(File Photo of Ambridge Borough logo)

(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano, Published on December 16th, 2024 at 9:58 A.M.)

(Ambridge, PA) Ambridge was the first in Beaver County to be named a “Heart and Soul Community” at Tuesday night’s council meeting. Ambridge received this recognition from the PA Humanities Council, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and the Orton Foundation. Ambridge is one of sixteen communities in Pennsylvania and one of one hundred and twenty communities in the United States to become a “Heart and Soul Community.” Ambridge Borough Manager Mario Leone shared the information with Beaver County Radio on Wednesday morning.

(File Photo of Baden fire truck)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Baden, PA) According to a Facebook post on Sunday by the Baden Volunteer Fire Department, Station 47, the Baden Fire Department and eight local emergency services put out a structure fire in a duplex building on Saturday. The post states that at 8:21 P.M., a visible fire was revealed on the first-floor rear while smoke came out from the basement of the Baden building. It took about two hours for crews to extinguish the fire, and the people that lived in the home had no injuries and returned safely. The post also notes that the residents did not have any smoke detectors in the home, and three new ones were installed after the incident.

(File Photo of Police Lights)

(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano, Published on December 16th, 2024 at 8:26 A.M.)

(Aliquippa, PA) A twenty-year-old from Aliquippa was arrested and faces multiple charges after driving under the influence. Aliquippa Police arrested twenty-year-old Andre Little on Sunday after noticing his silver Hyundai sedan with both the headlights and the taillights off. Little also drove through yards in his car. After being taken into custody, a police report stated that Little’s blood alcohol level was about 0.23%. Little faces charges including driving under the influence, underage drinking, hit and run, not activating his lights after dark, and driving on roadways that were laned for traffic.

(File Photo of coins being put in a jar for retirement)

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) In January, low-wage workers in Pennsylvania will be missing out on pay hikes seen in twenty-three other states. Neighboring states such as Ohio are starting the new year with higher minimum wages. Gillian Kratzer from Better Pennsylvania says House Democrats are concerned about raising the minimum wage, which has been $7.25 since 2009. She adds that a better economy requires people to have money to spend. Kratzer points out it’s up to the General Assembly to set the minimum wage. She adds that the state House passed House Bill 1500, legislation to raise the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour by 2026. The idea has bipartisan support, but the Senate has not yet acted on a similar bill, Senate Bill 1186.

(File Photo of Chris Deluzio)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) According to a release from Congressman Chris Deluzio’s office on Friday, Deluzio announced the introduction of his new bill, the Water Authority Cybersecurity Protection Act. The release states that this bill will help cybersecurity by increasing money and giving technology to water authorities that are local. Deluzio announced this after remembering that a hack from Iran temporarily shut down the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa last year. Thanks to this bill, a total of $25 million will go to responses after emergencies for local water authorities in the next two years. The release also notes that the bill will also assist in the improvement of automated and remote systems as well as to provide training programs for both resilience and security.

(File Photo of Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Moon Township, PA) A Moon Township church will not hold anything outside later this month after a court ruling. Revival Today Church on Coraopolis Heights Road has used a big tent for several events and services outside, but neighbors cannot stand both the traffic and the noise. David Bachman, the chairman of the Moon Township Board of Supervisors, has stated that a judge put out an order that the tent will no longer be on the property of the church beginning on December 26th. 

(File Photo of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper badge)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hopewell Township, PA) According to a report from the Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver, a crash occurred in Hopewell Township on I-376 on Friday when one vehicle drove really close to another. Police state that thirty-two-year-old Nicholas R. Kozik of Beaver Falls was driving west on I-376 near the marker for mile forty-six. The report also notes that Kozik caused a crash when tailgating behind fifty-eight-year-old Edward Nemeth. According to the report, Nemeth had a minor injury and Kozik was charged with driving way too close to Nemeth. 

(File Photo of Rochester High School Football Field in 2017)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Rochester, PA) Rochester head football coach Gene Matsook decided to retire on Thursday after spending a quarter of a century coaching the same team. Matsook followed his brother Dan to become the coach in 1999 and has an overall record of 218-80. Matsook also was an assistant coach for Rochester fourteen years prior to the head coaching job. Matsook is a member of the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame who won four WPIAL titles and made the playoffs twenty-two times as the head coach for the Rams.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Jaqueline Benitez pushes her cart down an aisle as she shops for groceries at a supermarket in Bellflower, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Benitez, 21, who works as a preschool teacher, depends on California’s SNAP benefits to help pay for food, and starting in March she expects a significant cut, perhaps half, of the $250 in food benefits she has received since 2020. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) As Christmas approaches, there are some restaurants in Beaver County that can provide some prepared additions to your Christmas meal. Bob Evans in Moon Township has options of ham, pot roast, or turkey as part of their “Farmhouse Feast,” with various pies for dessert. Little Athens Catering in Ambridge will transport you to Greece by ordering desserts from local businesses including baklava and cookies. Two Chef’s Catering Cafe in Hopewell Township has food that can be heated like salad, pepperoni rolls, wedding soup, meatballs, lasagna, chicken tenders, and ham. You can place orders until this Friday at 6 p.m. at Little Athens Catering. You can also pick up orders on Christmas Eve from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and place orders until December 17th at 2 p.m. for Two Chef’s Catering Cafe.

Phone Numbers to Place Orders:

Little Athens Catering: 724-318-8218

Two Chef’s Catering Cafe: 724-203-0284

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Voters line up outside the Bucks County Administration Building during early voting in the general election, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Doylestown, Pa. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) According to a release from the Pennsylvania Department of State on Tuesday, the results of the 2024 presidential election were certified by Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schimdt and Governor Josh Shapiro. The document was certified on December 4th by Schmidt after the Department of State made sure of how many votes were counted. 

 According to the release, the totals were: 

• Republican Party candidates Donald J. Trump and JD Vance: 3,543,308 

• Democratic Party candidates Kamala D. Harris and Tim Walz: 3,423,042 

• Libertarian Party candidates Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat: 33,318 

• Green Party candidates Jill Stein and Rudolph Ware: 34,538