(Monroeville, PA) Gateway High School band director James Hoeltje is facing charges of selling or furnishing alcohol to a minor.
According to a criminal complaint, an 18-year-old described to police several incidents involving Hoeltje that began back in January of this year.
The teen who was a Gateway student at the time told police that during a trip to Virginia, Hoeltje “molested” her while they both drank alcohol. The teen told police Hoeltje remained in contact with her following graduation. He has not been charged with any sexual offenses.
On Monday, a note went home to district parents, informing them an investigation of a high school employee was underway. The note read, “Due to the nature of these disturbing charges, the employee will remain on suspension and the district will proceed with termination as dictated by PA School.”
According to the district’s website, Hoeltje became the band director in 2016.
Band camp, which was set to start on Monday, was postponed following the charges against Hoeltje.

(Ellwood City, Lawrence County, Pa.) Fire crews were called to the scene of a fire around 10:30 PM last night at a residence along Hazen Ave. in Ellwood City. Reports say that one person who was in the house was able to make it out safely. The Red Cross is helping people who were forced out of their homes as officials continue to investigate what caused the fire.

(Gas prices have continued to drop though we are still a dollar higher than we were at this time last year. In this photo taken by Beaver County Radio’s Frank Sparks early Tuesday morning at the Speedway in New Brighton the price for a gallon of 87 unleaded gasoline is $4.32 per gallon) 

 
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Gas prices are seven cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.435 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                $4.435
Average price during the week of August 1, 2022                                   $4.507
Average price during the week of August 9, 2021                                   $3.334

The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:      

$4.328      Altoona
$4.532      Beaver
$4.551      Bradford
$4.243      Brookville
$4.410      Butler
$4.527      Clarion
$4.344      DuBois
$4.406      Erie
$4.435      Greensburg
$4.432      Indiana
$4.376      Jeannette
$4.443      Kittanning
$4.441      Latrobe
$4.466      Meadville
$4.515      Mercer
$4.367      New Castle
$4.363      New Kensington
$4.499      Oil City
$4.429      Pittsburgh
$4.421      Sharon
$4.509      Uniontown
$4.539      Warren
$4.417      Washington

Trend Analysis:

Despite steadily falling gas prices during the peak of the summer driving season, fewer motorists fueled up last week. It is another sign that, for now, Americans are changing their driving habits to cope with higher pump prices. Meanwhile, the cost of oil has edged lower on fears of economic slowdowns elsewhere around the globe. Because of these factors, the national average for a gallon of gas fell to $4.05. Today’s national average is 67 cents less than a month ago and 87 cents more than a year ago.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand dropped from 9.25 million barrels per day to 8.54 million barrels per day last week. The rate is 1.24 million barrels per day lower than last year and is in line with demand at the end of July 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions were in place and fewer motorists hit the road. Moreover, according to EIA, the total domestic gasoline supply rose slightly by 200,000 barrels to 225.3 million barrels.

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate increased by 47 cents to settle at $89.01. Although crude prices made slight gains on Friday due to a strong U.S. jobs report for July, prices saw significant declines throughout the week because of market concerns about lower demand and the economy. Prices have not been this low since mid-February 2022—before Russia invaded Ukraine. Additionally, EIA reported that total domestic crude supply increased by 4.5 million barrels to 426.6 million barrels. The sharp inventory increase, during the usually high-demand summer driving season, signals low demand could continue pushing prices lower.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 71 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

FILE – Actress and singer Olivia Newton-John attends the 2018 G’Day USA Los Angeles Gala in Los Angeles on Jan. 27, 2018. Newton-John, a longtime resident of Australia whose sales topped 100 million albums, died Monday at her southern California ranch, John Easterling, her husband, wrote on Instagram and Facebook. She was 73. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Olivia Newton-John, the superstar singer who was everyone’s favorite Sandy in “Grease,” has died. She was 73 and her husband said she died Monday at her California ranch. Newton-John reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with record sales that topped 100 million. Her fast-stepping duet with John Travolta “You’re the One That I Want” and the bouncy, R-rated smash “Physical” were some of the era’s biggest songs. She had 14 top 10 singles just in the U.S. and won four Grammys. Her husband said she was a symbol of hope after sharing her journey with breast cancer.

The featured photo above shows a lion painting in the NBHS Gymnasium.
Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published August 8, 2022 8:31 P.M.

(New Brighton, PA)  The New Brighton Area School Board held a special voting session prior to their committee meeting Monday night.  The board ratified changes to orders with 2 companies for construction and plumbing work being done to the high school.  Superintendent Dr. Joseph Gaurino clarified that the change in order was due to additional unforeseen work required to complete the project properly as well as plumbing issues discovered in two restrooms due to improper past work. D.J. Hannon & Sons, Inc. will be paid an additional $17,685 for plumbing work and GEM Building Contractors and Developers Inc. will receive an additional $17,243 for construction.  The board went on to approve the resignation of 4 district employees before hiring 4 new instructional assistants, a custodian, and a certified school nurse.  Also approved was the renewal of the cooperative sports agreement with the Freedom Area School District for Boys Wrestling during the 2022-2023 school year.

 

A Pennsylvania State trooper and members of the Luzerne County Coroner Office stand in front of an early morning fatal fire at 733 First Street in Nescopeck, Pa., Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. The fire was reported around 2:30 a.m. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. (Jimmy May/Bloomsburg Press Enterprise via AP)

NESCOPECK, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say all 10 people found dead after an early morning fire in northeastern Pennsylvania last week died of smoke inhalation. The Luzerne County coroner’s office said autopsies were completed Saturday and Sunday on the victims of the Friday blaze in Nescopeck. A ruling on the manner of death for all 10 is pending the results of the state police investigation. Positive identification of the victims is pending review of medical records, dental records and DNA if required. Police said seven adults ranging from late teens to age 79 were killed along with children aged 5, 6 and 7. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

(File photo)
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Pennsylvania defense attorney targeted vulnerable clients and pressured them into having sex in exchange for legal work. Corey Kolcharno was charged Monday with felony counts of promoting prostitution. The state attorney general’s office says Kolcharno sexually exploited four women between 2018 and 2022. Kolcharno was arraigned Monday and was released on $20,000 unsecured bail. A statement issued by his attorney said Kolcharno “has made a conscious decision to accept responsibility.” Kolcharno was a Lackawanna County prosecutor before entering private practice.

(Photo of Kolt Codner from the CCBC Foundation and Julie Kolat provided with the release)
(Monaca, PA) The CCBC Foundation announced a new scholarship endowed by the Kolat family in memory of Matthew who passed away in January 2022. The Matthew and Julie Kolat Professional Pilot Scholarship will support professional pilot students who demonstrate passion and determination in the pursuit of the piloting profession.
The initial endowment contribution is $10,000 and professional pilot major Cassandra Henry of Monaca, Pennsylvania, received the first $500 award for the fall semester.
Both proud veterans of the U.S. Air Force, Matthew and his wife Julie attended CCBC’s professional pilot program at the James M. Johnson School of Aviation Sciences, located at the Beaver County Airport in Chippewa Township. He formerly worked for Delta Airlines as an avionics technician.
“This year has had many challenges and many wins for me,” explained Julie Kolat. “Losing Matthew is the most difficult thing that I have had to deal with in my life. For my first birthday without him, I wanted to do something memorable for him and myself.”
CCBC will award the Matthew and Julie Kolat Professional Pilot Scholarship annually to one second-year student enrolled in the CCBC Professional Pilot associate degree program.
“I know how very much Matt loved flying and his passion for being in the blue skies away from everything, so I wanted to celebrate my birthday this year and every year with this scholarship. Matthew and I are incredibly happy to be sharing and helping fellow aviators realize their dreams.”
Today, CCBC’s James M. Johnson School of Aviation Sciences has a national reputation for its high quality and lofty standards. Named consecutively by American Airlines as a top innovative aviation the College’s globally known Aviation programs have placed an air-traffic controller in every tower in the country and a professional pilot behind the cockpit with every major airline in the United States.
Each student who graduates from CCBC’s professional pilot program obtains a minimum of a commercial pilot certificate with a multi-engine land and instrument rating and receives instruction from one of the College’s approved fixed-based operators. The average student earns these flight certifications in approximately 250 hours of flight time.

To learn more about other scholarship opportunities or apply:
https://www.ccbcfoundation.org/scholarships
To learn more about how to donate to this new endowment:
www.ccbcfoundation.org/donate