(File Photo)

Harrisburg, PA –Ahead of anticipated winter weather across much of Pennsylvania tonight and tomorrow, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike) are updating the start times of planned vehicle restrictions on several interstates and the PA Turnpike announced Friday, based on the updated weather forecast.

The following vehicle restrictions are planned to go into effect at 8:00 PM on Sunday, January 5, in accordance with Tier 2 of the commonwealth’s weather event vehicle restriction plan, an update from Friday’s announcement.

• Interstate 79 from the West Virginia border to Exit 77 (PA Turnpike).
• I-70 from the West Virginia border to PA Turnpike Exit 57 (New Stanton).
• I-279, entire length.
• I-376 from Brighton (Exit 36) to PA Turnpike (Exit 85).
• I-579, entire length.
• PA Turnpike (I-70/I-76) from Exit 28 (Cranberry) to Exit 161 (Breezewood).
• PA Turnpike 576 (entire length).
• PA Turnpike 43 (entire length).
• PA Turnpike 66 (entire length).

The following vehicle restrictions are planned to go into effect at 12:01 AM on Monday, January 6, in accordance with Tier 2 of the commonwealth’s weather event vehicle restriction plan.

• I-81 from the Maryland border to I-78 (Exit 89).
• I-83, entire length.
• PA Turnpike (I-76) from Breezewood (Exit 161) to Harrisburg East (Exit 247).

Under Tier 2 restrictions, the following vehicles are not permitted on affected roadways:

• Tractors without trailers.
• Tractors towing unloaded or lightly loaded enclosed trailers, open trailers or tank trailers.
• Tractors towing unloaded or lightly loaded tandem trailers.
• Tractors towing loaded tandem trailers without chains or Alternate Traction Devices (ATDs).
• Enclosed unloaded or lightly loaded cargo delivery trucks/box trucks that meet the definition of a CMV.
• Passenger vehicles (cars, SUV’s, pickup trucks, etc.) towing trailers.
• Recreational vehicles/motorhomes.
• School buses, commercial buses and motor coaches, regardless of the availability of trains or ATDs.
• Motorcycles.

Tire chains or ATDs do not need to be installed under Tier 2 restrictions but need to be readily available for use should the vehicle become stuck and not be able to move because of poor traction.

On roadways where vehicles are not restricted, commercial vehicle drivers in particular are encouraged to exercise caution in high winds. Drivers should ensure their loads are secure, reduce speeds, increase following distance, and use flashers if necessary.

Restrictions will be communicated via variable message boards, the 511PA traveler information website and smartphone apps. Motorists can also sign up for personalized alerts on the website. Restrictions will be lifted as quickly as possible when conditions are safe. Restrictions can be changed based on conditions on the roadways, and reports from first responders, law enforcement and PennDOT and PA Turnpike personnel.

PennDOT encourages motorists traveling to the PA Farm Show in Harrisburg to plan their trip using the enhanced real-time travel and alternate-route information available on a specialized web page at www.511PA.com/map/page/farm-show. Hosted through the department’s www.511PA.com traveler information website, the page is dedicated to monitoring traffic conditions on the primary travel routes to the event. Travel times and alerts are provided for: I-81 north, US-22/322 east, I-81 south, I-283 north, and I-83 north. The page includes the average travel time for the primary route as well as an alternate route. Users can see traffic speeds, incidents, active roadwork, as well as weather forecasts and alerts on the map.

For more information on safe winter travel, an emergency kit checklist and information on PennDOT’s winter operations including a video, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/winter. Additional winter driving and other highway safety information is available at www.PennDOT.pa.gov/safety.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a free smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following local alerts on X.

Subscribe to statewide PennDOT news and traffic alerts or subscribe to news in a specific county or region. Find PennDOT news on X, Facebook, and Instagram. The PA Turnpike will provide updates on their social channels, on their roadway and at all service plazas.

FILE – This is a portion of US Steel’s Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock, Pa., on Sunday, Apr., 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

By FATIMA HUSSEIN, JOSH BOAK and MARC LEVY Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has blocked the nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. This affirms his earlier vow to block the acquisition. In a Friday statement, Biden said, “We need major U.S. companies representing the major share of US steelmaking capacity to keep leading the fight on behalf of America’s national interests.” His decision comes after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States didn’t reach consensus on the possible national security risks of the deal last month. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel blasted the decision, saying Biden cited no credible evidence of a national security problem and suggested they’ll sue.___
Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

(Logo property of St. Barnabas Broadcasting. Designed by Bill Tittinger, St. Barnabas Marketing.)

(Brighton Twp., Pa.) Have you wondered what Scott Tady has been up to since he left the newspaper? Well he has been co-hosting “The Beaver Morning Show” weekdays on 95.7 FM, 1460 WMBA and beavercountyradio.com. The show started in April with Tady and then co-host Frank Sparks weekdays from 7-10 AM. In August, Sparks left Tady and moved over to 99.3 FM, 1230 WBVP, and beavercountyradio.com to host “Driving in the Fast Lane” weekdays from 6:30 AM to 9 AM to replace the retiring Mike Romigh. Scott then took over the show by himself until a new cohost was found. In late December management decided that he has done such a good job with the show that he would host the show by himself on a permanent basis.

It is also being announced that starting on Monday, January 6, 2025 the show will expand to four hours per day from 6-10AM weekdays.

Tady joined the Beaver County Radio Staff part time in April. After a long tenure at the local paper he left and moved into a full-time role with the station in early October.

Scott and Frank started a weekly show on Thursdays from 8-10AM during the morning show titled “Backyard Beaver County” that  features all local home grown music. The Beaver is also the only local station that has local artists in rotation with all the popular hits you have come to know.

Since 2000 when WMBA was purchased by then owner Frank Iorio  the station had been simulcast with WBVP forming Beaver County Radio. In In September of 2023 management at St. Barnabas Broadcasting decided to once again split the stations after the addition of 95.7 FM as a translator for WMBA. The format that was decided on was a country slash rock format and the station was rebranded and launched as The Beaver that same month.

Make plans to tune you radio to 95.7 FM, and 1460 WMBA or listen on our App weekdays from 6-10A M.

Great sponsorship opportunities are available for “The Beaver Morning Show” by calling 724-846-4100 or emailing fsparks@beavercountyradio.com.

 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: A customer holds a credit card at the pay-at-the-pump gasoline pump in Rolling Meadow, Ill., Thursday, June 30, 2022. The U.S. economy shrank from April through June for a second straight quarter, contracting at a 0.9% annual pace and raising fears that the nation may be approaching a recession. The decline that the Commerce Department reported Thursday, July 28, in the gross domestic product — the broadest gauge of the economy — followed a 1.6% annual drop from January through March. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Gas prices are a penny lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at about $3.36 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. The report confirms that the average price for gas in Western Pennsylvania last week was about $3.38. The report also states that the average price that you can expect for a gallon of unleaded gas here in Beaver County is about $3.41.

According to the report, here are the prices this week for a gallon of unleaded self-serve gasoline in Western Pennsylvania areas:

$3.332      Altoona
$3.410      Beaver
$3.490      Bradford
$3.227      Brookville
$3.437      Butler
$3.364      Clarion
$3.354      DuBois
$3.329      Erie
$3.360      Greensburg
$3.408      Indiana
$3.379      Jeannette
$3.454      Kittanning
$3.397      Latrobe
$3.331      Meadville
$3.454      Mercer
$3.148      New Castle
$3.368      New Kensington
$3.399      Oil City
$3.340      Pittsburgh
$3.221      Sharon
$3.354      Uniontown
$3.499      Warren
$3.284      Washington

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding speaks during the kick-off of the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show on Saturday, January 4, 2020.)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding was the leader of a tour at the 2025 Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg on Thursday. The theme was revealed as “Powering Pennsylvania” for this year. Redding spoke about the importance of how agriculture fills us up and how people from all walks of life work for the agriculture industry. According to Redding, agriculture not only drives the economy, but also benefits the quality of life and the communities of Pennsylvania.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Trevant Hayes, 20, sits in the French Quarter after the death of his friend, Nikyra Dedeaux, 18, after a pickup truck crashed into pedestrians on Bourbon Street followed by a shooting in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A mix of law enforcement, street performers and football fans has filled New Orleans’ blocks as the city inches back to normalcy while mourning victims of the deadly New Year’s rampage in which an Army veteran plowed a truck into revelers.

The attack along Bourbon Street killed 14 people, along with the driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who officials said was inspired by the Islamic State militant group. Jabbar was fatally shot in a firefight with police after steering his speeding truck around a barricade and plowing into the crowd. About 30 people were injured.

Authorities finished processing the scene Thursday morning, removing the last of the bodies. Bourbon Street — famous worldwide for music, open-air drinking and festive vibes — reopened for business by early afternoon.

On the same block where the attack took place, trombone player and lifelong New Orleanian Jonas Green said it was important for his band to be out there the day after the violence.

“I know with this music, it heals, it transforms the feelings that we’re going through into something better,” Green said. “Got to keep on going.”

The Sugar Bowl college football game between Notre Dame and Georgia, which was postponed by a day in the interest of national security, was played Thursday evening.

The Joan of Arc parade in the French Quarter is still scheduled to take place Monday to kick off carnival season ahead of Mardi Gras, said Antoinette de Alteriis, one of the organizers. She said they expect close to its typical crowd in the thousands.

The FBI has continued to hunt for clues about Jabbar but, a day into its investigation, the agency said it was confident he was not aided by anyone else in the attack, which killed an 18-year-old aspiring nurse, a single mother, a father of two and a former Princeton University football star, among others.

The FBI said that hours before the attack, Jabbar, a 42-year-old American citizen from Texas, posted five videos on his Facebook account in which he proclaimed his support for the Islamic State group and previewed the violence that he would soon unleash in the famed French Quarter district.

It was the deadliest IS-inspired assault on U.S. soil in years, laying bare what federal officials have warned is a resurgent international terrorism threat. It also comes as the FBI and other agencies brace for dramatic leadership upheaval, and likely policy changes, after President-elect Donald Trump’s administration takes office.

Christopher Raia, the deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, stressed there was no indication of a connection between the New Orleans attack and the explosion Wednesday of a Tesla Cybertruck packed with fireworks outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel.

The New Orleans attack plans also included the placement of crude bombs in the neighborhood in an apparent attempt to cause more carnage, officials said. Two improvised explosive devices left in coolers several blocks apart were rendered safe at the scene. Other devices were determined to be nonfunctional.

Investigators also were trying to understand more about Jabbar’s path to radicalization, which they say culminated with him picking up a rented truck in Houston on Dec. 30 and driving it to New Orleans the following night.

The FBI recovered a black IS flag from Jabbar’s rented pickup and reviewed five videos posted to Facebook, including one in which he said he originally planned to harm his family and friends but was concerned news headlines would not focus on the “war between the believers and the disbelievers,” Raia said.

Jabbar also stated he joined IS before last summer and provided a last will and testament, the FBI said.

Jabbar joined the Army in 2007, serving on active duty in human resources and information technology and deploying to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, the service said. He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.

A U.S. government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, said Jabbar traveled to Egypt in 2023, staying in Cairo for a week, before returning to the U.S. and then traveling to Toronto for three days. It was not immediately clear what he did during those travels.

Abdur-Rahim Jabbar, Jabbar’s younger brother, told The Associated Press on Thursday it “doesn’t feel real” that his brother could have done this.

“I never would have thought it’d be him,” he said. “It’s completely unlike him.”

He said his brother had been isolated in the last few years but also had been in touch with him recently and did not see any signs of radicalization.

On Bourbon Street, flowers and candles were arranged as memorials to the victims, while yellow posts were set up on the surrounding blocks. By Thursday night, bouncers danced to music blasting from clubs, tourists posed for photos and a group of street performers preparing to flip over a line of people had no trouble attracting a massive audience.

Mark Tabor, the manager of a Willie’s Chicken Shack on Bourbon Street, said it was strange to feel the disconnect between the normal hustle of the French Quarter outside and the violence he had witnessed less than 48 hours earlier.

“I’m glad they cleaned up the streets, but it’s like everything’s forgotten,” he said. “It’s sad.”

(File Photo of Wine being Poured into a Glass)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Midland, PA) According to a release from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board on Thursday, Fine Wine and Good Spirits at 508 Midland Avenue will close at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 4th. A renovation project will occur for the business. The release also states that the Midland store will open again in late winter and the date for reopening has not been confirmed yet. The locations for Fine Wine and Good Spirits that are still open while the renovations continue at the Midland store include:

• 1476 Old Brodhead Road, Center Township
• 3113 Green Garden Road, Hopewell Township
• 730 Ohio River Boulevard, East Rochester

There were no details about how Midland’s Fine Wine and Good Spirits will be renovated during the Thursday announcement.

 

(File Photo of American Lung Association logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) According to a release from the American Lung Association on Thursday, radon remains the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. In Pennsylvania, 39.1% of radon test results equal or exceed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) action level of 4 pCi/L., according to the latest American Lung Association “State of Lung Cancer” report. January 2025 is known as National Radon Action Month and the main reason why lung cancer occurs in non-smokers is radon. Here are some tips from the American Lung Association to help you avoid being exposed to radon: 

• Perform radon tests in your house.
• Before buying a home, test for radon always.
• After the results of the radon test are seen, make sure the picocuries per liter is in a range of 2 and 4 picocuries per liter and not more than four.
• Do not smoke or get exposed to radon.

 

(File Photo of City of Aliquippa Police Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) The City of Aliquippa Police Department issued information on a Facebook post that confirmed on Wednesday, police responded to the 2000 block of Main Street in reference to a disturbance. At 5:35 a.m., twenty-nine-year-old Aniyah Rascoe of Beaver Falls was trying to enter the home of a male friend of hers. The homeowner called the police about the disturbance. Rascoe was highly intoxicated and was warned by both the homeowner and police that she was not allowed inside. Rascoe did not cooperate multiple times with officers after entering the home and even grabbed a jacket of an officer. Rascoe was taken to the Beaver County Jail and received two filed charges of criminal trespass as well as filed charges of both resisting arrest and public drunkenness.