Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing a traffic shift on southbound Interstate 79 in Robinson Township, Allegheny County will occur Thursday, September 19 weather permitting.

The southbound I-79 lanes at the Route 60 interchange will be shifted to the right into a new configuration of two 11-foot-wide lanes and a half-foot shoulder. The preparatory work, including line painting operations, will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday evening under the current overnight single-lane restrictions. The new traffic pattern will begin once line painting operations conclude and will remain in place continuously through mid-October. The shift will be implemented to accommodate bridge deck overlay work.

Work on this $14.97 million highway restoration project in Robinson and Kennedy townships began in early April 2024. The project begins at the I-376 Airport/Pittsburgh (Exit 59 A/B) interchange and continues approximately one-half mile north of the Route 60 Moon Run/Crafton (Exit 60 A/B) interchange. The work includes concrete pavement patching, guide rail and cable barrier replacement, highway lighting and signing updates, drainage work, pavement markings and other miscellaneous construction activities on mainline I-79 and ten ramps (four at the I-376 interchange and six ramps at the Route 60 interchange). There will be bridge preservation work on six structures (northbound and southbound I-79 bridges over I-376, Route 60, and Campbells Run Road), including concrete deck overlays, replacement of seals at expansion dams and deck joints, substructure concrete repairs, cleaning of bridge bearings and spot painting of the northbound and southbound I-79 steel I-beam bridges over I-376. Additionally, there will be milling and paving operations on Route 60 between Lorish Road and Old Steubenville Pike, preservation work of six existing sign structures (one on northbound I-79 and five on southbound I-79) as well as concrete repairs and scour protection of two arch culverts underneath mainline I-79 and several ramps.  The project is anticipated to conclude in the late spring of 2025.

The prime contractor is Golden Triangle Construction Company, Inc. Work on this project will be coordinated with other projects in the area.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published September 18, 2024 1:53 P.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) On Monday, September 16, 2024 police were called at 10pm to the 300 block of Washington Street in Plan 11 for a disturbance.  Police dispatch advised officers that there was a woman yelling in the background that if police responded she would harm her baby. When officers arrived, they observed Brittany Senior, 35, arguing with a male outside the residence, shoving him with the baby in her arms on a basement stairwell. According to the report, he was having difficulty breathing and wheezing the way she was carrying him.  Two other children were hiding in their bedrooms while the incident evolved.

(Story written by Noah Haswell of Beaver County Radio, Published on September 18, 2024 at 11:17 A.M.)

(Monaca, PA) Governor Josh Shapiro will visit the Beaver County Career & Technology Center (BCCTC) in Monaca Wednesday to highlight investments in workforce development, job training, and career and technical education included in the bipartisan budget the Governor signed into law this year, as well as securing investments from the budget to help grow workforce and give Pennsylvanians the opportunity to succeed. 

Photo File Source: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his budget address for the 2024-25 fiscal year to a joint session of the Pennsylvania House and Senate in the Rotunda of the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

(Story written by Noah Haswell of Beaver County Radio, Published on September 18, 2024 at 11:14 A.M.) 

(Indiana, PA) Former President and Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump is returning to Western Pennsylvania for an event on the campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Former President Trump will speak on Monday, September 23rd at Ed Fry Arena, and this is Trump’s fifth time in Pennsylvania since the attempted assassination attempt on his life that happened in Butler in July. 

(Story written by Noah Haswell of Beaver County Radio, Published on September 18, 2024 at 11:10 A.M.) 

(Beaver County, PA) The 2024-2025 school year continues with expensive education costs in Beaver County. The cost of education is rising a little above 4% on average in public education expenses for the current school year in the Beaver Valley communities. Here are the budget changes from the 2023-2024 to the 2024-2025 school years for school districts in the Beaver Valley.

Aliquippa School District: Budget Change: +3.86%

Ambridge Area School District: Budget Change: +8.91%

Beaver Area School District: Budget Change: +4%

Big Beaver Falls Area School District: Budget Change: +2.38%

Blackhawk School District: Budget Change: +3.6%

Central Valley School District: Budget Change: +7.55%

Cornell Area School District: Budget Change: +3.15%

Ellwood City Area School District: Budget Change: +5.66%

Freedom Area School District: Budget Change: +3.44%

Hopewell Area School District: Budget Change: +3.5%

Midland Borough School District: Budget Change: +6%

Moon Area School District: Budget Change: +5.9%

New Brighton Area School District: Budget Change: +4.94%

Quaker Valley School District: Budget Change: +4.13%

Riverside Area School District: Budget Change: +2.15%

Rochester Area School District: Budget Change: +1.8%

South Side Area School District: Budget Change: +2.11%

West Allegheny School District: Budget Change: +5.59%

Western Beaver (County) School District: Budget Change: +0.57%

Story by Sandy Giordnao – Beaver County Radio. Published September 17, 2024 2:00 P.M.

(Center Township, Pa) C.J. Betters asked Center Township to approve the consolidation of properties. One half of the land is located in Hopewell township on Woodlawn Road, and the other half on Constitution Boulevard in Center Township. A spokesperson for the township said the property may be used for future development on the riverfront. The supervisors next meeting is Monday, October 21, 2024 at 7pm.

Story by Sandy Giordnao – Beaver County Radio. Published September 17, 2024 1:56 P.M.

(Rochester, Pa) A spokesman for the Beaver County Sheriff’s Department reported  Tuesday morning that the department is hosting Operation Safe Surrender Day at the BCTA hub in Rochester on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 from 10am to 6pm.

Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt certified the official list of candidates for the Nov. 5 general election today after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court resolved all pending cases involving third-party candidates.

“Counties can now prepare their ballots to be printed, then begin sending mail ballots to voters who have requested one as soon as they are printed,” Schmidt said.

Now that the ballot is certified, the Department’s online candidate database reflects the official candidate list for all races.*

In addition, to help voters and the media track when each county has its ballots available, the Department created an online mail ballot availability page.

Once ballots are printed and available, registered Pennsylvania voters can go to their county election office, apply for a mail ballot, complete it, and submit it all in one visit until Oct. 29, which is the deadline to apply for a mail ballot.

Registered voters can also request a mail ballot online or via a paper application, which they can then mail in or drop off at their county election office.

Completed mail ballots must be returned to county election offices by 8 p.m. on Election Day. For more information about voting and elections in Pennsylvania, visit vote.pa.gov.

CARNEGIE, PA — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced that Pittsburgh Conservation Corps, also known as Landforce, has been selected as a Track I Project for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Community Change Grants. In a Western PA and Philadelphia partnership led by Landforce, the organization will receive $13.9 million to support their work to upcycle and commercialize materials from urban tree waste, all while training local workers.

“The Citizens Conservation Corps of the 1930s built up Western PA in a time of unique hardship. With its environmental conservation work, Landforce continues this proud tradition, creating opportunities for good work for our community,” said Congressman Deluzio. “I’m glad to see this federal investment in Landforce. Their work to restore and create our critical infrastructure builds up our region and our workforce in more ways than one.”

“This funding will create job training and employment opportunities for the people of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia while keeping urban wood waste out of landfills, produce lumber, and create biochar to clean soils in our communities,” said Ilyssa Manspeizer, Executive Director of Landforce. “We are deeply grateful to our elected leaders, including Representative Deluzio, who work so hard to bring life-changing federal funding opportunities to our region.”

Landforce is an employment and environmental social enterprise with a distinct focus on advancing economic and ecological growth in the region. Landforce offers workforce development and job training, and is focused on providing career pathways in land stewardship services and wood products sectors. Landforce works with a variety of public and private agencies to support traditionally hard to employ adults, such as people with limited income and education levels, people facing homelessness or reentry, and military veterans. This project focuses on converting fallen or arborist removed trees into lumber and biochar, thus keeping wood waste out of landfills, helping to detoxify soils, and retaining carbon in the woody material. Congressman Deluzio’s office recently joined a tree planting work session with Landforce.

The EPA’s Community Change Grants select applications to help disadvantaged communities take on environmental challenges through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity. The Pittsburgh Conservation Corps was one of 17 recipients selected to receive this grant money. Applications for these awards are still open through November 21, 2024. The funding for these grants come from the Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden and Democrats in Congress passed in 2022.

AMBRIDGE, Sept. 16 – New grants totaling nearly $720,000 will fund upgrades for the Center Township Police Department and expand supports and services for crime victims, state Rep. Rob Matzie announced today.

Matzie, D-Beaver, said some of the funding awarded through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will allow the Center Township Police Department to upgrade the department’s reporting system.

“Our officers work hard to protect the community, and departments can support that work by ensuring the best possible recordkeeping and reporting procedures,” Matzie said. “The new funding will allow the Center Township Police Department to upgrade its operations to comply with the National Incident-Based Reporting System, which is the national standard for crime data reporting that helps agencies better analyze, track, investigate and solve crimes.

“Additional funding will expand critical resources for survivors of domestic violence and other crimes.”

Matzie said the funding to Beaver County includes:

• $485,802 to The Women’s Center of Beaver County for projects involving the STOP Violence Against Women Advocacy Project and the Victims of Crime Act.
• $128,500 to Center Township for police department reporting upgrades.
• $105,017 to the Beaver County Commissioners for Victims of Crime Act funding.

In addition, Beaver County will benefit from a $613,516 grant to Neighborhood Legal Services Association, which serves Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties, and a $167,104 grant to A Child’s Place PA, which serves Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.