(Photo Courtesy of Gavin Thunberg)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Aliquippa, PA) Center Township Volunteer Fire Department and their first alarm were dispatched to a home on Moffett Run Road in Aliquippa after 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday for a reported back porch on fire. Beaver County 911 soon began receiving multiple calls. The home was soon ventilated and additional arriving manpower assisted with that service and they also helped with overhauling the exterior fire.
(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) The reverend in charge of the largest cathedral in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is accused of stealing more than $1,000 worth of baseball trading cards. Rev. Aidan Smith, the head priest and administrator of the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Downtown Pittsburgh, has been on administrative leave from the cathedral since late January, and police arrested him on February 27th at the Walmart in Economy Borough. Borough police and store security state that they caught Smith stealing 27 packs of baseball trading cards worth more than $200. Police confirm that this followed a multi-day stealing spree in which Smith stole more than $1,000 worth of trading cards from the Walmart. Smith faces charges of retail theft and receiving stolen property and is free on a bail of $50,000. He was going to face a preliminary hearing this week, but that has been postponed to later this month.
(File Photo of the UPMC Logo)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital nurses are calling for staffing standards there at the location in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. They took their proposal to UPMC leadership yesterday in a contract negotiation meeting. According to the nurses, this would provide better care, and the standards they are looking for are the same as those they say are done at other hospitals in Pittsburgh. Nurses from departments across the hospital testified about what they are seeing and they also stated the need for a better nurse-to-patient ratio. Some of that includes following the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses standards.
(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Two brothers from Pittsburgh are facing charges after authorities said they seized fentanyl, crack cocaine and guns from their home. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General announced yesterday that sixty-year-old Rodney Howard and sixty-two-year-old Andre Howard are charged after multiple agencies searched their Shetland Street home and officials seized 1,200 fentanyl pills, 15 bricks of fentanyl, 13 grams of raw fentanyl, 300 grams of crack cocaine, 16 grams of psilocybin mushrooms and 450 grams of marijuana. Authorities also seized three guns and over $2,000 in cash. According to the attorney general’s office, the drugs had a street value of nearly $30,000 and the Howard brothers are facing several felonies. The bail for Rodney Howard was set at $50,000 and the bail for Andre Howard was set at $10,000.
(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of AAA East Central)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Pittsburgh, PA) Spring Break is an annual tradition for many families in Beaver County and beyond. AAA Travel booking data has revealed its top destinations and trends as Spring Breakers prepare to travel throughout March and April. Flights to domestic hot spots for spring break are 2% more expensive over last year, and they are averaging about $815 for roundtrip tickets, and they are slightly cheaper than last year for international destinations at $1,300 roundtrip. According to a recent release from AAA East Central in Pittsburgh, here are some top spring break destinations:
Top Spring Break Destinations
Domestic
1. Orlando
2. Fort Lauderdale
3. Miami
4. Anaheim/Los Angeles
5. Tampa
6. Honolulu
7. Las Vegas
8. New York
9. Atlanta
10. Chicago
International/Caribbean
1. Rome, Italy
2. Paris, France
3. Cancun, Mexico
4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. London, England
6. Barcelona, Spain
7. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
8. San Juan, Puerto Rico
9. Oranjestad, Aruba
10. Dublin, Ireland
(Photo Courtesy of Brandon Antinopoulos)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(New Brighton, PA) Brandon Antinopoulos, the owner and founder of ForwardRX in New Brighton made his monthly appearance on Beaver County Radio’s “Driving in the Fast Lane” with Frank Sparks and confirmed some big news regarding his position at the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association. Antinopoulos stated that he is the president-elect of that association, and according to its website, his term expires on December 31st, 2026. Antinopoulos confirmed that the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association represents all of the pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and future pharmacists in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and his duties include being an officer of its board, assisting its CEO in figuring out solutions in which they can serve and grow their members so students, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can thrive and survive with a degree in pharmacy and to expand their opportunities.
(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Lawrence County, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in New Castle reported via release today that thirty-two-year-old Nicholas Hamilton of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania was charged for tailgating after a crash occurred in Lawrence County yesterday morning. At 6:49 a.m., Hamilton rear-ended a horse-drawn buggy that was operated by forty-two-year-old Anna Mast of New Castle on State Route 208 in Wilmington Township. The horse broke free from the buggy and was hit by the vehicle of fifty-three-year-old Lauren Dieter of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. There were no injuries.
Beaver County Radio
BEAVER FALLS — The Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls hosts polka fusion sensations the Polkamaniacs on March 21.
Attendees can expect a lively night of music and fun with The Polkamaniacs — a Pittsburgh musical group known for turning every performance into an unforgettable party. The Polkamaniacs bring a high-energy, “plaid-tastic” sound, which
blends traditional polka with roots rock, Americana, classic punk and touches
of vaudeville flair.
This isn’t your grandparents’ polka band — though they do play polka classics. The
Polkamaniacs take the oom-pah tradition and fuse it with modern energy, playful
audience interaction and plenty of toe-tapping beats. Their eight-piece ensemble
features instruments like accordion, guitars, banjo, trumpet, trombone, bass and
drums, creating a fun and danceable experience that appeals to all ages.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the fundraising performance begins at 7 p.m.
Real Nutz Vodka also will be on site, offering a signature cocktail for sale, as well as bottles of locally-made vodka for purchase.
Complimentary snacks and drinks will also be available.
Tickets are on sale now at cflbf.org for $25.
Proceeds will go towards renovations at Beaver Falls’ 123-year-old library, such as the temporary removal, cleaning and strengthening of the stained glass windows.
Deanna Jacobs, secretary for the Board of Trustees at the Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls, was a guest Tuesday on the Beaver County Radio Morning Show. Here is her interview:
(File Photo: Source for Photo: Police detain Emir Balat after he attempted to detonate an improvised explosive device during a counterprotest against far right influencer Jake Lang staging an anti-Islam protest outside Gracie Mansion, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Julius Constantine Motal)
NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI found explosive materials in a Pennsylvania storage unit after two men were charged with bringing homemade bombs to a protest outside the home of New York City’s mayor, authorities said Tuesday.
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, told investigators after their arrests Saturday near Gracie Mansion in Manhattan that they were inspired by the Islamic State group, according to law enforcement officials and a criminal complaint. Both men are from the Philadelphia suburbs.
Much remained undisclosed about their motives, how much they planned and how they knew each other. Tests were being performed on some of the explosive devices recovered at the scene.
The FBI said Monday that it had conducted multiple searches in connection with the investigation. The police department in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania, said Tuesday that the FBI conducted controlled detonations of explosive materials found at a Public Storage facility in Langhorne, near where Balat’s family lives. Kayumi is from Newtown, about 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) north of Langhorne.
Residents “may have heard several loud bangs during the overnight hours,” the police department said in a Facebook post. “While the noise may have been startling to some residents, there was no danger to the public at any time.”
Balat’s lawyer has portrayed him as a confused teenager who didn’t know what he was doing.
Prosecutors, police and FBI officials say Balat and Kayumi drove to New York City on Saturday and joined a throng of counterprotesters at a small, anti-Muslim rally organized by the far-right Christian nationalist Jake Lang.
Journalists photographed Balat hurling a device, smoking with a lit fuse, that was later found to contain the explosive TATP. The object, which also contained nuts and bolts, extinguished itself without harming anyone.
Balat then dropped a second object near some police officers and tried to run, but was tackled and arrested, according to a court complaint.
Balat and Kayumi were being held without bail after a court appearance Monday on charges that include attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction. They were not required to enter a plea.
Balat’s lawyer, Mehdi Essmidi, said outside court that his client, a high school senior, had “complicated stuff going on” in his personal life.
“I believe he’s 18 and he doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing,” Essmidi said. He added that he didn’t believe Balat and Kayumi had known each other for long.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday there were no indications that the attack was connected to the ongoing war in Iran.
After Balat was arrested, police officers asked him whether he was aiming to accomplish something akin to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people.
“No, even bigger,” Balat replied, according to a criminal complaint.
(File Photo of Police Siren Lights)
Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News
(Aliquippa, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver reported via release today that twenty-six-year-old Tyron Malone was the suspect who escaped on foot from the scene of a domestic dispute at an Aliquippa apartment early this morning. Twenty-six-year-old Javen Alford of Aliquippa was stabbed by Malone at 12:28 a.m. at the Valley Terrace Building B, and twenty-two-year-old Alyssa Ashby of Aliquippa sustained injuries during a domestic incident at the same time. Alford was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital because he sustained a knife wound. The investigation into this incident is ongoing and charges against Malone are pending.