(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

(Beaver County, PA) A man from North Carolina is facing nearly 50 charges after police said he physically and sexually assaulted a teenage girl in Beaver County. Police were called to Route 68 in New Sewickley Township on March 4th for reports of a thirteen-year-old who had been assaulted. According to court documents, the victim told police she was in an intimate relationship with nineteen-year-old Jacob Bentley Baker of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. She explained that she and Baker had gotten into an argument and that he grabbed both of her arms, screamed at her and tried to take her phone before leaving. Police stated that Beaver County emergency dispatchers received a call from the Sheetz in the City of Beaver Falls from Baker who said he wanted to turn himself in. In an interview, police confirmed that Baker admitted to having sex with the victim on five occasions. He told police he did not know she was thirteen when he first met her, but said that he engaged in sexual acts multiple times after learning that she was. Police also note that Baker also admitted to filming explicit interactions with the victim. Investigators also express they recovered illicit videos and photos from Baker’s phone. Baker is being held at the Beaver County Jail and faces 48 charges and these include corruption of minors, child sexual abuse material, indecent assault, sexual assault and statutory rape, among others.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: A vehicle passes a gasoline price board at a filling station in Philadelphia, Friday, March 27th, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday as the Iran war pushed fuel prices to soar worldwide.

According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02 — over a dollar more than before the war began. The last time U.S. drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now. Prices vary from state to state due to factors ranging from nearby supply to differing tax rates.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint war against Iran on Feb. 28, the cost of crude oil — the main ingredient in gasoline — has spiked and swung rapidly. That’s because the conflict has caused deep supply chain disruptions and cuts from major oil producers across the Middle East.

Motorists around the world are also coping with higher gas prices due to the war. In Paris, for example, gas is at 2.34 euros per liter ($2.68), which is about $10.27 a gallon.

Expensive gas could drag on the economy and drive up other prices

Higher gas prices are impacting consumers and businesses as many households continue to face wider cost of living strains. And as drivers pay more to cover necessities like gas, many may be forced to cut their budgets in other places.

More expensive fuel can also push up other spending, from utility bills to the price of many goods consumers buy each day.

Consumer prices and the cost of living already have become flashpoints in this midterm election year, with Democrats especially hammering Trump and Republicans as the GOP tries to hold majorities on Capitol Hill. A recent AP-NORC poll found that 45% of U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30% shortly after Trump won the 2024 presidential election with promises to lower costs.

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of AAA East Central)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Gas prices are steady in Western Pennsylvania this week at about $3.96 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. The national average for a gallon of gas $3.99, which is up four cents over the past week and over one dollar since last month. Crude oil prices are still high as the Iran conflict hits the four-week mark. AAA confirms that the national average has reached $4/gallon in the for the first time since August of 2022 at about $4.02. Gasoline demand is also on the rise as spring break season continues, which is another factor in surging pump prices. The report states that the average price for a gallon of gas in Western Pennsylvania at this time a year ago was around $3.46 and the average price that you can expect for a gallon of regular unleaded gas here in Beaver County is about $3.98. 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:

$3.986      Altoona
$3.975      Beaver
$3.994      Bradford
$3.734      Brookville
$3.987      Butler
$3.951      Clarion
$3.854      DuBois
$3.971      Erie
$3.956      Greensburg
$3.992      Indiana
$3.992      Jeannette
$3.996      Kittanning
$3.958      Latrobe
$3.978      Meadville
$3.996      Mercer
$3.948      New Castle
$3.970      New Kensington
$3.994      Oil City
$3.974      Pittsburgh
$3.877      Sharon
$3.956      Uniontown
$3.999      Warren
$3.985      Washington

(File Photo of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Cars)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(North Sewickley Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Gibsonia reported via release today that sixty-one-year-old Mark Preste of Toronto, Ohio crashed his vehicle in North Sewickley Township on Friday. Preste was driving on I-76 West when he moved too far to the right and hit the end of a guide rail at 6:25 a.m. He was not charged and there were no reported injuries.

(File Photo of a Sign in New Brighton)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(New Brighton, PA) Downtown New Brighton will host its free 2026 Easter Bunny Hop and Shop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 4th. Kids and their families will be able to take photos with the Easter Bunny in the Central Business District and the event will also have treats and Easter activities. Shops will also be open to sell their items with spring discounts available. Restaurants will also be open to serve meals for your family.

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today that a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has charged six residents of the greater Pittsburgh area with violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act,
obstructing justice, and conspiring to obstruct justice in relation to a September of 2024 attack on a Jewish male in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, The seven-count Indictment named these six individuals as defendants: twenty-seven-year-old Muhammed Koc of Pittsburgh, twenty-eight-year-old Omar Alshmari of Monroeville, twenty-two-year-old Abraham Choudhry of Monroeville, twenty-four-year-old Emirhan Arslan of McKees Rocks, nineteen-year-old Ali Alkaheel of Pittsburgh and twenty-two-year-old Adeel Piracha of Murrysville. According to the Indictment, on or about September 27th, 2024, at 2:01 a.m., the defendants except for Piracha were all part of a group that made virulent antisemitic statements to a passerby in Oakland upon seeing the individual’s necklace bearing a Star of David pendant. After a verbal
confrontation, during which additional antisemitic comments were made, Alshmari and Koc physically attacked the victim, which caused bodily injury that included physical pain, a split lip, and headaches. The Indictment charges Koc and Alshmari, aiding and abetting one another, with willfully causing bodily injury to the victim because of the individual’s actual and perceived race and religion.
Later that day, and throughout the following months, Piracha and the other defendants discussed the incident via social media messaging and group chats, during which Alshmari identified himself and Koc as two of the individuals listed in a University of Pittsburgh crime alert about the attack. In subsequent conversations by text messaging, both Alshmari and Koc admitted to being involved in the attack on the victim. The Indictment further alleges that the defendants conspired with one another to obstruct and did obstruct the due administration of justice regarding this crime by, for example, agreeing to falsely align their testimony about the attack and providing false and misleading information before the federal grand jury. Several defendants testified falsely as to whether they or others struck the victim, whether the attack was related to the victim’s Jewish identity and Star of David necklace, and whether
they had discussed with any others what to say to the grand jury, among other false statements. The defendants could face a maximum total sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, provided by the law, for the hate crime and obstruction of justice counts. The defendants could face a maximum total sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, provided by the law, for the conspiracy to obstruct justice count.

(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Big Beaver Borough, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Gibsonia reported via release today that charges were withdrawn from twenty-year-old Tessa Shaw of Aliquippa after she crashed her vehicle in Big Beaver Borough on March 16th, 2026. Shaw was driving on I-376 East and her vehicle began to slide on the snow-covered roads before she hit a grass embankment median off of the left side of the road at 8 p.m. She was transported from the scene because of a suspected minor injury. 

(File Photo of the AAA East Central Logo: Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A new study reveals a growing crisis on the roads in America, which leaves injured people alone, without assistance, and too often without accountability. The latest research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS) finds that 15% of all police-reported crashes in 2023 involved a driver who fled the scene, the highest percentage recorded in any recent year. Pedestrians and cyclists are especially vulnerable because, 1 in 4 pedestrians and nearly as many cyclists were killed in crashes in 2023 were hit by a driver who fled the scene. They are frequently struck in darkness during the late-night or early morning hours, which is when visibility is low and there may be no one nearby to call for help. According to a recent release from AAA East Central in Pittsburgh, here are some other notable findings from this study:

• Hit-and-run fatalities most often occur late at night or in the early morning hours, when it is dark and witnesses are less likely to be present.
• Among known hit-and-run drivers in fatal crashes, 40% did not have a valid driver’s license, and more than half were driving vehicles not registered in their name.
• The majority of identified hit-and-run drivers were young, male, and crashed within a short distance of their homes.
• Research suggests drivers are less likely to flee when they believe they will be caught, pointing to the potential impact of traffic cameras and “Yellow Alerts” that notify and seek information from the public after serious or fatal hit-and-run crashes.