(File Photo of the Welcome to Monaca Sign)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Monaca Borough, PA) Monaca Borough is offering a free tour of its new fire station located at 1200 Pacific Avenue on Saturday, January 17th at noon. Light refreshments will be served in addition to this tour.
(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(McKeesport, PA) A vehicle crashed into a garage in McKeesport early this morning. It happened on the 1500 block of Douglas Street a little before 3:30 a.m. No one was injured and the cause of this crash is unknown at this time.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Jonathan Dumke, a senior forensic chemist with the Drug Enforcement Administration, holds vials of fentanyl pills at a DEA research laboratory on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Northern Virginia. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. overdose deaths fell through most of last year, suggesting a lasting improvement in an epidemic that had been worsening for decades.
Federal data released Wednesday showed that overdose deaths have been falling for more than two years — the longest drop in decades — but also that the decline was slowing.
And the monthly death toll is still not back to what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, let alone where it was before the current overdose epidemic struck decades ago, said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University researcher who studies overdose trends.
“Overall I think this continues to be encouraging, especially since we’re seeing declines almost across the nation,” he said.
Overdose deaths began steadily climbing in the 1990s with overdoses involving opioid painkillers, followed by waves of deaths from heroin and — more recently — illicit fentanyl. Deaths peaked nearly 110,000 in 2022, fell a little in 2023 and then plummeted 27% in 2024, to around 80,000. That was the largest one-year decline ever recorded.
The new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data runs through August 2025 and represents the first update of monthly provisional drug overdose deaths since the federal government shutdown.
An estimated 73,000 people died from overdoses in the 12-month period that ended August 2025, down about 21% from the 92,000 in the previous 12-month period.
CDC officials reported that deaths were down in all states except Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, New Mexico and North Dakota. But they noted it’s likely that not all overdose deaths have been reported yet in every state, and additional data in the future might affect that state count.
Researchers cannot yet say with confidence why deaths have gone down. Experts have offered multiple possible explanations: increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, expanded addiction treatment, shifts in how people use drugs, and the growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money.
Some also point to research that suggests the number of people likely to overdose has been shrinking, as fewer teens take up drugs and many illicit drug users have died.
Two other theories recently joined the list.
In a paper published last week in the journal Science, University of Maryland researchers point to the drug supply. They say regulatory changes in China a few years ago appear to have diminished the availability of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl.
Their argument is based partly on information from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which last year reported that the purity — and dangerous potency — of fentanyl rose early in the COVID-19 pandemic but fell after 2022. It suggests it became harder to make fentanyl and its potency was diluted.
One piece of evidence for that: More U.S.-based Reddit users reported a fentanyl “drought” in 2023.
The authors connect that to signs that the Chinese government — at the urging of U.S. officials — took steps in 2023 to clamp down on the selling of substances used to make drugs. Information is limited on exactly what the Chinese government did, and the paper is a bit speculative, but “we thought we could make a case,” said Peter Reuter, one of the authors.
The recent deceleration of overdose deaths could be because producers in Canada and Mexico found alternative sources, Reuter and his colleagues think.
Their paper drew inspiration from a team of University of Pittsburgh researchers, who earlier concluded that regulatory changes in China concerning the drug carfentanil were an important explanation for a dip in U.S. overdose deaths in 2018.
Those same Pittsburgh researchers — Dr. Donald Burke and Dr. Hawre Jalal — are now focused on another theory for what’s happened to overdose deaths. In a paper published last week in the International Journal of Drug Policy, they say overdose trends may be at least partly tied to federal stimulus checks sent out during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The researchers tracked the three rounds of pandemic stimulus payments to U.S. households in 2020 and 2021, and saw surges in overdose deaths after each one.
That money alleviated economic hardship for many families, but some of it also helped people pay for illicit drugs, the Pittsburgh researchers say. And the end of those payments helps explain why overdoses stabilized in 2022 and began falling afterward, they say.
Both arguments seem to have merit, though they do not prove causation, said Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco.
“I personally think it’s more complicated,” with those partial explanations layering on other trends, he said.
The Maryland and Pittsburgh researchers raised questions about whether Trump administration policies could slow momentum.
They noted relations between the U.S. and China strained last year when Trump placed sharply higher tariffs on imports from China, and speculated China might ease efforts to police fentanyl precursors.
They also noted Trump has promised a $2,000 check to Americans to help offset the rising prices resulting from tariffs placed on China. Those checks could cause some drug users to splurge and overdose, said Burke, who urged federal officials to think through how the money is disbursed.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration this week canceled some 2,000 grants in a move expected to jeopardize programs that provide mental health and drug treatment and prevention services.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Pittsburgh defensive lineman Aaron Donald (97) defends during an NCAA football game between Pittsburgh and North Carolina, Nov. 16, 2013 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
(AP) Mark Ingram, the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy, and Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald, two of the most fearsome defensive linemen of their era, highlight the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class announced Wednesday.
Gary Patterson of TCU and Chris Petersen of Boise State and Washington are among four coaches that will be inducted at the National Football Foundation’s awards dinner in December in Las Vegas.
The class includes six consensus first-team All-Americans, four multi-year first-team All-Americans and eight major award winners.
Ingram won the Heisman in 2009 while leading Alabama to a 14-0 record and national championship. He led the Southeastern Conference in rushing with an Alabama-record 1,658 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. He finished his Alabama career as the school’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns. He played 12 seasons in the NFL.
Nebraska’s Suh turned in one of the most dominant seasons by a defensive lineman in 2009, sweeping the Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski and Outland trophies and being voted Associated Press national player of the year. He was the first defensive lineman in 15 years to be a Heisman finalist. Last August he was named to the All-Time AP All-America first team. Suh recorded 12 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in 2009 and went on to play 13 NFL seasons.
Pittsburgh’s Donald, like Suh, swept the major defensive awards in his last college season. He led the nation with 28.5 tackles for loss in 2013 and he remains Pitt’s all-time leader in career and single-season tackles for loss. He played all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and teamed with Suh on their defensive line in 2018.
Among offensive players joining Ingram in the hall are Peter Warrick of Florida State and Marvin Harrison of Syracuse.
Warrick starred in the late 1990s for an FSU team that never finished ranked lower than No. 3 during his career. He was a two-time first-team All-America receiver as the Seminoles compiled a 45–4 record, won a national championship and played for another title. He finished his career as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time leader in receiving yards and second in touchdown receptions. He played six NFL seasons.
Harrison excelled as a kick returner and wide receiver, setting multiple school records. He set the Big East record with a 94-yard punt return touchdown against Minnesota in 1995 and ranked among the league’s all-time leaders in 100-yard receiving games with 13 and receiving TDs (20). He played 13 NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Other players entering the hall are Jerry Azumah of New Hampshire, Ki-Jana Carter of Penn State, Bruce Collie of Texas-Arlington, George Cumby of Oklahoma, Garrison Hearst of Georgia, Chris Hudson of Colorado, Olin Kreutz of Washington, James Laurinaitis of Ohio State, Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois, Herman Moore of Virginia, Terence Newman of Kansas State, Bob Novogratz of Army and Eric Weddle of Utah.
In addition to Patterson and Petersen, coaches who will inducted are Jim Margraff of Johns Hopkins and Ken Sparks of Carson-Newman.
(File Photo of a lane road in Monaca)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Monaca, PA) The Monaca Sons of Italy will become a non-smoking facility starting on March 1st, 2026, which means you can not be permitted to smoke anywhere inside the club. The reason for the change is so the establishment ensures an atmosphere that is comfortable for everyone and so there will be a good well-being for both the Monaca SOI staff and its members.
Thursday, January 15th, 2026
| School or Organization | Cancellation or Delay ( If blank no cancellation or delay reported) |
| Adelphoi Education/Beaver (Rochester) | |
| Aliquippa Area School District | |
| Ambridge Area School District | |
| Avonworth School District | |
| Baden Academy Charter | |
| Beaver Area School District | |
| Beaver County Head Start/ Hopewell Elementary | |
| Beaver County Rehabilitation Center | |
| Big Beaver Falls Area School District | |
| Beaver County CTC | |
| Beaver County Transit Authority | |
| Beaver Valley Montessori School | |
| Blackhawk Area School District | |
| Blackhawk Meals on Wheels | |
| CCBC | |
| CCBC Aviation Sciences Center | |
| Central Valley School District | |
| Cornell School District | |
| Education Center at Watson (Sewickley) | |
| Ellwood City Area School District | |
| Freedom Area School District | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – Aliquippa | |
| Head Start of Beaver County -Ambridge | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – Beaver Falls | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – Beaver Falls 7th Ave. | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – Beaver Falls 6th Ave. | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – Central | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – Blackhawk | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – CCBC | |
| Head Start/ Early Head Start of Beaver County | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – Rochester | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – Southside | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – New Brighton Middle School | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – New Brighton High School | |
| Head Start of Beaver County – Riverside | |
| Hope Academy- Conway | |
| Hopewell School District | |
| Life Family Pre-School | |
| Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School | |
| Mc Guire Memorial EOC | |
| Mc Guire Memorial School | |
| Midland Borough school District | |
| Montour Area School District | |
| Moon Area School District | |
| Mother’s Morning Out/Noah’s Ark Preschool/Sewickley | |
| Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Pre-school (Moon Twp.) | |
| New Brighton Area School District | |
| New Horizons | |
| North Catholic School District | 2 Hour Delay Thursday Morning |
| Our Lady of Fatima/ Hopewell | |
| Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School (Coraopolis) | |
| Penn State Beaver (Monaca) | |
| Provident Charter School West (Baden) | |
| Quaker Valley School District | |
| Riverside Beaver County Area School District | |
| Rochester Area School District | |
| Robert Morris University (Moon Township) | |
| Seneca Valley Area School District | 2 Hour Delay Thursday Morning, Modified Kindergarten |
| Sewickley Academy | |
| Slippery Rock Area Schools | 2 Hour Delay Thursday Morning |
| St. Andrews Day School (Moon Township) | |
| St. James-Sewickley | |
| St. Monica Catholic Academy | |
| St. Killian’s Catholic School (Cranberry) | 2 Hour Delay Thursday Morning |
| St. Peter & Paul School/Beaver | |
| St. Stephens Lutheran Academy/Zelienople | 2 Hour Delay Thursday Morning |
| South Side Area School District | |
| Sto Rox | |
| Western Beaver Area School District | |
| West Allegheny School District |
(File Photo of the Beaver County Courthouse)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver, PA) Several topics were discussed at the Beaver County Commissioners’ work session this morning at 10 a.m. at the Beaver County Courthouse in Beaver. The Department Head Report of the session started with Beaver County Recreation and Tourism Director Tony Caltury letting the audience of the session know about some upcoming events in Beaver County. The biggest one was for America250PA, which celebrates the 250th birthday of the founding of the United States of America in Pennsylvania. Caltury stated that the rally kickoff for America250PA is from 4:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the public meeting room of the Beaver County Courthouse on Sunday, January 25th with light refreshments. Caltury also noted that the painted Liberty Bell for Beaver County for this event is in the possession of its artist will be delivered and completed by the end of this month. That program is something that the state of Pennsylvania is doing to visit all its counties starting on Friday, January 16th. Another event that Caltury mentioned that is coming up that is being held in Beaver County was The January Ice Jam, which is a free event that will be at the Ramada by Wyndham Hotel in Beaver Falls to support the Bluegrass Relief Fund. The performances from 29 different bluegrass bands start on Friday, January 16th at 7 p.m., with the music continuing that night until 10 p.m. and on Saturday, January 17th the music begins again at noon and continues until 10 p.m. Caltury also stated that options are being looked at for the pool in Old Economy Park and he expressed that “at the end of last year, we received a contract for 2026 with the YMCA, but before we move on,” he considered options like a bid for a new liner for the pool because the liner of that pool is “no longer viable,” Caltury will present the Commissioners with other options for the pool as well. In other business, during the Solicitors’ report of the session, Beaver County Solicitor Garen Fedeles also stated that the Commissioners and the heads of their departments are currently working to try to get some boxes over to St. Barnabas. Beaver County Commissioner Jack Manning also noted that Beaver County was a fairly major contributor of some projects like the Frontier Group’s $3.2 billion gas fire plant, which was “the restart of Bruce Mansfield,” as well as the advance switch gear plant of Mitsubishi that is going up, which is an investment of $86 million. Manning also praised the deal that Vistra recently made with Meta so they can purchasing 433 megawatts of incremental nuclear energy and capacity from equipment upgrades to increase uprates (also known as generation output) at the Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport and described it as “huge” for Beaver County.
(File Photo of the Allegheny Health Network Logo)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Natrona Heights, PA) The Allegheny Helath Network (AHN) Cancer Institute will host its cancer screening clinic that is held monthly on February 7th, 2026 at AHN Cancer Institute, Allegheny Valley in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania. This vital clinic will provide accessible cancer screenings for both AHN and non-AHN patients. Patients with or without insurance are strongly encouraged to attend and those that are interested in attending must make an appointment by calling 412-359-6665. According to a release in Natrona Heights today from Allegheny Health Network, the available screenings include:
(Photo Courtesy of Cranberry Artists Network, Posted on Facebook on January 13th, 2026)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Cranberry Township, PA) Artist Noele Dattilo Reynolds is having a solo photography show, which will be at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center in the Cranberry Artists Network Art Gallery and it will run through until the end of January during Cranberry Township building hours. Reynolds is the president of Cranberry Artists Network and is a founding member of that group and her show is focused on her photos that are black and white and her fascination with it after her recent trip to Italy.
(Photo Courtesy of WPXI/WPXI)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) A lawsuit from an animal rights group against the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium is now moving forward. The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) submitted a habeas corpus petition in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for the release of five female African elephants in October of 2025. NhRP alleges harm to the elephant by zoo practices, including restraint, early separation of mothers and calves and disruption of bonded groups. Common Pleas Judge Mary C. McGinley issued a habeas corpus order on the elephants’ behalf yesterday. The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium has claimed that with accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, its elephants are thriving under the highest standards of care. McGinley also set a hearing for January 28th, 2026 on the motion of the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium to dismiss the petition from the NhRP, and if the motion is denied, the zoo would need to justify the confinement of the elephants at a full hearing on March 2nd, 2026. According to the NhRP, this is the first habeas corpus order for “nonhuman animals” in Pennsylvania history, and the third in U.S. history.
