Business owner “Annie” weights down copies of the Chinese Daily News newspaper showcasing pictures of a suspected Chinese spy balloon, in the Chinatown district of Los Angeles Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. The balloon’s presence in the sky above the United States before a military jet shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean with a missile Saturday has further strained U.S.- China ties. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

BEIJING (AP) — China has accused the United States of indiscriminate use of force in shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, saying it seriously damaged both sides’ efforts to stabilize Sino-U.S. relations. Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng says he lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy over the use of military force on the balloon. Xie repeated China’s insistence that the balloon was an unmanned Chinese civil airship that blew into U.S. airspace by mistake. He called the U.S. response an overreaction that “seriously violated the spirit of international law.” The presence of the balloon above the U.S. dealt a severe blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations.

Spliff Star, left, and Busta Rhymes perform “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

For almost as long as the 50 years of history celebrated on Sunday’s Grammy awards, rap artists have had an uncomfortable relationship with the music’s biggest institution. Certainly the Grammys hope that 2023 represents a turning point. The 15-minute Questlove-curated history lesson was a blast and offered some overdue attention. DJ Khaled’s performance of “God Did” featured a memorable performance by Jay-Z. Dr. Dre was given an innovator’s award named for him. Other standout Grammy moments: Beyoncé’s haul of awards, Harry Styles’ style, a breezy performance by show host Trevor Noah, and a surprise song of the year win for Bonnie Raitt.

The Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The federal government’s pandemic-era prohibition against kicking people off Medicaid is ending, meaning that hundreds of thousands of people in Pennsylvania face losing free health insurance. Many people who stand to lose Medicaid coverage have no idea that the changes are coming. That’s according to advocacy organizations who do outreach to the poor. Enforcing the eligibility rules will be a massive bureaucratic task for the new administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro. All told, state caseworkers must resume enforcing eligibility rules April 1 for more than 3.6 million people who are on Medicaid. Those who are no longer eligible — or who didn’t submit information — will be guided to low-cost programs.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing improvement work on Route 3007 (Brodhead Road) in the City of Aliquippa and Center and Hopewell townships in Beaver County and Moon and Crescent townships in Allegheny County will resume Monday, February 6 weather permitting.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur in the two-lane sections of Brodhead Road between Sweetwater Street in Moon Township and Katrina Drive in Center Township and single-lane restrictions will occur in each direction in the four-lane sections. Work will occur daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. through late June. Weekend work will occur as needed.

The $12.13 million project will include milling and resurfacing, concrete pavement patching, culvert preservation, signal work, guide rail updates, drainage improvements, signing and pavement marking installation, and other miscellaneous construction activities. Motorists will see alternating single-lane restrictions controlled by flaggers during daytime off-peak and overnight hours. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published February 6, 2023 11:15 A.M.

(Aliquippa, PA) PA State Police arrested Aliquippa resident 29 year old Anthony Blocker on January 18, 2023 at 10;42 a.m. According to the report he was stopped at Kennedy boulevard and Sheffield Road.  The arrestee was found with a concealed firearm  under the driver’s seat of his vehicle. Charges of concealing a firearm are pending are pending.

Published by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director February 6, 2023

Numerous road closures are taking place nearby the train derailment and fire in East Palestine, Ohio, which is affecting multiple roads in Beaver County.  Cannellton Road at Route 51, Route 51 between Route 168 and Ohio, Darlington Road at Route 51, Anderson Road at Route 51, Little Beaver Road at Route 51, Taggert Road at Route 51, Valley Road at Taggert Road, Logtown Road at Route 51, Enon Road at Route 51, East Palestine Road at Route 51, Darlington Road at Route 51, Oakdale Road at Route 51, Agnew Drive at Route 51. Stay tuned to Beaver County Radio for more details.

The image above shows a section of the train on fire Friday night.
Story and photos by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published February 6, 2023 10:30 P.M.

(East Palestine, Ohio) Those within a one mile radius of the train derailment and fire in East Palestine, just across the Beaver County line, were told to evacuate immediately Sunday evening in response to the potential of a catastrophic explosion. The radius includes parts of Darlington. In a press briefing held Sunday, Governer Mike DeWine stated “Within the last two hours, a drastic temperature change has taken place in a rail car, and there is now the potential of a catastrophic tanker failure which could cause an explosion with the potential of deadly shrapnel traveling up to a mile”.


The tanker of concern is said to contain Vinyl Chloride. The train derailed and caught fire Friday evening. An inital evacuation was issued late Friday, but many chose to shelter in place.
Read the initial report below for previous additional details:

Massive Train Fire & Derailment Friday night in East Palestine near County line

Story and photos by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published February 3, 2023 11:30 P.M.

(East Palestine, Ohio) A massive train fire and derailment occurred Friday night just across the county line in East Palestine, Ohio while it was in Route to Conway. The glow of over 50 tankers and box cars burning could be seen numerous miles away. It is currently unclear what caused the accident or what the train was hauling. Multiple emergency responders, hazmat crews, and railroad crews responded from all over the tri state area responded. Firefighters could be seen dousing heavy amounts of water to lessen the blaze although it was still burning overnight. Evacuations in East Palestine took place and most roads leading to the scene were closed down before midnight. Pennsylvania State Police told Beaver County Radio the Environmental Protection Agency were on scene and that the fire started with tankers and evacuation was possible, they had no further comment. The City of East Palestine ordered an evacuation of anyone within a one mile radius of the James Street Crossing, and a shelter in place with orders to stay indoors was issued for Taggart Road north of Leake Oil gas station, just across the Beaver County Line, to Pleasant Street. The East Palestine High School was offered as a shelter to those in need during the evacuation. The mayor of East Palestine has issued a state of emergency. A haze of smoke traveled well beyond the scene and decreased visibility on roads and highways. Firefighters were pulled from operations near the fire for their safety Saturday due to the hazardous materials burning and explosions occurring. Unmanned equipment was left in operation. Check back for for more updates as they become available.
Additional photos from the scene: