BEIJING (AP) — The head of a Chinese government expert team says human-to-human transmission has been confirmed in an outbreak of a new coronavirus. State media said Monday that the leader of the National Health Commission team said two people in southern China caught the diseases from family members. The English-language China Daily newspaper said the National Health Commission task force also found that some medical workers have tested positive for the virus. Human-to-human transmission could make the virus spread more quickly and widely. The outbreak is believed to have started from people who picked it up at a fresh food market in the city of Wuhan in central China.

A Wisconsin couple’s drug bust took a strange turn when one of the suspects told police he cut his product with an unusual substance: his mother’s cremated remains. 26-year-old Austin Schroeder and his girlfriend, 21-year-old Kaitlin Geiger, each face felony drug charges after a tip led authorities to their apartment. According to a criminal complaint, however, Schroeder told authorities his mother died a little more than one year ago and he mixed some of her ashes with a variety of substances, some of which he ultimately ingested. The complaint does not specify if Schroeder mixed his mother’s remains with any of the drugs he is accused of selling.

UNDATED (AP) — Harvey Weinstein’s defense team is expected to go on the offensive against his accusers when his sexual assault trial opens in the coming days. They’ll question whether the accusers acted like rape victims. New York City prosecutors plan to fight back with a strategy that’s taken hold since the 2018 retrial of comedian Bill Cosby: calling an expert on victim behavior early in the trial. They plan to use the sex crimes expert from Cosby’s trial, Dr. Barbara Ziv. Her work shows that victims often delay reporting to police, keep in contact with the perpetrator and remember more details over time.

Today we begin a new series on Beaver County Radio that puts the spotlight on the new faces in the County Courthouse for 2020. Today we look at new Controller Maria Longo, who sat down with Matt Drzik to talk about her new role in Beaver County. Click on ‘play’ to hear Matt’s report…

New research says major investments in early education would benefit children, parents and teachers in Pennsylvania. Andrea Sears reports…

Today is Martin Luther King Day…and the annual celebration is underway at Lincoln Park. As Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano reports, it’s one of the largest attended events in the tri-state area. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

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An Ambridge man is in custody after trying to elude police in Butler last week. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has the story. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Legislation to amend Pennsylvania’s constitution that could cut short the current Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court is advancing through the Republican-controlled Legislature. Final approval of the constitutional change could land in front of voters on the May 2021 primary ballot. It’s a tight timeline, but possible with concerted action. The crux of the Republican-penned constitutional amendment is this: Instead of Supreme Court justices and appellate court judges running for 10-year terms in statewide elections, they would run for the seats in judicial districts where they live. Democrats call it a scheme to gerrymander the courts. Supporters say it would create more geographic and ideological diversity on the bench.

Rescue crews were called after a man’s kayak overturned in Raccoon Creek in Potter Township at around 1 p.m. Sunday.  Police say the man inside the kayak was able to swim to a tree after it flipped and rescue teams from various departments had to pull him out. Police say his friend tried to rescue him and ended up getting his truck stuck in the woods. The kayaker was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia. His condition is unknown at this time.

We now know the identity of the teen killed in a Friday morning crash in Wampum. It happened along Route 18 where troopers say 18-year-old Savannah Smith pulled onto the highway from Route 288 and drove into the path of a tractor-trailer. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene while the driver of the big rig, 41-year-old Chad Tirko, was taken to U-P-M-C Jameson in New Castle for treatment.