Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published December 24, 2025 3:49 P.M.

(Pulaski Township, Pa)  A fire took place around 3pm at the Marion Hill Christian Alliance Church in Pulaski Township on Christmas Eve.

Numerous departments responded and appeared to have the fire under control as of 3:20pm.

Witnesses say that they saw smoke coming from the church.

Crews remained on scene as of 3:25pm working in both the front and rear of the church.

We have no further details at this time.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published December 24, 2025 9:55 A.M.

(South Beaver Twp, Pa) State Representative Josh Kail announced that his staff is sending out a thank you to A.E.C Oilfield Catering for donating turkeys this Christmas! Representative Kail and his staff made efforts to help families get enough to eat this Christmas season by working with the Families Matter Food Pantry and the Southside Beaver community.

Harrisburg, PA – Ahead of anticipated winter weather across Pennsylvania starting early Friday morning, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike) are advising motorists to watch weather forecasts, avoid unnecessary travel if possible and to exercise caution when driving. PennDOT and PA Turnpike may implement speed and vehicle restrictions throughout the storm.

“With Friday being a heavy holiday travel day, it’s important that folks keep an eye on the weather when making travel plans, and be prepared to make adjustments, if necessary,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Our 511PA.com website and mobile apps are a great way to get up-to-the-minute information on travel conditions across the state.”

Snow is expected in the north central, northeast and eastern regions of the state, with periods of ice in the northwest and central regions. Additionally, there is potential for prolonged periods of freezing rain, possibly starting as snow, through a large portion of the state.

“We really urge all drivers to exercise caution and avoid travel if the conditions warrant it,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “If that is not possible, please slow down, practice safe driving habits, and call *11 for any type of support while on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.”

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is projecting more than 7.4 million vehicles on the road this holiday period, with approximately 550,000 vehicles on the road Friday.

PennDOT and PA Turnpike crews will actively pre-treat roadways where necessary ahead of the storm to help prevent ice from forming a bond with the pavement during the early stages of a storm. However, salt does not resolve all risks, and drivers may encounter icy spots on the roadway. With freezing temperatures, roads that look wet may actually be icy, and extra caution is needed when approaching bridges and highway ramps where ice can form.

While avoiding or delaying unnecessary travel during winter storms is the safest choice, PennDOT offers this advice if motorists must travel and encounter snow squalls or blowing or drifting snow:

• Slow down gradually and drive at a speed that suits conditions.
• Turn on your headlights. If caught in a snow squall, turn on your hazard lights.
• Stay in your lane and increase your following distance.
• Stay alert, keep looking as far ahead as possible and be patient.
• Do not drive distracted; your full attention is required.
• Use your defroster and wipers.
• Keep windows and mirrors free of snow and ice.
• During whiteouts, come to a complete stop only when you can safely pull off the roadway.
• Do not stop in the flow of traffic since this could cause a chain-reaction collision.
• Do not pass a vehicle moving slowly or speed up to get away from a vehicle that is following too closely.
• Always buckle up and never drive impaired.
• Have an emergency kit handy. Here are some suggestions of what you could include in your emergency kit.

Last winter in Pennsylvania, preliminary data shows that there were 8,329 crashes, 29 fatalities, and 2,959 injuries on snowy, slushy or ice-covered roadways. Eleven of the people who died weren’t wearing a seat belt, and 17 of the fatalities were in crashes where a driver was going too fast for conditions and drove out of their lane.

A person fills out a Powerball lottery ticket on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A Christmas Eve Powerball drawing could add new meaning to holiday cheer as millions of players hope to cash in on the $1.7 billion prize, which comes after months without a jackpot winner.

The United States’ 4th-largest jackpot on record comes after 46 consecutive draws without someone claiming to have all six numbers. The last contest with a jackpot winner was on Sept. 6. The game’s long odds have people decking the halls and doling out $2 — and sometimes more — for tickets ahead of Wednesday night’s live drawing at 10:59 p.m. EST.

It’s a sign the game is operating as intended. Lottery officials made the odds tougher in 2015 as a mechanism for snowballing jackpots, all the while making it easier to win smaller prizes.

The Christmas holiday is not expected to impact the drawing process should there be a winning ticket, a Powerball spokesperson said.

Here is what to know about Wednesday’s drawing:

Christmas Eve cha-ching

That ticket placed in a stocking or under the tree could be worth a billion bucks — but with some caveats.

Powerball is played in 45 states, along with Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Most of those areas require players to be 18 or older, though some states have steeper requirements. In Nebraska, players have to be at least 19 years old, and in Louisiana and Arizona, people can’t buy tickets until they are 21.

Winning tickets also must be cashed in the states where they were bought. And players can’t buy tickets in Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada or Utah.

Other than that, lottery officials argue there is a chance a lucky Powerball ticket could be a gift that keeps on giving.

Charlie McIntyre, the New Hampshire Lottery’s executive director, said Tuesday: “Just think of the stories you can tell for generations to come about the year you woke up a billionaire on Christmas.”

A range of prizes can be presents

Wednesday’s $1.7 billion jackpot has a cash value of $781.3 million.

A winner can choose to be paid the whole amount through an annuity, with an immediate payment and then annual payments over 29 years that increase by 5% each time. Most winners, however, usually choose the cash value for a lump sum.

The odds are high for the top prize, but there are smaller prizes players can reap.

At the last drawing, players in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin each won $1 million. There are also prizes outside the jackpot, ranging from a few dollars to $2 million.

One woman told Powerball officials that she already made plans for her $1 million win: “We’re going to pay off our cars and credit cards and get a bigger house!”

And Thomas Anderson of Burlington, North Carolina, said he intended to use his $100,000 Powerball win from earlier this month to go back to school, according to Powerball.

Long odds for the billion-dollar jackpots

Lottery officials set the odds at 1 in 292.2 million in hopes that jackpots will roll over with each of the three weekly drawings until the pool balloons so much that more people take notice and play.

The odds used to be notably better, at 1 in 175 million. But the game was made tougher in 2015 to create the out-of-this-world bounties. The tougher odds partly helped set the stage for back-to-back record-breaking sweepstakes this year.

The last time someone won the Powerball pot was on Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion, which was the second-highest top prize in U.S. history.

The U.S. has seen more than a dozen lottery jackpot prizes exceed $1 billion since 2016. The biggest U.S. jackpot ever was $2.04 billion back in 2022.

More about those unfavorable odds

It’s hard to explain what odds of 1 in 292.2 million mean. Even if halved, they remain difficult to digest.

In the past, one math professor described the odds of flipping a coin and getting heads 28 straight times.

Tim Chartier, a Davidson College math professor in North Carolina, on Monday compared the odds of a winning lottery ticket to selecting one marked dollar bill from a stack 19 miles (31 kilometers) high.

“It’s true that if you buy 100 tickets, you are 100 times more likely to win. But in this case, ‘100 times more likely’ barely moves the probability needle,” Chartier said. “Using the time analogy, buying 100 tickets is like getting 100 guesses to name that one chosen second over nine years. Possible — but wildly improbable.”

___

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

BRISTOL, Pa. (AP) — A thunderous explosion Tuesday at a nursing home just outside Philadelphia killed at least two people, collapsed part of the building, sent fire shooting out and left people trapped inside, authorities said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a later news conference that emergency responders braved the flames, a heavy odor of gas and a second explosion to evacuate residents and employees.

Fire officials said they were in “rescue mode” five hours later, with responders still digging by hand and using search dogs, earth-moving equipment and sonar to locate potential victims.

The explosion happened at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol Township, just as a utility crew had been on site looking for a gas leak.

Shapiro said a finding that a gas leak caused the explosion was preliminary.

A plume of smoke rose from the nursing home as emergency responders from across the region rushed there.

Authorities did not identify those who died and did not immediately know the total number of people injured.

The town’s fire chief, Kevin Dippolito, said at the Tuesday evening news conference that five people were still unaccounted for, but he cautioned that some may have left the scene with family members.

Shapiro asked his fellow Pennsylvanians to take a moment to pray “for this community, for those who are still missing, for those who are injured, and for those families who are about to celebrate Christmas with an empty chair at their table.”

Dippolito described a chaotic rescue where firefighters found people stuck in stairwells and elevator shafts and pulled residents out of the fiery building through windows and doors. Two people were rescued from a collapsed section of building, he said.

Firefighters handed off patients to waiting police officers outside, including one “who literally threw two people over his shoulders,” Dippolito said. “It was nothing short of extraordinary.” A second explosion erupted during the rescue, he said.

Bucks County emergency management officials said they first received a report of an explosion at approximately 2:15 p.m.

Willie Tye, who lives about a block away, said he was sitting at home watching a basketball game on TV when he heard a “loud ka-boom.”

“I thought an airplane or something came and fell on my house,” Tye said.

He got up to go look and saw “fire everywhere” and people escaping the building. “Just got to keep praying for them,” Tye said.

The local gas utility, PECO, said while its crews were responding to reports of a gas odor at the nursing home, an explosion happened.

“PECO crews shut off natural gas and electric service to the facility to ensure the safety of first responders and local residents. It is not known at this time if PECO’s equipment, or natural gas, was involved in this incident,” the utility said in a statement.

One worker sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the utility said.

Investigators from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s went to the scene. Finding that the explosion was caused by a gas leak won’t be confirmed until the agency can examine the scene, a utility commission spokesperson said.

Musuline Watson, who said she was a certified nursing assistant at the facility, told WPVI-TV/ABC 6 that, over the weekend, she and others there smelled gas, but “there was no heat in the room, so we didn’t take it to be anything.”

The 174-bed nursing home is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Philadelphia. It is newly affiliated with Saber Healthcare Group and had been known until recently as Silver Lake Healthcare Center.

In a statement, Saber called the explosion “devastating.” It said facility personnel had promptly reported a gas smell to PECO before the explosion and that it was working with authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of staff, residents and the community.

The latest state inspection report for the facility was in October, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health found that it was not in compliance with several state regulations.

The inspection report said the facility failed to provide an accurate set of floor plans and properly maintain several stairways.

It said the facility failed to maintain portable fire extinguishers on one of the three levels and failed to provide the required “smoke barrier partitions,” which are designed to contain smoke on two floors.

According to Medicare.gov, the facility underwent a standard fire safety inspection in September 2024, during which no citations were issued. Medicare’s overall rating of the facility is listed as “much below average,” with poor ratings for health inspections in particular.

___

Levy and Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press reporters Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., Michael Casey in Boston and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published December 24, 2025 7:27 A.M.

(New Brighton, Pa) Fire crews were called out to a home on 10th Avenue in New Brighton Tuesday night. Numerous departments responded but were called off shortly after.  We have not heard of any injuries related to the incident.

(Hershey, Pa) Pennsylvania officials joined Santa Claus and his magical team of nine reindeer at Hersheypark to announce that the team has received clearance from the Department of Agriculture veterinarians to embark on their Christmas Eve journey across Pennsylvania.

Santa’s nine reindeer — Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph — received the all-clear from Dr. Sarah Coburn, Alaska’s state veterinarian to fly to Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania State Veterinarian Dr. Alex Hamberg and Assistant State Veterinarian Dr. Erin Luley reviewed Alaska’s Certificate of Veterinary Inspection and declared the team healthy, allowing them to fly from rooftop to rooftop for the purposes of toy delivery to the well-behaved children of Pennsylvania. These certificates are required as an assurance that contagious diseases are not carried across state lines.

A special holiday tradition at Beaver County Radio is back for another year. 95.7 and 99.3 FM along with 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA, and beavercountyradio.com will play continuous Christmas Music featuring local church, school, artists and civic choirs from 12:00 PM Wednesday, December 24th through 9:00 AM, Saturday, December 27th. The program schedule is listed below.

*Times are approximate, actual airtime may vary slightly*

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM – The Genevans kick off the non-stop Christmas music with selections of their holiday performances of recent years.

1:00 PM to 2:10 P.M – The Beaver Valley Choral Society presents their concert presentation “Carols by Candlelight” from 2024.

2:10 PM to 2:30 PM – Jackie Evancho sings selections from her 2010 Christmas EP O Holy Night.

2:30 PM to 3:00 PM – Selections from A Harp Noel, as performed by the Northwest PA Chapter of the American Harp Society.

3:00 PM to 3:30 PM – Local Christian music artist and New Brighton Graduate David DeMarco sings Christmas songs from his 2019 Christmas CD Believe.

3:30 PM to 4:00 PM – Grammy-Award winning singer and Beaver County native Vanessa Campagna sings a collection of classic Christmas tunes.

4:00 PM to 4:15 PM – The late, great B.E. Taylor puts his spin on the Christmas classics that made his voice a staple of the holiday season in Beaver County and Western Pennsylvania.

4:15 PM to 6:10 PM – The 2025 “A Holly Jolly Christmas” concert recorded live in Hopewell Township featuring Bailey Taylor, Rick Witkowski, Joe Munroe, Mary Ours, Hermie Granati, and more performing in the spirit of B.E. Taylor’s legendary Christmas shows.

6:10 PM to 8:45 PM – The 7th Annual 2025 Beaver County Radio Live Christmas Show will be replayed, featuring Christmas tunes courtesy of Rocket Loves Blue, Better Think Twice, Carlina Ricca and Valentina Powell, The Honky Tonk Heroes, Joe Munroe, JD Merkel, Dawn Savage, Noah Haswell, Diane Brosius, and Deuces Wild!

8:45 PM to Midnight – Local Light-Up Night returns once again to our Christmas playlist, featuring local artists playing all of your favorite holiday tunes in their rockin’ style!

8:45 pm: Valentina & Mickey Cherico
8:55 pm: Better Think Twice
9:34pm: The Allegheny High
9:43 pm: Frank Piscopo
10:10 pm: James Tobin
10:28 pm: Raggedy Anne
10:38 pm: Morgan Gruber
10:45 pm: Rudy Zetz & The Voices
11:02 pm: The Vacuum Tubes
11:07 pm: Donna Groom
11:12 pm: The Sidewinder Band
11:38pm: The “Speed Round”, featuring an hour of singles from a variety of singers and bands such as The Forty-Nineteens, Xenia Potter, Chip & The Charge-Ups, Ashley Marina, and more!

Thursday, December 25, 2025

Midnight to 12:30 AM – Pastor David Grove of The Church of the Redeemed of Beaver Valley holds a Christmas midnight mass.

12:30 A.M. to 1:17 A.M. – “In A Manger Lowly” – A treasured recording from 1963 by of The Sisters of St. Joseph Chorus in Baden. It’s a yearly tradition on “Christmas Music Around the Clock”!

1:17 AM to 2:00 AM – A throwback performance of the New Brighton Area School District’s 2014 Christmas concert, featuring the Elementary Chorus, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and High School Choir.

2:00 AM to 8:00 AM – Christmas Potpourri— A variety of holiday classics, local contributions, and other oddities from the BCR archives.

8:00 AM to 9:00 AM – The Genevans 2024 Christmas Concert.

9:00 AM to 10:00 AM – A 2015 recording of Christmas songs from the St. Cecilia Chorus.

10:00 AM to 10:30 AM – The Big Beaver Falls Area School District present their choral Christmas concert featuring selections performed by the Middle School and High School choirs.

10:30 AM to 11:26 AM – The Beaver County Symphonic Wind Ensemble performs Christmas classics recorded live on December 14, 2011 at Penn State Beaver.

11:26 AM to 12:37 PM – The Beaver Valley Choral Society presents their concert presentation “Carols by Candlelight” from 2024.

12:37 PM to 1:00 PM – The annual appearance of The Border Brass with Tijuana Christmas.

1:00 PM to 1:17 PM – Jackie Evancho sings selections from her 2010 Christmas EP O Holy Night.

1:20 PM to 1:30 PM – The Eight Bells, a select men’s a cappella ensemble from Geneva College. These recordings originally aired on December 9, 2021 as part of “The Best of Beaver County” on WBVP, WMBA & 99.3 F.M.

1:30 PM to 2:30 PM – Local Christian music artist and New Brighton Graduate David DeMarco sings Christmas songs from his 2019 Christmas CD Believe.

2:30 PM to 3:30 PM – Grammy-Award winning singer and Beaver County native Vanessa Campagna sings a collection of classic Christmas tunes.

3:30 PM to 3:45PM – A selection of classics from the late legend B.E. Taylor.

3:45 PM to 5:40 PM – The 2025 “A Holly Jolly Christmas” Concert recorded live in Hopewell featuring Bayley Taylor, Rick Witkowski, Joe Munroe, Mary Ours, Hermie Granati, and more!

5:40 PM to 8:05 PM – The 7th Annual 2025 Beaver County Radio Live Christmas Show will be replayed, featuring Christmas tunes courtesy of Rocket Loves Blue, Better Think Twice, Carlina Ricca and Valentina Powell, The Honky Tonk Heroes, Joe Munroe, JD Merkel, Dawn Savage, Noah Haswell, Diane Brosius, and Deuces Wild!

8:15 PM to  11:15 PM – Local Light-Up Night returns once again to our Christmas playlist, featuring local artists playing all of your favorite holiday tunes in their rockin’ style!

8:15 pm: Valentina & Mickey Cherico
8:25 pm: Better Think Twice
9:00pm: The Allegheny High
9:10 pm: Frank Piscopo
9:35 pm: James Tobin
9:55pm: Raggedy Anne
10:05 pm: Morgan Gruber
10:10 pm: Rudy Zetz & The Voices
10:30 pm: The Vacuum Tubes
10:35 pm: Donna Groom
10:40 pm: The Sidewinder Band
11:05pm: The “Speed Round”, featuring an hour of singles from a variety of singers and bands such as The Forty-Nineteens, Xenia Potter, Chip & The Charge-Ups, Ashley Marina, Yasmine Vine, and more!

11:30 PM to Midnight – The late, great B.E. Taylor puts his spin on the Christmas classics that made his voice a staple of the holiday season in Beaver County and Western Pennsylvania.

Friday, December 26, 2025

12:00 AM to 12:30 AM – Christmas Potpourri— A variety of holiday classics, local contributions, and other oddities from the BCR archives.

12:30 A.M. to 1:17 A.M. – “In A Manger Lowly” – A treasured recording from 1963 by of The Sisters of St. Joseph Chorus in Baden. It’s a yearly tradition on “Christmas Music Around the Clock”!

1:17 AM to 2:00 AM – A throwback performance of the New Brighton Area School District’s 2014 Christmas concert, featuring the Elementary Chorus, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and High School Choir.

2:00 AM to 8:00 AM – Christmas Potpourri— A variety of holiday classics, local contributions, and other oddities from the BCR archives.

8:00 AM to 9:00 AM – The Genevans 2024 Christmas Concert.

9:00 AM to 10:00 AM – A 2015 recording of Christmas songs from the St. Cecilia Chorus.

10:00 AM to 10:30 AM – The Big Beaver Falls Area School District present their choral Christmas concert featuring selections performed by the Middle School and High School choirs.

10:30 AM to 11:26 AM – The Beaver County Symphonic Wind Ensemble performs Christmas classics recorded live on December 14, 2011 at Penn State Beaver.

11:26 AM to 12:37 PM – The Beaver Valley Choral Society presents their concert presentation “Carols by Candlelight” from 2024.

12:37 PM to 1:00 PM – The annual appearance of The Border Brass with Tijuana Christmas.

1:00 PM to 1:17 PM – Jackie Evancho sings selections from her 2010 Christmas EP O Holy Night.

1:20 PM to 1:30 PM – The Eight Bells, a select men’s a cappella ensemble from Geneva College. These recordings originally aired on December 9, 2021 as part of “The Best of Beaver County” on WBVP, WMBA & 99.3 F.M.

1:30 PM to 2:30 PM – Local Christian music artist and New Brighton Graduate David DeMarco sings Christmas songs from his 2019 Christmas CD Believe.

2:30 PM to 3:30 PM – Grammy-Award winning singer and Beaver County native Vanessa Campagna sings a collection of classic Christmas tunes.

3:30 PM to 3:45PM – A selection of classics from the late legend B.E. Taylor.

3:45 PM to 5:40 PM – The 2025 “A Holly Jolly Christmas” Concert recorded live in Hopewell featuring Bayley Taylor, Rick Witkowski, Joe Munroe, Mary Ours, Hermie Granati, and more!

5:40 PM to 8:05 PM – The 7th Annual 2025 Beaver County Radio Live Christmas Show will be replayed, featuring Christmas tunes courtesy of Rocket Loves Blue, Better Think Twice, Carlina Ricca and Valentina Powell, The Honky Tonk Heroes, Joe Munroe, JD Merkel, Dawn Savage, Noah Haswell, Diane Brosius, and Deuces Wild!

8:15 PM to  11:15 PM – Local Light-Up Night returns once again to our Christmas playlist, featuring local artists playing all of your favorite holiday tunes in their rockin’ style!

8:15 pm: Valentina & Mickey Cherico
8:25 pm: Better Think Twice
9:00pm: The Allegheny High
9:10 pm: Frank Piscopo
9:35 pm: James Tobin
9:55pm: Raggedy Anne
10:05 pm: Morgan Gruber
10:10 pm: Rudy Zetz & The Voices
10:30 pm: The Vacuum Tubes
10:35 pm: Donna Groom
10:40 pm: The Sidewinder Band
11:05pm: The “Speed Round”, featuring an hour of singles from a variety of singers and bands such as The Forty-Nineteens, Xenia Potter, Chip & The Charge-Ups, Ashley Marina, Yasmine Vine, and more!

11:30 PM to Midnight – The late, great B.E. Taylor puts his spin on the Christmas classics that made his voice a staple of the holiday season in Beaver County and Western Pennsylvania.

Saturday, December 27, 2025

12:00 AM to 9:00 AM – Christmas Potpourri— A variety of holiday classics, local contributions, and other oddities from the BCR archives.

Return to regular programming at 9:00 AM

 

Story by Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published December 23, 2025 8:57 A.M.

(New Brighton, Pa) The New Brighton Area School District announced they were given approximately 50 bags of non-perishable food and snacks. The district is making them available to any student families that can use them. The bags are located in the District Administration Office, next to the Auditorium entrance. You must visit the District Administration Office Tuesday before 1:00 pm.