(File Photo of the Aliquippa City Building)
(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)
(Aliquippa, PA) The Aliquippa City Council adopted their 2025 budget on Wednesday night. City Manager Sam Gill told Beaver County Radio that the total budget of $6,933.437.00 represents a 1.5% increase for the coming year. Taxes on land remain at 14.88 mills and taxes for buildings will increase to 3.18 mills.
(File Photo of Congressman Chris Deluzio)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Deluzio (D-PA-17) and Congressman Mike Rulli (R-OH-06) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin raising major concerns over the Department of Defense’s (DOD) efforts to receive approval to incinerate polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at a plant in East Liverpool, OH. Represented by Congressman Rulli, East Liverpool is a community in Ohio’s 6th Congressional District along the Ohio River and is just a few miles upwind of Allegheny and Beaver County communities in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, represented by Congressman Deluzio.
Also known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS is a type of manufactured chemical that breaks down very slowly and is frequently found in defense-related materials like firefighting foam. As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes, PFAS “can build up in people, animals, and the environment over time.” Research is still ongoing to understand the comprehensive impacts that these types of long-lasting chemicals can have on human health and the environment, but PFAS have already been linked to several adverse health impacts, including cancer and birth defects. In 2022, Congress passed a law prohibiting the DOD from incinerating PFAS until they could issue guidance in line with the EPA’s disposal advice.
And yet, as the Congressmembers write in their letter, “The DOD is looking to resume the incineration process in East Liverpool, Ohio, that can contaminate the surrounding soil, seep into nearby water sources, and pollute the air.”
The Congressmen continue, “The DOD has cited improved, cleaner incineration techniques as their reasoning for this renewed appeal. The EPA, however, disagrees, and just earlier this year admitted that ‘uncertainties remain’ regarding the effectiveness and safety of PFAS incineration. You should not carry out any operations in our communities without being certain of its safety.”
In the letter Congressmen Deluzio and Rulli ask several questions of Secretary Austin and his Department, including:
The Congressmen conclude, “There must be acceptable answers to these questions before something happens that could put our constituents at risk. We urge you to end any PFAS incineration and block any efforts to resume this in East Liverpool until the DOD and EPA can prove there is no risk to our communities’ health and safety. We also implore you to work closely with local leaders of the affected communities so that they are aware of your plans and can best advocate for their interests.”
A full copy of the letter is available here.
(File Photo: Source for Photo: Luigi Mangione, a suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is escorted by police Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was whisked back to New York by plane and helicopter Thursday to face new federal charges of stalking and murder, which could bring the death penalty if he’s convicted.
Luigi Mangione was held without bail following a Manhattan federal court appearance, capping a whirlwind day that began in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested last week in the Dec. 4 attack on Brian Thompson.
The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate had been expected to be arraigned Thursday on a state murder indictment in a killing that at once rattled the business community and galvanized some health insurance critics, but the federal charges preempted that appearance. The cases will now proceed on parallel tracks, prosecutors said, with the state charges expected to go to trial first.
Mangione, shackled at the ankles and wearing dress clothes, said little during the 15-minute proceeding as he sat between his lawyers in a packed federal courtroom.
He nodded as a magistrate judge informed him of his rights and the charges against him, occasionally leaning forward to a microphone to tell her he understood.
After the hearing, a federal marshal handed Mangione’s lawyers a bag containing his belongings, including the orange prison jumpsuit he had worn to court in Pennsylvania.
Mangione had been held in Pennsylvania since his Dec. 9 arrest while eating breakfast at a McDonald’s in Altoona, about 233 miles (37 kilometers) west of Manhattan.
At a hearing there Thursday morning, Mangione agreed to be returned to New York and was immediately turned over to at least a dozen New York Police Department officers who took him to an airport and a plane bound for Long Island.
He then was flown to a Manhattan heliport, where he was walked slowly up a pier by a throng of officers with assault rifles — a contingent that included New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The federal complaint filed Thursday charges Mangione with two counts of stalking and one count each of murder through use of a firearm and a firearms offense. Murder by firearm carries the possibility of the death penalty, though federal prosecutors will determine whether to pursue that path in coming months.
In a state court indictment announced earlier this week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office charged Mangione with murder as an act of terrorism, which carries a possible sentence of life in prison without parole. New York does not have the death penalty.
Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said it’s a “highly unusual situation” for a defendant to face simultaneous state and federal cases.
“Frankly I’ve never seen anything like what is happening here,” said Friedman Agnifilo, a former top deputy in the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
She reserved the right to seek bail at a later point and declined to comment as she left the courthouse.
Mangione, of Towson, Maryland, is accused of ambushing the 50-year-old Thompson as the executive arrived to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference.
Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind. Police say the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition investigators found at the scene, echoing a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims.
The gunman then pedaled a bicycle through Central Park, took a taxicab to a bus station and then rode the subway to a train station before fleeing to Pennsylvania, authorities said.
There, a McDonald’s customer noticed that Mangione looked like the person in surveillance photos police were circulating of the gunman, prosecutors said.
When he was arrested, they say, Mangione had the gun used to kill Thompson, a passport, fake IDs and about $10,000.
According to the federal complaint, Mangione also had a spiral notebook that included several handwritten pages expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives. UnitedHealthcare is the largest health insurer in the U.S., though the insurer said Mangione was never a client.
An August entry said that “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box,” according to the filing. An entry in October “describes an intent to ‘wack’ the CEO of one of the insurance companies at its investor conference,” the document said.
Mangione initially fought attempts to return him to New York. In addition to waiving extradition Thursday, he waived a preliminary hearing on forgery and firearms charges in Pennsylvania.
The killing unleashed an outpouring of stories about resentment toward U.S. health insurance companies while also shaking corporate America after some social media users called the shooting payback.
Mangione, a computer science graduate from a prominent Maryland family, repeatedly posted on social media about how spinal surgery last year had eased his chronic back pain, encouraging people with similar conditions to speak up for themselves if told they just had to live with it.
In a Reddit post in late April, he advised someone with a back problem to seek additional opinions from surgeons and, if necessary, say the pain made it impossible to work.
“We live in a capitalist society,” Mangione wrote. “I’ve found that the medical industry responds to these key words far more urgently than you describing unbearable pain and how it’s impacting your quality of life.”
He apparently cut himself off from family and close friends in recent months. His family reported him missing in San Francisco in November.
Thompson, who grew up on a farm in Iowa, was trained as an accountant. A married father of two high-schoolers, he had worked at UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.
(File Photo)
Story by Beaver County Radio Staff
(Beaver Falls, Pa.) The City of Beaver Falls Police Department stated via release that they are searching for 16-Year-Old Eric Anthony Krassman Jr. in connection with a homicide that occurred in the City on Wednesday night.
Chief David Johnson said that officers were dispatched to the area of the 300 block of 13th Street for a report of a male with a gunshot wound. When officers arrived and investigated it was found that a 16-year old, later identified by the Allegheny County Coroner as Darrell Love, Jr., had sustained a gunshot wound to his head. Love was transported to a Pittsburgh Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators were able to determine that Love was shot by Krassman Jr., who then fled the scene before officers arrived. He is being charged with Criminal Homicide and Possession of a Firearm by a Minor. He is described as being 5ft. 5 in. tall Caucasian with blue eyes and weighing around 120 pounds.
Police are asking anyone with information of his whereabouts to call them at 724-775-0880. They are also stating to not approach or try to apprehend Krassman as he is considered armed and Dangerous. (No Picture supplied due to the suspect being a minor).
(File Photo of Central Valley School District Logo)
(Reported by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)
(Center Township, PA) The Central Valley School held a special meeting on Wednesday afternoon and approved a proposed buyout of transportation services. During the brief special session, the board approved Frye Transportation Group LLC buying out the remainder of ABC Transits contract for transportation services starting with the 2025-2026 school year.
(File Photo of Police Lights)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Beaver Falls, PA) A shooting occurred in Beaver Falls on Wednesday night that killed a teenager. On Thursday morning, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office released a report saying that sixteen year-old Darell Love, Jr., died late Wednesday night. According to Beaver County dispatchers, police and EMS units were called to the 300 block of 13th Street at 9:45 p.m. The police of Beaver Falls are currently running an investigation into this incident. This is a developing story, and we will have updates as soon as they are available.
(File Photo of Police Lights)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Koppel Borough, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver report that they were called to a two-vehicle crash that occurred on Tuesday on 6th Avenue in Koppel Borough. At 1:28 p.m., forty-two-year-old Alexander Nartey of Casper, Wyoming was backing up his 2025 Freightliner trailer to correct it. Nartey hit into the front bumper of a 2024 Dodge, driven by thirty-two-year-old Justin Warren of New Castle. No charges were given and there was no damage found to the drivers.
(File Photo of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Badge)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Hopewell Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver report that they were called to a single vehicle crash that occurred on in Hopewell Township on November 29th, 2024. At 9:25 a.m., on westbound I-376, forty-four-year-old Brian Wyckoff of Aliquippa was driving a 2017 Subaru Crosstrek and hit an ice patch and then a light post. There were four passengers in the vehicle and all five were wearing their seatbelts. There were no reported injuries.
(File Photo of Police Lights)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Hopewell Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver report they were called to a single vehicle crash that occurred on eastbound I-376 in Hopewell Township on November 29th, 2024. At 7:27 a.m., fifty-two-year-old Peter Thompkins of Youngstown, Ohio lost control of his 2002 GMC Envoy on the icy roads. There were no reported injuries after the accident and there were no charges given.
(File Photo of woman charging her electric car)
(Reported by Mark Richardson of Keystone News Service)
(Harrisburg, PA) Business leaders, clean transportation advocates and other experts say new technologies are helping to accelerate the transition to clean trucks and sustainable freight across Pennsylvania. Members of the Clean Trucks Pennsylvania Coalition are calling on federal and state leaders to back programs that support the deployment of clean-power trucks across the Commonwealth. Jordan Stutt is with CALSTART, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing clean transportation solutions. He says the goal is to get gas and diesel-powered trucks off the road. The coalition is urging Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and state and local leaders to adopt the Advanced Clean Trucks Act. Advocates say the act would reduce emissions by fifty percent by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.