(File Photo of State Representative Rob Matzie)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Ambridge, PA) State Representative Rob Matzie announced in Ambridge today that new state grants totaling $351,000 will fund capital improvements to Beaver County municipal and public buildings.

According to Matzie, the funding secured through the state Department of Community and Economic Development will support renovations and repairs to boost efficiency and save taxpayers money.

Matzie confirmed that the funding includes:

• $140,000 to South Heights Borough for renovations, including HVAC and flooring, to the borough building.
• $125,000 to Beaver Valley Regional Police Department for renovations to create new office space for the regional police department covering Baden, Conway, Freedom and Rochester Township.
• $86,000 to B.F. Jones Memorial Library in Aliquippa for renovations to the front steps and retaining wall.

(File Photo of a Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that sealcoat operations on Bakerstown Road (Route 4068) in Pine and Richland townships in Allegheny County will occur tomorrow and Sunday, August 29th and 30th, weather permitting.

Alternating single-lane mobile operations will occur to accommodate sealcoat operations on Bakerstown Road between Route 8 and Babcock Boulevard, according to the following schedule from a release courtesy of PennDOT District 11:

Saturday

• From 7:00 AM to approximately 7:00 PM

Sunday

• From 7:00 AM to approximately 7:00 PM

Those restrictions may be lifted sooner if work is completed earlier.

(File Photo of a Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that slide remediation work on Audubon Road (Route 4039) in Sewickley Heights Borough in Allegheny County will begin on Wednesday, September 2nd, weather permitting.

Beginning at approximately 7 A.M., Audubon Road will close to traffic between Barberry Road and Magee Road continuously through late September. PennDOT crews will conduct slide remediation work. Traffic will be detoured, and according to a release from PennDOT District 11:

Posted Detour

North of the Closure

• From Audubon Road, take Little Sewickley Creek Road (Route 4034)
• Turn right onto Magee Road (Route 4041)
• Turn right to continue on Magee Road
• Continue to Audubon Road
• End detour

South of the Closure

• Same detour in opposite direction

(File Photo of a Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that pavement marking operations in various locations in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties will occur tomorrow and Sunday, August 29th and 30th, weather permitting.

From 6 A.M. to 5 P.M. each day as needed, short-term, single-lane restrictions will occur on the following roads, according to a release from PennDOT District 11:

Allegheny County

• Route 28 in both directions between the I-579/I-279 and Freeport/Millerstown (Exit 16) interchanges.
• Route 1001 (Butler Street/Main Street/Freeport Road/Pittsburgh Street/Seventh Avenue

Beaver County

• Route 65 from Allegheny County to Lawrence County

Lawrence County

• Route 65 from Beaver County to the City of New Castle

(File Photo of a City of Aliquippa Police Department Police Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Aliquippa Police officers on patrol encountered two juveniles who were trespassing on Aliquippa High School property at approximately 11:53 p.m. on Wednesday.

Both of them were dressed in all-black clothing and one of them had his hood raised.

The second juvenile was wearing a partial face mask.  

When officers made contact with the individuals, one of them escaped from officers while the second one tried to escape and initially resisted the attempts from officers to take him into custody.

Officers recovered a fully loaded Glock semi-automatic handgun concealed in the waistband of his underwear after he was secured.

That person was identified as a 16-year-old male juvenile from Aliquippa.

He was subsequently lodged in a juvenile detention facility on charges that are related to the firearm, resisting arrest, and trespassing. 

A perimeter was set up around the area where the second juvenile escaped, and a search of the area was conducted with negative results.

The Hopewell Township Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police assisted during this incident. 

The second person who escaped was identified as a juvenile and charges against him are pending. 

(File Photo of a Fire Background)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) First responders were dispatched to Towne Towers in Aliquippa on Wednesday at approximately 6:00 p.m., for a reported structure fire. 

A small fire that involved refuse and/or clothing was found in a common hallway on the third floor of that building.

The fire was extinguished, and firefighters and officers checked the building so they could ensure the safety of residents and determine whether any additional hazards were present. 

The Aliquippa Police Department is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding this fire. 

Anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity that was in or around Towne Towers during the time that led up to the fire, or has any information that may help investigators, is asked to call the Aliquippa Police Department at 724-378-8000. 

(File Photo of a Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that restrictions on Interstate 79 in Marshall Township and Franklin Park Borough in Allegheny County will occur tonight and tomorrow, weather permitting. 

The following restrictions will occur to accommodate barrier relocation work and line painting operations, according to this schedule from a release courtesy of PennDOT District 11:

7:00 PM Friday to 9:00 AM Saturday 

• Northbound I-79 will be reduced to a single-lane of traffic between the off and on-ramps at the Route 910/Wexford (Exit 73) interchange 

7:00 AM to 3:00 PM Saturday 

• Eastbound Route 910 will have lane restrictions controlled by flaggers between Nicholson Road and the I-79 southbound on and off-ramps 

When the work is completed, the following traffic patterns will be in place: 

• Traffic from Route 910 to the northbound I-79 on-ramp will be switched to the temporary ramp 

• Eastbound Route 910 traffic will no longer be shifted 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) announced on Wednesday that President and Chief Executive Officer James H. Steeley will be stepping down at the end of this year after more than a decade with the PHEAA. 

Steeley has led the PHEAA through some of its most significant challenges and opportunities since he joined the organization in 2015.  

These include the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as overseeing the end of its federal student loan servicing contract and implementing some organizational changes that were designed to ensure long-term sustainability.  

PHEAA also launched the PA Forward and Keystone Student Loan Programs during Steeley’s tenure, which expands affordable financing options for students and families in both Pennsylvania and neighboring states. 

(File Photo of the PennDOT Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) PennDOT is inviting the public to attend a job fair on Thursday, September 3rd so they can learn about available positions that the department offers in Beaver County. 

The event will be from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. and will be held at PennDOT’s Beaver County Maintenance Office, which is located at 155 Stewart Avenue in Rochester.

The available positions in Beaver County for PennDOT include

• CDL Drivers 

• Diesel and Automotive Mechanics 

• Tradesman Helpers 

• Winter Dispatchers 

Jobseekers that are attending this event should bring two forms of identification. Recruitment staff from the state of Pennsylvania will be on-hand to discuss the current job openings in Beaver County.

Hiring managers will also be onsite to talk with individuals that are interested in this opportunity, and assistance with application, interview opportunities, potential conditional offers on certain job titles and road tests will occur onsite.