(Beaver, Pa.) Krisinda Bright the Ambridge mother who is accused of shooting and killing her two children in their Ambridge home in February of this year has agreed to plead guilty to charges of first degree murder according to the Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier’s office.

Bright told police that she shot and killed her 22-year-old daughter Jasmine Cannady in an upstairs bedroom and then went to the basement and pointed the gun at 16 year-old Kiara Bright as she pled for her life and shot and killed her.

Bright will plead guilty to two counts of murder in the first degree next week. Each count comes with a life sentence.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

BEAVER, PA–After nearly two years of hearing about reassessment and theorizing about how much has happened, on December 8 the men behind the operation provided an update of their own.

A group of individuals from Tyler Technologies spoke at Wednesday’s Commissioners’ work session at the Beaver County Courthouse to showcase their progress up to this point, led by regional manager Kevin Rake.

“We have 92,000 properties to visit,” Rake said. “[and] we have visited 91% of residential properties, and 100% of commercial properties…save for a few ‘straggling’ properties.”

Rake mentioned that the reassessment phase of the actual property inspection should wrap up in early 2022 during either January or February. After that, it’ll be time for the next step of the process, which gives citizens their chances to review and respond.

“What we’ll do after the first of year is mail to each property owner a report known as a ‘day-mailer’ to outline information we have on record for that property,” Rake added. “And it’ll give the opportunity to the property owner to review that record. If they have anything they want revised, they will mark on that and send it back to us either by mail or by website, which we’re working on.”

The Commissioners will hold a public meeting on Thursday at 10 AM in the public meeting room.

(File Photo)

Wednesday December 8, 2021 at 10:16 AM

With a smooth start to holiday travel season, TSA provides tips for less stress travel
Sign up for TSA PreCheck® today to travel with ease later this month

WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened just under 21 million travelers during the 10-day Thanksgiving holiday. The agency expects high travel volumes into the December holidays and encourages passengers planning to travel this holiday season to sign up for TSA PreCheck® to provide more convenience and save time at the airport.

“We see a strengthening in the airline travel industry toward pre-pandemic levels and our goal is to ensure you as the passenger have a safe and secure flight,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “We work hard with our airport and airline partners to achieve this by ensuring screening operations meet the upcoming demand. I also want to thank our Transportation Security Officers across the country who, each and every day, meet the travel volume demand and help keep airport screening lanes moving to ensure millions of passengers arrive at their destinations safely.”

Holiday travelers may enjoy a smoother screening process by enrolling in TSA PreCheck. Members of the trusted traveler program do not have to remove their shoes, belts, 3-1-1 liquids, laptops, or light jackets. In November, 94% of members waited less than 5 minutes. Those who apply today will likely have their application accepted within 5 days, just in time for the holidays.

The application process is a simple two-step process, which can be started online and at home. 1) Apply online and schedule an appointment at any of the more than 400 enrollment centers. 2) Attend a 10-minute or less in-person appointment that includes fingerprinting for a background check and a payment of $85 for the 5-year membership. Many credit cards and loyalty programs also reimburse the application fees. Travelers whose membership expired can renew their membership online for $70 before the holidays at TSA.gov/PreCheck.

In order to keep screening lanes moving quickly throughout the holiday season, travelers should:

• Be flexible. Airports have rush hours too. If you want to avoid normal airport rush hours, which are normally between 5-7 a.m. or 4-6 p.m., consider booking your flight outside of those hours. Check all carriers, as they might have other flight options.
• Pack smart by contacting TSA or visiting our What Can I Bring page before you leave you home.
• Arrive early at the security checkpoint: two hours for domestic or three hours for international flights.
• Follow signs and verbal direction provided by our Transportation Security Officers (TSO) to help keep screening lanes moving.
• Be patient and considerate of others. Our TSOs are working as fast as they can and many travelers are flying for the first time since the pandemic began. In an effort to remind passengers to show gratitude and practice patience with others while traveling, TSA worked with its partners in the development of this Public Service Announcement about the Gift of Travel.
• Avoid fines by properly packing your firearm and respecting our officers, flight crew and other frontline workers. Firearms are prohibited at the checkpoint and in carry-on luggage.
• Join TSA PreCheck or renew your existing membership here before the holidays.

Firearms found at TSA airport security checkpoints continue to trend higher. This year, TSA officers have stopped more than 5,000 firearms at checkpoints – a 20-year record – ensuring they didn’t make it into the airport’s secure area and the passenger cabin of aircraft. Over 85% of firearms are loaded. In some cases, local law enforcement confiscates firearms at checkpoints and arrests those in possession of a firearm at a TSA checkpoint. TSA fines passengers caught with firearms at checkpoints up to $13,910 and suspends their TSA PreCheck membership benefits.

Airline passengers traveling with a firearm must properly pack it in checked baggage and declare it to their airline.

Since March 2020, TSA has dramatically modified airport security checkpoint operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to improve social distancing and reduce physical contact. These operational modifications continue in an effort to contain the virus, including the new Omicron variant. These changes include upgraded screening and credential authentication equipment at many airports to help reduce physical contact. The face mask requirement currently in place across the nation’s transportation systems is extended through March 18, 2022 and aligns with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.

In accordance with the President’s Executive Order requiring federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID, 93% of the TSA workforce is in compliance with the vaccine and exemption requirements. About 86% are either partially or fully vaccinated and TSA will continue to work diligently with those who have submitted exemption requests.

Airline travelers may contact TSA directly before their flight with questions on airport screening. General questions can be answered by submitting a question directly to @AskTSA on Twitter and Facebook or by calling (866) 289-9673 between the hours of 8am-11pm Eastern on weekdays or 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekend/holidays. For individuals with special needs, TSA Cares is available via email here or by calling (855) 787-2227 on weekdays between 8am-11pm or during weekends/holidays between 9 a.m.-8 p.m. EST.

For more information on traveling safely during the holiday season, please visit www.tsa.gov.

(File Photo)
Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano
(Hopewell, Pa.) The Hopewell School Board had their annual reorganization meeting on Monday night and  Beaver County Court of Common Pleas Judge Dale Fouse  swore in  six Hopewell  School Board members  prior to the board’s meeting. David Bufalini, Jeannette Miller, Bethany Pistorius, Dan Santia, Jeffrey Winkle, and Lindsay Zupsic.

(File Photo)
Story by Frank Sparks News/Program Director
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) A Beaver Falls Man has been sentenced to 25 to 37 months in jail after he lied about buying four 9 MM Taurus pistols from the Rural King Store at the Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca.

Calvin Brady Jr. went to the Rural King with two other men on December 12, 2020 and bought the four pistols along with extended magazines. He told the store employee that he was buying the guns for himself.

The next day, New Jersey State Police arrested the two men that were with Brady when he purchased the guns after a high speed chase. During the chase the men threw three guns out of the vehicle. The guns were found by officers and traced back to Brady purchasing them at the Rural King Store.

Store video showed the men with Brady at the store and Police charged Brady with lying to them.

Brady will now serve 25 to 37 months behind bars, serve a period of probation after release, and also pay a fine.

Keystone State News Connection

December 8, 2021
Report: Child-Abuse Cases in PA Rose in 2020
Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With kids stuck at home early in the pandemic, a new report said child-abuse cases decreased in 2020, but children’s advocates say it is likely a result of the abuse going undocumented, and there is work to be done to better respond to children’s needs during a public-health crisis.

Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s annual State of Child Welfare report showed nearly 33,000 fewer cases of child abuse or neglect in 2020 than the previous year, a 22% decrease. But this year, the number of abuse cases investigated and substantiated was at its highest in the last five years.

Rachel Miller, policy director at Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said it is cause for concern.

“As stay-at-home orders were implemented, children were moved to virtual learning and having less contact with those mandated reporters, such as teachers or medical professionals,” Miller explained. “And we saw a direct correlation to a significant decrease in mandated reporting trends.”

Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS) data from 2021 on child-abuse reports, investigations, and foster care will not be available until 2022. Miller predicts the state will likely see an increase in kids entering foster care or staying longer in the system as a result of mandated reporting making a comeback.

The report also included policy recommendations, such as investing in the Child Protective Services workforce, which has seen high turnover due to low pay and burnout exacerbated by the pandemic.

Miller argued the skilled workers are critical to preventing child abuse and intervening when abuse is detected.

“Child-welfare staff are essential employees,” Miller contended. “Those staff shortages lead to workers carrying high caseloads where they can barely do the bare minimum, let alone meet any of the other important outcomes for children like conducting thorough investigations, preventing placement and ensuring permanency.”

She added the Pennsylvania Partnerships report has been shared with DHS. Other recommendations included creating a statewide case management system and addressing racial inequity in child protective services and foster care.

(File Photo)

Wednesday December 8, 2021 at 7:01 AM
HARRISBURG – Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), chairman of the House State Government Committee, is thanking Pennsylvanians for their input to date on Pennsylvania’s future congressional districts.
“Thank you to every resident who submitted a statewide map for consideration, shared about their community of interest or took the time to comment on the 2018 Supreme Court map with our online mapping tool,” Grove said. “Your involvement in this once-in-a-decade process has been very much appreciated, and we look forward to requesting more public input as we move forward in this process.”
For the last several months, residents were invited to use the website’s online mapping tool to identify communities of interest and comment on the current congressional map drawn by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2018. In recent weeks, residents were also able to submit verified statewide maps for consideration.
Using the online tool, Pennsylvanians identified 134 communities of interest, provided 153 comments on the current map and submitted 19 verified statewide maps for consideration. While the window for providing input into map development is closed, residents are encouraged to view publicly submitted maps, communities of interest and comments by visiting www.paredistricting.com/input.
“People from all walks of life and from every corner of our Commonwealth took the time to engage in this process,” Grove said. “Whether they testified at one of our regional hearings or submitted their feedback online, their input has been invaluable to the committee as we’ve embarked on the most open and transparent congressional redistricting effort in Pennsylvania history.”
To ensure public input was top priority in this unprecedented process, the House State Government Committee, which is tasked with creating new congressional district maps, also held 12 hearings, including eight regional hearings in various parts of the state to receive input from residents. To watch or read testimony from one of the previously held hearings, residents should visit www.paredistricting.com/hearingschedule.

(File Photo)

Story by Frank Sparks News/Program Director 

Wednesday, January 8, 2021

(New Brighton, Pa.) The New Brighton Are School Board held their annual Reorganization Meeting on Monday, December 6, 2021 and set their meeting dates for 2022. The Board will hold Committee Meetings the 2nd Monday and Voting Meetings the 4th Monday of each month

All meetings will be held in the High School Little Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

On January 3, 2022 their will be the Committee Meeting and a Special Voting meeting for the purpose of, but not limited to, appointment of a School Board Member, immediately followed by the Committee Meeting. There will not be a meeting on January 10, 2021.
There will be no meetings in scheduled in July and the board will hold a special meeting on August 8, 2022 regarding personnel followed by a committee meeting. There will only be one meeting in November and they will hold a reorganization meeting on December 5, 2022.

The voting on the Proposed Final Budget will be on May 23, 2022 and the final vote will be held on June 27, 2022. The budget will be available for public review during regular business hours in the District Administration Office on June 1, 2022.

The Board of Directors has completed a Superintendent Performance Evaluation for Dr. Joseph A. Guarino and his performance rating was proficient or distinguished across all categories.