PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A federal judge has found two Western Pennsylvania men guilty of three counts  related to the unlawful killing of migratory birds, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced  today.  

Robert Yost, 52, of New Galilee, Pennsylvania, and Jacob Reese, 27, of Enon Valley,  Pennsylvania, were tried before United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy in Pittsburgh in late October 2022.  

The evidence presented at trial established that, in June 2020, Yost—as operator of Yost  Farms in Beaver County, Pennsylvania—and one of his employees, Reese, conspired to kill  migratory birds present on leased farmland operated by Yost Farms using carbofuran, a registered  restricted-use pesticide. The Environmental Protection Agency concluded no later than 2009 that  the dietary, worker, and ecological risks for all uses of carbofuran were unacceptable and that all  products containing carbofuran generally caused unreasonable adverse effects on humans and the  environment. As part of the conspiracy, Yost directed Reese to spread whole kernel corn coated in  carbofuran in and around a leased field used for soybean cultivation to which children had access.  The tainted corn attracted protected migratory birds that were killed within a short distance of where  they ingested the corn. Yost and Reese thereafter took steps to conceal their efforts to poison and  kill the migratory birds, including destroying the feed bag containing the carbofuran-laced whole  corn kernel. When confronted by officials from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and  Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Reese and Yost also lied about their use of poisoned corn  to kill the birds. In total, Yost and Reese were responsible for killing approximately 17 Canada  geese, 10 red-winged blackbirds, and one mallard duck.  

“Robert Yost and Jacob Reese used corn laced with an extremely toxic, banned pesticide to  poison over two dozen migratory birds,” said U.S. Attorney Olshan. “The defendants’ indiscriminate  criminal conduct also put the safety and health of the farm’s neighbors—including small children  and a man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease—at risk. Protecting wildlife and the people who live  in our communities from the illicit use of dangerous chemicals is, and will remain, a priority of this  office and our dedicated partners in state and local law enforcement.” 

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“The deliberate application of a highly toxic pesticide, whose use is restricted due to the  unreasonable risks to public health and the environment, threatened the health and well-being of the  community and the children who played in the poison area, and resulted in the intentional killing of  numerous migratory birds,” said Allison Landsman, EPA-CID Acting Special Agent in Charge. 

“The conviction of Robert Yost and Jacob Reese demonstrates EPA’s resolve to vigorously, with its  federal and state partners, investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable those who criminally apply  toxic pesticides and target species protected under federal law.” 

Judge Hardy scheduled both sentencing hearings for May 29, 2024, with the defendants each facing a total maximum term of imprisonment of 13 months and a total fine of $31,000. The actual  sentence imposed would be based upon a consideration of statutory sentencing factors and the prior  criminal history, if any, of the defendants.  

Assistant United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Brown and Special Assistant United States  Attorney Perry D. McDaniel are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Office of Law Enforcement, Environmental Protection  Agency – Criminal Investigation Division, and Pennsylvania Game Commission conducted the  investigation that led to the prosecution of Yost and Reese, with assistance from the Pennsylvania  Department of Agriculture. 

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published January 26, 2024 1:53 P.M.

(Beaver Falls, Pa) Beaver Falls Police, along with the Beaver Falls Fire Department were back on scene Friday afternoon near the area where a female was found dead just over two weeks ago. Other unmarked vehicles were also present. Beaver County Radio witnessed investigation activity approximately a quarter mile north of where the scene for the body found was. It is a wooded area along train tracks directly behind and down the hill of where Geneva College is located. The first officer Beaver County Radio encountered was retrieving brown paper bags from a police cruiser and did not have any comment to what was going on. Another set of officers at the scene were spotted walking through the woods. They told Beaver County Radio that the area is private property and to leave the scene immediately. Other activity could be seen further down the tracks. Two additional police cruisers arrived and stopped Beaver County Radio on the way out, saying that the Chief had requested they inform us that entering the area again would result in being arrested.

Two weeks after the body was found, Beaver Falls Police have yet to confirm any details other than a deceased missing female was discovered and insisting there is no danger to the community. A week after the incident, Beaver Falls Police put out a request for help from the community, asking for surveillance footage in specific areas.  There has also been no word from the coroner. Sources say the victim was 41 year old Rebecca Miller of Beaver Falls, and that she had suffered multiple stab wounds. She was last known to be going on a walk with a male friend. Her body was discovered along a walking trail in the woods near the Geneva campus. A painted cross with the name “Becky Miller” is now present at the entrance to the trail. Beaver County Radio observed that the fence along the trail has multiple holes in it large enough for people to go through, however we have no confirmed details that suggest any of the breached fence may have played a role in the incident.

Photos from the scene:

FILE – Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro arrives before President Joe Biden speaks in Blue Bell, Pa., Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Shapiro’s administration says he plans next month to propose steps toward fixing a state higher education system that’s among the worst in the nation in affordability. The administration didn’t release many specifics Friday, Jan. 26, and says the Democratic governor will give more details in his Feb. 6 budget address. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration says he plans next month to propose steps toward fixing a state higher education system that’s among the worst in the nation in affordability. The administration didn’t release many specifics Friday, and says the Democratic governor will give more details in his Feb. 6 budget address. The administration says Shapiro will propose “significant” aid for state-owned universities, community colleges and their students. It says the schools should be united under a governance system that improves coordination and limits competition and duplication. After that, Shapiro wants to cut tuition and fees to no more than $1,000 per semester for lower-income Pennsylvania students at state-owned universities.

Norfolk Southern locomotives are moved through the Conway Terminal in Conway, Pa., Saturday, June 17, 2023. Norfolk Southern reports their earnings Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Norfolk Southern’s fourth-quarter profit fell 33% because of the ever growing costs of the cleanup of last year’s fiery derailment in eastern Ohio. The railroad did deliver 3% more shipments during the quarter but even without the costs related to that toxic crash, its profits still would have been down 14%. The Atlanta-based railroad said it earned $527 million, or $2.32 per share, during the quarter. Without the $150 million in additional derailment costs, Norfolk Southern would have made $677 million, or $2.83 per share. But even that is just behind the $2.86 per share that Wall Street predicted. The railroad now estimates the total costs related to the East Palestine derailment will top $1.1 billion, but that total will only continue to grow.

FILE – In this April 10, 2018 file photo, a high school principal displays vaping devices that were confiscated from students in such places as restrooms or hallways at the school in Massachusetts. Schools around the country are installing sensors and cameras to crack down on student vaping, and handing out harsh punishments for many who are caught. Schools have invested millions of dollars in the surveillance technology, including federal COVID-19 emergency relief money meant to help schools through the pandemic. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Schools around the country are installing sensors and cameras to crack down on student vaping and handing out harsh punishments for many who are caught. Schools have invested millions of dollars in the surveillance technology, including federal COVID-19 emergency relief money meant to help schools through the pandemic. It can surprise students that schools even have such technology. E-cigarettes have inundated middle and high schools. The devices can dispense vapor containing higher concentrations of nicotine than tobacco cigarettes. Millions of minors report vaping despite efforts to limit sales to kids by raising the legal age to 21 and ban products preferred by teenagers.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published January 26, 2024 9:42 A.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) The public is invited to the event on Thursday, February 1, 2024 from 9am to 5pm, according to a post from the library.   A message said 95 and STILL FABULOUS! There will be cake, refreshments, music, games, a photobooth, and gifts for those attending.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published January 26, 2024 9:37 A.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) Police were called to the 1200 block of Main Street just after 3 a.m. Thursday for a man shot in the head and an injured wife. Aliquippa police called in the state police to take over the investigation.  They remained at the scene for several hours. The man was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital and his wife was also transported to the hospital.

FILE – Alabama’s lethal injection chamber at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., is pictured in this Oct. 7, 2002 file photo. Alabama will be allowed to put an inmate to death with nitrogen gas, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, refusing to block what would be the nation’s first execution by a new method since 1982. Alabama says it plans to replace Eugene Smith’s, 58, breathing air with nitrogen gas Thursday, Jan. 25, rendering him unconscious within seconds and killing him within minutes. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)

ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — A man who was paid $1,000 to kill an Alabama woman more than 30 years ago has been put to death with pure nitrogen gas, a first-of-its-kind execution that again placed the U.S. at the forefront of the debate over capital punishment. Kenneth Eugene Smith appeared to shake and convulse before being pronounced dead Thursday at an Alabama prison after breathing the gas through a face mask to cause oxygen deprivation. The execution came after a last-minute legal battle in which Smith’s attorneys said the state was making him the test subject for an experimental execution method that could violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Smith was one of two men convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of Elizabeth Sennett.

Keystone State News Connection – Danielle Smith

January 26, 2024

A new report says two economic-impact studies gave misleading information to Pennsylvania policymakers and residents about the economic advantages of the petrochemical complex operated by Shell in Beaver County.

According to the findings from the Ohio River Valley Institute, the plastics plant hasn’t brought the economic boom, and promised jobs haven’t materialized.

Report co-author Nick Messenger explained that the studies published by Robert Morris University were used to justify billions of dollars’ worth of tax incentives for the Shell project.

“This analysis had really been done honestly using a lot of Shell’s own assumptions, and this study really did that,” he said. “It made some assumptions that were pretty questionable, and that’s why they got a large over-estimate in the economic impact.”

He added that as the plant approaches one year of operations, some of the long-term employment opportunities have not been sustainable. The report found that since the project was first announced in 2012, Beaver County has lost nearly 10% of its jobs and more than 3% of its business firms.

Shell has not yet replied to a request for comment.

Messenger contended that the Shell plant negatively affects home values in Beaver County, and creates environmental health risks such as asthma. Residents also have reported concern over the environmental impacts of Shell flaring excess gas into the atmosphere.

“The plant has struggled to operate,” he said. “They came to a $10 million environmental settlement with Pennsylvania last year. They’ve exceeded their pollution limits, they’ve had to shut down production several times because of faulty construction, and just malfunctions in the facility.”

The report encouraged policy leaders in Pennsylvania and across the country to ask more difficult questions when economic analyses such as these are presented.

Shell aims to speed up the shift to a net-zero emissions energy business by cutting emissions from its operations and the energy products it sells.

PITTSBURGH — Following a two-year process, Duquesne Light Company (DLC) has selected the winning solution of its public crowdsourcing innovation challenge — “Monitoring Electrical Cable Challenge: The Future of Underground Inspection” — focused on creating a safer and more reliable underground electrical network in DLC’s two-county service territory in southwestern Pennsylvania. The “Smart Cable Guard” system by DNV stood out among other submissions for its quick installation times, enhanced visibility on potential infrastructure issues and ability to be effectively applied to Pittsburgh’s complex electrical grid. The Smart Cable Guard also met the challenge’s safety, operational and cost requirements needed to move the implementation process forward.

“DLC is committed to investing in critical infrastructure and enhancing our dedication to worker and public safety. This project emphasizes the importance of innovation in our industry and shows how DLC is solving current and future challenges while continuing to drive our mission of a clean energy future for all,” said Brian Guzek, DLC’s vice president of corporate strategy. “DNV’s Smart Cable Guard will enable us to identify and address potential issues within our underground cable system faster, which will lead to improved worker and public safety for many years to come. We greatly appreciate DNV’s collaboration and expertise over the past few years and look forward to implementing their devices across our underground network.”

The Smart Cable Guard system is designed to be installed throughout the underground electrical grid, feeding real-time data into an analytics platform powered by AI that sends operational alerts to DLC. The company will receive live data that quickly locates cable faults, identifies current cable conditions and predicts future issues before any work is performed. The information can also help crews determine what protective gear and equipment are necessary to have on-site. DLC is only the third utility in North America to implement this innovative technology.

“It was highly rewarding to work with DLC’s Innovation team to showcase our technology in alignment with their specifications and demonstrate that our online monitoring platform is ideally suited to support the requirements of U.S. utilities,” said Richard Denissen, director of Smart Cable Guard at DNV. “Winning the competition is a testament to the need for technology that enables utilities to keep power outages at a minimum while ensuring safety for their workers and the public. We are delighted that DLC’s independent competition confirmed that the Smart Cable Guard 24/7 online monitoring system is the leading solution to improve grid reliability, resilience and safety.”

DLC launched the innovation challenge in December 2021 through crowdsourcing platform HeroX and received submissions from entrepreneurs, scientists, researchers and students from around the world. Beginning in 2025, the company expects to implement DNV’s system across more than 500 miles of its underground network over a five-year period.