(Beaver Pa.) Beaver Borough announced via their Facebook page that Yard Waste & Spring Cleanup days are almost here! The Town Yard Sale will take place on Saturday, May 2nd from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. (rain or shine), and no permit is needed. Just set up and join your neighbors for a day of treasure hunting. Spring Clean Up Days will follow on Saturday, May 9th (Southside/Riverside of Third Street) and Saturday, May 16th (Northside/Hillside of Third Street). Please remember to place items neatly at the curb the evening before your scheduled pickup. A reminder that certain items cannot be accepted, including building materials, freon-containing items, propane tanks, mattresses, electronics, garbage, and yard waste. For questions about acceptable items to be picked up, please contact Brunner’s directly at 724-775-5666.
(Harrisburg) Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a pair of western Pennsylvania-based amusement companies pleaded guilty to felony corrupt organizations regarding the widespread distribution of hundreds of illegal video gaming devices. The companies — Buffalo Skills Games, Inc. and J.J. Amusement, Inc. — agreed to dissolution and the forfeiture of $5 million in assets, as part of the plea resolution. Investigators seized nearly 400 illegal gambling devices from more than 60 locations in several western Pennsylvania counties. ”This resolution secures a multimillion-dollar forfeiture for the Commonwealth, while assuring the companies will cease to exist,” Attorney General Sunday said. “I commend our partners at the Pennsylvania State Police for helping disband a large-scale operation that involved slot machines essentially dressed up as skill games.”
The Pennsylvania State Police assisted the Office of Attorney General’s Gaming Enforcement and Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Sections in a series of 2024 seizures at bars, gas stations, and convenience stores in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Crawford, Indiana, Somerset, Venango, Erie, Washington, Armstrong, and Westmoreland counties. “Illegal gambling operations are not victimless crimes,” Attorney General Sunday added. “They can fuel criminal enterprises, exploit individuals addicted to gambling, and rip off consumers with games that are not regulated, provide little or no chance of winning, and do not comply with gambling self-exclusion lists intended to protect those struggling with addiction.”
This case was prosecuted by the Office of Attorney General’s Gaming Enforcement Section.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a Pennsylvania State Police Corporal has pleaded guilty to numerous charges regarding a wide range of conduct, including using work computers to access A.I. tools to create pornography and for secretly filming and photographing individuals, including coworkers.
Stephen M. Kamnik, 39, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Montgomery County Court to 15 charges in all — nine felonies and six misdemeanors.
Kamnik also pleaded guilty to using secured law enforcement and Commonwealth databases for personal reasons, and for possessing child sexual abuse material.
Montgomery County Judge will order sentence on July 8.
“This defendant pleaded guilty to the full scope of conduct outlined in charging documents — and in regards to all in-person victims,” Attorney General Sunday said. “These crimes stain the great work being done by law enforcement every day in communities across the Commonwealth.”
Pennsylvania State Police, in consultation with the Office of Attorney General, charged Kamnik last year.
According to the investigation, Kamnik created some of the material at Montgomery County barracks, on Commonwealth-owned devices. Also, Kamnik secretly filmed numerous females he came into contact with, including while on duty, and repeatedly entered a women’s locker room at state police barracks and took photos.
An investigation by the Internal Affairs Division of the Pennsylvania State Police and the Office of Attorney General revealed that, for years, Kamnik allegedly misused Commonwealth computer resources for his own personal sexual gratification, including the creation of A.I.-generated pornography of numerous female citizens of Pennsylvania.
His cellphone and an external hard drive from his home revealed evidence that he also used a secured database, JNET, to obtain hundreds of photographs of females — in violation of JNET usage policies.
Among the materials investigators found was an unlawfully recorded video of a Montgomery County magisterial district judge during a court proceeding which Kamnik also edited for apparent lewd purposes.
Kamnik was also found in possession of a stolen .22 caliber firearm during a search of his vehicle in January of 2025. In all, Kamnik pleaded guilty to:
Four felony counts of unlawful use of computer
Sexual abuse of children, a felony
Receiving Stolen Property (regarding a firearm), a felony
Unlawful duplication, a felony
Interception, disclosure or use of wire, electronic or oral communications, a felony
Criminal trespass, a felony
Misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy, official oppression, tampering with evidence, misapplication of entrusted property, and unlawful use of an audio or video device in court
Kamnik is currently suspended without pay.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General James Price of the Public Corruption Section and Deputy Attorney General Kimberly Moraski of the Child Predator Section.
SEWICKLEY – The Lindsay Theater continues screening the global blockbuster “Super Mario Galaxy” movie this week, including a sensory friendly screening this Saturday at 10 a.m.
Josh Axelrod, communications director for Sewickley’s independent theater, explained how sensory friendly screenings work, when interviewed Wednesday on the Beaver County Radio Morning Show with Scott Tady.
Hear Axelrod’s 12-minute interview here:
Axelrod also discussed other Lindsay offerings this week, including:
“The Drama” starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a couple whose impending marriage is complicated following a shocking revelation. Director Kristoffer Borgli’s dramedy is “one of the boldest, brashest movies in some time,” declares USA Today. “Both leads turn in strong performances” in a film that’s “armed with complex characters and a brazen resolve.”
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie sends Mario, Peach and their friends to space as they explore new pockets of the Nintendo-verse. “The animation is remarkably beautiful, the world and characters both true to the 8-bit source material and deeply cinematic,” raves Tribune News Service. “There are lots of references … but it’s still fun even if you’re not a Nintendo die-hard.”
The Women in Film & Media Showcase taking place at 7 p.m. Thursday, featuring 13 shorts either directed or produced by women filmmakers. Tickets are free and going quickly, so the theater recommends RSVPing in advance due to space limitations.
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Logo for the Lindsay Theater & Cultural Center in Sewickley.
(Aliquippa, Pa.) No one was injured as investigators are working to determine whether Saturday’s deadly shooting in Beaver Falls is related to shots fired in Aliquippa on Monday night. According to a Facebook post by the Aliquippa Police Department they were dispatched to a report of shots fired into B Building of the Valley Terrace Apartments around 7:15 p.m.
Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible told KDKA TV News that “It appears that the shooters had a target in mind.” KDKA is also reporting that sources told them that a relative of Stephon Peake, who was gunned down on a porch in Beaver Falls on Saturday night, may have been inside the building. Bible said after those shots were fired, Aliquippa police saw a white sedan on camera and put out a “be on the lookout” for it. Beaver Falls police saw the vehicle in a parking lot at the Third Base Inn. Officers waited and as they approached the suspects they took off, and a chase ensued. Officers were able to arrest the two suspects, but Bible said they are not charged in the shooting.
( GREEN TREE, PA)Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) hosted a public field hearing called “Let Kids Play” on the rising cost of youth sports. Held at the Green Tree SportsPlex on an indoor field, he and a panel of experts shared their experiences and heard powerful public testimony from parents, coaches, local business owners, and interested community members.
In the past, non-profits like Little League Baseball ran kids’ sports leagues, sponsored by local businesses, social clubs, volunteer fire departments, and churches. Today, it’s often private equity and other big investors that are behind the leagues. More often than not—they are focused on profit more than community.
At today’s event, Western Pennsylvanians shared their experiences around the skyrocketing cost of kids’ sports and the impact it is having on young people, families, and the wider community.
“The rising cost of kids’ sports may seem like a small issue to talk about: but I think it says something bigger about America today,” said Congressman Deluzio. “In our country, sports are supposed to be a great equalizer—a place where any kid could show up, work hard, and be part of something bigger than themselves. Now we’re drifting away from that. Kids are getting priced out. Today, a family’s bank account too often decides whether that kid gets that shot, turning youth sports into a luxury item. That must end. That’s why I held this hearing today: to hear peoples’ experiences, and to hear what needs to change to keep this part of the American Dream alive for the next generation of kids.”
“Private equity has turned youth sports from a cherished past time into a profit extraction machine,” said Katherine Van Dyck, senior legal fellow with the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP) and panelist at the hearing. “There is an urgent need to listen to families, take on these firms, and stop their anti-competitive and predatory behavior. The field hearing held by Congressman Deluzio and the Monopoly Busters Caucus is an important step in that direction.”
“I’m honored to be a part of this conversation because the rising costs of youth sports was something that I lived every day for many years as a single mom doing everything I could to support my child’s passion and future as a competitive soccer player,” said panelist and parent Dr. Shannon Conner. “Once he moved into competitive club level soccer, the costs added up quickly. Club dues alone were significant, and monthly payment plans were the only way we were able to participate at all. And the dues were just the beginning. None of these expenses were optional if you wanted your child to stay competitive. Youth sports are supposed to promote health, teamwork, confidence, and opportunity. But when costs rise and access narrows, those benefits become reserved for families who can afford them—or who are willing to shoulder unsustainable financial strain. We must prioritize affordability, transparency, and access. No parent should have to choose between financial stability and giving their child the chance to play the sport they love.”
“I can tell you from firsthand experience that the cost of participating in youth sports, especially basketball, is rising at a pace that is unsustainable for many families,” said panelist Gino Palmosina, head basketball coach at Moon Area High School and owner of Win Today Basketball. “What used to be a local or regional experience has turned into a national business model. The reality is that families are already being squeezed. I’ve had conversations with parents who have multiple kids and cannot simply afford for all of them to participate anymore. That’s a major concern because youth sports should be about access, development, and community. The grassroots organizations that built youth sports in these communities are now competing against larger, well-funded entities that can absorb costs, control facilities, and dominate the tournament landscape. And the end of the day, kids just want to play. They want to learn, compete, and be part of a team. But if the costs continue to rise the way they have been, we’re going to lose a lot of those kids, and that’s something that—as a community—we cannot afford.”
Congressman Deluzio hosted this event as a field hearing for the Monopoly Busters Caucus, a caucus that he co-chairs in the Congress that looks into the way that consolidated corporate power is ripping off the American people. This is the caucus’ second field hearing, following one in Seattle, WA that focused on monopolies’ role in driving up the cost of groceries.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes put together his second straight solid start, keeping San Diego hitless until the sixth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 7-1 win over the Padres on Tuesday night.
Skenes (2-1), who was rocked during an opening day loss to the New York Mets, struck out six and walked two in 6 1/3 innings while lowering his ERA to 5.54. The Padres’ first of two hits against the 23-year-old was a clean single to left by Fernando Tatis Jr. with one out in the sixth.
Xander Bogaerts homered off Skenes — the first round-tripper given up by a Pittsburgh starter this season — with one out in the seventh. Skenes exited to a loud ovation from the announced crowd of 9,061 on a chilly night as the Pirates won for the sixth time in seven games.
Oneil Cruz hit a two-run double off Nick Pivetta (1-2) in the fifth and Nick Gonzales added a two-run single to start a five-run eighth for the Pirates. Skenes and three relievers combined on a three-hitter.
Pirates rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin picked up the second and third hits of his major league career. The 19-year-old had an infield single in the fifth and scored from first on Cruz’s laser down the left field line. He added a line drive to center for a two-run single in the eighth, a few hours after Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said some ingredients for a long-term contract for Griffin were “in place.”
Pivetta was dominant through four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. The veteran right-hander gave up two runs on four hits with a walk and a season-high eight strikeouts.
Up next
The series wraps up on Wednesday. Michael King (0-1, 3.38 ERA) starts for the Padres against Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller (1-0, 1.50).
(Center Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) The Family Matters Food Pantry in Center Twp. is in need of donations. They posted on Facebook yesterday that they’ve asked for help in the past and have appreciated all that the community has done for the pantry, unfortunately they are asking for help again, the shelves are empty, and donations are way down. The Pantry feeds over 500 families a week. You can get more information on their Facebook Page or by calling (724) 709-7718
(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Beaver Falls Coffee and Tea announced via their social media that they will be moving to street level, right next door to their current location. They are looking for your input to help by filling out a feedback survey and let them know what you want and need in their neighborhood. You can fill out the survey by using the QR code below.
