(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his budget address for the 2025-26 fiscal year to a joint session of the state House and Senate at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) According to a release from Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper’s office, Topper expressed this statement in Harrisburg yesterday regarding the Pennsylvania state budget impasse: 

“It is sad to say the state budget is now 42 days late and the continued piecemeal approach taken in the House regarding SEPTA funding and the lack of authentic negotiation has put an agreement further off than it has been before.

“The solutions to the incredible challenges we face as a Commonwealth will only be found when all parties engage in meaningful ways and acknowledge the serious problems confronting us in resolving this budget: SEPTA is in crisis. Our state’s education system, in many respects, is in crisis. Our state’s economic outlook is in crisis.

“There is a path to agreement on all these fronts. I have seen it. But if we continue down the path of showmanship instead of showing up to find real solutions to these very serious problems, this budget impasse will only continue to deepen, and the Commonwealth will not find itself in a better place.”

(File Photo of a Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) A trial began yesterday in Beaver County for the suspect who is accused of allegedly killing twenty-year-old Treonna Washington in an Aliquippa alley on August 17th, 2024. According to multiple witnesses put on the stand by the prosecution, Jason Banks, Jr. was dating Washington. A witness testified 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 and the roommate of Banks will testify later this week. That roommate of Banks was the last person with Banks and Washington that was in the alley with them before Washington was killed. The roommate of Banks hearing a shot of a gun was what the prosecution told the jury. In its opening statements, the defense proclaimed that only three people were in the alley that Washington was killed at and they asked the jury to listen to every side. The defense also has a belief that the proof of this case will not be proven by the prosecution beyond a doubt that is reasonable. In terms of physical evidence, the jury got a statement from the prosecution that no gun was recovered and residue for gunshots are inconclusive, but later testimony will be when that will all be explained. The expected time of the case is set to go into the following week.

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of AAA East Central)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Gas prices are a penny less in Western Pennsylvania this week at about $3.37 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. These prices also fluctuated with the national average going down two pennies to $3.13. The report states that at this time last year, the average price for a gallon of gas in Western Pennsylvania was around $3.76. The report also notes that the average price that you can expect for a gallon of unleaded gas here in Beaver County is about $3.41. According to a release from AAA East Central and AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report, here are the average prices of unleaded self-serve gasoline this week in various Pennsylvania areas:  

$3.370      Altoona
$3.412      Beaver
$3.593      Bradford
$3.061      Brookville
$3.373      Butler
$3.110      Clarion
$3.225      DuBois
$3.355      Erie
$3.325      Greensburg
$3.399      Indiana
$3.367      Jeannette
$3.501      Kittanning
$3.243      Latrobe
$3.384      Meadville
$3.581      Mercer
$3.320      New Castle
$3.362      New Kensington
$3.396      Oil City
$3.379      Pittsburgh
$3.389      Sharon
$3.386      Uniontown
$3.596      Warren
$3.353      Washington

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Dave Sunday speaks to the audience in the Forum Auditorium across the street from the Capitol after taking the oath to become Pennsylvania’s next attorney general, Jan. 21, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) A “cyber incident” was reported yesterday by Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday and his office in Harrisburg. This incident downed lines for telephones and email accounts from agencies as well as putting his website offline yesterday. According to Sunday, staff members are investigating the cause of the network outage yesterday and trying to restore his agency’s communication systems. Sunday also confirmed in a statement that “around the clock” is when information technology employees are trying to fix this problem for him and those affected by this incident.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: The Clairton Coke Works, a U.S. Steel coking plant, is seen Monday, Aug 11, 2025, in Clairton, Penn. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Clairton, PA) Multiple explosions occurred at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works in Clairton yesterday which killed two people and injured at least ten others. This incident started with a fire yesterday morning. Thirty-nine-year-old Timothy Quinn was the first person that was killed from those explosions that was identified yesterday. The second person that was killed in those explosions has not been identified yet as of last night. According to Allegheny Health Network, seven patients from the U.S. Steel plant in Clairton got treated and within a few hours and five were discharged. 

(File Photo of Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that occurring today and tomorrow, weather permitting, inspection activities will occur on the ramp from southbound Route 65 to the Fort Duquesne Bridge on I-279 in Pittsburgh will begin. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and tomorrow, inspection activities will occur on the ramp that carries traffic from southbound Route 65 to the Fort Duquesne Bridge. That ramp will undergo single-lane restrictions and inspection work will be done by crews from Michael Baker International.

 

(File Photo of the McDonald’s Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Chicago, IL) For a limited time in participating McDonald’s restaurants in the Pittsburgh region, the McDonaldland meal at McDonald’s will be available nationwide to customers starting tomorrow. The meal comes with either ten-piece Chicken McNuggets or the Quarter Pounder with cheese, as well as a Mt. McDonaldland shake and a side of fries. The meal will also have one of six McDonaldland souvenirs and the Mt. McDonaldland shake will have a mystery flavor. The souvenir will be one of six tims that are collectibles with pictures of the cahracters Ronald McDonald, Birdie, Grimace, Hamburglar, the Fry Friends and Mayor McCheese along with postcards, stickers and more. Customers can also buy T-shirts and sweatshirts that are McDonaldland merchandise on pacsun.com starting tomorrow or while supplies last, get a McDonaldland charm for your bag or tag for your luggage at retail stores of Away starting on Monday, Augst 18th in addition to the McDonaldland meal. You can go to mcdonaldland.com for more information on the McDonaldland meal as more information will come out tomorrow. You can also get more information on the McDonaldland meal with more information coming out tomorrow on the Facebook, , Instagram, TikTok and X pages for McDonald’s.

(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) On Saturday morning, an ambulance got involved in a collision with another vehicle in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. This occurred on the McKee Place and Fifth Avenue intersection around 10:45 a.m. that day. An ambulance that was carrying a patient at that time providing mutual aid from Greensburg collided with a passenger vehicle. According to police, the victim was transported to an area hospital in stable condition out of an abundance of caution. Responding to the scene was EMS personnel to help the other first responders so they could extricate the driver that was trapped from the other vehicle. The patient that was in the ambluance at the time of the incident was in stable condition and that person was able to get completely transported by a second mutual aid unit who got dispatched to the scene of this incident. There were no reported injuries after the incident occurred.

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: police car lights at night in city with selective focus and bokeh background blur) Credit for Photo: Courtesy of Getty Images/iStockphoto/z1b)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) SWAT units got called into Carrick in Allegheny County yesterday. According to Allegheny County dispatchers, police were initially called to the 2600 block of Brownsville Road at 7 p.m. yesterday. Police confirm that an unidentified woman was in an apartment building and barricaded herself there before the arrival of officers. According to Pittsburgh Police, they were called to the area for reports of a dispute happening there. At that point, SWAT units were requested, and Brownsville Road got closed from Belplain Street to Maytide Street temporarily. The scene got cleared later in a copule of hours that day.