(File Photo of a Norfolk Southern Train)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday adopted a resolution introduced by State Representative Rob Matzie designating May 9, 2026, as “National Train Day” in Pennsylvania. 

Matzie said the measure, H.R. 410, highlights the role railroads have played in shaping the state’s history and their continued importance today. He noted that rail transportation helps reduce highway congestion, lower emissions, improve safety and connect economic centers across the commonwealth. 

National Train Day was first established in 2008 and is observed annually on the Saturday closest to May 10, marking the completion of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad in 1869 in Promontory, Utah. 

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Badge)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvania State Police is expanding its Rapid DNA program to municipal police departments, giving local agencies faster access to forensic testing. 

Officials said Rapid DNA technology can generate a DNA profile from a qualifying sample in as little as 90 minutes, allowing investigators to identify or rule out suspects earlier in an investigation. 

Since launching the program last year, PSP said it has processed more than 350 samples, developing 190 DNA profiles and generating 163 matches that have assisted investigations. 

The expanded access will allow municipal departments to submit evidence in cases such as homicides, assaults and burglaries, helping speed up investigations and suspect identification. 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Business Wire and the Associated Press)

HANOVER, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 4, 2026–Utz Quality Foods, LLC, a subsidiary of Utz Brands, Inc., is issuing a voluntary recall in the United States of certain limited varieties of Zapp’s ® and Dirty ® potato chips. This voluntary recall follows notification to Utz that a seasoning containing dry milk powder, sourced from California Dairies, Inc. and supplied by a third-party supplier, may contain the presence of Salmonella. The affected seasoning batches tested negative for Salmonella prior to use; however, out of an abundance of caution, Utz is recalling the limited varieties of Zapp’s and Dirty brand potato chips identified below.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260504570258/en/

1.5 oz Zapp’s Brand Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

To date, there have been no complaints of illness reported to Utz in connection with the recalled products. Utz is recalling these products based on the ingredient supplier’s recall.

This recall is limited exclusively to the limited products listed below, which are available at retail stores nationwide. No other products produced by Utz Quality Foods are included in this recall.

Item Name (size/description)	UPC	Best By Date	Batchcode(s)
1.5oz Zapp’s ® Brand Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips	83791272917	3-Aug-26	26030070101
10-Aug-26	26036070102
17-Aug-26	26043070101
24-Aug-26	26052070103
2.5oz Zapp’s ® Brand Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips	83791272924	3-Aug-26	26029070104
17-Aug-26	26044070104
17-Aug-26	26045070104
31-Aug-26	26058070104
8oz Zapp’s ® Brand Bayou Blackened Ranch Potato Chips	83791272931	27-Jul-26	26024070105
27-Jul-26	26024070104
3-Aug-26	26029070104
3-Aug-26	26030070104
10-Aug-26	26037070105
10-Aug-26	26038070105
17-Aug-26	26044070105
17-Aug-26	26045070105
2oz Dirty ® Brand Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips	83791520148	3-Aug-26	26030070104
3-Aug-26	26031070104
3-Aug-26	26031070101
10-Aug-26	26038070102
10-Aug-26	26038070103
1.5oz Zapp’s ® Brand Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips (60ct)	83791010144	3-Aug-26	26030070101
3-Aug-26	26031070101
10-Aug-26	26036070102
10-Aug-26	26037070102
2oz Dirty ® Brand Maui Onion Potato Chips	83791520162	8-Aug-26	26052070103
2.5oz Zapp’s ® Brand Big Cheezy Potato Chips	83791192208	31-Aug-26	26058070104
8oz Zapp’s ® Brand Big Cheezy Potato Chips	83791192246	31-Aug-26	26058070104
31-Aug-26	26059070104
2oz Dirty ® Brand Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips	83791520094	31-Aug-26	26059070104

Consumers who have these products should not eat them and should discard any products they may have. For questions or refunds, consumers may contact the Utz Customer Care team email customerservice@utzsnacks.com or call 1-877-423-0149, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Eastern Time. Retailers should check their inventories and shelves to confirm that none of the products are present or available for purchase by consumers. This voluntary recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the United States Food and Drug Administration.

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

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Rochester, PA) Dr. George Zambelli said he is taking steps to improve patient access to his office in Rochester amid the closure of Adams Street.

Speaking Tuesday on Beaver County Radio’s “Driving in the Fast Lane” with Frank Sparks, the man behind the Zambelli Fireworks Company said the road closure has made it difficult for patients to reach the parking lot at his Rochester location.

Zambelli said he recently worked with borough officials, including demolition expert Matt Cook, to clear a neighboring property and create new access points.

The plan includes adding an entrance and exit connecting the lot to an alley behind the office between New York Avenue and Ohio Street.

Patients will still need to walk a short distance to the office, but parking will be available along Jefferson Avenue, New York Avenue and Ohio Street, Zambelli said.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Rochester Police Department, Posted on Facebook on May 4th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Rochester, PA) The Rochester Police Department is advising parents that Jefferson Street has become a primary detour route due to the closure of Adams Street.

Police said traffic has increased significantly in the area, along with a rise in violations, and officers are increasing patrols.

Officials are urging parents to keep children from playing near or in the roadway and to avoid riding bikes, scooters or skateboards on Jefferson Street.

Parents are also encouraged to monitor their children’s activities and reinforce safe behavior around roadways.

(File Photo of Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Patterson Township, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that slide remediation work on 8th Street (Route 4008) in Patterson Township will begin Wednesday, May 6, weather permitting.

Work will take place weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Route 51 and Darlington Road through late May. Single-lane alternating traffic will be maintained using flaggers.

Crews from A. Liberoni, Inc. will perform slide repairs, shoulder improvements and roadway reconstruction.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks to the crowd at a Centre County Democratic Party event at the Penn Stater hotel, April 11, 2026, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania has sued an artificial intelligence chatbot maker, saying its chatbots illegally hold themselves out as doctors and are deceiving the system’s users into thinking they are getting medical advice from a licensed professional.

The lawsuit, filed Friday, asks the statewide Commonwealth Court to order Character Technologies Inc., the company behind Character.AI, to stop its chatbots “from engaging in the unlawful practice of medicine and surgery.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration called it a “first of its kind enforcement action” by a governor and it comes amid growing pressure by states on tech companies to rein in its chatbots’ potentially dangerous messages, especially to children.

That includes a consumer protection lawsuit filed by Kentucky against Character Technologies, and warnings by state attorneys general that chatbots are potentially violating a raft of state laws.

Pennsylvania’s lawsuit said an investigator from the state agency that licenses professionals created an account on Character.AI, searched on the word “psychiatry” and found a large number of characters, including one described as a “doctor of psychiatry.”

That character held itself out as able to assess the investigator “as a doctor” who is licensed in Pennsylvania, the lawsuit said.

“Pennsylvanians deserve to know who — or what — they are interacting with online, especially when it comes to their health,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement. “We will not allow companies to deploy AI tools that mislead people into believing they are receiving advice from a licensed medical professional.”

Character.AI declined to comment on the lawsuit Tuesday but sent a statement saying it prioritizes responsible product development and the well-being of its users. It posts disclaimers to inform users that characters on its website are not real people and that everything they say “should be treated as fiction,” the statement said.

Those disclaimers also say users should not rely on characters for professional advice, it said.

In December, attorneys general from 39 states and Washington, D.C., wrote to Character Technologies and 12 other AI and tech firms — including Anthropic, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, OpenAI, Google and xAI — to warn them about a rise in misleading and manipulative chatbot messages that violate state laws.

In the letter, they said “it is illegal to provide mental health advice without a license, and doing so can both decrease trust in the mental health profession and deter customers from seeking help from actual professionals.”

There are a growing number of wrongful death legal actions against AI chatbot makers across the country and Character Technologies has faced several lawsuits over child safety, including the lawsuit filed by Kentucky.

In January, Google and Character Technologies agreed to settle a lawsuit from a Florida mother who alleged a chatbot pushed her teenage son to kill himself. Last fall, Character.AI banned minors from using its chatbots amid growing concerns about the effects of artificial intelligence conversations on children.