(File Photo: Source for Photo: Austyn Whirt, 18, prepares for a mullet hairstyle contest, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A contest that celebrates the much-maligned but enduring mullet hairstyle will get underway Monday at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

The short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back coiffure, once the province of Canadian hockey players and hair metal bands, was expected to attract dozens of competitors for the day’s “mane” attraction. Categories included children under 5, throwback mullets and the patriotic Flow of Freedom Award.

Ben Barley, 7, of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, arrived at the event with his parents two hours ahead of the event wearing a T-shirt featuring his name and the words “MULLET LIFE 6-7,” a nod to both his hairstyle and the bafflingly popular youth catchphrase. He said he’d been working on his mullet for two years.

Though mullets likely have been around longer than there have been barbers, the Oxford English Dictionary cites hip hop legends the Beastie Boys for helping popularize the term mullet with the song “Mullet Head” on their 1994 recording, “Ill Communication.” As the venerable dictionary notes, it’s a term that is slang, humorous “and frequently derogatory.”

The contest, in its third year, is one of the few at the fair open to people who live outside Pennsylvania.

(File Photo of the Aliquippa School District Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) According to a release on Saturday from Phillip K. Woods, Superintendent of Schools for Aliquippa School District, that district announced that it has exceeded its guaranteed energy savings for the second consecutive year, generating significant financial savings while modernizing school facilities and improving learning environments for students and staff. Aliquippa School District has realized a cumulative total of $331,710 in verified savings since the start of this project, which includes $22,523 in excess savings beyond contractual guarantees and these arte funds that directly benefit their district’s financial stability and long-term planning. According to the Year 2 Measurement & Verification (M&V) Report completed as part of the District’s Energy Services Contract, Aliquippa School District achieved $162,767 in total verified savings during Year 2 alone, surpassing its guaranteed savings by $7,747. Woods confirms that the savings stemmed from a series of district-wide energy conservation improvements, which included the conversion to high-efficiency LED lighting, the HVAC and building automation upgrades, the improved air filtration and system controls, the power factor corrections to reduce electrical demand costs and the window and masonry upgrades to enhance building efficiency and longevity. Those improvements not only reduced maintenance and utility costs, but also improved the quality of lighting, the indoor air comfort, as well as the safety and the system reliability across both school buildings. In Year 2 of the project alone, Aliquippa School District recorded utility cost savings of $28,583, operations and maintenance savings of $8,478 and energy-related cost avoidance that is ongoing that totaled $125,706 annually.

By Scott Tady

BEAVER — Filming for the Apple TV+ series “Parallax” will continue this week in Beaver, affecting parking and traffic flow.

There will be no parking on Third Street, between Market and Insurance streets, Monday through Thursday. Parking will be restricted on Third Street, between Insurance Street and College Avenue, Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to a Beaver Police Department statement, there will be intermittent traffic control between Insurance and Beaver streets on Tuesday and Wednesday. Traffic may be temporarily stopped or slowed during filming.

“Parallax” stars Liev Schreiber as an ex-soldier-turned-homicide detective who relocates from Philadelphia to a small town in Western Pennsylvania in search of a quieter life. He soon confronts a dangerous and cunning serial killer threatening his family and community.

Schreiber, an Emmy Award nominee for Showtime’s “Ray Donovan,” and other “Parallax” cast members already have been filming scenes in Beaver and Allegheny counties, including scenes previously shot near the Beaver Gazebo and along the borough’s Fifth Street.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published January 12, 2026 12:15 P.M.

(New Brighton, Pa) A new coffee shop celebrated their grand opening in New Brighton Monday morning.

The Coffee Village, located at 400 Ninth Street, is the latest installment at the recently renovated ‘Old Foodland’ building.

The locally owned shop offers high quality coffee, specialty espresso drinks, teas, and more with indoor seating and a drive-thru.

The shop owner and staff were joined by members of the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11am Monday.

Also in attendance were New Brighton Mayor Valerie McKelvey and State Representative Roman Kozak, in addition to others.

The Coffee Village also operates locations at Brighton Rehab and Heritage Valley in Brighton Township, Sewickley, and Pittsburgh.

More information on the The Coffee Village is available at coffeevillages.com

(File Photo of a United States Flag)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Annville, PA) According to a release in Annville, Pennsylvania today from the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), they are now reminding veterans that applying for or reviewing their veterans’ benefits should be a priority in the new year. This assistance is free and a link with a complete list of the county veterans affairs directors, with their contact information, as well as another link with more contact information for other accredited veterans services can be found below:

Click here for more information about County Directors.

Click here for more information about Veterans Services Officers.

(Photo Courtesy of the Westmoreland County Team 211 Rough Terrain Support Unit, Posted on Facebook on January 11th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) A missing person was found yesterday shortly after 9 a.m. after a multi-agency search effort in Allegheny County. The Westmoreland County Team 211 Rough Terrain Support Unit posted on Facebook yesterday that it was called around 7:15 a.m. that morning to a search in Indiana Township for a person on an ATV who had been missing since Saturday evening. That team assisted the Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group, who utilized two dozen of its own search and rescue responders and multiple search dogs. The missing person was evacuated by medics and firefighters after being found.

(Photo Courtesy of the Beaver County Transit Authority: Posted on Facebook on January 9th, 2026)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) On March 2nd, 2026, the Beaver County Transit Authority (BCTA) is lowering their fares and this change in their locations around Beaver County and in other places will affect all of the current change cards and ride passes. That same date will also be when Change Cards will no longer be issued for overpayments on busses. Change Cards issued before March 2nd, 2026 may still be used until May 31st, 2026, which is when Change Cards will no longer be accepted on BCTA vehicles. BCTA will also no longer accept passes (current ride tickets) issued before March 2nd, 2026 beginning on that date on busses. The current BCTA passes will no longer be accepted or sold on busses after February 28th, 2026, and after that date, no refunds can be issued and the current ride tickets will be invalid.

(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Police confirm that a man was taken to the hospital after being shot while walking near the Wilkinsburg-Pittsburgh line on Saturday night. According to Allegheny County police, just after 11:30 p.m., their county dispatch was alerted to a shooting in the 1900 block of Remington Drive. Lt. Chris Duncan of the Wilkinsburg Police Department also expressed that a Shot-Spotter alert was also detected in that area at 11:26 p.m. Reportedly, a man in his 20s was walking from a home there when a vehicle drove up and shots were fired at him. The man then went to another home in the 1300 block of Clark Street after leaving the area and was treated by medics at the second home before being taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition. Duncan noted that the male victim had no idea who shot him and he was shot once in the torso and once in the chest. Police state that there are no suspects, and a motive is not known as of yesterday morning. This incident is being investigated by Allegheny County police and Wilkinsburg police, and if you have any information about it, call the Allegheny County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. 

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of KDKA Photojournalist Bryce Lutz, Caption for Photo: Police respond to an accidental shooting in Pittsburgh’s California-Kirkbride neighborhood on Saturday morning.)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A 7-year-old had to be rushed to the hospital after a shooting in the California-Kirkbride neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Saturday morning. According to Public Information Officer Eliza Durham, Pittsburgh police and EMS were called to the 900 block of Kirkbride Street just before 10 a.m. following reports of a shooting. This happened at a home there and when officials arrived, they confirmed that a seven-year-old boy was found with a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to a hospital in the Pittsburgh area in critical condition. Officials state that the seven-year-old and his sibling who is nine years old were playing with a firearm in the basement of the home when it discharged. Both the nine-year-old and a sixteen-year-old who was at the house when the incident occurred were taken to police headquarters for further questioning.