(Photo and Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio) 

(Ambridge, Pa.) Jake  Turner and Lawrence Charlton were approved by Ambridge Council at Tuesday night’s meeting. Jake Turner’s starting date is September 6, 2022, Charlton will begin his duties on January 2, 2023. Fire Chief Donnie Larrick, Jr. introduced the officers to the  council and the citizens present.

(Gov Wolf signing the Budget, Photo Courtesy of Pa Media Services)
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf and lawmakers have wrapped up a budget package nearly two weeks late, approving billions of dollars in new spending, tax breaks for businesses and substantial sums for public schools. The package caps the eighth and final budget for the Democratic governor. Pennsylvania is in its best fiscal position in years, with the state treasury benefiting from federal coronavirus subsidies. Wolf secured big new subsidies for public schools, perhaps his top priority as governor. Pennsylvanians won’t see a cut in income or sales taxes. But Wolf and lawmakers are cutting the corporate net income tax rate, one of the nation’s highest.

(File Photo)

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s elections agency is suing three Republican-controlled county governments to force their election boards to report primary results to include ballots with undated exterior envelopes. The Department of State on Tuesday sued Lancaster, Berks and Fayette in Commonwealth Court. The complaint describes them as “outlier counties” that have not properly certified vote tallies in the May 17 election that included nominating contests for U.S. Senate, governor and most of the Legislature. The department wants an order forcing the three counties to include in their primary election tallies all absentee and mail-in voters, “even if the voter failed to write a date on the declaration printed on the ballot’s return envelope.”

(Mt. Lebanon, Pa.) A Mt. Lebanon school board member resigned after he was arrested on a child sex charge in Florida last week. According to the school districts website Andrew Freeman resigned on Saturday.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reported that a 17-year-old girl said she was on vacation in the Davenport area with family and friends, including Freeman, when he sexually assaulted her on July 4, 2022.
When Freeman was initially questioned by officers he denied the allegations. Investigators said that he eventually admitted to assaulting the victim, saying that “mistakes were made.”
Freeman is being charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a second degree felony.

(File Photo)

(Bellevue, Pa.) Pa State police are reporting that a wrong-way driver was pulled over on the Parkway North a little before 3 a.m. near mile-marker 6, in the area of Bellevue-West View.
Thankfully there were no injuries and police describe the incident as a traffic stop.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

MIAMI (AP) — Rookie Oneil Cruz hit a tiebreaking RBI triple and Jake Marisnick homered for the second straight game, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Miami Marlins 3-2. Diego Castillo had two hits for the Pirates in their fourth straight victory. Pittsburgh is 14-6 against Miami since 2018. Dillon Peters got the win with 2 2/3 innings of one-run relief. Cruz made it 2-1 when he tripled home Castillo in the fifth. Cruz then scored on Jason Delay’s single against Daniel Castano.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Evgeni Malkin is staying in Pittsburgh after all. The Penguins and the Russian star have agreed to a four-year deal that will pay Malkin $6.1 million annually. The two sides reached an agreement just hours before the three-time Stanley Cup-winning center was set to become a free agent for the first time in his career. Instead, the 35-year-old Malkin will remain alongside longtime teammates Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang as the trio head into their late 30s. Letang and the Penguins agreed to a six-year contract last week.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, the Beaver Falls City Council heard a presentation from Connor Haney of The Reclaim Project, a non-profit organization set to help lower recidivism in Beaver County through a re-entry employment program. Nearly a dozen houses that haven’t had taxes paid on them–and are now in the hands of the county itself–are being sought after by The Reclaim Project.

“What we are asking is that the city of Beaver Falls purchase these houses,” Haney said, “and then–through the grant that we have received–once Beaver Falls’ ownership efforts after signing a deed to that house, the county will be able to send a check to you guys that we will then invoice you for minus the cost of the house so that–in the end–the house will cost Beaver Falls nothing. The grant will take care of that.”

Haney also mentioned that the buildings that would be claimed by the city at no charge would not be demolished, but deconstructed. Mayor Kenya Johns thanked Haney for the presentation and his efforts with city manager Charles Jones and fire chief Mark Stowe. The decision on buying the houses was not voted on at the meeting.

Also from the city council meeting:

• Two repository purchases were made to Jacques Pope on 7th Street and ELMM Enterprises, LLC on 3rd Avenue
• A pair of city block parties were set in motion; a Unity For Community basketball tournament on July 31, and a CDC block party on August 2
• A positive update from Fire Chief Mark Stowe on the rescue of two dogs from the fire on College Hill on Monday, including new firefighters who helped with the previously heavier workload by a shorter staff

The next city council meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 26 at the City Building at 7:00 PM.