Category: News

Aliquippa School Board Announces Fund For Carl A. Aschman Memorial Stadium

The Aliquippa School  Board announced recently that a fund has been established   for the Carl A. Aschman Memorial Stadium upgrade.  Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano reports that the move was made because a group of citizens expressed concerns over the stadium’s need for repairs, painting, and replacement of bleachers. The board approved  some repairs and replacement of the press box roof at the May meeting.
The stadium was renamed after the death of Carl Aschman, veteran football coach.  He died on Thanksgiving Day 1971 of a heart attack.  Coach Aschman retired in 1965 due to ill health
Anyone wishing to donate to the fund  must do so by check or money order.  The  donation is to the Aliquippa School District Stadium Capital Reserve Fund. The district’s address is Aliquippa School District 100 Harding Ave., Aliquippa, PA 15001
ONE ALIQUIPPA,  a group of concerned citizens  is planning to sell t shirts and  baseball caps to raise money.  Cost of the items has yet to be announced.

Beaver County Native Bishop David Zubik Calls For Controls On Gun Purchases

Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Bishop David Zubik is calling for tighter restrictions on gun purchases, with improved background checks and with limits on high-capacity weapons, such as the one used in the June 12th mass murder of 49 people at Orlando, Florida’s Pulse nightclub. Bishop Zubik – who has extensive ties to Beaver County – also called for improved mental-health treatment. His statement alluded not only to the Orlando victims but also to the five adults and an unborn child killed by gunfire at a Wilkinsburg backyard cookout in March and to the murders of nine at a Charleston church last year. Zubik grew up in Ambridge, where he attended St. Veronica High School.  After his ordination, he was named vice principal of Quigley Catholic High School in Baden and chaplain to the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse and to students at Mount Gallitzin Academy.

Surveillance Video Captures Man Ransacking Community Garden In Ambridge

Police are trying to identify a man seen in surveillance video ransacking a community garden in Ambridge. The garden is located behind the borough building. The video shows the man – along with three children – picking vegetables and tearing plants out by the roots. Rachel Reinders discovered the damage when she went to tend the garden Monday night. Nearly everything she had planted was destroyed. The incident was captured on several cameras.

Cranberry Township Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

A Cranberry Township woman is guilty of stealing from a UPMC subsidiary. 46-year-old Elizabeth Rotto pleaded guilty on Thursday to a count of embezzlement for taking 150-thousand dollars over a span of about 12 years. Rotto stole the money from Askesis Development Group from 2003 through 2014.

Beaver County Sheriff Tony Guy To Respond To Sandie Egley’s Accusations Regarding Budget

Beaver County Sheriff Tony Guy tells Beaver County Radio newsman Pat Septak that he wants to publicly respond to accusations made by County Commissioners Chairwoman Sandie Egley that his department is consistently over budget. Egley made the comments during the commissioners’ work session earlier this week. Sheriff Guy is on currently on vacation but he told us by phone that he plans to talk to WBVP-WMBA Radio News on Monday morning to address this issue.

Fire Damages Aliquippa Restaurant

Yianni’s Restaurant on Sheffield Road in Aliquippa was the scene of a fire yesterday afternoon. The fire was reported at 3:15 p.m. Beaver County Radio Correspondent Sandy Giordano reports that heavy fire, smoke and water damage was significant in the kitchen. The restaurant was closed at the time of the fire. Center and Hopewell Fire Departments assisted Aliquippa at the scene. The cause has not been determined.

Woman Faces Charges After Allegedly Threatening Children With Knife In Ambridge

A woman is facing charges after authorities say she threatened at least five children who were playing in their Ambridge neighborhood with a knife. Surveillance cameras at a home on Henrici Street in Ambridge captured the incident earlier this week. Police say Vera Smith can be seen holding a knife in her right hand, waving it around and yelling at the children, who were as young as 8 years old. Ambridge police say that they took the knife into evidence and said Smith admitted to everything, telling officers that she simply lost her cool. Smith is charged with making terroristic threats and simple assault.

Aliquippa School Board Approves 2016-17 Budget

The Aliquippa School Board met last night and approved the retirements of Assistant Elementary School assistant principal Dennis Drevna and elementary Gifted Education Teacher Debbie Frank. Drevna taught several years before becoming assistant principal.. Frank taught in the district 31 years Both are effective June 30.

Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano reports that the board also approved the 2016-2017 budget of $23,312,442.00. Real estate taxes will be 232 mills on land, and 36 mills on buildings. The 2015-16 millage was 224 on land, and 34.75 on buildings.

Salaries for the 8 clerical and secretarial staff members in the district were approved by the board.

Beaver County Sheriff’s Office Under Scrutiny For Being Over Budget

The Beaver County Sheriff’s office is coming under scrutiny for being consistently over budget. Beaver County Radio’s Greg Benedetti was at the courthouse this morning for the commissioners’ work session. He says that County Commissioners Chairwoman Sandie Egley stated that the sheriff’s department remains consistently over budget halfway through the budget year. According to Benedetti, Egley said that Sheriff Tony Guy was instructed to come up with a plan to correct the budget problem, but so far hasn’t done that. Egley has asked her fellow commissioners to consider what options are available to get the budget back on track.

Hopewell Area School Board Adopts 2016-17 Budget

THE HOPEWELL AREA SCHOOL BOARD MET LAST NIGHT AND ADOPTED ITS 2016-17 budget of $39-million dollars. According to Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano, real estate taxes will be 72.2 mills. The millage is an increase of 2.2 mills from 2015-16.

Giordano says that the board adopted a resolution requesting that the county’s chief assesor direct inspection and reassessment of all taxable properties within the district to which major improvements were made after 9/1/15. Those properties were not included in the tax duplicate for fiscal year 7/1/16 and ending 6/30/17.

The district hired Keelen Fiedler as InnovateED teacher to head the STEAM program for grades 5 through 8 in the district.

Deborah Skiba was hired as a transportation nurse effective May 26, 2016, The purpose of the hiring was to transport students to a Pediatric facility at the former Johnson Street School when necessary.

The board’s next meeting is July 26 at 7 p.m. in the Central Administration Building.