(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Two local parks have received grant funding for renovations to boost activity and accessibility.

State Representative Rob Matzie announced on Tuesday that P.J. Caul Memorial Park will be receiving $125,000 for renovations through the Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program through the Marcellus Legacy Fund. Through the same grant, $74,000 has been awarded to John A. Antoline Park in Monaca for the Central Valley Girls Youth Softball Field.

“The grant to Ambridge will allow the borough to build on improvements to P.J. Caul Park that are making the park more accessible and more inviting for residents,” Matzie said. “The funding to Monaca will support needed renovations to the Antoline Park softball field. Folks love to come out and watch the games and cheer on the players, and the work will help ensure the best experience for everyone.”

(Independence Township, Beaver County, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that 30-year-old Zachary Thomas Oddis of Clinton is being charged with filing false reports over an incident that occurred on at 6:11 AM on December 13, 2023.

Troopers said that on the above date and time they responded to a report of a burglary in progress on Windward Lane in Independence Township, Beaver County. On scene it was determined that Oddis made a false report and that he has a history of doing so.

No further information about the incident was released.

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Beaver County Coroner David J. Gabauer confirmed the identity of the victim of Monday’s fatal house fire in Ohioville as 50-year-old Raymond Jankowski.

The manner in which Jankowski’s home on Ridgemont Drive caught fire is pending. The state fire marshal is continuing to investigate the case, according to Fire Chief Clarence Dawson.

Jankowski’s daughter Ariel managed to escape from the fire, and a GoFundMe account has been created for her following the destructive fire.

TCBC has coordinated with community partners to provide warming centers for those needing relief from potentially dangerous winter weather, including extreme cold and wind chill.

Local Warming Center Locations and Hours of Operation:

The Cornerstone of Beaver County 

Mon-Fri 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

600 6th Street, Beaver Falls

New Brighton Municipal Building

Mon-Thurs 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

610 3rd Avenue, New Brighton

Uncommon Grounds

Tues-Thurs 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

380 Franklin Ave, Aliquippa, PA

Outside of warming center hours of operation, anyone experiencing homelessness or housing-related crisis can call TCBC at 724.846.6400 any time, day or night, for assistance.

For more information about TCBC’s emergency shelter, housing, and basic needs programs, visit CornerstoneBeaver.org.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A U.S. company’s lunar lander will soon burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after a failed moonshot.

Astrobotic Technology said its lander is now headed back toward Earth from the vicinity of the moon. Company officials expect the mission to end Thursday. Astrobotic is working with NASA to track the lander’s path and said it should pose no safety risk during its fiery reentry.

The lander, named Peregrine, rocketed from Cape Canaveral last Monday. It quickly developed a fuel leak that forced Astrobotic to abandon its attempt to make the first U.S. lunar landing in more than 50 years. The company suspects a stuck valve caused a tank to rupture.

Astrobotic said it has consulted with NASA and other government officials on how best to end the mission. The company said it does not want to endanger satellites around Earth or create a hazard for future spacecraft flying to the moon.

It was a “difficult decision,” the company said in an online update late Sunday. “By responsibly ending Peregrine’s mission, we are doing our part to preserve the future” of space exploration.

NASA paid more than $100 million to fly experiments on the Peregrine lander. It’s part of the space agency’s bid to commercialize lunar deliveries by private businesses while the government works to get astronauts back to the moon.

The lander also carried a rover from Carnegie Mellon University and other privately sponsored research, as well as the ashes and DNA from about 70 people, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke.

Another U.S. company, Intuitive Machines, is up next with its own lunar lander due to launch next month.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan didn’t tell Sidney Crosby to start shooting the puck more often. Maybe because he knew he didn’t have to.

“Quite honestly we just try to stay out of his way,” Sullivan said. “He thinks it better than we do.”

And still plays it — even at age 36 and in the middle of his 19th season — better than most.

Crosby scored twice to move within one of Hall of Famer Mark Recchi for 21st on the all-time goals list as the Penguins ended Seattle’s franchise-record nine-game winning streak with a 3-0 win on Monday.

Tristan Jarry turned aside all 22 shots he faced for his fifth shutout of the season as Pittsburgh handed Seattle its first loss of any kind since Dec. 18 and its first loss in regulation since Dec. 10.

The Kraken came in riding a month of occasionally spectacular play that’s vaulted them into the thick of the playoff chase in the loaded Western Conference as the season reaches its midpoint. Playing the fourth game of a six-game East Coast road swing and forced to go without three regulars in defenseman Vince Dunn, center Matty Beniers and forward Andre Burakovsky, Seattle mustered little against Jarry and a Pittsburgh team smarting after consecutive overtime losses to Vancouver and Carolina.

“I just didn’t think we executed well enough,” Kraken center Jaden Schwartz said. “We looked a little tired at times. Just didn’t have that same jump and energy.”

The Penguins, frustrated after slow starts plagued them in overtime losses to Vancouver and Carolina, looked fresh during the somewhat impromptu matinee crowd. The teams agreed to move up the originally scheduled game time from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. to avoid a direct conflict with the NFL playoff matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, which was moved from Sunday to Monday after a blizzard drilled Western New York over the weekend.

The Penguins controlled play for long stretches in the opening period and finally broke through early in the second during a pretty sequence that began with a stretch pass from Marcus Pettersson to Evgeni Malkin. Malkin then chipped the puck to a streaking Bryan Rust, who threaded a backhand pass to O’Connor that O’Connor fired by Joey Daccord 49 seconds into the second.

Crosby, sprinting up the NHL’s all-time scoring list in the middle of his 19th season, collected his 575th a couple of minutes later when he went down to one knee in the right circle to blast a one-timer past Daccord 3:32 into the second. His 576th came on an empty netter in the final minutes.

Seattle had trailed for all of 56:50 during its nine-game run, more than half of that coming in an overtime victory over Philadelphia on Dec. 29. Daccord made 30 saves but for the first time in a while there would be no rally.

The Kraken and their roster littered with former Penguins — including two-time Stanley Cup winner Brian Dumoulin, who left in free agency for Seattle last summer — found little open space against a team that is now 10-3-3 over its last 16 games.

Crosby has been in the thick of the resurgence. He’s on pace for his first 50-goal season since 2009-10 and at his pace, he should pass Recchi in relatively short order and maybe even catch Jari Kurri in 20th at 601 before the end of the season.

It’s a heady total for a franchise icon long considered more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. He’s found a way to do both over his nearly two decades in Pittsburgh, his unique ability to diagnose what his team needs and try to provide it nearly unparalleled.

The Penguins have struggled to score goals in general this season, particularly on the power play. Crosby has responded by shooting more frequently. It’s working.

“Sid, he takes what the game gives him,” Sullivan said. “When the plays are there to make a play, he does. When there’s opportunities to put the puck at the net and shoot the puck, he does.”

UP NEXT

Kraken: Visit the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Penguins: Head west for a two-game road trip starting in Las Vegas on Saturday.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Pennsylvania US Senator John Fetterman is joining Iowa Senator Joni Ernst to introduce the Consistent Egg Labels Act to combat mislabeled information on egg alternatives and egg substitutes. The bill was introduced to Congress on Friday.

The bill would require the FDA to, within 180 days, issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of mislabeled egg alternatives. The FDA would then be required to report to Congress two years after enactment on actions taken with respect to food that is misbranded. The legislation would also nullify any guidance with respect to eggs or egg products that is not consistent with its standards.

“Pennsylvania’s egg producers work tirelessly to produce an inexpensive, accessible, and healthy source of protein for consumers,” said Senator Fetterman. “Our commonwealth is the fourth largest egg producing state in the country, making eggs a critical part of Pennsylvania’s agricultural and economic strength. The Consistent Egg Labels Act will protect farmers and consumers by prohibiting eggs alternatives from misrepresenting themselves.”

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Firefighters were called to what would become a fatal fire in Ohioville. The call to 9-1-1 came in just after 5 PM, claiming that there was an entrapment at the facility that caught fire.

A man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released, nor has any additional information.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — It made no difference to Josh Allen what day or time the Buffalo Bills faced the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The AFC wild-card playoff game could’ve been played Sunday as scheduled, in the midst of a lake-effect storm that dumped more than 2 feet of snow on the region, and the Bills were going be to ready.

They proved that on Monday, when Allen threw three touchdown passes and scored on a franchise playoff-record 52-yard touchdown run as Buffalo beat Pittsburgh 31-17 in a game that was postponed by 27 1/2 hours.

“People keep saying that’s what we wanted. We had no call in that,” Allen said about the postponement. “We would have played yesterday, would have played Saturday would have played Friday, it wouldn’t have mattered. We would have come out here and played when we were told to play.”

The game turned into a celebration of the elements. Snow blanketed a majority of the seats inside Highmark Stadium when the gates opened and was put to good use by fans, who tossed handfuls into the air like confetti to celebrate.

“We put on a show in the snow,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “We’re here. We got one more week.”

The second-seeded Bills (12-6), who closed the regular season with five straight wins, advance to host Patrick Mahomes and the No. 3 seed Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round on Sunday night. Buffalo and its fans have longed for a home playoff game against the Chiefs after their 2020 and ’21 seasons ended with playoff losses at Kansas City.

“We’re a step behind already,” Allen said, noting the Chiefs will have two more days of rest after beating Miami on Saturday. “It’s going to take a team effort. We know the type of team that they are, obviously the type of quarterback that they have in Pat over there.”

Buffalo led 21-0 before Pittsburgh scored on three straight possessions to get within 24-17. Allen then sealed the win, throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Shakir with 6:27 remaining. Shakir caught the pass at the 10 over the middle, slipped Minkah Fitzpatrick’s tackle attempt with a spin move, and outraced the rest of the Steelers defenders into the end zone.

“Dude hit me and I was able to just stay up and make a play from there,” Shakir said. “But that comes down to (Allen) getting the ball, putting it right on the money and giving me an opportunity to make a play.”

Allen finished 21 of 30 for 203 yards and ran for 74 yards on eight carries, becoming the first quarterback in NFL playoff history to throw three or more TD passes while rushing for 70 or more yards and a score. He didn’t have a turnover for just the fourth time this season.

Mason Rudolph threw two touchdown passes with an interception in his first playoff start for the Steelers (10-8), but Pittsburgh was too inconsistent on either side of the ball to keep up with Allen and the Bills. The Steelers lost their fifth straight playoff game; the franchise’s most recent postseason victory was exactly seven years ago.

Missed tackles, two turnovers that led to 14 points for Buffalo and the Bills’ ability to bottle up the Steelers’ running attack contributed to the loss.

“I’m appreciative of the efforts. But it’s not mystical. We didn’t do what was required to win tonight,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “Can’t come into an environment like this with a playoff-caliber team and turn the ball over like that and expect to be competitive.”

Asked about his future in Pittsburgh after completing his 17th season — all of them with a record of .500 or better — Tomlin smirked and walked away.

“When we got it down to seven points, I thought we were going to make a run. It comes back to the defense,” veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. “There were chances. We didn’t capitalize. that was probably the biggest outlier in the game.”

The elements didn’t play much of a factor. Though temperatures were in the teens, the skies were clear and there was only a slight breeze blowing in off Lake Erie.

The Bills asserted themselves at the start.

Allen’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox capped an 80-yard opening drive. After Buffalo linebacker Terrel Bernard recovered receiver George Pickens’ fumble at the Pittsburgh 29, Allen threw a TD pass to Dalton Kincaid on the next play.

Allen’s touchdown run came after cornerback Kaiir Elam intercepted Rudolph’s pass intended for Diontae Johnson in the end zone.

The Steelers finally capitalized on one of the Bills’ few errors of the half, when coach Sean McDermott elected to attempt a 49-yard field goal into the wind with a little more than two minutes left.

Montravius Adams blocked Tyler Bass’ low kick. The ball squirted some 20 yards into Bills territory and was recovered by Nick Herbig at Buffalo’s 33. The Steelers scored five plays later on Rudolph’s 10-yard TD pass to Johnson.

The Bills overcame a rash of injuries to their defense. Bernard was ruled out after twisting his right ankle and starting nickelback Taron Johnson did not return after being evaluated for a concussion. The Bills began the game without cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) and linebacker Tyrel Dodson (shoulder).

“We’ve got a resilient group,” Allen said of a team that was 6-6 after an overtime loss to Philadelphia on Nov. 26. “The veteran leadership that we have, I really think it’s unmatched in the league.”

Story by Sandy Giordano – Published January 15, 2024 4:26 P.M.

(Rochester Township, Pa) Beaver Valley Regional Police were dispatched to 616 Deer lane Extension at 8:22 p.m. Sunday night for a report of a disturbance.  According to an initial report there was a fight and when police arrived, one male was in need of medical attention. Police found blood all over the kitchen, and an individual had been stabbed and was in need of medical attention. Officers assessed the situation, and while rendering aid they determined that the male needed to be life flighted.