(Photo of Dr. Katie Thomas Provided with Release Courtesy of the Community College of Beaver County)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Monaca, PA) According to a release from the Community College of Beaver County, CCBC recently announced the appointment of Dr. Katie Thomas as their Provost and Chief Academic Officer. Dr. Thomas was orignally hired by the Community College of Beaver County as a member of the faculty for the subject of English, but served most recently as the Community College of Beaver County’s Dean of the School of Professions and Transfer Studies, where the five pathways of business, criminal justice, education, liberal studies, and STEM through CCBC were overseen by her. The Community College of Beaver County scaled the Guided Pathways model under the leadership of Dr. Thomas, which led to growth in both retention and enrollment across those five programs and spearheaded accreditation and assessment at CCBC, which made an institution that was more driven by data. Dr. Thomas, who resides in Neshannock Township and is a lifelong resident of Lawrence County, has over 17 years of experience in innovation for academics, instruction and community college leadership leading into her new appointed position.

(File Photo of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Shenango Township, PA) The Lawrence County YMCA will honor Cara Atkinson, the CEO and founder of the Club Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization in the Ellwood City area. The 2025 recipient of the Jack and Nancy Flannery Y Salute Award is Atkinson, and she will get her recognition at the Villa Banquet Center of New Castle on September 25th, 2025 starting with a reception at 5 p.m. and the program and dinner following at 6 p.m. The award gives recognition to the commitment of Atkinson to bringing compassion, hope and support that is vital to families and individuals affected by cancer throughout Lawrence County as well as beyond. Individuals that are honored by the Jack and Nancy Flannery Y Salute Award embody the core values of the YMCA, which are caring, honesty, respect and responsibility, while those individuals demonstrate service and leadership within the community that are selfless. Atkinson is a New Castle native who turned her cancer experience that was personal into a hopeful mission. What started as a high school club in 2008 has grown into the Club Hope Foundation since, a nonprofit organization that now has partners with over 30 schools, churches and daycares and gives assistance through support of over 20 cancer treatment centers across seven counties in Pennsylvania. Atkinson and her team provide meaningful connections, emotional support and resources, to those navigating a journey of cancer through initiatives such as Boxes of HOPE, the Golden Scars of HOPE photo project, and the Gavin Myers Rocking Horse Project. According to Atkinson, “I’m blessed more than I deserve. This award is shared with my family, volunteers, board members, and every warrior we’ve walked beside. There’s always hope.” Tickets for individuals are $75 and a table for ten people is $800 for the event on September 25th, 2025 to recognize Atkinson at the Villa Banquet Center of New Castle. You can call 724-658-4766, extension 217 to buy tickets for this event or to get more information about scholarship opportunities.

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) According to a release from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, that department is warning consumers to immediately discard Sunshine Dairy brand raw milk purchased between August 5th and August 15th of 2025 in Berks, Lebanon, and Schuylkill counties. Listeria monocytogenes were confirmed and found contaminating this raw milk after routine testing of milk samples from the dairy of it, which is required for raw milk sold in Pennsylvania. This milk was sold at the 9400 Old Route 22 farm and Swatty Creek Farms of Berks County, Shady Breeze Farm Corn-Crib of Lebanon County and The Farm Store of Schuylkill County in plastic gallon containers. However, the product got no illnesses attributed to it. Listeriosis can be caused by listeria monocytogenes and the illness of listeriosis has symptoms including diarrhea, fever, muscle aches and nausea. Pregnant women, adults with impaired immune systems, newborns and the elderly are the groups of people that listeriosis mainly affects. Miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth or serious infection of the newborn are results that can be caused by listeriosis in pregnant women. Anyone who got sick from consuming this raw milk from the Sunshine Dairy brand should consult their physician or physicians.

For more information about food safety and about drinking raw milk, visit these links below: 

Click here for more information about drinking raw milk: Raw Milk | Food Safety | CDC

Click here for more information about food safety Department of Agriculture | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Deliberations are still underway presently in the trial of Jason Banks, Jr., who is accused of allegedly killing his girlfriend, twenty-year-old Treonna Washington in an Aliquippa alley on August 17th, 2024. Banks made a claim in the trial that his roommate, Shakeirs Foster, was the one who shot and killed Washington over a window that Washington broke. However, Foster was the person who testified in the trial that Banks shot and killed Washington because he was a witness with Banks and Washington in an alley on Reed Street in Aliquippa before Washington was killed. A witness testified at the beginning of the trial for Banks that a party occurred with Washington and some of her friends on August 16th, 2024 when Banks showed up at the apartment of Washington in Linmar Terrace in Aliquippa. Washington was found dead the next day in an alley. Today is the day when deliberations in the trial of Banks in Beaver County will continue.

(File Photo of Handcuffs)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Revetti announced yesterday that a Hacienda Heights, California resident pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and got sentenced to nine months in jail, followed by three years of federal supervised release on his conviction. Forty-three-year-old Ting Hong Yeung pleaded guilty on Thursday for his actions. According to information presented to the Court, from in and around August 2018 through in and around June 2020, Yeung, using various corporate entities, submitted or caused to be submitted over 6,000 fraudulent claim requests for lost or damaged ground package shipments that were not actually lost or damaged. Subsequently, Yeung got payments of settlement that were related to these claim submissions that are fraudulent for shipments that were lost or damaged. 

(File Photo of the United States Department of Justice Logo)

(AP) Pennsylvania recently launched an online application for pardons, becoming one of the first states in the country to digitize the process for people seeking to clear their record of criminal convictions.

Thousands of people apply annually, seeking approval from the five-member Board of Pardons and the governor to wipe their records of criminal history that can block access to jobs, housing, and certain rights, such as serving on a jury or holding public office.

Previously, people had to fill out the application on paper and mail it to the board alongside relevant documents.

The process was onerous for applicants and Board of Pardons staff, officials said, especially in recent years as advocacy under former Lt. Gov. John Fetterman caused hundreds more people to apply annually. Even before the influx, a pardon candidate could wait years for their application to reach a decision.

A digitization effort began under Fetterman, but stalled out by the time he and former Gov. Tom Wolf left office.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience, renewed efforts to move the application online. The office is an in-house team of technology experts created in 2023 and tasked with making state government more easily accessible online.

The online application is intended to give more people the opportunity to earn a pardon, said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, as well as make processing those applications easier and more efficient for Board of Pardons staff.

“We took the time to update and improve the process from soup to nuts, from adding a Spanish language form, which is something that we had been hearing, to using AI to help us process handwritten applications which were previously being retyped by staff members,” Davis told Spotlight PA in an interview.

More than 240 people have applied for a pardon online since the application launched.

Here’s what you need to know about the pardons process and the new online application:

What is a pardon?

A pardon is forgiveness for a crime, and is provided by the governor. If you earn a pardon for a criminal conviction, the state will automatically expunge it. After receiving a pardon, you can apply for a job, housing, or any other services and deny you were ever convicted of the crime. A pardon also restores rights that may have been lost because of a criminal conviction.

Who can apply for a pardon?

Anyone with a criminal conviction can apply for a pardon. People still serving a prison or parole sentence might have better luck applying for a commutation, which does not wipe their record of the crime, but instead shortens their sentence for it.

Commutation applications still must be completed using the paper form.

How can I apply for a pardon online?

You can apply for a pardon at the Board of Pardons website.

The Board of Pardons recommends gathering the documents you need before starting the application, as you cannot save the application after beginning it.

Those documents include all court records associated with the cases, including the:

1. Criminal complaint

2. Affidavit of probable cause

3. Criminal information/indictment

4. Final plea or verdict

5. Sentencing order

6. Documentation of your financial obligation status

The board adds: “If the court does not have these documents, they must provide a letter confirming they are unavailable. If you were sentenced by a Magisterial District Judge and your case is older than seven years, you are not required to get a letter.”

What else do I need to apply?

Applicants also must include a personal statement that explains why they want a pardon. The board encourages applicants to explain how their life has changed for the better since the crime, and include any additional documents that can serve as evidence of positive change.

The board also recommends paying outstanding fines and fees associated with your case.

Can I still submit a paper application?

Yes, a paper application is still available for download here.

If you cannot print the paper application at home, you can ask the Board of Pardons to mail you an application.

To request an application, mail a document including your name, address and contact information to:

Pennsylvania Board of Pardons

555 Walnut Street

Suite 704

Harrisburg, PA 17101

How can I check the status of my application?

The Board of Pardons is working with the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience to design a way for pardon applicants to receive automatic updates. An exact timeline is not clear as of August, board spokesperson Kirstin Alvanitakis said.

In the meantime, you or a designated representative can request updates from the Board of Pardons by emailing bopclemency@pa.gov or calling (717) 787-2596. Board staff will confirm the name and birthdate or social security number of the applicant, and aims to respond in 24 hours.

What else do I need to know?

The online application is available in 18 languages, including English and Spanish. The printable application is available in just two: English and Spanish.

The printable PDF application includes more information about the pardons process, and what type of clemency might be appropriate. You can access that at pa.gov/services/bop/apply-for-clemency.

The Pennsylvania Pardon Project, a nonprofit based in Philadelphia, created a tip sheet and video guide to using the digital application. You can access those resources on their website, pardonmepa.org.

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Badge)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lawrence County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle report that an online theft occurred on Saturday in Washington Township of Lawrence County. Police went to 356 George Washington Road that day and found out that seventy-three-year-old James Elliott and seventy-one-year-old Debra Elliott, both of Volant, Pennsylvania, lost $3,000 through a fraud online. This money was frauded because of a Facebook post that was fake that had to do with items that were listed for sale. The $3,000 went to the account holder who committed the fraud, and their Apple Pay. The investigation into this incident is ongoing.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: In this image made from video provided by KTVX, police at the scene of a shooting in Tremonton, Ut., Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. (KTVX via AP)

(AP) Two police officers responding to a domestic disturbance call were shot and killed in Utah, and a man was taken into custody after bystanders persuaded him to drop the gun, authorities said Monday.

The officers were identified as Sgt. Lee Sorensen, 56, and Officer Eric Estrada, 31, of the Tremonton-Garland Police Department.

A sheriff’s deputy and a police dog also were shot and wounded in their car as they arrived to help at a neighborhood in Tremonton on Sunday night. The deputy from Box Elder County was released from the hospital Monday and the dog was hospitalized in fair condition, police said.

“These officers are definitely heroes,” Police Chief Chad Reyes in neighboring Brigham City said at a news conference Monday morning.

When police respond to domestic disturbance calls, “we really don’t know what we’re walking into,” he said. “And they are one of the most dangerous events that we can be dispatched on.”

Police received multiple 911 hang-up calls from a home in the city. A single officer from the Tremonton-Garland Police Department arrived first and was speaking to someone at the home when the man came out with a gun, police said in a news release. Reyes said he believed the man lived at the house.

“The male opened fire on the officer, striking and killing the officer,” the news release said. A second officer from the department who responded “was immediately fired upon by the same male suspect” and was killed, it said.

After the officers were shot, bystanders persuaded the man to put down his weapon, police said. Up to 50 officers from multiple agencies responded. SWAT teams arrived to clear the home and verify that there was no further threat, police said.

The ranch-style home was cordoned off by yellow crime scene tape Monday. A trampoline and a blue children’s pool could be seen on the front lawn.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called what happened “a terrible and tragic night.” He posted online that he joined the state in mourning the loss “of these courageous law enforcement officers” and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in their honor.

The suspect was arrested on charges of aggravated murder, police said. The names of the wounded deputy and the suspect have not been released.

Sorensen had served 17 years as a law enforcement officer and received multiple honors for his service to the community. He had recently been promoted to sergeant and was supposed to be sworn into his new role on Friday, the department said.

Estrada had worked in the jail in Box Elder County and as a patrol officer before joining the Tremonton-Garland Police Department. His colleagues described him as a dedicated father and husband who loved being on patrol so he could interact with people in the community.

Tremonton, which has about 13,000 people, is about 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Salt Lake City at the junction of Interstates 15 and 84. It advertises itself as “a favorite midway stop for vacations” to destinations such as Yellowstone National Park, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon. It also calls itself “Utah’s City of Murals” with a walking tour featuring 18 works of public art.

(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver report that thirty-two-year-old Jasper Clancy of Aliquippa was arrested on Friday for driving under the influence of alcohol in Aliquippa. Clancy was stopped by Pennsylvania State Police during a traffic stop on the 800 block of Franklin Avenue. Clancy was arrested for driving under the influence during the stop and his charges are pending.