At 10 a.m. on Friday, The Beaver County Times annual Toys for Tots drive had collected $865 and 149 toys. The goal of $2,700 seemed unreachable in the 3 hours remaining.

Then the Son of late local labor leader Edwin Hill showed up with a $2,000 donation from Hill’s estate.
“My father was from Beaver County, retired in Beaver County and always had an affinity to this area,” Hill’s son said Friday. “He would take what he could and help Beaver County residents. That’s what we plan to continue to do.”

Hill’s contribution, along with others from dozens of readers and Times’ employees, has helped Beaver County’s Toys for Tots program provide more than 20,000 Christmas presents to local children in recent years.

A single father with 7- and 8-year-old sons owned his own business and works full time as a restaurant manager. Then…An accidental fire in his home left him with injuries that prevented him from working for several months. The house was saved the house, but not his body. Even though he tried to go to work at his business in bandages, he and his partner had to close their doors.

While he is very thankful for the support of his boss and co-workers at the restaurant job, his wages do not cover expenses and debts accumulated while recovering.

Then, the eviction notice came, so this young father has gone to the Salvation Army for help. There his family is finding aid and hope.

Give-a-Christmas is a program that provides a holiday meal, warm clothes and presents. It can show this family that others care, too. All donations help needy neighbors right here in Beaver County. Christmas is fast approaching, so please give.

There’s a mixed bag of findings according to Scott Beach, interim director of University of Pgh. Center for Social and Urban Research which produced the “Pittsburgh Regional Quality of Life Survey” report with Pittsburgh Today.

More Allegheny County residents are better off financially than they were seven years ago and more feel better about the region as a place to live. Asked about their personal happiness, the results show a slight decrease.

68 percent of those responding now say this region is an excellent or very good place to live, versus 60 percent in 2011. Even with that, the report says, “the perspectives of residents often depend on who is asked,” with responses sometimes diverging based on race and household income.

The survey asked 101 questions about the region’s quality of life, such as environment, arts and culture, government, education and housing and then they were matched against responses to a similar survey done in 2011.

Among the other findings: 73 percent consider political gerrymandering a problem; 62 percent favor legalizing recreational use of marijuana; and 57 percent believe the quality of our roads and bridges is “a severe problem,” compared with 32 percent who responded that way seven years ago.

A University of Pittsburgh spokesman, Joe Miksch, confirmed that a student was found dead Saturday on a dormitory roof, but he said there was no evidence of foul play.

The male student’s body was discovered on the roof of Lothrop Hall and is considered to be an “isolated incident.” No additional details were provided out of concern for the family’s privacy.

The statement said “The University community is deeply saddened by the sudden death of our student and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and all who knew him,” .

It was posted to Twitter by NFL Network reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala that Patriots owner Robert Kraft flew into Pittsburgh early Saturday morning to pay his respects at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, the location of an October shooting where 11 were killed and six were injured, including four police officers.

Kraft then attended religious services at Rodef Shalom. He was invited to speak by the rabbi and it was reported that Kraft spoke partly in Hebrew.

WEATHER. MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2018

TODAY:A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s.

TONIGHT: Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 27F.

TOMORROW: Partly cloudy. High near 35F.

SANTA CAME TO ALIQUIPPA LAST NIGHT. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO WAS AMONG THOSE THERE TO GREAT HIM. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

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BREAKING NEWS:

BAD ACCIDENT AT THE MIDLAND-BEAVER EXIT. TRAFFIC IS BACKED UP CONSIDERABLY ON THE VANPORT BRIDGE. SANDY GIORDANO IS WORKING ON GETTING MORE DETAILS ON WHAT HAPPENED.  KEEP LISTENING TO BEAVER COUNTY RADIO FOR THE LATEST ON THIS BREAKING NEWS STORY, BROUGHT TO YOU BY…

BREAKING NEWS: Two people are dead following a shooting outside a gas station early this morning in Ambridge. According to Beaver County Emergency officials, the shooting was reported around 2:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Sunoco A Plus on Merchant Street. There’s a very active police presence there but  no arrests have been made. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano is looking into this story and will have more details later this morning. Stay tuned to Beaver County Radio for the latest on this breaking news story, brought to you by…