1949 in Rochester, Jim was a 1967 graduate of New Brighton High School and attended Robert Morris University, graduating in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. Upon graduation, Jim worked at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Beaver as a Production Coordinator and was promoted to Buyer in the Purchasing Department. In 1979 he left Westinghouse to join the family business at Rosalind Candy Castle in New Brighton. He learned the craft of making chocolates from his father, John Crudden and his uncle, Med Zaluska. Jim was the retired President of Rosalind Candy Castle.

 

Jim will be sadly missed and he did so much for his family and community. He was a kind and giving man that would help anyone he could, so as you are having that piece of Rosalind’s Chocolate that you just got in your Easter Basket say a pray for Jim and the entire Crudden family in their time of need.

Jim’s viewing is tomorrow from 2-4 & 6-8 in the J&J Spratt Funeral Home in New Brighton,
He will be buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, New Brighton.