(Photo Courtesy of KDKA-TV, CBS Pittsburgh, Posted on Facebook on November 23rd, 2025)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Millvale, PA) The Grant Bar in Millvale, which is in the Pittsburgh area, recently announced that it will close after 90 years of service to its community. November 29th, 2025 is the last day of operation for this restaurant. 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – A LEGO set made of its blocks featuring K-pop band BTS, is shown during a publicity event at a store in Seoul, South Korea, on March 2, 2023. Danish toy company Lego said Tuesday March 7, 2023 that its net profit increased by 5% in 2022 coming in at 13.9 billion kroner ($2 billion), up from 13.3 billion kroner a year earlier. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Zelienople, PA) At 10 a.m. on Saturday, a new store themed around Legos opened in downtown Zelienople for enthusiasts of the brick-like toys. The grand opening on Saturday included food, live music and a meet-and-greet with Lego Master Krist Kay.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – An aerial view of the cleanup of a derailed Norfolk Southern freight train, in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

(AP) Norfolk Southern railroad worked with the state of Ohio and Youngstown State University to revive plans for a $20 million first responder training center near the site of the worst derailment in a decade in East Palestine, Ohio.

Building a training center to help prepare firefighters to deal with a railroad disaster was quickly part of the plan after the derailment on Feb. 3, 2023, that forced the evacuation of roughly half the small town near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and left residents with worries about the potential long-term health impacts.

But Norfolk Southern said last January that East Palestine officials had agreed with the railroad as part of the town’s $22 million settlement that the training center wasn’t going to be feasible because of concerns about the ongoing operating costs. The railroad even agreed to give 15 acres of land it had bought for the center to the town.

Now the railroad is going to partner with Youngstown State to build and operate the training center to help prepare first responders to deal with the unique challenges of a train derailment that can spill hazardous chemicals being carried in railcars. In East Palestine, the derailed train cars burned for days, and officials decided to blow open five tank cars of vinyl chloride because they feared those cars might explode.

“By working together, we’ve turned this vision of an economic and educational center dedicated to enhancing community safety into a sustainable reality,” railroad CEO Mark George said.

The railroad has committed more than $135 million to help the town recover from the derailment and agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action settlement with residents, though those settlement payments are on hold because of a pending appeal and accounting problems with the first company that was distributing checks.

Local East Palestine first responders will have free access to training at the facility. Mayor Trent Conaway said this will “better prepare them to serve our village and the communities in our region.”

(File Photo of Congressman Chris Deluzio)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Center Township, PA) Two of the offices of Congressman Chris Deluzio were recently evacuated due to bomb threats. According to social media posts by Deluzio’s staff, the calls came on the afternoon of Friday and police were contacted. The offices affected were in Center Township and in Carnegie.

(File Photo of a Lit Christmas Tree)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver Falls, PA) A popular Beaver County Christmas event known as the Beaver County Christmas Extravaganza is ending permanently after 35 years. According to a statement posted recently on social media, Amy Wisbith Tyger, the daughter of the event’s late chairman Ronald Wisbith, said the festival committee has decided to end the annual event “with a heavy heart.” Tyger also noted that the death of her father on April 9th, 2025 as well as a lack of volunteers to help set up, tear down and work at the event were the main reasons for this decision. The Beaver County Christmas Extravaganza was a post-Thanksgiving event that was held at the Brady’s Run Lodge in Beaver Falls full of Christmas trees and other decorations to help begin the holiday season in Beaver County. It was originally founded back in 1989 as the Beaver County Festival of Trees and it had its final showing last year in 2024 from November 28th-December 1st and December 6th-8th with an award ceremony being held on December 12th.

(File Photo of the Christmas Star)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Christmas of 2025 is just over a month away, but you can celebrate early by going to a Christmas tree-lighting event to get into the holiday spirit in your community. There are some local get-togethers in both Beaver and Lawrence Counties to get the winter season in full swing. According to the Beaver County Times, here is a list of tree-lighting events that you can join through the first week of December:

November 19th-22nd, 2025

Shenango Township’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting Extravaganza takes place from 5:30-8 p.m. November 21st at the Shenango Township Community Park, 238 Kittery Drive. Live music, Christmas lights set to music, meet and greet with Santa, food trucks, holiday vendors, a “stuff the police car” holiday toy drive and fireworks are planned.

Hometown Holidays Christmas Parade in New Castle begins at 3 p.m. November 22nd in downtown New Castle with food trucks and music. A fireworks display starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the city Christmas tree lighting at 5:45 p.m. and the Christmas parade at 6 p.m.

November 23rd-29th, 2025

Beaver Light Up Festival, November 28th from 5-9 p.m. along Third Street. Events include live music, a Christmas parade at 6 p.m., horse-drawn carriage rides and hayrides, hot chocolate and donuts, pictures with Santa from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and a fireworks display starting at 8:30 p.m.

Beaver Falls Christmas Parade and Winterfest is November 29th, along Seventh Avenue. This year’s theme is “Nutcracker Sweet.” The Christmas parade starts at 6 p.m. with floats, bands and the arrival of Santa Claus.

Light Up Enon Valley takes place from 6-9 p.m. at the community pavilion, 1084 Main Street in Enon Valley. Tree lighting, Christmas music, cookies, hot beverages and fun for the family.

November 30th-December 6th, 2025

Light Up the Town in Wampum is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. December 4th along Main Street. Activities include lighting of luminaries, free hot chocolate and fresh baked cookies, carriage rides and fireworks.

Ellwood City Let there Be Lights light up night starts at 6 p.m. December 5th along Lawrence Avenue. Live music and holiday performances, holiday shopping at vendors and stores, free face painting and visits with Santa, horse and carriage rides and trolley rides to Christmas in the Park. The tree lighting ceremony starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Plaza, followed by a fireworks display.

Sewickley Light Up Night is scheduled from 5-9 p.m. December 5th at Sewickley Village on Beaver Street. Activities include live performances on two stages, horse-drawn carriage rides, ice sculpting contest, visit with Santa, photo booth, food trucks, strolling characters, fireworks and more.

Santa, Trains and Candy Canes takes place from 4-7 p.m. December 6th at the Hopewell Township Community Park, 2500 Laird Drive. Enjoy a train ride around the lake, take a photo with Santa Claus, sample the hot chocolate and s’mores, shop among the holiday vendors and visit the train display in the Nature Center.

Monaca Borough Hometown Christmas Parade is from 5-7 p.m. December 6th at CJ Mangin, 998 Indiana Avenue. The Christmas parade starts at St. John’s Church on 15th Street and proceeds down Pennsylvania Avenue to George Washington Plaza. Other activities include the lighting of the borough’s Christmas tree, food trucks, kids’ activities, holiday vendors, raffles and pictures with Santa Claus.

Moon Lights Holiday Festival, 5-7:30 p.m. December 6th at Moon Park, 1350 Ewing Road in Moon Township. Live performances, food trucks, a holiday market, games and more. Santa and the Grinch will ride into Moon Park at 5:30 p.m. on a fire truck and light the Moon Park Christmas tree at the Rotary Pavilion. After the tree lighting, Santa will stick around for photos and visits with children and their families. Bring a letter to Santa to drop in his mailbox. A Toys for Tots collection is also planned.

New Brighton’s Christmas in the Park takes place from 5-7 p.m. December 6th at Townsend Park. The evening includes live entertainment, light refreshments and the lighting of decorations at 6 p.m. Santa Claus is to arrive and will greet guests after the lighting of the decorations. Wreaths decorated by New Brighton Elementary students will be on display and auctioned off later that evening.

(File Photo: Caption for Photo: panoramic wide banner. coffee cafe shop text on vintage sign board hanging on glass door in cafe shop open after coronavirus quarantine in restaurant ready to service, small business owner concept)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Coraopolis, PA) The company Tobii Dynavox has recently opened a new office space in Pittsburgh International Business Park in Coraopolis. Tobii Dynavox is a Swedish company that produces technology that is assistive for individuals with disabilities that are speech-based. The company has roots in Pittsburgh because of an acquisition of the Pittsburgh-based company DynaVox by Tobii Technology, a Swedish-tech company.

(File Photo of a Cranberry Township Police Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Cranberry Township, PA) Yesterday evening, the Cranberry Township Board of Supervisors officially ratified the selection of Kenneth Ruckel to serve as Cranberry Township’s new chief of police. Ruckel will start his new position on December 1st, 2025 and will replace the retiring Kevin Meyer, who had been the Cranberry Township chief of police since 2015. Ruckel has most recently served as a division commander at the Allegheny County Police Department headquarters. Ruckel started his career in law enforcement as a patrol officer in Hanover Township and then went on to serve with the Allegheny County Police Department. Ruckel also spent time as a detective in the general investigation and homicide units and then became a sergeant and took on roles as a shift and unit supervisor.