(File Photo of Police Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Brothersvalley Township, PA) A Beaver County woman passed away on Friday from a car accident in Somerset, Pennsylvania near Glades Pike on Route 31 at around 7 a.m. Pennsylvania State Police identified the victim as thirty-seven-year-old Meghan S. Kelker of Rochester. Kelker did not execute a right-hand curve when switching lanes and hit another vehicle. The driver that was hit had a minor injury and was taken to UPMC Somerset following the crash. Kelker was pronounced dead at 8:52 a.m. by Somerset County Chief Deputy Coroner Alexis Lichty. According to Coroner Cullen Swank, multiple blunt force injuries caused Kelker’s death.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – A United States Postal Service employee works outside a post office in Wheeling, Ill., Dec. 3, 2021. Four environmental groups that want the U.S. Postal Service to buy more electric delivery vehicles are suing to halt further purchases. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, April 28, 2022, in federal court in California, asks a judge to order the Postal Service to conduct a more thorough environmental review before moving forward with the next-generation vehicle program. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvanians mailing holiday cards and gifts may face delays due to proposed postal changes. The Postal Service costs-cutting plans include ending evening pickups in remote areas, holding mail overnight, and reducing transport frequency. Kimberly Miller of the American Postal Workers Union says Postmaster Louis DeJoy’s ten year “Delivering for America” plan seeks to break even and stabilize the finances but changes delivery standards and is causing widespread delays and slow mail. Miller points out that DeJoy replaced first-class parcels with “ground advantage” parcels, consolidating all mail onto trucks without prioritizing express or priority packages. This shift has disrupted delivery reliability, leaving the service less dependable than before.

(File Photo of Economy Fire Department Fire Trucks)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Economy Borough, PA) According to a Facebook post from the Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire Department, they went to Economy Borough for a reported fire on Friday at 4:25 p.m. They proceeded to find a fire coming from a petroleum truck. It took about forty-five minutes to both work on the fire and overhaul the truck. The Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire Department returned to their duties after the incident was resolved.

(File Photo of PennDOT logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) PennDOT announced on Monday that all service centers, including their photo and license centers, will be closed on January 1st, 2025 to celebrate New Year’s Day. This includes their center in Harrisburg, which offers full services. You can still go to PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services Website to access the services that PennDOT provides anytime. For more information, visit www.pa.gov/agencies/dmv.html.

(File Photo)

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) today released its preliminary employment situation report for November 2024.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was up one-tenth of a percentage point over the month to 3.5% in November. This was the first unemployment rate change since October 2023. Still, the Commonwealth’s rate remained well under the U.S. unemployment rate which was also up one-tenth of a point from its October level to 4.2%.

The Commonwealth’s unemployment rate was one-tenth of a percentage point above the November 2023 level of 3.4%, while the national rate was up one-half of a percentage point over the year.

Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force – the estimated number of residents working or looking for work – was down 24,000 over the month to 6,507,000 in November. Resident employment (-28,000) drove the labor force decline while unemployment was up 5,000 from October.

Pennsylvania’s total nonfarm jobs were down 2,500 over the month from October’s record high to 6,205,000 in November. Jobs decreased from October in seven of the 11 industry supersectors. The largest supersector movement was a decline of 3,800 in professional & business services. Education & health services and leisure & hospitality reached record high job levels in November.

Over the year, total nonfarm jobs were up 90,300 with gains in eight of the 11 supersectors. Education & health services (+47,300) had the largest volume over-the-year gain.

Additional information is available on the L&I website at www.dli.pa.gov or by following us on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

Note: The above data are seasonally adjusted. Seasonally adjusted data provide the most valid month-to-month comparison. November 2024 data are preliminary and subject to revision.

 

(File Photo of Police Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Potter Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported that they arrested a man after a vehicle crashed into another vehicle on I-376 East in Potter Township. On Saturday, December 7th at 11:50 p.m., police arrested thirty-year-old Joseph Murphy of Pittsburgh for driving under the influence. Murphy was driving a 2020 Lincoln Continental Nautilus on I-376 East and hit a 2019 Volvo 760 driven by twenty-nine-year-old Nodirkhon Munavvarov of Philadelphia. Murphy was charged for DUI and his charges have been filed to the at fault operator.

(File photo of State Police Cruiser)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hopewell Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver report that they arrested a man for driving under the influence after spotting an “erratic” driver on I-376 West in Hopewell Township 0n Friday at 3:52 p.m., Troopers then stopped forty-eight-year-old Charles Starr of Eastlake, Ohio after he almost hit a Pennsylvania State Police cruiser. Starr did not yield when the vehicle’s police lights were turned on but was eventually apprehended. He is currently in the Beaver County Jail and was charged with driving under the influence.

(File photo of Cardinal in the Snow)

(Reported by Mark Richardson of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Across Pennsylvania and other northern U.S. states, climate change  from burning oil, coal and methane gas is increasing the number of winter days with minimum temperatures above freezing. The phenomenon is known as “lost winter,” and a Climate Shift Index analysis of temperatures shows more than sixty percent of twenty-eight snow-belt states are having at least one additional week of days above freezing. Climate Central Meteorologist Shel Winkley says winter weather will not be as cold for as long as it used to be. Winkley says when you look at the thirty-year average of snowfall for Pennsylvania, cities like Philadelphia now have only a nine percent chance of seeing a white Christmas, with Pittsburgh faring a bit better, at about thirty-one percent.

(File Photo of State Police Cruiser)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver report that they stopped a man for suspicion of  driving under the influence in Aliquippa on the 2700 block of Broadhead Road. On Friday at 7:05 p.m., police gave a traffic violation to sixty-nine-year-old Michael Pagani of Aliquippa. Police then noticed that Pagani showed signs of impairment and said he will be charged accordingly in a Pennsylvania District Court.

(Photo from Chippewa Twp. Fire Department Facebook Page))

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) The Chippewa Township Volunteer Fire Department reported via Facebook that a plane made an emergency landing on I-376 on Sunday. The landing occurred after the pilot of a Pitts S1 plane experienced that the engine was not working properly. The pilot did not believe he could return to the Beaver County Airport. However, he was able to land safely on I-376. Officials on the turnpike and troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police towed the plane back to the Beaver County Airport.