Emergency responders and heavy equipment are seen at the site of a deadly explosion at a chocolate factory in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Saturday, March 25. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam)

WEST READING, Pa. (AP) — All seven bodies have been recovered from the site of a powerful explosion at a chocolate factory in a small town in eastern Pennsylvania. West Reading Mayor Samantha Kaag said in a statement Sunday night that none of the victims will be named until officials are certain that all families have been contacted. Earlier Kaag confirmed to the Associated Press that the fifth body was found Sunday morning by first responders and confirmed dead by the Berks County Coroner’s Office. The coroner was unable to confirm the identity of that person, Kaag said. State and local fire investigators are continuing to examine the scene to try to determine the cause of the blast.

New Brighton Borough Sanitary Authority customers are reminded that they can easily access their accounts online by utilizing the online bill payment system provided by Diversified Technology Corp.  There is no fee for this service and payments are posted to the customer account immediately.

Other online payment providers that appear in internet searches, such as doxo.com, are not official partners of the New Brighton Borough Sanitary Authority and are charging customers a service fee and delaying the issuance of payments, often resulting in accumulating additional late payment fees.

To utilize the official bill payment system, simply visit www.NewBrightonPA.org and select the Citizen Action Center logo at the top right of the page.  Customers will need to have the utility account number, name on the account, and billing address zip code to register the account online.   Customers can also use a guest login to simply make a payment without creating an account.

Once registered, customers can manage multiple accounts, make payments online by echeck or credit card, view billing history, view payment history, access receipts, and receive email receipts. It’s fast, easy, convenient and secure.

Customers can also subscribe to E-Bill Enrollment and Autopay Enrollment or update their account information by emailing nbsa@newbrightonpa.org.

ALIQUIPPA  424
AMBRIDGE  20
BADEN 6
BEAVER 32
BEAVER FALLS 20
BELL ACRES 380
BRIGHTON TWP 465
CENTER 107
CONWAY 470
CORAOPOLIS 27
DAUGHERTY 86
ECONOMY TWP 493
FREEDOM 125
HOPEWELL TWP 223
INDUSTRY 19
MIDLAND 29
MONACA 12
MOON TWP 214
NEW BRIGHTON 5
NEW SEWICKLEY 255
ROCH TWP 57
SEWICKLEY 190
WEST MAYFIELD 38
ZELIENOPLE 86

The Freedom Area School District will be closed on Monday, March 27, 2023. Teachers will report at their regularly scheduled times.

On Monday, March 27th the Beaver Area School District will be closed due to widespread power outages and impassable roadways. This includes all district transportation. School will resume on Tuesday, March 28th.

For any after school activities, please stay tuned as you will hear more from the athletic department and individual coaches.

The public board meeting will still be held on Monday at 7:00 p.m. in the HS library.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published March 24, 2023

(New Brighton, PA) For years, New Brighton residents have long talked about a tunnel below the Merrick Art Gallery. The tunnel was said to help runaways to safehouses during the Underground Railroad and was believed to be situated between the Merrick Art Gallery and the Edgar House across the street and was said to be sealed off at some point in time. As reported by Scott Tady of the Beaver County Times, a new discovery was just made.  A tunnel was unearthed below the Merrick during sewage repair work.  An opening was dug out and revealed a 5 foot tall, and around 150 feet long tunnel.  Michelle Long, Director of the Merrick Art Gallery, told the Beaver County Times that they aren’t positive just yet that this tunnel had involvement in the Underground Railroad, but they suspect it did and are working to get to the bottom of it. The tunnel may be another route that was unknown until now.

New Brighton has had a rich history in the Underground Railroad.  Many homes still standing in the town have been identified as safe houses for runaways. The homes contain secret rooms and false walls. Abolitionist Frederick Douglas was known to speak at the First Presbyterian Church of New Brighton. The New Brighton Historical society has a list of significant properties in New Brighton involved in the Underground Railroad, and they offer walking tours on occasion.

It would be quite the discovery to find out what purpose the tunnel served and hopefully answers will be available soon.  Who knows what else may be hiding underground New Brighton just waiting to be uncovered.

 

Pastor David Grove of the Church of the Redeemed of Beaver Valley provides a message on bringing unity to the world this Saturday on “Wake Up Beaver Valley”.

“Wake Up Beaver Valley” airs every Saturday morning from 9 AM to 10 AM on Beaver County Radio and is presented by the Church of The Redeemed of Beaver Valley. Archived editions of “Wake Up Beaver Valley” can be heard at the Beaver County Radio Podcast Library.