(File Photo: A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is giving up on its plan to use two rural Pennsylvania warehouses to hold thousands of people.

The plan had been held up by the state’s denial of drinking water and wastewater permits, and an ICE lawyer filed paperwork Wednesday withdrawing his agency’s appeal of the denial. The state had raised concerns that the local water and wastewater services in rural areas of Berks and Schuylkill counties were inadequate to handle the thousands of inhabitants envisioned by the federal agency.

ICE did not say what, if anything, it would ultimately use the warehouses for.

But it told the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in a separate letter that it “has considered the final use it will make of this property, and it hereby informs DEP that it will not be using this property as a detention center.”

The letter, dated last week, was released Wednesday by the DEP.

In a statement, Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said the warehouses “are not suitable for people and converting them to detention centers would have posed serious risks to the health, safety, and infrastructure of the surrounding communities.”

ICE had been buying warehouses across the U.S. as part of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s $38 billion plan to rapidly expand detention capacity this year. However, it began retreating from that plan last month.

Noem’s purchases were largely made out of public view and angered communities that were caught by surprise. Some local officials only learned about ICE’s ambitions after the agency bought or leased space for detainees. After Noem was fired, her replacement, Markwayne Mullin, quickly paused the purchase of new warehouses.

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) A federal judge sentenced two men from Pennsylvania to life in prison yesterday after they were convicted of mailing a woman a bomb that detonated, killing her and leveling her home.

There was an explosion and fire at a home in Clearfield, Pennsylvania on October 4th, 2019, and inside the leveled building, police found the body of 34-year-old Shanna Carlson.

The federal agents and their partners with the Pennsylvania state police and the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office identified and indicted two suspects, a methamphetamine dealer, Clint Addleman and one of his customers, Kris Nevling.

They testified in court that they built a bomb and mailed it in a package that was addressed to Carlson, who owed Addleman a drug debt of $1,000.

The agents confirm that Carlson opened the package and inadvertently detonated the bomb, which killed her and leveled the building.

Both suspects were indicted by a federal grand jury and were charged with maliciously destroying property with an explosive device, and Addleman was charged with destruction resulting in death.

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus announced today that thirty-two-year-old Davon James of Pittsburgh, who was arrested in January of 2026 after being found hiding under insulation in an attic, has been taken
into custody again on a bench warrant.

James was declared a fugitive earlier this month, and this happened after a bench warrant was issued for a probation violation on a previous firearms charge guilty plea.

He also has an active warrant out of the City of Pittsburgh for a strangulation charge that is connected to a domestic violence incident on July 2nd.

Detectives from the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office developed information this week that James was inside of a residence located on Wynoka Street.

Detectives were given permission to search a first-floor apartment but were unable to locate James after arriving at the residence earlier today.

They then went to a common area that was in the basement of the building before noticing a cluttered area under the stairs which led to the basement and saw an arm protruding from underneath a TV set.

After detectives commanded the person to show themselves, James complied.

He was taken into custody without incident and was transported to the Allegheny County Jail.

SCOTT TADY

PITTSBURGH — Harry Connick Jr. felt a bit intimidated Wednesday playing in Pittsburgh.

Not because of the people; Connick assured a full-house Heinz Hall audience he finds Pittsburghers to be soulful and delightful.

But for his first Pittsburgh appearance in four years — and first non-Christmas concert in the Steel City in 13 years — Connick said he felt nervous playing piano in the city that produced piano-playing jazz trailblazers like Earl “Fatha” Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Ahmad Jamal and his personal hero, Erroll Garner.

Seated at a Steinway piano, Connick, the famed pop crooner/jazz singer/Hollywood actor, then went off-script, demonstrating to Pittsburgh fans the dexterous and groundbreaking piano technique of Garner, involving one hand playing slightly ahead of the beat and the other hand playing slightly behind the beat.

Concertgoers savored Connick’s piano lesson, laughing at his punchlines about how there’s no way he could duplicate such brilliance.

Maybe not, but Connick indisputably delivered a masterful night of piano playing paired with his warm and clear voice, all backed by a five-man horn section, upright bass player, keyboardist and a drummer striking beats more with brushes than typical drumsticks.

Hitting the stage at 7:30 p.m. sharp, this “An Evening With Harry Connick Jr.” concert launched with the upbeat swing of Johnny Mercer’s “That Old Black Magic.” Interspersed with a piano interlude, Connick then crooned his biggest hit “It Had to Be You,” featured prominently in the film “When Harry Met Sally.”

The jazz band got numerous opportunities for solos that earned mid-song applause from the seated crowd.

Connick, 58, professed his love for the compositions of Cole Porter ahead of a peppy “I Love Paris.”

Connick told a moving story about his mom, Anita, a lawyer and New Orleans judge, who died from ovarian cancer in 1981 when the musician was a mere 13 years old. From the early days of his childhood when he first started singing, Anita told everyone her son would one day sing at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall. Connick honored her legacy and fulfill that lifelong dream by performing at Carnegie Hall — the first time he ever walked into that building — this past May 22, on what would have been his mom’s 100th birthday.

He has detailed her life and their bond in his tribute book, “Babe: Elaboratio: A Tribute to My Mother,” and told the Pittsburgh crowd they can pre-order the symphonic album he composed specifically for that Carnegie Hall show.

His loose and carefree 100-minute Heinz Hall concert featured a lovely “Georgia (On My Mind)” and a spiritually uplifting “How Great Thou Art.”

For his final few selections, Connick whisked listeners to the Big Easy for Mardi Gras music showcasing Connick’s wiggling dance moves that earned appreciative hoots and hollers from spectators.

A little eye candy never hurts, though Connick’s adept piano playing and voice were the primary dazzlers.

For more on the concert, here’s what reviewer Scott Tady said on his Thursday morning show on WBVP-WMBA (Beaver County Radio):

(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of Firearms Owners Against Crime Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Educational Action)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lehigh County, PA) The Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County has ruled in favor of the Firearm Owners Against Crime – Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Educational Action (FOAC-ILLEA) and another plaintiff against Coplay Borough.  

The Court specifically found that an ordinance which prohibited the discharge of guns or other firearms within the borough (with limited exceptions) violates Pennsylvania law as well as the state Constitution.

The Court ruled that Coplay Borough may not enforce the ordinance and issued a directive that the borough would formally repeal it.  

The order was issued by the Honorable Melissa T. Pavlack on July 14th declared Coplay Borough’s Ordinance Section 6-201 unlawful under both the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act (UFA), Pennsylvania Statutes Title 18 Pa.C.S. § 6120, and the Pennsylvania Constitution. 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Alexandra Wimley/ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) After the successful lateral slide of the new $95 million Interstate 376 Commercial Street Bridge in Allegheny County, PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll and PennDOT District 11 Executive Jason Zang announced yesterday that I-376 is anticipated to reopen next week, ahead of the original targeted date of August 3rd.

At approximately 10 A.M. on Sunday, the innovative lateral slide operations began.

Crews moved the structure 96 feet in seven hours using Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques.

The remaining six feet of the slide was completed on Monday morning and was one of the largest lateral slide projects ever performed in Pennsylvania.

A skidding system was then used to move the bridge into alignment with the I-376 Parkway East. Each of the 42 skid shoes installed can operate on its own, with integrated hydraulic jacks used to lift the load from its temporary supports and set it down on the permanent bearings.

Before the slide occurred, the explosive demolition occurred at approximately 8 A.M. last Thursday morning.

Crews continued to demolish the remnants of the former bridge and cleared the necessary debris before beginning the slide of the new bridge.

I-376 was closed to traffic on July 10th and the new projected reopening is now ahead of the original date of August 3rd that was anticipated.

The exact opening date will be determined dependent on weather conditions, with Commercial Street and Nine Mile Run Trail expected to reopen soon after.