(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
By BRIAN MELLEY and ANDREW DALTON Associated Press
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Civil trial jurors have found that Bill Cosby sexually abused a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975. The Los Angeles County jury delivered the verdict Tuesday in favor of Judy Huth, who is now 64, and awarded her $500,000. The jury’s decision is a major legal defeat for the 84-year-old Cosby. It comes nearly a year after his Pennsylvania criminal conviction for sexual assault was thrown out and he was freed from prison. Cosby did not attend the Los Angeles trial. He has repeatedly denied Huth’s allegations that he forced her to perform a sex act at the mansion.

(Feature photo of the the house that caught fire in New Brighton Tuesday afternoon taken by Frank Sparks)

Story by Frank Sparks, Beaver County Radio, with contributions Curtis Walsh and Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio Staff.
(New Brighton, Pa.) Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh is reporting that a fire broke out in the 500 block of 7th Avenue in New Brighton yesterday afternoon. Witnesses at the scene told Walsh that they saw the fire start in the rear of the house and saw at least one person run out of the residence. Numerous emergency responders from around the county responded to fight the blaze. Flames could be seen escaping the top floor of the house and heavy smoke filled the area. Beaver County 9-1-1 reported that New Brighton firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 3:30 p.m. according Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano who spoke with New Brighton Fire Chief Eric Book who told her that crews remained on the scene of the the fire until 7:15 PM.
Chief bock told Giordano that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
You can see a video of the fire and photos by clicking on the link below of the story that was reported yesterday as the fire was happening.

Crews Battle House Fire in New Brighton

The featured image above shows firefighters on the roof of the house.
Story by Curtis Walsh- Beaver Couny Radio. June 21, 2022 5 P.M.

(New Brighton, PA) A fire broke out on the 500 block of 7th Avenue in New Brighton Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses say they saw the fire start in the rear of the house and saw at least one person run out of the residence. Numerous emergency responder crews from around the county responded to fight the blaze. Flames could be seen escaping the top floor of the house and heavy smoke filled the area. We have not learned of any injuries at this time. Crews had the fire out around 5 PM. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
Photo and video can be viewed below:

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

At a special ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the Beaver Falls city building, Beaver Falls Car Cruise Chairman Tom Gargaro–along with several members of the Beaver Falls Police Department–joined in thanking Eddy Crow and his mother, Sue Crow, for their charitable donations to the Car Cruise and the City of Beaver Falls.

“On behalf of the cruise,” Gargaro stated, “we wanted to thank you and your gracious mother for making such a beautiful quilt…and you for offering it up for the raffle.”

The elder Crow made a quilt that was donated as a raffle prize during the June 11 festivities in Beaver Falls, and in addition the daily host of Teleforum on Beaver County Radio presented the Beaver Falls Police Department with a check of two hundred and twenty five dollars to assist the K-9 Division.

“It means a lot because I have personal connections with law enforcement,” Crow said at the ceremony. “[I have] personal connections with K-9 law enforcement, I got cousins that are still doing it, and it’s something that needs to be done.”

Quilting has become a regular hobby of Eddy’s mom, and she decided to help out the Car Cruise Committee in benefiting the city of Beaver Falls. “Like my mom said,” Crow added, “it’s me sitting here, something good comes out of it…why would you not do something good with it?”

Eddy Crow is the host of Teleforum weekdays from 9:00 AM until Noon on Beaver County Radio.

(File Photo)
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — State House Republicans are blocking a proposal to prevent those ages 18 to 21 from possessing assault-style rifles. They voted in a legislative committee on Tuesday to completely change the bill into a constitutional amendment to allow anyone to carry concealed guns. It’s the second week in a row that Republicans in the Judiciary Committee have used their majority to defeat Democratic proposals to address the country’s gun violence plague. The bill would have prevented those under age 21 from purchasing, possessing or transporting the types of weapons that have often been used to kill and wound people in mass shootings.

(File photo of State Rep. Josh Kail, one of the speakers at the press conference)

(Harrisburg, Pa.) At a press conference at 10:30 AM this morning the discussion will be about the House impeachment investigation. Families and business owners impacted by crime in Philadelphia will discuss how District Attorney Larry Krasner’s failure to prosecute gun crime has impacted their lives.
Speakers will include Nakisha Lewis, the Toomey family, small business owners, and Reps. Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington), and Martina White (R-Philadelphia).
It will be held at the Ryan Office Building Rotunda, Capitol Complex, Harrisburg.
Click on the link below if you would like to watch the press conference.

https://www.pahousegop.com/livestreams

(File Photo)

(Ellwood City, Lawrence County, Pa.) State Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler/Beaver/Lawrence) is offering residents the opportunity to have documents containing personal or sensitive information shredded in order to help protect them against identity theft.

The free Shredding Event will be held on Saturday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to noon at Scott Township Fire Department, 3712 Harlansburg Road, in New Castle.

“I am pleased to be able to provide the community with a secure way to shred large amounts of personal documents and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft,” said Bernstine. “It is imperative to protect our private information and make sure it doesn’t get into the wrong hands by destroying it properly.

Residents can drop off documents that contain personal information. Common types of unwanted items that should be shredded include credit card statements or applications, bank statements, canceled checks, old income tax information, insurance and medical records, and other materials with identifying personal information like Social Security, credit card or bank account numbers. Phone books, newspapers and bound books cannot be accepted.

“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received 1.4 million identity theft claims in 2021 – more than double the number of claims from just two years ago,” said Bernstine. “Americans lose billions each year to fraudsters. Identity theft protection promises peace of mind by safeguarding your identity from criminals.”

Residents who have questions about this event may contact Bernstine’s district office at 724-752-2120.

(File Photo)

(Harrisburg, Pa.) State Rep. Rob Matzie (16th) today introduced a package of bills to ensure that more Pennsylvanians benefit from the state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, including a bill that would require the state to distribute all the annual federal funding it receives for the program and a measure that would implement the program year-round.

As Democratic chairman of the House Consumer Affairs Committee, Matzie said he introduced the legislation to end the state’s harmful practice of withholding some of the annual federal funding it receives – a practice that has kept tens of millions of dollars from getting to families needing it.

“These are federal tax dollars coming back home to Pennsylvania,” Matzie said. “We should use every penny. This program has never not been funded – it’s one of the few policy areas in D.C. that has consistently been supported by both sides of the aisle. People are struggling and the electric bill just went up. Something needs done to help families. This can help.”

Matzie said his legislation would also broaden LIHEAP to provide year-round assistance.

“As the last few years have shown us, cooling in the summer is as important as heat in the winter. People need help year round,” he said.

The five bills in Matzie’s package include:

• H.B. 2691 – would require the state Department of Human Services to expend all of the money it receives from the federal government annually.
• H.B. 2692 – would codify the LIHEAP Advisory Council’s make-up and add legislative appointments.
• H.B. 2693 – would create the Retail Electric and Gas Customer Assistance Program to use $500 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to help electric and gas customers with accounts in arrears during the COVID-19 pandemic pay down their accounts.
• H.B. 2694 – would create a new, year-round LIHEAP program in Pennsylvania to assist with home heating and cooling. The bill would be funded by the current federal funding plus a supplemental state appropriation to make up the difference. Eleven other states have year-round programs.
• H.B. 2695 – would also codify the LIHEAP Advisory Council and require creation of a state plan identifying how the commonwealth can leverage resources to provide more assistance to those in need.

Funding for LIHEAP is distributed via cash and crisis grants. More about the program is available here.

(File Photo)
(New Beaver Borough, Lawrence County, Pa.) A man had to be rescued after a pickup truck crashed into a tree on Route 168 in New Beaver Borough Monday Afternoon.
The driver’s legs were pinned under the dashboard of the truck and firefighters had to cut away parts of the pickup to free him. He was freed from the vehicle after about 45 minutes and taken to a local hospital.
There has been no update on his condition.