(File Photo of the Seal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is encouraging Pennsylvanians to use any gift cards for American Signature Furniture and Value City Furniture stores before December 22nd, 2025, following a recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy announcement. While store closure plans have only been announced for one Pennsylvania location, Value City in Mechanicsburg, there are several other store locations in Pennsylvania expected to be impacted, possibly in the near future. Following the November 22nd bankruptcy filing, the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection and Financial Enforcement Sections successfully argued for an extended deadline, December 22nd, to use any gift cards with a balance. “Our team is working on behalf of Pennsylvanians to make sure a company’s bankruptcy filing is not used as a shield to avoid obligations to customers with unused gift cards,” Attorney General Sunday said. “We fought hard to extend an unreasonable deadline and provide consumers a bit more time to use these cards — so act fast.” Gift cards will not be accepted at any locations that have begun store closing sales. Consumers who would like more information on how the bankruptcy process is or will affect the operations of American Signature and Value City, including gift card, return, and refund policies, can review the Frequently Asked Questions provided for both American Signature Furniture by clicking here and Value City Furniture by clicking here. Though the bankruptcy court has not yet established a proof of claim deadline, consumers who believe they may have a bankruptcy claim against American Signature, due to a gift card issue or otherwise, can file a proof of claim in the bankruptcy at https://www.veritaglobal.net/americansignature by clicking here. Consumers who feel that their rights have been affected by the American Signature bankruptcy may submit a complaint to the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection online by clicking here or by calling 717-787-3391.

(Headline Photo and Photo Below Courtesy of WPXI and the Rochester Borough Police Department)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Rochester, PA)The Rochester Borough Police Department is investigating a burglary at Grace Lutheran Church that happened on Sunday afternoon. The male suspect was caught on camera and his picture can be found below. Anyone who recognizes him can call the Rochester Borough Police Department at 724-775-0880.

 

Police say a man entered the church and stole multiple items and the man was wearing a black tossle cap, green winter jacket, blue jeans and black shoes. He was described as having a thin build and appearing clean-shaven or having very light facial hair. He was wearing glasses and he also had a black backpack. 

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published December 9, 2025 1:58 A.M.

(Pulaski Township, Pa) As the community continues to battle with the Pulaski Township Board of Supervisors, residents are still not satisfied with the actions of the board regarding their efforts to change police coverage.

Their most recent meeting Monday evening once again saw a large turnout of community members opposing a switch to the Beaver Valley Regional Police Department.

The Supervisors recently retracted their decision to contract Beaver Valley Regional beginning in 2026 due to overlooked contract obligations with the New Brighton Police Department. The current contract with New Brighton dating back to 1994 stated that a 120 day notice would be required for the township to choose to not renew.

As pointed out by numerous residents in attendance, the Supervisors didn’t even start talks of switching to BV Regional until they already passed the 120 day window. The board acknowledged that they overlooked the contractual obligation and will proceed with New Brighton until the end of 2026, noting that they still intend on switching to BV Regional in January of 2027.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, community members continued to question the board on their decision to change departments.

When Supervisor Mark Wagle was asked why he supports switching to Beaver Valley he said, “I have nothing wrong with New Brighton, I have nothing wrong with Beaver Valley, I’m just looking at the resources that they are offering us, they’re offering more resources.” Wagle also stated that doesn’t believe New Brighton “has their ducks in a row.”

Board Chairman Casey Zachodni was asked the same question and replied, “the resources, the cost, in my opinion the schools will have actually more officers to protect our children than what they have”.

Zachodni suggested that Beaver Valley Regional employs 18 officers compared to 9 at New Brighton. Beaver Valley Regional has 3 officers on duty at a time between all covered areas spanning from Baden to Rochester while New Brighton has at least 3 officers on duty at a time within the New Brighton Area.

Zachodni also stated that he doesn’t want to “bankrupt” the township.

Zachodni also told one resident to leave the meeting after the resident made an accusation that Township Secretary Connie Wagle was not at work at a given time and date.

Supervisor Ralph Flara, who has been the lone voice on the board against the change, attempted to initiate a motion to “agree upon having a referendum question placed on the May 2026 election ballot related to the contract or reorganization of police services with the New Brighton Area Police Department prior to entering into another regionalization or contract of any police service”, in which neither Zachodni or Wagle would second.

Flara continued to display a petition holding 250 signatures to put the decision on the spring ballot, noting that a new petition will now be required due to the change in dates for the proposed contract. However, Flara showed confidence that the signatures will easily be regathered.

Zachodni and Wagle nearly took a new vote Monday evening regarding the 2027 contract but ultimately tabled the vote under the guidance of Solicitor Joseph Budicak.

Also during the meeting, New Brighton Police Chief Ron Walton spoke about an issue that has not yet been addressed. Walton brought focus on radio frequencies used by police in the region. New Brighton operates on a frequency with other nearby towns like Beaver Falls but is separate from Beaver Valley Regional.

The county has a few different frequencies that cover different parts of the region and departments only listen to the frequency for their coverage area.

While Walton says he is not trying to evoke fear mongering, he says it is an important issue to consider. If an emergency call comes in to BV Regional and they do not have an officer in the area, New Brighton will not hear it and therefore will not know to respond, even though they will likely be close by.

Beaver County Radio had the opportunity to speak with Chief Walton about new steps that the New Brighton Police Department is taking to continue to serve the surrounding communities. He says that a “regional” New Brighton department is in the works.

He explained that while New Brighton already serves multiple local regions, a newly structured “regional” New Brighton Department could help the area. The Borough of New Brighton, Daugherty Township, and Fallston will have board seats for the department, increasing the involvement from the communities being served and eliminating individual contracts.

The Chief hopes Pulaski Township will also be willing to join in and have a seat for themselves.

Shortly following the meeting, Supervisors Wagle and Flara had a seemingly heated verbal exchange before parting ways.

(File Photo)

Pittsburgh, Pa.) A resident of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 3 years’ probation plus 7 days intermittent confinement on his conviction of theft of government property, First Assistant United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Nicholas T. Grimes, 31.
According to information presented to the Court, following the death of a Title II Social Security benefits recipient, Grimes began stealing that person’s Social Security retirement benefits, beginning as early as 2014. Grimes stole benefits totaling approximately $216,779 by negotiating the benefits from the deceased’s account through ATM transactions. Grimes has also been ordered to pay the full restitution of $216,779 to the Social Security Administration.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
First Assistant United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General and the United States Postal Inspection Service for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Grimes.

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of AAA East Central)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Gas prices are seven cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at about $3.24 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. This past week, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline hit a milestone when it dipped below $3 a gallon for the first time in four years with the national average being $2.95. The report states that at this time a year ago, the average price of a gallon of gas was around $3.44 and the average price that you can expect for a gallon of gas here in Beaver County is about $3.32. According to a release from AAA East Central and AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report, here is the average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline today in various areas:

$3.195      Altoona
$3.317      Beaver
$3.452      Bradford
$3.104      Brookville
$3.262      Butler
$3.097      Clarion
$3.099      DuBois
$3.232      Erie
$3.073      Greensburg
$3.310      Indiana
$3.239      Jeannette
$3.445      Kittanning
$3.198      Latrobe
$3.144      Meadville
$3.397      Mercer
$3.097      New Castle
$3.290      New Kensington
$3.257      Oil City
$3.303      Pittsburgh
$3.026      Sharon
$3.197      Uniontown
$3.550      Warren
$3.214      Washington

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Mail-in and absentee ballots are seen at the elections warehouse in Pittsburgh, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) According to a release in Harrisburg today from the Pennsylvania Department of State, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt certified the results of Pennsylvania’s 2025 municipal election today after county officials confirmed the accuracy of their reported results through two pre-certification audits. It was roughly 42.45% of registered voters in Pennsylvania who cast a ballot in the November election, which happens to be well above the turnout of 36.77% for the 2023 municipal election. It was emphasized by Schmidt that before counties certified their results, they again conducted two audits of their vote tallies successfully. Different approaches were taken by the two audits to reach the same goal of confirming whether all results have been correctly reported. One of these audits is a statutorily required statistical recount in each county of a random sample of at least 2% of all ballots cast, or 2,000 ballots, for whichever is fewer and after every election, all counties must perform this audit. The other of these audits, known as an RLA and is a statistically based risk-limiting audit, which involves randomly chosen counties hand-tallying votes for one randomly chosen statewide race in randomly selected batches of ballots. In addition, In total, auditors that were in nine counties reviewed 4,343 ballots manually and determined that the reported outcome of the randomly selected retention contest for Superior Court Judge Alice Beck Dubow was correct. You can go to vote.pa.gov/audits by clicking here to learn more about how Pennsylvania verifies the results of every election. The official vote returns for all of the statewide races in November are on the website of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by clicking here.

(File Photo of a Lit Christmas Tree)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) If you are looking for something to do with your family to get away from the Christmas hustle and bustle, there are some local drive or walk through Christmas light displays that can light up your mood. Some are for general viewing while others have special events with activities like an appearance from Santa Claus. According to the Beaver County Times, here are some local light displays that are either walk through or drive-through this winter:

Drive-through lights displays

• Christmas in the Park, Ellwood City. It is open from 6-9 p.m. nightly through to December 23rd at Ewing Park along Washington Avenue.
• Parade of Lights, New Castle. It is open from 5-11:30 p.m. nightly through to Janaury 1st at Pearson Park, 179 Pearson Park Drive. Use the Mercer Road entrance to the park.
• Christmas Light Up Celebration, Findlay Township. It is open from 5-10 p.m. nightly through January 3rd at Clinton Park, 600 Clinton Park Drive. For GPS directions, you can use Findlay Township or Imperial for the city. A $10 admission fee is charged per car with cash only. Proceeds go to community charitable organizations.
• Moon Holiday Lights, Moon Township. Open from 5-10 p.m. nightly from December 6th to January 7th at Moon Park, 1350 Joe DeNardo Way.
• Holiday Laser Show, Wexford area. It is open from December 17th-23rd at the North Park pool parking lot, 9901 South Ridge Drive and it is a 40-minute drive-through show with laser lights synchronized to holiday music. Shows are at 6:30 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 per vehicle and will be sold online by clicking here starting at 10 a.m. on December 1st. Tickets will be provided via a QR code.
• The Joy of Christmas light show 2025, 298 East Park Avenue, Columbiana, Ohio. It is open from 6-9 p.m. through December 28th. There will be a light show, concessions, photos with Santa, indoor train display, gingerbread house displays and more. The light show is only on December 24th-28th, it is closed on December 25th and it is walk-it night only on December 26th. The drive-thru cost is $20 per vehicle for single-day entry.
• Oglebay Festival of Lights, 465 Lodge Drive, Wheeling, West Virginia. It is open nightly, dusk to dawn through January 4th. This 6-mile, drive-through light show features over 100 displays and places to shop, eat and have fun along the way.

Walk-through lights Displays

• Overly’s Country Christmas, 116 Blue Ribbon Lane, Greensburg. Open from 5:30-9 p.m. on select days through December 30th; visit their website by clicking here for more details. There will be a walk-through Christmas village display with lights, a model train display, Santa’s workshop, a talking Christmas tree, a Country Kitchen and more.
• Kennywood Holiday Lights, West Mifflin. It is open through January 4th and hours are either 3-9 p.m. or 5-9 p.m., depending on the date. New this year are the Gingerbread Express, a train ride through a gingerbread village; as well as a meet and greet with Santa Claus in Gingerbread Junction and new shows and entertainment. More information and ticket sales are available online at Kennywood Holiday Lights by clicking here.
• Wild Illumiations: A Holiday Lantern Exprience at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker Street, Pittsburgh. It is open for walk-through only this year, on select nights through January 11th. This year’s show features silk and steel lanterns paired with light displays. Guests who need a wheelchair or an electric scooter should reserve one in advance. Show times, prices and ticket reservations are available online by clicking here.

(Photo Courtesy of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, (PennDOT), Posted on Facebook on December 8th, 2025)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT District 11 recently announced that public voting is now open for the Paint the Plow program in 2025. Paint the Plow is a statewide initiative in Pennsylvania that highlights winter driving that is safe while showcasing the artistic talents of students there. This year’s theme is “Don’t race. Allow some space.,” which encourages motorists to keep a distance that is safe from plows and other vehicles during conditions of winter weather. Seven snowplows were painted creatively by PennDOT District 11 high school students in Beaver, Allegheny and Lawrence counties. Students from Beaver Falls High School, Blackhawk High School, Fox Chapel Area High School, Neshannock Senior High School, New Brighton High School, Union Area High School, and the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf put their creativity to work to transform PennDOT plow blades earlier this year. Voting runs from December 8th through December 14th, 2025 and the plow that has the most votes in each district will earn the “Fan Favorite” title, while a “Judges’ Pick”will be selected by PennDOT staff based on overall appearance, creativity and theme execution. Winners will be announced later in December and participation is limited to one vote per person per district. The public is invited to vote for their favorite design this year through an online survey posted on the PennDOT website www.penndot.pa.gov/PaintthePlow, which you can click here to access. The voting form can be found by clicking on the county names that are within the table or visiting District 11’s form directly by clicking here.

(File Photo of the Pittsburgh International Airport Airside Terminal)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) An American Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing at Pittsburgh International Airport last night. The flight that was going from Chicago to Boston experienced a mechanical issue and was then diverted to Pittsburgh, where it safely landed. According to American Airlines, the plane had been taken out of service to be inspected by the maintenance team. Passengers that were going to Boston went on a replacement aircraft and continued on their flight.

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: PennDOT, PSP, PTC, Construction Industry Highlight National Work Zone Awareness Week)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that tomorrow, weather permitting, a single-lane restriction on southbound Interstate 79 in Franklin Park Borough in Allegheny County will occur. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow, there will be a single-lane restriction on southbound I-79 between the on-ramp from Wexford Bayne Road to approximately the I-79/I-279 split to allow crews from Bronder Technical Services to conduct repair work on an overhead sign structure there. December 2nd, 2025 was when this work was previously scheduled to occur but it was postponed due to inclement weather.