(File Photo: Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of (PRNewsFoto/SHEETZ, INC.) Caption for Photo: Sheetz logo.)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Altoona, PA) Sheetz was recently named as one of twenty finalists for Best Gas Station for Food in the United States category of USA Today’s 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards. Panelists from the magazine recognized Sheetz for its “consistent, fresh, and affordable menu” with the made-to-order menu items and a variety of beverage options. You can vote for Sheetz or your favorite gas station once per day until May 4th at noon by going to https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/best-gas-station-for-food/. The ten winners will be announced on May 13th.
(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Eakin Howard, Eakin Howard, Imagn Images, Caption for Photo: March 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) goes to the basket against Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) during the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center.)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Fayetteville, AR) Former Lincoln Park standout basketball player and five-star recruit Meleek Thomas declared for the 2026 NBA Draft in a post on Instagram yesterday after spending his freshman season at the University of Arkansas. Thomas averaged 15.6 points per game, while shooting 43% from the field and 41% from the three-point line his first season with the Razorbacks. The 2026 NBA Draft will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on June 23rd and June 24th. As Thomas enters the draft, he is most likely to be a late first-round or early second-round selection after the most recent mock drafts. If he is selected in the first round, Thomas would become the third player in the Beaver Valley to be drafted in the opening round, joining Monaca graduate Brad Davis, who was drafted 15th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1977, and OLSH graduate and current Denver Nuggets small forward Cameron Johnson, who was selected 11th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves before he later joined the Phoenix Suns via trade. If Thomas is selected in this year’s draft, he would become the second consecutive Beaver Valley player drafted to an NBA team after Quaker Valley alum Adou Thiero was selected by the Brooklyn Nets and was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft at 36th overall. Moon Township native John Calipari also coached both Thomas and Thiero in college during his current stint as the head coach of the University of Arkansas. Thomas was ranked as one of the top high school prospects in the country when he played for Lincoln Park and helped the team capture back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA titles during his sophomore and junior seasons. He will maintain his collegiate eligibility if he undeclares for the draft by May 27th, 2026.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – In this Feb. 5, 2020, file photo, a W-4 form is viewed in New York. The IRS will delay the traditional April 15 tax filing due date until May 17, 2021, to cope with added duties and provide Americans more flexibility. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Harrisburg, PA) Tomorrow is the deadline for filing 2025 Pennsylvania personal income tax returns. There is still time to finish them, and there are several resources you can use to do so. One of them is myPATH, which you can access by clicking here (mypath.pa.gov.) You can use this website to file your PA-40 return for free. You can also call 717-787-8201 from now until 7 p.m. and tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. This is the phone number of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue’s Customer Experience Center, which was extended last week to give more help over the phone for people to file their tax return by the deadline of midnight on April 15th. You can also access the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue’s Online Customer Service Center, which can be accessed by clicking here, (revenue.pa.gov/help/.) This website will provide answers to hundreds of questions regarding you personal income tax and allows people to submit questions easily. Taxpayers can also go to the District offices of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue for in-person help with their tax returns after scheduling an appointment, and they need to bring a valid photo ID and their Social Security card. The locations can be found by going to revenue.pa.gov/offices, which you can access by clicking here. District offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
(Allegheny County, PA) A man will face time in jail in Allegheny County for providing fentanyl that killed a fifteen-year-old girl from Oakdale in 2024. Twenty-nine-year-old Shakeirs Foster pleaded guilty in court yesterday to involuntary manslaughter and delivery and was sentenced to two and a half to six years in state prison. Investigators tracked the fentanyl delivery to Foster after investigative methods which included reviewing cellphone evidence and talking with witnesses. According to a release from Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office, witnesses saw Foster enter the victim’s apartment on May 7th, 2024, and leave a short time later. 911 was called after the victim became unconscious. First responders provided life-saving measures before transporting her to a hospital; however, she never regained consciousness and died a week later on May 14th, 2024.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette logo is displayed on the newspaper’s Pittsburgh office Wednesday, Jan 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will no longer cease publishing in May because it is being acquired by a nonprofit media group. Block Communications Inc. of Toledo, Ohio is the current owner of the paper and has operated the publication since 1927, but they announced back on January 7th that the 240-year-old newspaper will cease its operations on May 3rd. However, the newspaper announced today that Block Communications Inc., is selling it to the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which is based in Baltimore, Maryland and is the publisher of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Baltimore Banner. The sale will go into effect on May 4th, which is the day after the paper was supposed to publish its final edition. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will be the second news organization that is operated by the nonprofit that founded the Baltimore Banner in 2022. Newsroom and local business leadership of the newspaper will remain in Pittsburgh, while its name will stay unchanged, and other functions will be combined with the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette started back in 1786, and it is the first newspaper to open west of the Allegheny Mountains. If it had closed, it would have left Pittsburgh as the nation’s largest community without a city-based paper. The terms of the deal are unknown at this time but according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it would continue to publish print editions on Thursday and Sunday.
PITTSBURGH — For the first time in more than 50 years, well-known music producer and promoter Rich Engler is hosting a one-of-a-kind auction event. This extraordinary collection features more than 40 autographed guitars signed by some of music’s biggest stars including Kiss, AC/DC and Bon Jovi along with a wide range of rare sports memorabilia.
Highlights of the sports items include items connected to legends such as Arnold Palmer, Hank Aaron, Jack Ham, Lynn Swann and many others.
In total, the auction includes over 40 pieces of significant sports memorabilia. To browse or place bids now through May 2 for both the guitars and the sports collection, visit billarnold.hibid.com.
In addition to the online auction, fans also can attend the “Final Bidding Party” on May 2 at The Distillery Complex at 59 South Second Street near Station Square. This event is in cooperation with Fuzion Entertainment and the
Distillery Complex. Come and be part of the live auction process or just enjoy seeing all the memorabilia on display. Admission is free.
As part of last weekend’s the NFL Draft Experience, Engler had his guitars displayed for the public to stop in and see at Fifth Avenue Place in downtown Pittsburgh.
Engler discussed the guitars and sports memorabilia, and shared tales from his days as a Pittsburgh concert promoter when appearing Tuesday on the Beaver County Radio Morning Show.
Here is Engler’s interview:
Part of the Rich Engler autographed guitar collection on display next week in Pittsburgh (and up for sale).
Engler has produced over 6,000 concerts including over 42 stadium concerts during his lifetime, was owner of the Stanley Theatre (now the Benedum Center) and the IC Light Amphitheatre at Station Square. He has also produced numerous concerts over his lifetime at the Syria Mosque, the Mellon Arena and Starlake Amphitheatre. He’s also written a book, which turned into an award winning documentary, called “Behind the Stage Door”.
(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) According to a release from the The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District, (USACE) they announced the start of physical remediation (excavation) at the Shallow Land Disposal Area (SLDA), which marks a major milestone in efforts to safely address legacy radiological waste and protect nearby communities and the environment. USACE started excavation work on April 7th, at the 44-acre site located at 2992 River Road in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, which is about 23 miles east-northeast of Pittsburgh along the Kiskiminetas River in Armstrong County near the communities of Apollo and Vandergrift. The project team has transitioned from pre-remediation preparations, including the installation of site buildings and equipment, to the start of active cleanup of radiological materials. Work will begin deliberately and proceed methodically as crews evaluate site conditions and materials encountered during the process. Excavation activities are expected to progress at a pace that may vary as conditions change. USACE and its contractors will start with the removal of the topsoil on Trench 8, then excavate contaminated material. During each stage of excavation, the Corps of Engineers and its contractors will continuously monitor the site and adjust operations as needed while prioritizing worker and public safety, complying with regulatory requirements, and following best practices.
(File Photo of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Cars)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Lawrence County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle reported via release today that nineteen-year-old Liam Convery of Ellwood City was not charged after crashing his vehicle in Lawrence County on April 1st, 2026. Convery was driving on Bridge Street in Wayne Township at 9:38 a.m.and he reported to police that the vehicle he was driving lost power steering and veered off the road, striking a utility pole and then a tree. He was not injured.
(Aliquippa, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported via release yesterday that thirty-seven-year-old George Downs of Pittsburgh was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs in Aliquippa on February 27th, 2026. Police conducted a traffic stop at the 1 block of Cochran Street at 1:34 a.m. and Downs was arrested for DUI during the stop. Charges against Downs are pending.
(Aliquippa, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported via release yesterday that thirty-four-year-old Devin Polzot of Aliquippa was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs in Aliquippa on January 18th, 2026. Polzot was stopped because he committed a vehicle code violation at the 1800 block of Sheffield Road at 12:55 a.m. He was subsequently arrested for drug possession and driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Charges against Polzot are pending.
