Billionaire Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund manager, would appear to be an unlikely messenger for a Democratic Party debating racial and gender diversity, generational change, and inequalities in society, but his status as a one-man “super PAC” is setting him up to be a deeply disruptive figure in the primaries, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. Steyer has spent $12 million on digital and television ads in only six weeks — more than any other Democrat has spent all year, which has made him a familiar face to many.

A LOCAL FOOD WORKSHOP IS COMING TO ALIQUIPPA THIS WEEK. AS BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO REPORTS, THERE’S A FULL AGENDA ON TAP BEGINNING TONIGHT. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

THE HOPEWELL FARMERS MARKET HAS CLOSED. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS MORE. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

A local couple is suing Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. They claim the resort lied when it advertised itself as a top-rated luxury resort. The couple paid a
$30,000 deposit to have their wedding reception at the Fayette County resort last month. They did that based on pictures on the resort’s website. But the lawsuit says they canceled after their visit did not line up to the images they saw. Nemacolin has released a statement saying their website clearly conveys an accurate picture of the resort.

Drivers in Cranberry Township are being reminded to slow down. The township’s Fall Slow Down Campaign is in effect until Sept. 10. Seneca Valley and Karns City Area School District both started classes Monday. The campaign serves as a reminder for drivers to slow down, stop for buses and be aware of students waiting along the road.

A bill in the state House could expand beer and wine sales even further in P-A. House Bill 16-44 would create a consumer convenience permit that grocery and convenience stores would buy, allowing them to sell beer and wine at additional registers, and sell more than their current limits. The bill is in discussion in the House Liquor Control Committee and, if it passes, applicants would have to renew the permit annually.

An attempt to form an Allegheny countywide police review board is coming up short. The proposal failed by a nine-six vote with council members who voted against it saying it contained too many flaws. Some lawmakers who support the proposal said they’ll start to advocate at the state Capitol.

A Maryland man will spend 30 years behind bars for kidnapping and assaulting a Somerset County girl in 1999. Timothy Nelson Junior was sentenced yesterday for kidnapping and rape. Nelson pleaded guilty earlier this year to snatching the ten-year-old girl from Cainbrook and assaulting her in West Virginia. New DNA testing technology helped lead state police to Nelson.

State Representatives Seth Grove (R-York) and Matthew Dowling (R-Fayette/Somerset) joined a group of House Republican lawmakers this week to announce the introduction of the Reinventing Government initiative, a package of bills aimed at improving government function, encouraging economic prosperity and building stronger communities. Grove’s bill would merge the Budget Office, the Department of General Services, the Office of Administration and the Governor’s Office of Policy and Planning into one agency called the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Grove said this effort to streamline state government would improve the core functions and speed delivery of government services to the people of Pennsylvania…

Dowling said his legislation is focused on implementing commonsense changes to make state government more efficient and effective, as well as more financially responsible…

There’s no word yet whether a former Monessen school bus driver was collecting child pornography while taking kids to school. Jack Laforte was indicted this week in federal court for possession of child pornography. Prosecutors say Laforte was arrested in June when explicit images and videos of children under age 12 were found on his computer.