(File Photo of Gov. Wolf provided by Pa Media Services)

(Harrisburg, Pa.) Governor Tom Wolf announced that 70 municipalities in the state will receive over $37.8 million to support traffic signal upgrades, increasing safety and mobility across Pennsylvania’s communities through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT’s) “Green Light-Go” program.
Gov Wolf said via release that “The safety improvements supported by the Green Light-Go program help municipalities relieve congestion and traffic flow, as well as keep Pennsylvanians moving safely and efficiently,” said Governor Wolf. “I’m proud to help our communities improve mobility for Pennsylvanians.”
Locally Moon Township will receive $156,469 for upgrades to the traffic signal at Beaver Grade Road and Coraopolis Heights Road;
Neville Township – $278,058 for upgrades to the traffic signal at Grand Avenue and Gibson Lane;
North Fayette Township – $133,403 for upgrades to the traffic signal at McKee Road and PTC Road

(File Photo of Lawrence County Courthouse)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced that Lawrence County has been officially designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy.
According to Chung, Lawrence County is being utilized by multi-jurisdictional drug traffickers as a destination for the large-scale distribution of controlled substances into Lawrence and the surrounding counties in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The large number of illegal drug users, the network of bisecting highways and interstates, and a perceived lack of sanctions against drug traffickers has made Lawrence County an easy and attractive target for Drug Trafficking Organizations.
Lawrence joins five other western Pennsylvania counties – Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, Westmoreland, and Erie – in receiving dedicated federal resources to coordinate federal, state, and local governments to fight drug trafficking and abuse.

(AP Photo/Bradley C. Bower, File)

(Pittsburgh, pa.) 54-year-old Amy Snow of Butler has pleaded guilty to one count of Theft of Government Funds before Chief United States District Judge Mark R. Hornak.
According to information presented to the court, from Aug. 7, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2017, Snow falsely reported to the Social Security Administration that her spouse was not a member of her household knowing that his status as a member of the household and his income would affect her entitlement to Social Security Income benefits. The amount of loss suffered by the Social Security Administration by reason of Snow’s theft was $45,422.61.
Sentencing will be scheduled by the court. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

(File Photo of Federal Court in Pittsburgh)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) 50-year-old Cadee Akins Sr. formerly of Monaca was sentenced yesterday in federal in court to 15 years of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release on his conviction of violating federal narcotics laws.
United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon imposed the sentence on Akins. According to information presented to the court, he conspired to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 280 grams or more of cocaine base. The investigation revealed that from November 2017 to September 2020, the defendant distributed cocaine to multiple individuals who in turn distributed cocaine to lower-level dealers and end users. Additionally, during a July 2019 traffic stop, law enforcement seized two kilograms of cocaine from the defendant, who was operating a rental vehicle. In a subsequent traffic stop in March 2022, law enforcement seized approximately $50,600 in drug proceeds from the defendant.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Aguilar hit a tying single and scored the winning run on a wild pitch as the Miami Marlins rallied for three runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4. The loss snapped the Pirates’ four-game winning streak. Pittsburgh last won five straight in April 2019. Jon Berti hit an RBI single that trimmed Miami’s deficit to 4-3. Aguilar followed with a one-out RBI single against All-Star closer David Bednar. One out later, the first pitch from Bednar to Jesús Sánchez got past catcher Jason Delay, scoring Aguilar. Zach Pop allowed Daniel Vogelbach’s RBI groundout and Ke’Bryan Hayes’ run-scoring single that put the Pirates ahead 4-2 in the top of the 10th.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

While amusement parks are operating their rides for the summertime, the Beaver County Commissioners rode a bit of a roller-coaster of their own at Wednesday’s work session.

The high point of the meeting was a disclosure by controller Maria Longo in regards to the financial audit review of Beaver County in 2021. Among the positives:

• Treasurer’s office collected an increase of $2 million in taxes for 2021 compared to 2020
• Overall debt lowered by $8.8 million
• Pension 100% funded
• $3.8 million General Fund revenues over expenses

The full list of numbers can be found in a document located at the Beaver County website, along with past reports.

On the downward slope, however, was the encouraging news regarding the staffing of essential services in Beaver County. Commissioner Jack Manning had attended a safety meeting earlier in the day, and came away concerned about the current state of affairs.

“We have police departments down to minimum staffing numbers…we have some fire departments that can’t respond,” Manning lamented. “One police chief called me and said that he was waiting 45 minutes for an ambulance to show up in his township. I talked to the Medic Rescue people, and they’re 30 drivers short.” Manning cited a lack of competitive wages and general lack of interest in those positions.

“I don’t know what we do,” Manning added. “It’s a municipal-by-municipal issue, but again we have an overall responsibility for the health and safety of Beaver County residents.”

The next work session is scheduled for July 20 at 10:00 AM at the Beaver County Courthouse.

 

(Photos Provided with release by Beaver County Humane Society)

(Center Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) The Beaver County Humane Society said via release that they rescued 11 Dogs from deplorable conditions in a Beaver Falls residence on Tuesday afternoon.
The release stated that Beaver County Humane Society Humane Officers were called by the Beaver Falls Police Department after they received a call about a dog running at
large. Neighbors identified the dog and provided information that led the police
to the Beaver Falls residence. Upon arriving at the property, three of the dogs
were seen standing on the windowsill of a second story open window.
Officers said that all of the animals lacked access to clean water, dirty food was strewn around, there were feces, urine, and trash covering the floors; and flies were swarming around the animals.

“It was clear to our officers that these animals needed to be immediately removed from the filthy environment where they were living so they could receive medical treatment and care,” commented Susan Salyards, Executive Director of the Beaver County Humane Society.
“A number of the dogs were dehydrated, underweight, and are suffering from medical
issues including overgrown nails and dirty coats with fecal staining and a stale odor of urine.”
In addition to the filthy living conditions, several animal carcasses, including the decaying body of a dog, were also found at the residence.
“Brittany Sanner and Essence Jackson were arrested and charged with six felonies for
aggravated cruelty to animals, 11 misdemeanors for cruelty to animals, and 11
misdemeanors for neglect of an animal living in unsanitary conditions,” Salyards said.
The good news is that most, if not all, of the animals are expected to fully recover. The bad news is that the Humane Society is bursting at the seams, especially
with homeless dogs.
These animals are not available for immediate adoption as they are being medically
evaluated. “The need is going to be ongoing. Over the next week or two, our team will
be doing medical and behavior evaluations of all the animals taken in,” Salyards said.
The mother dog and three newborn puppies are being sent to foster care.Salyard’s said that “This confiscation comes at one of Beaver County Humane Society’s busiest times and they are  accepting all of the help they can get. Salyard’s said the Humane Society is glad to provide these vital services as our way of serving the community, but humane cases are taxing on financial resources. Monetary donations to the TLC Fund are urgently needed to cover the costs for these extra animals; however, donations of dog and puppy food (Purina One or any meat-based food) and supplies for the ferret are always welcome.
The Humane Society is averaging $150/dog in vet care and that does not include those who need bloodwork, X-rays, dentals, biopsies, etc. It also does not include daily costs, which currently run about $50/day,” reported Salyards
Other ways to help include becoming a volunteer or a temporary foster home; anyone interested should visit their web site. Donations can be made to the shelter at https://beavercountyhumanesociety.org
Salyard’s said the BCHS thanks the Beaver Falls Police and Code Enforcement Departments for their incredible teamwork and collaboration with our humane society police officers.