(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced on Friday that a resident of New Castle pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics and firearm laws. Forty-nine-year-old Daniel Feliciano pleaded guilty to six counts on Thursday. In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, between October of 2022 and March of 2024, Feliciano conspired with others to distribute cocaine throughout Western Pennsylvania, specifically in the area of New Castle. According to Rivetti, Feliciano could face a maximum total sentence of no less than five years and up to life in prison, an up to a $5 million fine, or both, provided by the law. Feliciano was one of 17 defendants from Lawrence County, Puerto Rico and
Youngstown, Ohio, indicted in March of 2024 in this case that saw members of the conspiracy transporting drugs from Puerto Rico to Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and elsewhere for distribution and he was the last one of the seventeen defendants to plead guilty. Feliciano pleaded guilty to distributing and/or possessing with intent to distribute quantities of cocaine on three different dates, as well as possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes in addition to the conspiracy charge.

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: police car lights at night in city with selective focus and bokeh background blur, Credit for Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images/iStockphoto/z1b)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A truck burst into flames along a major highway in Pittsburgh yesterday. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher told WPXI that police and firefighters were sent to I-279 northbound near Exit 4 just after 11 a.m. A WPXI photographer saw a truck fully engulfed in flames and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.  Traffic remained restricted for about an hour after the blaze was put out. There were no reported injuries. 

(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh police are investigating after a man was found stabbed early yesterday in the 100 block of Forbes Avenue in Market Square. According to police, the victim was found unresponsive in the street just after midnight, suffering from stab wounds to his head and lower back. Medics transported him to a hospital in critical condition, which then upgraded to stable condition later. Investigators confirm that two suspects fled the area in a dark-colored SUV. No further information was immediately released.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – A Carnegie Mellon University sign is displayed outside Baker Hall on the university’s campus in Pittsburgh, June 7, 2019. Carnegie Mellon University and the Norman and Ruth Rales Foundation, named for a home-building supplies entrepreneur and his wife who built their fortune despite early struggles, hope a $150 million initiative will support a new generation of students trying to achieve that American dream. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh is one of many top universities across the United States of America that may be blocked by the Pentagon to block military members from using tuition aid there, which was what the Pentagon expressed last week. A statement from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the schools as being biased against the U.S. military and sponsoring “troublesome partnerships with foreign adversaries.” The memo that was signed by Hegseth rolled out the new policy impacting over 30 universities and schools, which includes CMU, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and MIT. According to a statement from the Pentagon, starting with the 2026-27 academic year, they will discontinue graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs. 

(Photo of Jason Lando Courtesy of Justin Guido/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Jason Lando was sworn in as the new chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in the Steel City on Friday. Lando is a Pittsburgh native who was unanimously approved to be appointed for this position on February 4th, 2026 by the Pittsburgh City Council after spending over twenty-one years as a commander with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. Lando also attended the Tree of Life Synagogue when he was growing up and directed operations there during the worst anti-semitic shooting in United States history on October 27th, 2018.

(File Photo of the Pittsburgh International Airport Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pittsburgh International Airport received 443 diverted flights in 2025, which nearly reached its record of 463 that was set in 2018. According to airport officials, the increase in diversion traffic followed intense thunderstorms in June and July that disrupted operations at major East Coast airports. The diversion rate at the Pittsburgh International Airport exceeded its 2018 pace and the five-year average by the end of July of last year. 

(File Photo of State Representative Aaron Bernstine)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lawrence County, PA) According to a release from Representative Aaron Bernstine’s office on Friday, Bernstine (R-Butler/Lawrence) announced that day that fire and emergency response organizations throughout the 8th Legislative District have been awarded nearly $244,000 in grants from the state of Pennsylvania. This funding comes from an ongoing grant program which is created by the Legislature and administered by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC). Projects that are eligible for funding include construction or renovation of a fire or ambulance company facility, purchase or repair of equipment, training, recruitment and retention, public education about fire safety, or reduction of existing debt. All of the funding comes from proceeds from slot machine gaming and not General Fund tax revenue. According to the aforementioned release from Bernstine’s office, the following grants were awarded:

Lawrence County:

• Borough of Ellwood City Fire Department – $13,251.
• Chewton Volunteer Fire Department – $12,220.
• Ellwood City Volunteer Fire Department – $13,663.
• Enon Valley Community Volunteer Fire Department – $12,014.
• New Beaver Borough Volunteer Fire Department – $12,014.
• Pennsylvania Medical Transport Inc. – $15,000.
• Scott Township Volunteer Fire Department – $13,475.
• Volant Volunteer Fire Company – $14,282.
• Wampum Volunteer Fire Department – $12,426.
• Wurtemburg-Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department – $13,457.

Butler County:

• Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company – $14,694.
• Middlesex Township Volunteer Fire Company – $12,633.
• Penn Township Volunteer Fire Department – $13,251.
• Portersville Muddy Creek Volunteer EMS – $15,000.
• Portersville Muddy Creek Township Volunteer Fire Department – $13,251.
• Prospect Volunteer Fire Department – $14,075.
• Quality Emergency Medical Service – $15,000.
• West Sunbury Volunteer Fire Department – $14,075.

(File Photo of a Friday Fish Fry Guide Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) The Allegheny County Health Department is now reminding organizations that they need to apply for fish fry permits as the Lenten season will soon be underway on Ash Wednesday this Wednesday, February 18th. The Allegheny County Health Department has asked that permits would be submitted as soon as possible to allow for processing and inspection. Applications can be completed online by clicking here with a fee of $45 and the Allegheny County Health Department states that there is a checklist that is attached that helps organizations make sure they are using the best practices for food safety. 

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: “Broken asphalt pavement resulting in a pothole, dangerous to motorists. Shot with shallow dof. ….recent addition”)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that weather permitting, pothole repair efforts are underway on state-owned roadways in the southwestern region. PennDOT crews are routinely conducting pothole repair operations to state-owned roadways when they are not providing winter services. Crews will address the roadways with higher traffic first and then as soon as possible, the secondary routes will be addressed. These repairs are considered temporary because long-lasting asphalt is not available until temperatures that are warmer occur. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – In this Sept. 11, 2002, file photo, the sun rises on Mt. Rushmore National Memorial near Keystone, S.D. as the flag is flown at half staff in honor of the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the United States. President Donald Trump is planning to kick off Independence Day weekend in South Dakota with a show of patriotism _ fireworks popping, fighter jets thundering overhead and revelers crowding beneath a piece of classic Americana _ Mount Rushmore. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Today is Presidents Day, which is a federal holiday in the United States of America. This means that all banks, government offices, post offices and the stock market will be closed. Grocery stores, retail stores and restaurants are more likely to be open.