(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

While several communities across Beaver County have been using American Rescue Plan Act funds to rejuvenate their business culture following the pandemic shutdown, it turns out that some communities haven’t spent any money at all.

This was spoken out loud by County solicitor Garen Fedeles at Wednesday’s work session, as he spoke about the next steps for those communities.

“Probably within the next week, a letter is going to be sent out to those communities who have not spent any money at all, asking for a detailed plan as far as what they plan to utilize that money for, any sitting contracts they have signed…just some type of idea to understand where they plan on utilizing that money,” Fedeles stated.

The reasoning for this push by the County to inquire about the update is simple, according to Solicitor Fedeles: “If that money isn’t spent–and the county has been pretty clear with this–we lose it. So we want to ensure that we don’t lose it.”

Fedeles did not disclose which communities did not spend any money; however it was pointed out by Controller Maria Longo that the ARPA Tracking page on the County website does display a comprehensive breakdown of money spent as opposed to money allocated based on category.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published January 10, 2024 11:12 P.M.

(Daugherty Township, Pa) The Daugherty Township Supervisors heard from the Daugherty Township Fire Department Wednesday evening at their first regular meeting of the new year. Fire Chief Brad Stone brought up concerns about funding for the department. He noted that the department recently applied for a state grant to repair and replace the station garage doors. One door can no longer be operated automatically and requires parts that are no longer available.

The Chief also asked about discussing having the Township assist the Department in standard bills associated with the station building. The Department says there has been a decrease in funds brought in by the station due to the lack of hall rentals and lower gains during fundraising. Board Chairman, Bill Pasquale, relayed that the Township does not assist with those types of expenses because the building is owned by the Fire Department and not the township. However, he said that they could discuss possibilities at a later time.

The Department is also requesting funds from the Township for a new brush truck that would cost approximately $145,000. The Chief says their current truck has limited power and capabilities and can’t pull a trailer with their UTV.

Also discussed briefly was a plan being explored to consider consolidating local New Brighton Area Fire Departments, however no additional details were given.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Screenshot obtained from amesstores.com. Published January 10, 2024 3:19 P.M.

The defunct department store chain Ames may be making a return. Silver Knight Group, Inc, the parent company of Ames Department Stores, Inc, released a statement that “Ames will be reopening their brick & mortar stores starting in June 2026, with 35 planned stores opening from June 2026 to April 2027.” The release was made public on amesstores.com. No further details or locations have been announced. The statement also says “We can’t wait to see you in our stores”. Ames formerly operated stores locally at Northern Lights Shopping Center in Baden and Green Garden Plaza in Aliquippa.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Images courtesy of PennDOT)

Across Pennsylvania, dozens of schools are participating once again in PennDOT’s “Paint The Plow” campaign, which focuses on safe winter driving tips presented in a manner that displays the artistic creativity the students in schools across the commonwealth can show off.

This year, District 11 (Allegheny/Beaver/Lawrence) is asking residents of the Commonwealth to vote on 11 different plows that have been painted based on the theme of “Seat Belts Are Always In Season”. Beaver Falls and Freedom are the two lone representatives of Beaver County in the contest.

Voting is going on now until January 15 on the Paint The Plow webpage. Winners will be announced during Winter Driving Safety Awareness Week between January 21-27, 2024.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photo provided by Mary Lou Harju)

The United Way of Beaver County announced yesterday on its Facebook page that they will not be taking calls to schedule tax return preparation appointments for 2024. 

United Way director Mary Lou Harju told Beaver County Radio that they are receiving several calls a day regarding this year’s appointments, and that they are trying to raise awareness of the new situation.

They are alerting senior citizens of the county that the only way to schedule a tax return preparation appointment with AARP Volunteers is to call or text the AARP Tax Appointment phone number directly at 724-315-7171. An AARP volunteer will receive the messages from that point.

They are also asking that phone calls and text messages regarding appointments be made after this upcoming Monday, January 15; otherwise the call or text message may not be processed.

Those who take Route 65 northbound to return to Beaver County from the Pittsburgh area may want to give themselves a little bit of extra time throughout the remainder of this week, as PennDOT District 11 has announced lane restrictions in Kilbuck Township and Emsworth Borough.

Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in four areas:

• Between Camp Horne Road and North Avenue
• At Pennsylvania Avenue
• Between Walliston Avenue and Huntington Avenue
• Between Hazelwood Avenue and Toms Run Road

Restrictions will occur from 7 AM to 3 PM from today, January 10, through Friday, January 12.

(Aliquippa, Pa) The Aliquippa School District officially submitted its appeal to the PIAA on Tuesday. The appeal will challenge the ruling of its football team being assigned to Class 5A for the 2024 season.   

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published January 10, 2024 11:46 A.M.

(Hopewell Township, Pa) Two new head coaches were hired by the Hopewell Area School District at Tuesday night’s work session. John Rosa was named varsity football coach at a rate of $9,768 for the season, and Nathan Richter was hired as the head varsity coach for the soccer team at a salary of $5,139.

Consolidation of Hopewell’s elementary schools was discussed, as Dan Engen–owner and architect of Draw Collective–reported that the high school has underutilized space. The school board plans to have another meeting with Mr. Engen on Monday about the long-term goals of the school.     

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published January 10, 2024 10:43 A.M.

(Monaca, Pa) An explosion occurred at a house on McClelland Street in Monaca before 8am Wednesday morning. Chief David Piuri of the Monaca Police Department told Beaver County Radio two men were taken to the hospital for burns. The state of the victims is not known at this time, but they were said to have been conscious and alert following the incident.

When crews arrived on scene, a small fire was still burning and firefighters extinguished it. Initially, there were concerns over the amount of ammunition in the home, as one of the men is a licensed arms dealer. One of the men also told Police that they had a water leak overnight and a crew was working to clean it up.

Due to the uncertainty of the cause, the bomb squad was called in. The bomb squad determined that the ammunition most likely did not have anything to do with the blast. The Chief says at this time, evidence indicates that a gas leak was most likely responsible, possibly triggered by the operation of a shop vac.

The State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the explosion.

According to the Chief, the area is safe and there is no threat of another explosion.

Monaca Police, Monaca Fire Department, Allegheny County Police Bomb Squad, and Peoples Gas were among those on scene.

Video & Photos from the scene: