(Photo Courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Newberry Township, PA) PennDOT, Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), Pennsylvania Turnpike (PA Turnpike) and Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association officials announced yesterday in Newberry Township that Pennsylvania is adding 1,202 parking locations for trucks in 133 locations by the end of 2026. This is the first expansion of designated parking spaces statewide other than through facility construction projects and will provide options that are safe for commercial drivers to meet federal hours-of-service rest requirements, which will both assist on this longstanding challenge nationwide and make safety for drivers better. The establishment of designated truck parking spots from PennDOT will occur on Interstate on-ramps with no safety concerns or sight distance, weigh stations used for motor carrier safety enforcement from the Pennsylvania State Police and various other locations within the right of way for highways. Sites that can be designated both cost-effectively and quickly were identified because of a close collaboration between staff of PennDOT and the PSP and spots will be marked with signage for truck-parking, which will be installed by PennDOT. According to PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll: “Truck parking is a nationwide issue, and with the high volume of freight traffic coming through Pennsylvania, the Shapiro Administration knew that we needed to tackle this problem. As a commercial driver’s license-holder myself, I know how important this commonsense approach is to our economy and workforce. By adding these spots – and looking at ways to add even more – we’re giving truckers many more options to safely park and meet their rest requirements.”

(File Photo: Source for Photo: With Fruitdale Elementary School in the background, a homeless man adjusts his shoe at Fruitdale Park, March 23, 2024, in Grants Pass, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lancaster County, PA) A Pennsylvania lawmaker recently made an upcoming legislation that goes against attempts to criminalize the homeless. Lancaster County Democratic Pennsylvania Representative Ismail Smith-Wade-El described in a memo on Thursday that rules have been adopted by many communities across the nation that punish individuals that are homeless just because they do not have shelter and he stated in it: “Criminalizing individuals or families for being homeless is needlessly cruel and undermines the guiding morals of our society. As servants of the people, it is our duty to ensure that every resident of the Commonwealth has the ability to provide for themselves and their loved ones as best they can.” Smith-Wade-El confirmed that the “Shelter First for Pennsylvanians Experiencing Homelessness Act” is what his legislation will be called. This bill specifies that homeless people are allowed to use public spaces for vital activities when those people do not have options for accessing housing.

(File Photo of Water)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Philadelphia, PA) Two Pennsylvania lawmakers have recently introduced a bill to legalize water cremation in the state. Water cremation, known as aquamation or alkaline hydrolysis, is a cremation process that is an environmentally friendly alternative process for cremation that uses water, heat and alkali to break a body down into its basic components. Democratic Pennsylvania State Representative Chris Rabb of Philadelphia co-sponsored a bill authorizing the use of water cremations of Pennsylvania, which passed in the Pennsylvania state House with bipartisan support. Republican Pennsylvania Representative Abby Major of Armstrong and Westmoreland counties is the primary co-sponsor for Rabb’s bill. Rabb is also a funeral director. According to the Cremation Association of North America, Pennsylvania could be the 26th state to legalize the procedure of aquamation.

(File Photo of Handcuffs)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) FBI agents recently apprehended a man from New York for allegedly defrauding a seventy-six-year-old man in Springdale Township of $130,000. Zhudi Chen faces charges of financial exploitation of an older adult and theft. According to the criminal complaint, the victim was contacted by scammers claiming to be investigating fraud at PNC Bank. Police confirmed that the victim was told by the scammers that he needed to liquidate his brokerage account to catch the suspect who had its access, which resulted in a $130,000 loss. The victim reported the fraud to the police in late September and shortly following, the scammers made a request to the victim to get over $103,000 in gold. The criminal complaint notes that FBI agents arrested Chen when he arrived at the house at the victim to collect the gold after an undercover operation and that Chen related to officers that he illegally crossed the border and had been apprehended previously by Homeland Security Investigations. Police stated that Chen has no ties to the Pittsburgh area or the victim. Chen is currently being held in the Allegheny County Jail.

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: PennDOT, PSP, PTC, Construction Industry Highlight National Work Zone Awareness Week)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(New Sewickley Township, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that single-lane restrictions are underway on Freedom Crider Road (Route 2004) in New Sewickley Township. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through Tuesday, October 21st, lane restrictions will occur on Freedom Crider Road between Baker Road and Wolf Run Road as crews will conduct drainage and roadway repair work there.

(File Photo of a Beaver County Sheriff’s Office Badge)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) The Rochester BCTA station will host the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office’s Safe Surrender Day today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The purpose of this event is to resolve outstanding Beaver County warrants. You can also come to this event to re-establish bail, establish payment plans for costs and fines, reschedule hearing dates and to connect with resources in the community of Beaver County. You can also call the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Division to determine if you have a warrant or to determine if that warrant is eligible for this event at 724-378-9063.

(Photo Courtesy of Pittsburgh Public Safety)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) According to a release on September 24th, 2025 from the U.S. Small Business Administration, (SBA), the SBA announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans for Pennsylvania businesses, private nonprofits, and residents affected by the Jefferson Apartment Complex Building Fire in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on September 9th, 2025. Beaver County and Allegheny County are two of six Pennsylvania counties to be eligible for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans and SBA physical damage loans. The other counties that are eligible for these loans are Armstrong, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties. You can also visit the Disaster Loan Outreach Center of Allegheny County, which is the Frick Environmental Center in Pittsburgh from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from today through Thursday. That center’s last day open will be on Friday and will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day. You can schedule an appointment in advance there online at appointment.sba.gov even though walk-ins are accepted. You can visit sba.gov/disaster to apply for a loan online. You can also call 800-659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for any help you need about these loans. November 21st, 2025 is the filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage and June 22nd, 2026 is the deadline to return economic injury applications.

(File Photo of the Seneca Valley School District Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harmony, PA) A new intermediate high school construction project for the Seneca Valley School District worth $165 million was recently proposed there and that district told WPXI they are accepting public comment about it until tomorrow. This project includes a performing arts center with 1,600 seats, forty-three new classrooms, a biotechnology lab and twelve science labs, as well as an auditorium, cafeteria and gyms that are all renovated. There will also be campus accessibility, green spaces and outdoor classrooms in the project. However, three residents that live in the district started online petitions to reconsider the project because of how much money it costs. Residents addressed this project last night to the Seneca Valley School District school board.

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of AAA East Central)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Gas prices rise three cents in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.44 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. As October begins, $3.13 is the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline, which is two cents less than a week ago. Prices usually decrease at the gas pump at this time because of the winter-blend gas that gas station have which is cheaper to produce. The report states that around $3.49 is the average price for a gallon of gas in Western Pennsylvania at this time a year ago and the average price that you can expect for a gallon of unleaded gas here in Beaver County is about $3.57. According to a release from AAA East Central and AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report, here are the average prices of unleaded self-serve gasoline this week in various Pennsylvania areas:

$3.315      Altoona
$3.569      Beaver
$3.580      Bradford
$3.028      Brookville
$3.535      Butler
$3.050      Clarion
$3.225      DuBois
$3.292      Erie
$3.478      Greensburg
$3.388      Indiana
$3.557      Jeannette
$3.558      Kittanning
$3.475      Latrobe
$3.257      Meadville
$3.556      Mercer
$3.482      New Castle
$3.571      New Kensington
$3.599      Oil City
$3.538      Pittsburgh
$3.410      Sharon
$3.565      Uniontown
$3.597      Warren
$3.517      Washington