Category: News

Four people from Ellwood City and four others apprehended for a drug raid at a house in Ellwood City

(File Photo of an Ellwood City Police Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Ellwood City, PA) According to a criminal complaint, a task force raid at a house in Ellwood City resulted in the arrest of four local individuals and the seizure of suspected methamphetamine and other suspected narcotics. This occurred on Tuesday and four people from Ellwood City received charges of counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance and/or Delivery of a Controlled Substance after their arrests. The people who were arrested were thirty-three-year-old Matthew Caldwell, thirty-one-year-old Ryleigh Lucas, forty-six-year-old Daniel Martin and fifty-three-year-old Donald McClain. A search warrant was executed at the house of McClain, and he and the other three suspects were taken into custody. Eight people in total were detained by the Lawrence County HIDTA Task Force inside of the home in the 400 block of Third Street in Ellwood City. According to the complaint, the task force arrived there around 5 p.m. and Martin, who was in front of the house, tried to run and dropped a book bag, which contained 8.77 grams of suspected methamphetamine, a container with four suspected fentanyl pills, 1.4 grams of suspected crack cocaine and $106 in cash. That task force secured the target and with drug paraphenalia throughout the home in plain sight, all of the suspects were taken into custody after being removed from the residence. 1.37 grams of suspected crack cocaine and 0.45 grams of suspected fentanyl were located on Caldwell. 1.44 gross grams of suspected methamphetamine was located on Lucas. McClain also possessed 3.3 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine. 

Aliquippa man arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on I-376 East

(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported via release that twenty-three-year-old Tristan Weber of Aliquippa was arrested on September 22nd, 2025 for driving under the influence of alcohol in Hopewell Township that night. At around 10:50 p.m., Weber crashed his vehicle on 480 I-376 East in Aliquippa and was disabled as a result. There were no reported injuries and Weber was arrested for driving under the influence.

Luigi Mangione’s lawyers seek dismissal of federal charges in assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Luigi Mangione is escorted into Manhattan state court in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Luigi Mangione asked a New York federal judge Saturday to dismiss some criminal charges, including the only count for which he could face the death penalty, from a federal indictment brought against him in the December assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive.

In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers said prosecutors should also be prevented from using at trial his statements to law enforcement officers and his backpack where a gun and ammunition were found.

They said Mangione was not read his rights before he was questioned by law enforcement officers, who arrested him after Brian Thompson was fatally shot as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference.

They added that officers did not obtain a warrant before searching Mangione’s backpack.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.

The killing set off a multi-state search after the suspected shooter slipped away from the scene and rode a bike to Central Park, before taking a taxi to a bus depot that offers service to several nearby states.

Five days later, a tip from a McDonald’s about 233 miles (375 kilometers) away in Altoona, Pennsylvania, led police to arrest Mangione. He has been held without bail since then.

In their submission, defense lawyers provided a minute-by-minute description of how police officers apprehended a cooperative Mangione, including a photograph from a police body-worn camera of the suspect initially sitting alone at a table with a white mask covering nearly all of his face.

They said Mangione was first approached by two “fully armed” police officers when one of them “told Mr. Mangione that someone had called the police because they thought he was suspicious” after he’d been there about 40 minutes.

When the officers asked to see his identification, Mangione turned over a New Jersey driver’s license with someone else’s name, according to the filing.

As Mangione prepared to eat his food, the officers asked him to stand up with his hands atop his head so they could frisk him, the lawyers wrote.

Soon afterward, one of the officers went outside to summon more officers, telling a colleague he was “100 percent” convinced that Mangione was the suspect they were looking for, the lawyers said. Within minutes, nearly a half dozen additional officer arrived.

Last month, lawyers for Mangione asked that his federal charges be dismissed and the death penalty be taken off the table as a result of public comments by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. In April, Bondi directed prosecutors in New York to seek the death penalty, calling the killing of Thompson a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”

Murder cases are usually tried in state courts, but prosecutors have also charged Mangione under a federal law on murders committed with firearms as part of other “crimes of violence.” It’s the only charge for which Mangione could face the death penalty, since it’s not used in New York state.

The papers filed early Saturday morning argued that this charge should be dismissed because prosecutors have failed to identify the other offenses that would be required to convict him, saying that the alleged other crime — stalking — is not a crime of violence.

The assassination and its aftermath have captured the American imagination, setting off a cascade of resentment and online vitriol toward U.S. health insurers while rattling corporate executives concerned about security.

After the killing, investigators found the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” written in permanent marker on ammunition at the scene. The words mimic a phrase used by insurance industry critics.

Rangers coach Sullivan expresses gratitude in return to Pittsburgh

(File Photo: Source for Photo: New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan acknowledges fans after a scoreboard tribute to his years a head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — New York Rangers coach Mike Sullivan knew the Pittsburgh Penguins were going to play a tribute video.

There has been one for each returning player that won a championship during Sullivan’s time with the Penguins.

That doesn’t mean it wasn’t any less emotional in his return to Pittsburgh after parting ways with the organization in April.

“It means a lot,” Sullivan said after New York’s 6-1 win at Pittsburgh on Saturday. “I’m grateful for everything we accomplished (in Pittsburgh) during my time.”

The tribute video played at the first media timeout, honoring Sullivan for his accomplishments with the Penguins. Sullivan received a standing ovation and acknowledged the crowd with a wave to the air

Mika Zibanejad scored a short-handed goal 23 seconds after the video to give the Rangers a lead they didn’t relinquish.

Sullivan, who spent 10 seasons with the Penguins, was elevated from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with Pittsburgh in 2016-17. Sullivan, the only U.S.-born coach to win at least two Stanley Cups, is the all-time leader at Pittsburgh with 409 wins in 753 games.

“I’m so grateful to the group of players over those years that performed the way they did that allowed us to have the success that we had,” Sullivan said. “When you watch a tribute like that, which I was very appreciative of for the Penguins, they didn’t have to do that, it brings back a flood of emotions.”

Sullivan already coached against the Penguins and lost, as Dan Muse won his debut behind the bench with Pittsburgh 3-0 in Tuesday’s season opener at Madison Square Garden. Sullivan was impressed with his team’s response during a shutout at Buffalo on Thursday and again two days later with a win against the same Pittsburgh team that blanked the Rangers in the opener.

“They played a much more determined game for the last 40 minutes,” Sullivan said. “I think that shows you what we’re capable of when we play with that focus and determination.”

The Penguins and Sullivan parted ways after Pittsburgh missed the playoffs for a third straight season. Almost immediately, Sullivan landed in New York and replaced Peter Laviolette for a franchise seeking it’s first title since 1994. Sullivan is now tasked with the responsibility of providing structure and discipline to a team that unraveled on and off the ice, missing the playoffs one season after winning the Presidents Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference Final.

Sullivan’s relentless intensity instantly ignited the Penguins. But now Pittsburgh, which hasn’t made it beyond the first round since 2018, is in the midst of an inevitable rebuild and general manager Kyle Dubas felt that it was time to go in another direction.

Now, Sullivan’s job is to turn the Rangers back into an immediate contender.

“I’m excited about the group of players we have in New York,” Sullivan said. “I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve had to work with them to this point, we have a lot of enthusiasm around our team right now and we’re excited about what we can potentially do moving forward.”

Adam Fox leads Rangers past Penguins 6-1 in coach Mike Sullivan’s return to Pittsburgh

(File Photo: Source for Photo: New York Rangers’ Adam Fox (23) celebrates as he returns to the bench after scoring the first of his two goals during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Fox scored twice and added an assist as the New York Rangers beat the Penguins 6-1 on Saturday night to give new coach Mike Sullivan a victory in his return to Pittsburgh.

Sullivan, who coached the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, was back for the first time since parting ways with the team in April. Pittsburgh spoiled Sullivan’s debut with the Rangers by winning the season opener 3-0 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, but New York exacted a measure of revenge on Saturday.

Mika Zibanejad scored a short-handed goal, his 251st goal with the Rangers, surpassing Mark Messier for the eighth-most in franchise history. Will Cuylle added a power-play goal, and Matt Rempe and Taylor Raddysh also scored for New York, which announced on Saturday that center Vincent Trocheck — a Pittsburgh native — is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Igor Shesterkin made 18 saves for the Rangers.

Ben Kindel scored his first NHL goal and Bryan Rust returned to Pittsburgh’s lineup after missing the first two games of the season because of a lower-body injury. The Penguins lost for the first time under new coach Dan Muse, a Rangers assistant from 2023-25.

Arturs Silovs stopped 24 shots after shutting out the Rangers on Tuesday.

Sullivan, in addition to his back-to-back championships, had 409 wins with Pittsburgh in 753 games, both team records.

Zibanejad scored at 7:40 of the first period, 23 seconds after a tribute video was played to honor Sullivan. It was Zibanejad’s 12th short-handed goal with the Rangers, tied for fifth-most in franchise history.

New York took command in the second with three goals and a 14-3 advantage in shots.

Fox helped the Rangers regain the lead, 2-1, just 3:02 after Kindel scored. Cuylle made it 3-1 when he tapped in a pass from Conor Sheary, who also won back-to-back championships with Pittsburgh.

Fox scored his second goal from the point five seconds into a power play as the Rangers opened a 4-1 lead.

Up next

Rangers: Host the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.

Penguins: Open a three-game West Coast trip Tuesday at Anaheim.

Former President Joe Biden is receiving radiation and hormone therapy to treat his prostate cancer

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Former President Joe Biden speaks during the National Bar Association’s 100th Annual Awards Gala in Chicago, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Joe Biden is receiving radiation and hormone therapy as part of a new phase of treating the aggressive form of prostate cancer he was diagnosed with after leaving office, a spokesperson said Saturday.

“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” said Biden aide Kelly Scully.

The 82-year-old Democrat left office in January after he had dropped his bid for reelection six months earlier following a disastrous debate against Republican Donald Trump amid concerns about Biden’s age, health and mental fitness. Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris, who was Biden’s vice president.

In May, Biden’s postpresidential office announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and that it had spread to his bone. The discovery came after he reported urinary symptoms.

Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what is known as a Gleason score. The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively. Biden’s office said his score was 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive.

Last month, Biden had surgery to remove skin cancer lesions from his forehead.

Shooting at packed South Carolina bar kills 4 and injures at least 20 others

(File Photo: Source for Photo: The outside patio area of Willie’s Bar and Grill in St Helena Island, S.C. after a shooting occurred early Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Lewis M. Levine)

ST. HELENA ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — A mass shooting early Sunday at a crowded bar on an idyllic island considered to be the largest Gullah community on the South Carolina coast has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials said.

A large crowd was at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island when sheriff’s deputies arrived and found many people with gunshot wounds. An estimated 5,000 or more Gullah people living on the island trace their ancestry back to enslaved West Africans who once worked rice plantations in the area before being freed by the Civil War.

Bar owner Willie Turral was inside the establishment, which was packed for a high school alumni event, when he heard shots going off “in bursts” outside. He described the scene: “Screaming and panic and fear.”

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on the social platform X that many people ran to nearby businesses seeking shelter from the gunfire.

“This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone,” the statement said. “We ask for your patience as we continue to investigate this incident. Our thoughts are with all of the victims and their loved ones.”

Among the injured, four were in critical condition at hospitals Sunday afternoon. The victims’ identities were not released.

Turral said the bar was hosting an event for alumni of Battery Creek High School in Beaufort, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of St. Helena Island. He said people were having a good time when the shots were heard.

“It was scary from the inside,” he said, with “people not knowing what’s really going on outside, people trying to get to safety.”

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X that she was “COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting.”

Willie’s Bar and Grill advertises itself as serving authentic Gullah-inspired cuisine and describes itself on its website as “not just a restaurant but a community pillar committed to giving back, especially to our youth.”

Smaller enclaves of Gullah, referred to as Geechee in some areas, are scattered along the Southeast coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say separation from the mainland caused the Gullah to retain much of their African heritage, including a unique dialect and skills such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is out for the season with an injury

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Penn State quarterback Drew Allar (15) walks off the field injured during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Drew Allar came back to Penn State for his senior season determined to lead the Nittany Lions to a national championship.

Now, with hopes gone for winning their first NCAA football title since 1986 after a third straight loss, the strong-armed quarterback will have to watch from the sideline the rest of the way.

Allar suffered an apparent leg injury on a third-down play late in Penn State’s 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Saturday. He limped off the field with help, was replaced by backup Ethan Grunkemeyer and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

“Drew will be done for the year,” Penn State coach James Franklin said.

Allar’s injury — not specified by the team — capped a three-week stretch in which the Nittany Lions fell from No. 2 in the AP Top 25 after losing in overtime at home to No. 3 Oregon, getting pounded by a previously winless UCLA team last week and being outplayed by Northwestern in front of another restless crowd at Beaver Stadium.

That crowd was noticeably smaller, too, as large sections of the 40,000-seat student section were barren all night.

Wide receiver Devonte Ross, who transferred to Penn State last summer to play with Allar, was sullen afterward.

“I love Drew,” Ross said. “That’s unfortunate. It’s a tough situation just knowing him as a person and knowing how much football means to him, how much this team means to him. It’s tough, but I know it’s next man up.”

The Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten), will have to find some answers and now turn to Grunkemeyer to try to lead them to a bowl game.

They have to play at Iowa next week and still have trips to No. 1 Ohio State and Michigan State. A home game against No. 7 Indiana looms, too.

Allar ends his Penn State career fourth on the school’s career passing yardage list with 7,265 yards on 620 for 982 passing with 61 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

He also carried the ball 218 times for 711 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“Ultimately it’s about the guys,” Franklin said. “It’s about the guys in the locker room and they’re hurting. I’d do anything I could to take that hurt away from them, but like I told them, we’ve got to stick together, we’ve got to tune out all the noise and we’ve got to get to work.”

Penn State fires coach James Franklin amid midseason free fall in a lost season

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Penn State head coach James Franklin reacts after losing to Oregon in the second overtime of their NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — From the day he was hired more than a decade ago, James Franklin stressed the importance of creating a family atmosphere at Penn State.

Over the course of 11-plus seasons in Happy Valley, that approach helped the Nittany Lions churn out pros and double-digit victory seasons with regularity.

Yet it also never translated into Penn State beating the programs it considers its peers with regularity, either. And while the stakes kept getting higher, the results took on a certain sameness.

Until the last three weeks, anyway, when one tough loss turned into another improbable loss turned into one unforgivable loss that ended up costing Franklin his job.

Penn State fired Franklin on Sunday, less than 24 hours after a 22-21 home upset at the hands of Northwestern all but ended whatever remote chance the preseason No. 2 team had of reaching the College Football Playoff.

Terry Smith will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the season for the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten), who began the year with hopes of winning the national title only to have those hopes evaporate by early October with three consecutive losses, each one more stinging than the last.

Penn State, which reached the CFP semifinals 10 months ago, fell at home to Oregon in overtime in late September. A road setback at previously winless UCLA followed. The final straw came Saturday at Beaver Stadium, where the Nittany Lions let Northwestern escape with a victory and lost quarterback Drew Allar to injury for the rest of the season.

Franklin deflected questions about his job security afterward, as always turning his attention toward the players. It didn’t stop the administration from making the very expensive decision that it couldn’t wait any longer to act. Penn State swallowed a nearly $50 million buyout to part ways with the coach who put the program back on the national map.

Franklin went 104-45 during his 11-plus seasons at Penn State. Yet the Nittany Lions often stumbled against top-tier opponents, going 4-21 against teams ranked in the top 10 during his tenure.

Hired in 2014 in the wake of Bill O’Brien’s departure for the NFL, Franklin inherited a team still feeling the effects of unprecedented NCAA sanctions in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Armed with relentless optimism and an ability to recruit, Franklin’s program regularly churned out NFL-level talent, from Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons. Franklin guided the Nittany Lions to the 2016 Big Ten title and a seemingly permanent spot in the rankings.

There was hope this fall might be the one when Penn State would finally break through and win its third national championship and first since 1986. Yet after three easy wins during a light nonconference schedule, the Nittany Lions crumbled.

Athletic director Pat Kraft said the school owes Franklin an “enormous amount of gratitude” for leading the Nittany Lions back to relevance. Yet Franklin’s inability to finish the job led to his ouster.

“We hold our athletics programs to the highest of standards, and we believe this is the right moment for new leadership at the helm of our football program to advance us toward Big Ten and national championships,” Kraft said.

Smith now will be tasked with trying to stop the bleeding on what has become a disastrous season. He will have his work cut out for him: Penn State’s next three games are at Iowa on Saturday, at No. 1 Ohio State on Nov. 1 and home against No. 3 Indiana on Nov. 8.

The matchups with the Buckeyes and Hoosiers were expected to be a chance for the Nittany Lions to bolster their CFP credentials. In the span of a handful of weeks, Penn State will instead find itself in the role of spoiler.

The move will cost Penn State at a time the athletic department has committed to a $700 million renovation to Beaver Stadium. The project is expected to be completed by 2027.

Former athletic director Sandy Barbour signed Franklin to a 10-year contract extension worth up to $85 million in 2021. According to terms of the deal, Penn State will have to pay Franklin’s base salary of $500,000, supplemental pay of $6.5 million and insurance loan of $1 million until 2031.

It’s a steep price, but one the university appears willing to pay to find a coach who can complete the climb to a national title.

“We have the best college football fans in America, a rich tradition of excellence, significant investments in our program, compete in the best conference in college sports and have a state-of-the-art renovated stadium on the horizon,” Kraft said. “I am confident in our future and in our ability to attract elite candidates to lead our program.”

There will be no shortage of interested coaches. Kraft has ties to at least one. He was the athletic director at Temple when he hired current Nebraska coach Matt Rhule back in 2013.

Rhule and the Cornhuskers will visit Beaver Stadium in Penn State’s home finale on Nov. 22. What back in August looked like one of the final hurdles for the Nittany Lions to clear on their way to a CFP berth might instead be both an audition for Rhule and a chance for the Nittany Lions to potentially salvage a shot at a bowl game of any variety, let alone a premier one.

Pennsylvania State Police Provide Update on Shooting of Two Troopers in Chambersburg

(Photo Courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Chambersburg, PA) A press conference was held yesterday by the Pennsylvania State Police at their location in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania to provide an update on the shooting incident that happened after a retail theft and pursuit on Wednesday that seriously injured two Pennsylvania State Police Troopers. The location of the incident was along Interstate 81 South at Exit 3 in Guilford Township of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. A report came in after 6 p.m. for a retail theft at a Dick’s Sporting Goods sports store in that area. Later, troopers tried to conduct a felony car stop to a gold Chevrolet van and a gunfight began as a result. The suspect, thirty-one-year-old Lamar Lorenzo Foy of Baltimore, Maryland, was shot and killed by police after he began shooting at three Pennsylvania State Police troopers after they broke the window of the vehicle on the driver’s side. Troopers then fired back at Foy, who was later found dead by one of the three troopers. The other two troopers, twenty-three-year-old Trooper Thomas Pack and thirty-one-year-old Trooper Lucas Amarose, had serious wounds after both were shot by Foy multiple times. According to Colonel Christopher Paris, the commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, Trooper Pack is recovering at home and Trooper Amarose’s condition is serious after having surgery yesterday at Wellspan York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania, which is where both troopers were lifeflighted after the incident occurred. Two women who were suspects of this incident that were occupants in the van with Foy are in the Franklin County Jail with their bail denied. Those suspects are twenty-one-year-old Amir Loren Swift and twenty-one-year-old Giadi Jaida McGowan, both of Baltimore, Maryland. Swift and McGowan, who are accused of stealing over $1,000 from the Franklin County Dick’s Sporting Goods store have charges of retail theft and offenses related to drugs.