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Beaver County Chamber Monday Memo: 05/25/26
Category: News
Monroe County man cuts pickleball nets at parks after injury “ruined” his summer, police say
(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Monroe County, PA) A Monroe County man is accused of vandalizing several pickleball courts after suffering an injury that police said “ruined” his summer.
Saif Kaleem of Tannersville is charged with criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and trespassing in connection with vandalism at TLC and Mountain View parks, according to a news release from the Pocono Township Police Department.
Authorities said Kaleem was captured on video cutting a net at TLC Park on May 12 before leaving in a white Hyundai Tucson.
Police said the same vehicle was seen entering Mountain View Park after closing hours on May 14. Investigators said Kaleem got out of the SUV and walked to the pickleball courts. A still image from the surveillance footage showed him using crutches.
“Pocono Township community members informed the PTPD that the pictured male had been seen at TLC Park on multiple occasions prior to the incident,” the department said in its release.
According to police, Kaleem matched the description of the person seen in the video, and investigators later interviewed him at his home.
Police said Kaleem admitted he recently suffered a pickleball injury at Mountain View Park, though authorities did not release details about the injury.
Investigators said the 31-year-old confessed to cutting one pickleball net at TLC Park, three pickleball nets at Mountain View Park and a tennis court net at Mountain View Park because his “summer [was] ruined.”
Pennsylvania hits ten-million tree goal with Hummelstown planting
Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation) Caption for Photo: Adding 10 million trees alongside streams, streets, and other important landscapes will accelerate Pennsylvania toward its Clean Water Blueprint goals, and two-thirds of the way to the 95,000-acre goal for its portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
(Reported by Danielle Smith, Keystone News Service)
(Hummelstown, PA) A Pennsylvania partnership is hitting a big milestone by planting its 10 millionth tree along the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A celebration today in Hummelstown marks eight years of work to clean up water and restore streamside habitats. Julia Krall with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation says trees offer many advantages and are affordable and accessible. She adds that any landowner or resident with available space can plant one, creating benefits for the environment, strengthening communities, and enhancing overall quality of life across Pennsylvania. In 2018, The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership set out to plant that many trees across Pennsylvania’s portion of the watershed. Led by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the effort has grown to include more than 320 partners who’ve helped reach this goal as they also plant native trees and shrubs statewide.
California man charged with homicide after body found under blanket near road in Dauphin County
(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Dauphin County, PA) A California man is facing multiple charges, including homicide, after a body was found under a blanket near the shoulder of a road in Dauphin County, officials said.
Ilia Romanchenko is charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, possession of an instrument of crime and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, according to online court records.
The 25-year-old from Roseville, California, was arrested Sunday and is awaiting a preliminary arraignment.
WHP-TV, citing Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo, reported that Romanchenko was arrested out of state and is awaiting extradition. The station reported the charges are connected to the discovery of a body over the weekend.
According to a Pennsylvania State Police news release, the body was found May 23 in Londonderry Township around 10 a.m. near Route 441.
The victim has not been publicly identified.
State police described the man as being in his 30s or 40s with dark brown hair, facial hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black Oakland Raiders shirt and was approximately 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds.
Anyone with information about the victim’s identity or the case is asked to contact state police in Harrisburg at 717-671-7500.
Authorities have not released additional details, including why Romanchenko was in Pennsylvania or how the victim died. The investigation remains ongoing.
Two women hospitalized after shooting and physical assault in McKeesport
(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of WPXI-TV Pittsburgh, Posted on Facebook on May 25th, 2026)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(McKeesport, PA) A woman was shot and another was physically assaulted in McKeesport yesterday, according to the Allegheny County Police Department.
Police said officers were called to the Harrison Village housing complex around 8:17 p.m.
Investigators said a woman who had been shot twice in the torso was found at the scene.
She was listed in stable condition.
Another woman was found suffering from blunt force trauma and was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Police said everyone involved in the incident has been identified, but detectives are continuing to investigate.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Allegheny County Police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
Two people dead after house fire in Butler County
(File Photo of a Fire Background)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Butler County, PA) Two people are dead after a house fire in Butler County yesterday.
Butler County dispatchers told WTAE that emergency crews were called to a home along Old Route 68 around 5:30 p.m. following reports of a fire.
According to state police, two people were found dead inside the home.
Dispatchers said it took firefighters about an hour to extinguish the flames.
Henry Davis slugs late go-ahead homer as Pirates send Cubs to a 9th straight loss in 2-1 victory
(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates’ Spencer Horwitz scores a run on a RBI-double by Pittsburgh Pirates’ Brandon Lowe during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Monday, May 25, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Henry Davis hit a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates sent the Chicago Cubs to their ninth straight loss with a 2-1 victory on Monday.
Davis turned on a 91 mph cutter from Cubs reliever Trent Thornton (2-1) and sent it well over the right-field fence for his fourth home run of the season.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen made it stand up. Wilber Dotel (1-0) tossed three scoreless innings in relief to pick up the victory. Gregory Soto worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save as the Pirates beat the Cubs for the third time in four tries so far this season.
Brandon Lowe had two hits for Pittsburgh, including an RBI double. Spencer Horwitz also had a pair of hits and a handful of excellent plays at first base, all of them against Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong. Horwitz was perfectly positioned to snatch a couple of line drives and then made a brilliant diving grab on a sharp grounder before tossing to Dotel covering first to rob Crow-Armstrong of a hit.
Michael Busch hit his sixth homer of the season for Chicago, but it wasn’t enough to halt a funk that is nearing three weeks. Chicago’s nine-game skid is the franchise’s longest since a 10-game slide in 2022. The Cubs have dropped 13 of 15 overall to fall into the middle of the pack in the hyper-competitive NL Central, where all five teams started Memorial Day above .500.
Cubs starter Ben Brown allowed one run and four hits over six innings with two walks and seven strikeouts, whittling his ERA to 2.01.
Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski — fighting hard to stay in the rotation as Jared Jones nears his return from elbow surgery — allowed one run over five innings with three walks and three strikeouts.
Up next
The series continues on Tuesday. Braxton Ashcraft (3-2, 2.89 ERA) starts for the Pirates.
Manager of Central Diner & Grille in Robinson Township detained by federal agents
(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Rasheed Bennett, Caption for Photo: The exterior of Central Diner & Grille stands like a beacon of comfort food promise under Pittsburgh skies. Some buildings just look like they contain happiness)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Robinson Township, PA) The manager of Central Diner and Grille was detained by federal agents in Robinson Township yesterday.
Video shared on social media appears to show two men identified as federal agents pinning the manager to the ground.
The restaurant closed for the remainder of the day following the incident.
According to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, agents were searching for someone who ran from authorities after a car chase ended in the diner’s parking lot.
The owner said the manager initially refused to let the agents inside and asked them to wait outside. According to the owner, agents eventually searched the restaurant.
The owner said agents did not find the person they were searching for, but they left with the manager, who the owner said is a U.S. military veteran.
In a Facebook post, Central Diner and Grille said it planned to reopen during regular business hours today.
Pittsburgh International Airport celebrates first direct flight to Dublin, Ireland
(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – A view from inside Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Ken Maguire, File)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) A new era of international travel began at Pittsburgh International Airport with the launch of a direct route to Dublin.
The inaugural nonstop flight between Pittsburgh and Dublin took off yesterday aboard Irish carrier Aer Lingus.
The route will operate four times a week from Pittsburgh International Airport.
City and airport leaders attended a celebration marking the launch, which also featured Irish dancers and live music.
Eat ‘n Park also provided hundreds of shamrock-shaped Smiley Cookies for passengers, giving travelers a small taste of Pittsburgh on their journey to Ireland.
Barge still lodged against dam in Beaver Falls after breaking free from a construction project on the Beaver River
(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Curtis Walsh, Beaver County Radio)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver Falls, PA) A barge that broke free from a construction project on the Beaver River nearly two months ago remains lodged against a dam in Beaver Falls.
Residents who live along the river say they are surprised the barge has not yet been removed.
The barge broke free April 2 from a Pennsylvania Turnpike bridge project nearly four miles upstream before becoming stuck on the dam.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission told WPXI’s Andrew Havranek that a second barge that also drifted downstream was removed with a crane shortly after becoming lodged near the Beaver Falls-New Brighton Bridge.
Crews have continued working to remove the remaining barge. Cranes have been positioned on the opposite side of the river, but officials said the vessel has not moved.
Crispin Havener, assistant press secretary for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, said water levels and equipment access have complicated removal efforts.
Neighbors also said they are worried about possible damage to the dam.
Officials have not provided a timeline for when the barge will be removed.