CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA – Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr. (R-47) has announced that John Adams from the Pennsylvania American Legion Veterans Assistance Program will be available on Thursday, August 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at his Cranberry Township District Office, 8001 Rowan Rd, Suite 205, Cranberry Township. No appointment is necessary.

Adams can help veterans and their families with understanding the benefits they have earned, enroll in the VA health care system, assist with the appeals process, and more. Participants are asked to bring any documentation and paperwork they may need.

For more information, contact Vogel’s Cranberry Township District Office at 878-978-25

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing roadway improvement work on Route 351 in North Sewickley Township, Beaver County and Wayne Township, Lawrence County will begin Monday, July 31 weather permitting.

Improvement work, including milling and paving, drainage upgrades, base and shoulder repairs, guide rail updates, pavement marking installation, and other various construction related activities, will occur on Route 351 between River Road in North Sewickley Township and 13th Street in Wayne Township. Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on Route 351 daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through late November.

The project is part of a $1.38 million group paving job.  Lindy Paving is the prime contractor.

Charles Earl Ream, is taken into custody on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 in Derry, Pa. Ream is charged with homicide, robbery, burglary and theft in the March 2007 death of 22-year-old Samantha Lang. (Renatta Signorini /Pittsburgh Tribune-Review via AP)

DERRY, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a longtime suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in her Pennsylvania home 16 years ago has now been charged with homicide and several other counts. Authorities say 53-year-old Charles Earl Ream of Latrobe was arrested Wednesday and remains jailed without bail. Court officials say a defense lawyer hasn’t been listed on file to represent him. Ream is charged with homicide, robbery, burglary and theft in the March 2007 death of 22-year-old Samantha Lang. Authorities have described the home as a hub for drug activity. Two months ago, a female informant told police she had overheard Ream telling others that he “did it.”

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic lawmakers in Pennsylvania say they are angry that millions of dollars to expand adult mental health services got cut out of state spending legislation, and are pushing to get it included now that the legislation is held up in a month-old partisan stalemate. The fight over the money comes as schools and counties report spikes in demand for mental health services on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, and say they don’t have the resources to support those in need. Funds for adults were left on the cutting room floor in a budget bill that Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro says he will sign. The Senate Republican-authored budget bill instead pushed those dollars to student mental health. Democrats say that both should be funded.

Volunteers help assemble the 150-foot-long (45.7-meters-long) bologna sandwich at the Lebanon Area Fair on Tuesday, July 25, 2023 in Lebanon, Pa. Every footlong “bite” was sponsored at $100 per foot. The money was donated to Lebanon County Christian Ministries and their efforts to help people dealing with food insecurity in the Lebanon Valley. ( Daniel Larlham Jr. /Lebanon Daily News via AP)

LEBANON, Pa. (AP) — An enormous Lebanon bologna sandwich billed as one of the world’s largest has been unveiled at a fair in central Pennsylvania. The 150-foot-long sandwich was created Tuesday night at the Lebanon Area Fair. Lebanon bologna is known for its distinct smoked and tangy flavor. Pennlive reports a large crew of volunteers, known as the “Bologna Security,” used 600 slices of provolone cheese and 1,200 slices of half-sweet and original Seltzer’s Lebanon Bologna to create 900 sandwiches, or six sandwiches per foot. Every footlong “bite” was sponsored at $100 per foot. The money was donated to Lebanon County Christian Ministries and their efforts to help people dealing with food insecurity in the Lebanon Valley. Lebanon is 72 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

FILE – This Jan. 14, 2013 file photo shows Bam Margera at the LA premiere of “The Last Stand” at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Margera punched his brother in the face during an altercation at their home in the Philadelphia suburbs, then took off on foot, Pennsylvania State Police said Monday, April 24, 2023 in announcing criminal charges. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP, file)

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — “Jackass” star Bam Margera will stand trial on charges that he punched his brother during an altercation at their home in Pennsylvania in April. A judge made the ruling Thursday. Margera has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges. They include simple assault and making terroristic threats. He has been free on $50,000 bail and says he has been in drug and alcohol treatment. The judge has ordered him to undergo a drug screening Friday before returning to California. Defense lawyer Michael van der Veen calls the situation “a family matter.” Relatives say they just want to keep him alive.

East Palestine Train Derailment (Curtis Walsh)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The costs associated with Norfolk Southern’s fiery February derailment in Ohio have more than doubled to $803 million as the railroad works to clean up the mess and moves forward with all the related lawsuits. Norfolk Southern recorded another $416 million charge related to the East Palestine derailment on Thursday as part of its second-quarter earnings. Most of the costs are related to the cleanup of the hazardous chemicals that were released. The derailment prompted a national reckoning on railroad safety. The additional charges related to the derailment, combined with a 6% drop in the number of shipments the railroad delivered, more than halved the Atlanta-based company’s profit to $356 million.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published July 27, 2023 9:19 A.M.

(Aliquippa, PA) Josh Trone is a part time fighter in the city, and the Fire Civil Service Commission recommended at Wednesday night’s work session that he be promoted to full time. City Council approved the status change. Council approved the commission’s request to update the age and residency requirements in the civil service rules and regulations.  The civil service will begin testing to hire new firefighters.

FILE – This image taken from police body cam video shows a police dog attacking Jadarrius Rose, 23, of Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in Circleville, Ohio. An Ohio police department has fired an officer who released his police dog on a surrendering truck driver even after state troopers told him to hold the dog back. A statement issued Wednesday, July 26, 2023, by Circleville police said Ryan Speakman “did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers” and that he has been “terminated from the department, effective immediately.” (Ohio State Highway Patrol via AP, File).

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio police department has fired an officer who released his police dog on a surrendering truck driver even after state troopers told him to hold the dog back. A statement issued Wednesday by Circleville police said Ryan Speakman “did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers.” It said he has been “terminated from the department, effective immediately.” The firing came one day after Circleville’s police chief announced Speakman was put on paid administrative leave. The July 4 episode began when troopers tried to stop a semitruck that was missing a mudflap and failed to halt for an inspection. The nearby Circleville Police Department was called to assist.