Category: News

Shapiro Administration Reminds Voters That the Mail Ballot Application Deadline Is One Week Away

(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of State)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt reminded registered Pennsylvania voters planning to vote in the May 19th primary election by mail ballot, which you can do by clicking here, that they must apply for their ballot online by clicking here or in person by May 12. According to a release from the Pennsylvania Department of State, 

The Department of State’s Elections Data page, which you can find by clicking here, links to a downloadable Daily Mail Ballot Report, which provides point-in-time data showing each county elections office’s statistics.

Whether voters complete their mail ballot at home or at their county elections office, they should follow these easy steps to ensure their ballot can be counted:

  • Read all instructions enclosed with the ballot.
  • Fill out the ballot by following the instructions on how to mark selections. Check both sides of the ballot in case there are races listed on the second page.
  • Seal the ballot in the yellow secrecy envelope marked “official election ballot.”
  • Seal the yellow secrecy envelope in the pre-addressed outer return envelope.
  • Sign and date the outer return envelope.
  • Mail or hand deliver the completed ballot to their county elections office, or hand deliver the ballot to an officially designated satellite office or drop boxby clicking here.

Under Pennsylvania law, a voter may hand deliver only their own ballot. The only exceptions are for voters with a disability who have designated someone in writing (click here to find out more) to deliver their ballot and for voters who need an emergency absentee ballot (click here to find out more).

County elections offices (clikc here to find out more) must receive all completed mail ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day, May 19. Mail ballots returned after that time, even if postmarked by 8 p.m. May 19, will not count.

Polls will be open 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. on Election Day for registered voters who want to vote in person (click here to find out more).

Voters who received a mail ballot but have not returned it may vote in person on Election Day if they bring their mail ballot materials with them to be voided.

Voters who requested a mail ballot and did not receive it, or do not have it to surrender, may vote by provisional ballot (click here to find out more) at their polling place. The provisional ballot will be reviewed by their county board of elections after Election Day to determine whether it can be counted.

Because Pennsylvania has a closed primary, only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote for their party’s nominees in the primary election. However, all voters can vote on any of the following if they also appear on their county’s ballot (click here to find out more):

  • a constitutional amendment question,
  • a ballot question, or
  • a special election in their district.

The Department’s voter information website, vote.pa.gov, which you can find by clicking here, is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese and offers a polling place locator, which you can find by clicking here and contact information for county elections offices by clicking here. It also includes tips for first-time voters by clicking here, mail-in and absentee voters by clicking here, elderly and disabled voters by clicking here, and members of the military by clicking here.

Slippery Rock woman charged after two-vehicle crash in Lawrence County

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lawrence County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle reported that a 66-year-old Slippery Rock woman was charged following a two-vehicle crash in Lawrence County on April 27, 2026.

Police identified the driver as Dorothy Gile. Investigators said she collided with a vehicle driven by Tatiana Nelson Swope, 31, of New Castle, around 11:53 a.m. at the intersection of Eastbrook Volant Road and Parsonage Road in Wilmington Township.

Both drivers were injured, though the severity of their injuries was not immediately known.

Charges against Nelson Swope are pending further investigation.

New Galilee woman not charged after crashing her vehicle in Lawrence County

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Cars)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lawrence County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle reported that a 63-year-old New Galilee woman was not charged following a crash in Lawrence County on April 10, 2026.

Police identified the driver as Grace Reed. Investigators said she was traveling north on State Route 168 in New Beaver Borough around 5:05 p.m. when she lost control while negotiating a curve.

Her vehicle struck a tree and overturned.

Reed sustained a possible injury but was released to her family at the scene.

Former Steelers quarterback Skylar Thompson signs with division-rival Ravens

(Credit and Caption for Photo: Steelers quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Skylar Thompson throw as Logan Woodside and Mason Rudolph look on Aug. 7, 2025, at Saint Vincent College. (Chaz Palla | TribLive)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Baltimore, MD) The Baltimore Ravens announced Monday they have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Skylar Thompson.

Thompson, 28, is a four-year veteran who previously played for the Miami Dolphins and spent last season with Pittsburgh. A seventh-round pick in 2022, he has appeared in 10 games with three starts, most recently in 2024.

He spent most of last season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

New Wilmington teenager charged for tailgating a New Brighton man in Lawrence County

(File Photo of a Pensnylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Lawrence County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle reported that a 19-year-old New Wilmington man was charged following a crash in Lawrence County on Monday. 

Police identified the driver as Benjamin Wignall. Investigators said he rear-ended a vehicle driven by Michael Gulish, 53, of New Brighton, while traveling north on Perry Highway in Slippery Rock Township around 9:10 a.m. 

No injuries were reported. 

Britney Spears pleads guilty to lesser “wet reckless” charge in DUI case, avoids further jail time

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Britney Spears arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” on July 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — Britney Spears pleaded guilty through her lawyer Monday to a lesser charge that will allow her to avoid jail time after California prosecutors accused her of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

The 44-year-old pop star, who recently completed a stint at a rehabilitation facility, didn’t appear in Ventura County court. But her lawyer, Michael A. Goldstein, pleaded guilty on her behalf to what’s commonly called a “wet reckless.” That allowed her to be sentenced to one day in jail that the judge said she served when she was booked, one year of probation, a required DUI class and state-mandated fines.

The plea offer was standard for defendants with no DUI history, no crash or injury on the road, and a low blood-alcohol level, the county district attorney’s office said. And it’s especially common for defendants who have shown motivation to address their problems and seek treatment, as Spears did when she voluntarily checked in to a substance abuse treatment center last month.

“I don’t think anybody’s happy about pleading guilty to anything, but under the circumstances, to get this behind her, I think everybody is pleased with the result,” Goldstein said after the hearing. “We appreciate the district attorney recognizing the positive steps that Britney is taking to help herself.”

Goldstein said Spears returned home after recently completing her rehab stint, and that reports that she left early were “absolutely false.” Asked what’s next for her, he replied, “I don’t know, I’m sure a lot.”

During the brief hearing, Spears received summary probation, which is informal and doesn’t involve mandatory meetings with a probation officer. She temporarily yielded her Fourth Amendment search and seizure rights if she is pulled over, meaning she must automatically yield to searches and sobriety tests. At Goldstein’s request, the judge ruled this would not apply to her home.

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said after the hearing that Spears had taken “full responsibility,” but he emphasized that DUI is a “serious crime” and said it was essential that she follow the requirements agreed to in court, which include continued substance abuse treatment, weekly visits with a therapist and monthly visits with a psychiatrist.

“We do not want Miss Spears to reoffend,” Nasarenko said.

She was charged Thursday with one misdemeanor DUI count, which meant she was not required to appear in court for her arraignment. But her representatives hadn’t said whether she would appear, and the hearing drew an unusually heavy media turnout for Ventura, a seaside city of about 110,000 people roughly 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of downtown LA.

After her March 4 arrest, a representative called her actions inexcusable and said that ideally, the arrest would lead to overdue change in her life.

She was pulled over for driving her black BMW quickly and erratically on U.S. 101, the California Highway Patrol said. She appeared to be impaired, took a series of field sobriety tests, was arrested and was taken to jail, the CHP said.

Authorities said in the criminal complaint that Spears had alcohol and drugs in her system, but they didn’t specify which drugs or list her blood alcohol content.

Spears grew to superstardom in the 1990s and 2000s with hits including “Toxic,” “Gimme More” and “I’m a Slave 4 U.” Most of her nine studio albums have been certified platinum, with two diamond titles: 1999’s “… Baby One More Time” and 2000s “Oops! … I Did It Again.”

She became a tabloid obsession in the early 2000s and a source of intense public scrutiny as she battled mental illness and paparazzi fought to document the details of her private life.

In 2008, Spears was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship, run primarily by her father and his lawyers, that would control her personal and financial decisions for well over a decade. It was dissolved in 2021.

Since then, she has married, divorced, and released a bestselling memoir, “The Woman in Me.”

Quilt donated to Capt. William Vicary Mansion celebrates Beaver County’s Native American spirit

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Chris Roshack)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Freedom, PA) A quilt celebrating the Native American heritage of Beaver County was donated May 3 to the Capt. William Vicary Mansion in Freedom.

Alex Gladis, president of the Logstown Associates Historical Society, said the quilt was created by Gary and Tina Grimm of Brighton Township using T-shirts from 30 annual Pow Wows held in the county.

The piece highlights the region’s Native American history and will be featured as part of a rotating display at the mansion.

Pittsburgh housing demand outpaces affordable options and programs

(File Photo of a For Sale Sign)

Reported by Danielle Smith, Keystone News Service

(Pittsburgh, PA) Solving a shortage of affordable housing in Pittsburgh will require better coordination among municipalities across Allegheny County, according to a local nonprofit. The county doesn’t control zoning; instead, more than 130 local municipalities set their own rules, which makes it difficult to guide housing development. Ebony Flowers with New Voices for Reproductive Justice says demand continues to outpace available housing, and the county is moving toward a more coordinated housing approach under its “Housing for All” program. She adds that the strategy aims to bring alignment and coordination across all those municipalities. According to new data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Pennsylvania has just 39 affordable and available rental units for every 100 extremely low-income households. To meet the need, the report claims the state must add 263-thousand affordable homes and expand rental assistance.

Vandals damage slides at New Castle parks

(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(New Castle, PA) Parents in New Castle are raising concerns after recent vandalism damaged equipment at the Park Avenue Playground. 

City officials said three slides at the playground have been damaged over the past two weeks. One slide was cut at the base and has since been boarded up, while two others have broken plastic that officials say poses a safety risk. 

Similar damage has been reported at Gaston Park, located about three miles away, where one slide appears to have been burned. 

Officials said repairs to the Park Avenue Playground could cost more than $55,000. City Administrator Chris Frye said the city is exploring whether Community Development Block Grant funding can be used to cover the costs, though the process could take time. 

The city is also considering installing cameras at local parks to help prevent future incidents.

Weirton native supported Artemis II recovery mission in the Pacific

(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Navy Office of Community Outreach)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Millington, TN) When NASA’s Artemis II crew returned to Earth following its planned mission around the moon, U.S. Navy sailors were ready to assist with recovery operations in the Pacific.

Wyatt Conley, a Petty Officer 3rd Class from Weirton, was among those who supported the retrieval of the Orion spacecraft and its crew. 

Conley, a 2020 graduate of Weir High School, is assigned to the USS John P. Murtha, the ship which is tasked with the recovery mission. 

Serving as an interior communications electrician, Conley said his role is to ensure reliable communication between critical stations during the operation. 

“My role in the Artemis II recovery is to make sure everyone has the ability to communicate with vital watch stations for a safe recovery,” Conley said.