(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

Center Township Police are present at the Beaver Valley Mall. Evacuation of the mall is currently underway, according to a police spokesperson.

More details will be provided to Beaver County Radio when  they are available.

MORGANTOWN, Pa (AP) — Nine juveniles who escaped from a detention center in Pennsylvania and were at large for less than a day have been captured, state police said Monday.

All will be charged with escape and some may face other charges.

“We’re going to interview all nine of them,” said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Beohm. “I know there’s stuff in the works right now to decide where they are going to go after that takes place.”

Beohm said the first four were taken into custody shortly before 6 a.m. after they went to a residence and knocked on the door.

They turned themselves in because they were cold and tired, Beohm said.

The other five were captured after police received a report of a stolen vehicle and “a sort of pursuit” took place, Beohm said. Four youths were taken into custody from the vehicle and a fifth, who took off on foot, was caught in a field a short time later.

State and local police were called late Sunday to take control of the juvenile center in Morgantown, about 49 miles (78.8 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia. Beohm said the escape happened after the juveniles wrested the keys away from two staff members.

Abraxas Academy is a secure residential treatment program providing “specialized care for delinquent male youth between the ages of 14 to 18 in 9th grade or above,” according to the facility’s website.

The escape follows the capture of an escaped murderer who eluded Pennsylvania authorities for several days despite an extended manhunt.

But Beohm said the teenagers likely didn’t have the desperation or motivation of someone like Danelo Souza Cavalcante, who escaped from a Pennsylvania jail and eluded law enforcement for two weeks before his capture on Sept. 13.

“I figured we’d catch these kids because they are not as resilient” as Cavalacante, Beohm said at a press conference.

The convicted murderer escaped from the Chester County jail in southeastern Pennsylvania on Aug. 31 by crab-walking up between two walls that were topped with razor wire, then jumping from the roof.

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

The Act 47 designation for financial distress for a community in Pennsylvania could be coming to an end soon in Aliquippa.

A hearing was held Thursday night regarding the Act 47 status, attended by Mayor Dwan B. Waller, City Manager Sam Gill, and City Solicitor Myron Sainovich among others in coordination with Act 47 coordinator Debbie Grass.

The city is sending their final report to the PA Department of Community and Economic Development for termination of the Act 47 status. A decision will be made by year’s end.

State Representative Rob Matzie is pushing for the approval of several house bills designed to strengthen safeguards for consumers against predatory practices that drive up costs in many different areas of life.

Matzie, who is the majority chairman of the House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee, says that the most recent efforts by the committee focus on the arenas of speculative ticketing and “fly-by-night” gas and electric companies.

“We are also reviewing legislation to address unsightly, unsafe duplicate utility poles and legislation to protect consumers from high-pressure sales tactics by some fly-by-night companies,” Matzie said. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about goods or services – every PA consumer deserves a fair shake.”

Some of the bills under review include:

• H.B. 1578, which would protect consumers from “fly-by-night” gas and electric companies whose salespeople prey on seniors and other vulnerable customers.
• H.B. 1658, which would ban speculative ticketing.
• H.B. 1378, which would ban the use of “grinch bots.”
• H.B. 1655, which would standardize fees and requirements imposed on utilities performing street repairs to contain the costs passed on to consumers.
• H.B. 1619, which would address unsafe, unsightly duplicative utility poles.

(Photos by Frank Sparks Daniel Campbell and also from Beaver County Chamber Facebook Page, Commissioner Tony Amadio Facebook Page, and Pa State Rep Josh Kail’s Facebook Page)

Story by Frank Sparks / Beaver County Radio General Manager

(Brighton Twp., Pa.) On a beautiful late summer day, Beaver County Radio and the Pennsylvania Hot Rod Company held the fourth cruise in the “Cruisin on the Ridge” Summer Series on Saturday. Beaver County Radio also celebrated the launch of “The Beaver” during the event at the Beaver County Radio Studios in Brightonn Twp.

Since 2000, when then WBVP owner Frank Iorio purchased WMBA in Ambridge and moved it to Beaver Falls, the stations have primarily simulcast programming only splitting off for sports broadcasts. Beaver County Radio General Manager and Program Director informed the crowd that as of 12 noon Saturday that WMBA and 95.7 FM would now be known at “The Beaver” and would switch to a mainly music format featuring country and Rock Roll. The link to listen on line is below just click on the new “The Beaver” Logo below. Sparks also unveiled new logos and imaging to both WBVP and WMBA.

If that wasn’t enough local Band “The Hoot Owls” also played live on the air and for all who attended the Cruise. There were Food Trucks from E&K ‘Que and PJ’s Deli. You can all of the photos all another great cruise below.

Listen Live to “The Beaver” or WBVP online by pressing on the proper logo below:

Check out all the photos below of Saturday’s Fun:

A video of “The Hoot Owls” performing live at the Beaver County Radio Studios:

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio News Director. Published September 17, 2023 9:41 A.M.
Screenshot of video obtained from JSPN live stream video on Facebook.

(Beaver County, Pa) A live streamed video surfaced on social media originating from “JSPN”, that shows a fight breaking out during a Beaver County Youth Football League 9-Under game between Beaver Falls and Aliquippa. Two officials of the game are seen engaging in a scuffle with punches being thrown during the 4th quarter of the game after what appeared to be a face mask call was thrown. It is unclear from the video who hit who. The fight was broken up shortly after it began.
Spectators can be heard yelling, “that’s that Ohio (expletive), you can’t do that here in Pennsylvania”, in addition to “he trying to cheat”. The words “the Ohio ref was talking crazy, and the PA ref stuffed him” could also be heard.
The incident took place on Saturday, September 16th.

(Sandy Giordano/Beaver County Radio)

At Wednesday night’s work session, the Central Valley School Board learned that ABC Transit is eight drivers short of their mark.

According to Superintendent Dr. Nick Perry.  some candidates that were hired, decided not to take the positions offered to them, which has led to a driver shortage. Any qualified drivers are urged to apply.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), and Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project (PA TIPP) are encouraging drivers to take advantage of free car seat checks across the state as the agencies mark National Child Passenger Safety Week (CPSW) from September 17 through September 23. Additionally, Saturday, September 23 has been designated as “National Seat Check Saturday.”

“Seat belts are your best defense in a crash, but they were created for adults,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “It’s important that parents and caregivers take time this week to ensure they are using the right car seat or booster seat for their child’s size and age.”

Car seat checks will be held across the state the week of Child Passenger Safety Week. Visit PA TIPP’s webpage for a list of events.

PSP personnel certified as Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians will be conducting free child seat fitting events across the state. Caregivers can have their car seats checked for suitability, receive instruction on the proper installation, have seat(s) installed, learn to properly harness a child in a seat and check seats for recalls. A full list of local free car seat fitting events is available on PSP’s website.

“Properly installed child safety seats save lives, and it’s vital that Pennsylvania’s youngest passengers are safe when traveling,” said PSP Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris. “We encourage parents and caregivers to have their seats checked by a certified child passenger seat technician to ensure proper installation.”

According to national statistics, car seats can reduce the risk of fatal injury by up to 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers; however,46 percent of car seats and booster seats are installed or used incorrectly. From January through June 2023, PSP members conducted 525 child safety seat inspections and discovered 207 incidents of misuse. PSP completed more than 1,000 checks in both 2021 and 2022 and found misuse rates of up to 40 percent.

To advance their public safety missions, PennDOT and PSP invest in community resources across the state. PennDOT funds resources such as training and educational materials for more than 200 fitting stations across Pennsylvania. In coordination with CPSW and Seat Check Saturday, local police will focus on proper child seat usage during a statewide CIOT Child Passenger Safety enforcement running from September 10 through September 23. In addition, each PSP Troop has designated walk in days where drivers can have their child safety seats checked free of charge year-round.

Pennsylvania’s primary seat belt law requires all occupants younger than 18 to wear a seat belt when riding anywhere in a vehicle. Children under the age of two must be secured in a rear-facing car seat, and children under the age of four must be restrained in an approved child safety seat. Children must ride in a booster seat until their eighth birthday.

A secondary law also requires drivers and front-seat passengers 18 or older to buckle up. If motorists are stopped for a traffic violation and are not wearing their seat belt, they can receive a second ticket and second fine.

Because of the potential dangers associated with air bag deployment, children 12 and younger should always ride buckled in a vehicle’s back seat.

“Car seats come in many shapes and sizes. The best way to protect your child is to select the right car seat for their age and size and to use the car seat correctly on every trip,” said PA TIPP Director Angela Osterhuber. “Child passenger safety technicians are available to help parents learn how to keep their children safe and secure in their car seat.”

PA TIPP also offers the following tips:

• Select a car seat that is right for the child’s age and size.
• Fill out and return the registration card for your seat so you’ll know if it is recalled because of a problem.
• Read and follow the car seat instructions and the vehicle owner’s manual for information on correctly installing the car seat in the vehicle.
• Use the car’s seat belt or the LATCH system when installing the car seat.
• Make sure the car seat’s harness is correctly adjusted and fits snugly.
• Use a tether strap when installing a forward-facing car seat, following manufacturer’s instructions.

For more information on how to keep passengers safe, or if you are unable to afford a car seat, call 1-800-CAR-BELT or visit www.PAKidsTravelSafe.org to find the nearest car seat loan program. Information on Child Safety Seat Inspection Stations and Community Car Seat Checkup Events is also available on the website.

For a list of state police car seat safety inspection locations and dates, visit the PSP Public Safety webpage.

For more information on child passenger safety, visit PennDOT’s Safety Page.