(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Eakin Howard, Eakin Howard, Imagn Images, Caption for Photo: March 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) goes to the basket against Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) during the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center.)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Fayetteville, AR) Former Lincoln Park standout basketball player and five-star recruit Meleek Thomas declared for the 2026 NBA Draft in a post on Instagram yesterday after spending his freshman season at the University of Arkansas. Thomas averaged 15.6 points per game, while shooting 43% from the field and 41% from the three-point line his first season with the Razorbacks. The 2026 NBA Draft will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on June 23rd and June 24th. As Thomas enters the draft, he is most likely to be a late first-round or early second-round selection after the most recent mock drafts. If he is selected in the first round, Thomas would become the third player in the Beaver Valley to be drafted in the opening round, joining Monaca graduate Brad Davis, who was drafted 15th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1977, and OLSH graduate and current Denver Nuggets small forward Cameron Johnson, who was selected 11th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves before he later joined the Phoenix Suns via trade. If Thomas is selected in this year’s draft, he would become the second consecutive Beaver Valley player drafted to an NBA team after Quaker Valley alum Adou Thiero was selected by the Brooklyn Nets and was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft at 36th overall. Moon Township native John Calipari also coached both Thomas and Thiero in college during his current stint as the head coach of the University of Arkansas. Thomas was ranked as one of the top high school prospects in the country when he played for Lincoln Park and helped the team capture back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA titles during his sophomore and junior seasons. He will maintain his collegiate eligibility if he undeclares for the draft by May 27th, 2026.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins’ Avery Hayes (85) and Philadelphia Flyers’ Jamie Drysdale (9) fight during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/ Gene J. Puskar)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Philadelphia, PA) The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs after the Flyers clinched their spot by defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in a shootout in Philadelphia last night. The Penguins return to the playoffs of the NHL for the first time since 2022 and the Flyers are back in it for the first time since 2020. The last time the Penguins won an NHL playoff series was when they played the Flyers in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which was ironically the last time the two teams met in the NHL postseason. The Penguins won the series 4-2.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes allowed one hit in six strong innings and Brandon Lowe homered for the third time in two games, driving in five runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates steamrolled the Washington Nationals 16-5 to begin a four-game series Monday night.

Skenes (3-1) struck out six and walked one, throwing a career-high 32 changeups among his 88 pitches while improving to 7-1 in his last 11 home starts. The only run he gave up came on a first-inning homer by CJ Abrams.

Lowe went 3 for 5 with a two-run single in the second and his sixth homer — a three-run shot in the Pirates’ 10-run sixth. He had a grand slam and a solo shot Sunday at Wrigley Field in a 7-6 loss to the Cubs.

Lowe became the first Pirates player to knock in at least five runs in consecutive games since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920.

Oneil Cruz reached base four straight times for Pittsburgh and went 2 for 3 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games. He had three RBIs and scored three runs.

Bryan Reynolds had a bases-loaded triple in the sixth and an RBI single in the second. He finished with three of the team’s 16 hits.

Pittsburgh has scored 38 runs in Skenes’ four starts this season after totaling 37 runs in his first 11 outings last year.

Skenes struck out three in the first, but Abrams hit a 99.5 mph fastball on a full count for his fifth home run and a 1-0 lead.

Cruz’s bases-loaded walk tied it in the second against Cade Cavalli (0-1) before Lowe’s two-run single and Reynolds’ run-scoring single chased the right-hander after he allowed four runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Spencer Horwitz hit his first homer of the season leading off the third against Paxton Schultz for a 5-1 advantage.

Konnor Griffin added an RBI single in Pittsburgh’s 10-run sixth.

José Urquidy allowed six hits and four runs, two on Jacob Young’s second homer, as the Nationals batted around in the seventh. Evan Sisk worked two innings and struck out the side on 10 pitches in the ninth to end it.

Position player Joey Wiemer pitched the eighth for the Nats and allowed Joey Bart’s sacrifice fly.

Up next

Nationals RHP Miles Mikolas (0-3, 12.41 ERA) starts Tuesday opposite Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (1-0, 1.00).

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Visit PA, in partnership with the PGA of America, is now launching a statewide ticket giveaway hosted locally by Visit Delco to provide residents from all 67 counties a chance to attend one of golf’s most prestigious events: the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Chester County. It is scheduled for May 11th–17th, 2026 and this event is one of golf’s four major tournaments. It is is expected to draw over 200,000 spectators to the region of Philadelphia and the Wanamaker Trophy will return to Aronimink Golf Club for the first time since 1962. Residents can visit: https://visitdelco.com/pga-giveaway/ by clicking here to enter for a chance to win. According to a release today from the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, here are more details about this giveaway:

The Details

• 268 Championship Tickets are being gifted to Pennsylvania residents across all 67 counties
• Two (2) tickets per winner, two (2) winners selected per county to attend on Monday, May 11, Tuesday, May 12 or Wednesday, May 13
• Practice round tickets include full access to the grounds and public grandstand seating
• Inclusive of food and non-alcoholic beverages at all concession venues
• Proof of residency required, if selected as a winner

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Tim Foli, left, and Phil Garner, the middle infield of the 1979 World Championship Pittsburgh Pirates team attend a pre-game ceremony remembering the team’s accomplishment 40 years ago before a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies in Pittsburgh, July 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

HOUSTON (AP) — Phil Garner, a three-time All-Star infielder who went on to manage the Houston Astros to their first World Series appearance, has died. He was 76.

Garner’s family issued a statement Sunday saying Garner died Saturday after a two-plus-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

“Phil never lost his signature spark of life,” Garner’s son, Ty, said in a statement. “He was so well known for his love for baseball, which was with him until the end.”

Nicknamed “Scrap Iron” for his blue-collar approach to the game, Garner had a 16-year playing career with the Oakland Athletics (1973-76), Pittsburgh Pirates (1977-81), Astros (1981-87), Los Angeles Dodgers (1987) and San Francisco Giants (1988).

He played 150 games and had an .800 OPS for Pittsburgh during the Pirates’ 1979 World Series championship season. He batted .417 in the NL Championship Series sweep of Cincinnati and hit .500 (12 for 24) in the World Series as the Pirates rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Baltimore.

Garner made All-Star teams with Oakland in 1976 and with Pittsburgh in 1980 and 1981.

“Phil Garner was a fierce competitor, a respected leader, and a cherished part of the Pirates family,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “His contributions to the 1979 World Series championship team will forever be part of Pirates history. We always appreciated welcoming Phil back to Pittsburgh, and it was evident how deeply this city, this team, his teammates, and our fans meant to him.

“He will be remembered not only for the grit, passion, and heart he brought to the game, but also for the way he carried himself as a devoted family man and respected member of the baseball community.”

Garner hit .260 with 109 homers, 738 RBIs and 225 steals in 1,860 regular-season games while being versatile enough to make more than 700 starts at both second base and third base.

Garner managed in the majors for 15 years, compiling a 985-1,054 record with Milwaukee (1992-99), Detroit (2000-02) and Houston (2004-07).

“When I got back into managing, he was the first person that I met in Houston and has introduced me to so many of my close friends,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who dedicated an 8-2 win over Miami to Garner and his family on Sunday. “When I got the job in Detroit, he reached out and talked to me about the city of Detroit and the fan base. Even though his time here didn’t go great, he was a big advocate for Detroit.”

Garner held the Brewers record for managerial wins until Craig Counsell surpassed him in 2022.

“He was a very highly respected and beloved individual who was known for his caring nature, wisdom and sense of humor,” the Brewers said in a statement.

Garner took over the Astros midway through the 2004 season after the firing of Jimy Williams and led them to a 48-26 record the rest of the way. They finished 92-70, beat Atlanta in the NL Division Series and wasted a 3-2 lead over St. Louis in the NL Championship Series.

Garner got the Astros to the World Series the following year. They bounced back from a 15-30 start to finish 89-73 and beat Atlanta in the NLDS and St. Louis in the NLCS before the Chicago White Sox swept them.

“Phil Garner’s contributions to the Houston Astros, the city of Houston and to the game of baseball will not be forgotten,” Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane said in a statement.

Garner was a Tennessee native who starred at the University of Tennessee, which retired his No. 18 in 2009.

“I genuinely appreciated Garner as a manager!!” former Tiger Brandon Inge wrote in a text message. “He really taught us how to play with a chip on our shoulders and not to back down to anyone or anything, no matter the circumstance!!! Thinking of his family, he’ll be missed!”

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson, left, scores past Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart during the seventh inning of a baseball game, in Chicago, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Busch ended an 0-for-30 slide with a tying, two-run single in the eighth inning and Carson Kelly had a winning single in the ninth as the Chicago Cubs overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6 on Sunday.

Brandon Lowe hit a grand slam and a solo homer off Jameson Taillon, and Oneil Cruz homered leading off the game for Pittsburgh, which led 5-0 before third-inning solo homers by Dansby Swanson and Moisés Ballesteros against Bubba Chandler.

Lowe’s fifth-inning homer boosted Pittsburgh’s lead to 6-2 but Chicago closed on Alex Bregman’s sacrifice fly in the bottom half. Swanson scored from third in the seventh on an infield fly by Bregman as Lowe, the second baseman, fell while catching the ball in short right field.

Busch, benched from the starting lineup, pinch hit for Matt Shaw with two outs in the eighth after a pair of walks by Justin Lawrence and looped an opposite-field single into short left that tied the score 6-6.

Pinch-hitter Michael Conforto doubled off Jose Urquidy (0-1) leading off the ninth and, with the bases loaded and one out, Kelly hit a 381-foot drive that landed on the right-center warning track.

Daniel Palencia (1-0) pitched around a walk in the ninth.

Chicago had been 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position before Busch’s single after going 1 of 23 in the previous two losses to Pittsburgh.

Taillon struck out 10, allowing six runs, six hits and two walks in six innings.

Lowe had his second multi-homer game this season.

Chicago placed reliever Hunter Henry on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday, with right triceps inflammation, and he became the eighth Cubs pitcher on the IL. Chicago selected the contract of left-hander Charlie Barnes from Triple-A Iowa. He has not appeared in a major league game since 2021.

Up next

Pirates: RHP Paul Skenes (2-1, 5.25) will be on the mound Monday at Pittsburgh, opposed by Washington RHP Cade Cavalli (0-0, 2.51).

Cubs: RHP Javier Assad (1-0, 0.00 ERA) starts Monday at Philadelphia, which starts Cristopher Sánchez (1-1, 1.65).

(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Visit Pittsburgh)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) PennDOT District 11 announced that several state-owned roadways will close for the 2026 NFL Draft in the City of Pittsburgh beginning today, and will remain closed for the duration of the Draft, unless otherwise noted. According to a recent release from PennDOT District 11, here is more information about these closures and where they are expected:

• The event is expected to be extremely well attended. PennDOT encourages fans to plan in advance and to take mass transit, which may be the most efficient way to travel between Draft events. A comprehensive transportation guide including public transportation, parking, road closures, and other travel information for the NFL Draft can be found at NFLDraftPittsburgh.com by clicking here. PennDOT also encourages drivers not attending Draft Week events to delay unnecessary travel to Pittsburgh or consider alternate routes around the city. Drivers should allow extra travel time, be patient, and remain calm and courteous.

The following state roadways and ramps will close to traffic, and drivers will be detoured according to the following schedule:

Monday, April 13 at approximately 8:00 PM:

• Southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to the North Shore (Exit 1B).

Monday, April 20 at approximately 8:00 PM:

• Northbound I-279 (Upper deck of the Fort Duquesne Bridge) left-hand ramp to the North Shore (Reedsdale Street – Exit 1B).

Monday, April 20 at approximately 10:00 PM:

• The I-279 and I-579 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes will close to traffic to accommodate emergency vehicle and bus traffic. All other vehicles will be prohibited. The HOV lanes will reopen to traffic Monday morning, April 27.

Wednesday, April 22 at approximately 8:00 PM:

• Southbound Route 65 ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge.
• Northbound I-279 (Fort Duquesne Bridge) ramp to northbound Route 65.
• 10^th Street Bypass ramp to the I-279 Portal Bridge.
• Eastbound I-376 ramp to Liberty Avenue (Exit 70A).
• Liberty Avenue to I-376 (Fort Pitt Bridge).
• Allegheny Avenue/Ridge Avenue/Reedsdale Street ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge.

The following detours will be in place:

Southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp the North Shore (Exit 1B)

• No detour route will be provided as all local roadways off the exit are closed to traffic. However, the ramp will reopen to traffic for specific Pirate games listed below.

Northbound I-279 (Upper deck of the Fort Duquesne Bridge) left-hand ramp to the North Shore (Reedsdale Street – Exit 1B)

• No detour route will be provided as all local roadways off the exit are closed to traffic.

Southbound Route 65 ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge

• From southbound Route 65, continue straight onto the ramp to North 28/North 279/Truck North 19
• Merge onto northbound I-279 (Parkway North)
• Take the Hazlett Street (Exit 3) off-ramp
• Turn left onto East Street
• Turn right onto the ramp to southbound I-279 at Venture Street
• Follow I-279 southbound back to the Fort Duquesne Bridge
• End detour

Northbound I-279 (Fort Duquesne Bridge) to northbound Route 65

• From the upper deck of the Fort Duquesne Bridge, continue to North 28/279
• From northbound I-279 (Parkway North), take the ramp to North 28 toward Chestnut Street/East Ohio Street/Etna (Exit 1D)
• From northbound Route 28, take the left-hand off-ramp to North 279 toward East Ohio Street
• At the traffic light, turn left onto East Ohio Street
• Turn left onto the ramp to southbound I-279
• From southbound I-279 take the ramp to North 65 toward Ohio River Boulevard (Exit 1C)
• End detour

10^th Street Bypass to the I-279 Portal Bridge

• From westbound 10^th Street Bypass, turn left onto Fort Duquesne Boulevard
• Turn left onto 9^th Street
• Turn right onto Liberty Avenue
• Turn left onto Stanwix Street
• Take the ramp to West 376 toward the Fort Pitt Bridge/Airport
• End detour

Eastbound I-376 ramp to Liberty Avenue (Exit 70A)

• From eastbound I-376, take the ramp to the Boulevard of the Allies/Liberty Bridge/PPG Arena (Exit 70A)
• Take the ramp to the Boulevard of the Allies
• Turn left onto Stanwix Street
• Follow Stanwix Street to Liberty Avenue
• End detour

Liberty Avenue to westbound I-376 (Fort Pitt Bridge)

• From Liberty Avenue, turn left onto Stanwix Street
• Take the ramp to West 376 toward the Fort Pitt Bridge/Airport
• End detour

Allegheny Avenue/Ridge Avenue/Reedsdale Street ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge

• No detour route will be provided as Allegheny Avenue and Reedsdale Street will be closed. Ridge Avenue will remain open. Drivers can access southbound Route 65 at the West End Bridge interchange.

Additional items of note:

• To accommodate Pittsburgh Pirates traffic, the southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to the North Shore (Exit 1B) will reopen and close each day from Friday through Sunday, April 17-19. The ramp will reopen to traffic accessing Red Garage 5 and Champions Garage approximately five hours before the first pitch and will then reclose one-half hour after the first pitch of each game.
• Line striping work is currently scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 18 on the northbound (upper deck) Fort Duquesne Bridge. The bridge will be reduced to two lanes of traffic during the work and the new two-lane traffic configuration will be implemented on Wednesday, April 22.
• The I-376 Fort Pitt Bridge sidewalk will close to pedestrian traffic on Wednesday, April 22.
• The northbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to northbound Route 28 (Ramp 1D) will be modified to two lanes of traffic.
• Lane restrictions will occur throughout the draft in both directions of the Portal Bridge which spans a portion of Point State Park.
• For those visiting Pittsburgh, the section of I-279 (Parkway North) just north of the Fort Duquesne Bridge is occasionally referred to as the North Shore Expressway.

 

• Significant congestion is expected to occur during this event. PennDOT encourages drivers not attending draft week events to delay unnecessary travel to Pittsburgh or consider alternate routes around the city.

CHICAGO (AP) — Yohan Ramírez escaped bases-loaded jams in the 10th and 11th innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates took advantage of a throwing error by Caleb Thielbar to score the go-ahead run in a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday that clinched the three-game series.

Alex Bregman’s RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning on an 0-2 pitch off Dennis Santana tied the score 3-3 but the NL Central-leading Pirates (9-5) rebounded and won for the eighth time in 10 games, improving to 2-0 this season in series against division rivals.

Oneil Cruz was 4 for 5 with a double, becoming the first Pittsburgh player with at least four hits and three stolen bases in a game since Matt Lawton on July 26, 2005, and Nick Yorke had three hits.

Chicago stranded 16 runners and went 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position. Michael Busch went 0 for 3 and is hitless in 30 at-bats.

Pittsburgh went ahead in the 11th when Brandon Lowe hit a two-out grounder to Thielbar (1-2), who bounced his throw to the infield side of first, and the ball bounced off Matt Shaw’s mitt for an error that allowed Mitt Gonzales to score from second. Lowe was credited with an infield single.

Ramírez got out of the 10th when Dansby Swanson grounded out. Then in the 11th, Ramírez threw wildly past first on Nico Hoerner’s leadoff comebacker for an error that advanced Swanson, the automatic runner, to third as Hoerner took second.

Matt Shaw flied out to medium right field, Bregman fouled out and an intentional walk to Ian Happ loaded the bases. Seiya Suzuki got ahead 3-0 in the count, tool a called strike and then fouled out.

Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft struck out a career-best nine in five innings while allowing a run on Hoerner’s fifth-inning RBI groundout, which cut the Cubs’ deficit to 3-1.

Cubs starter Edward Cabrera gave up three runs, eight hits and three walks in five innings.

Up Next

Pittsburgh RHP Bubba Chandler (0-1) and Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon (0-1) start Sunday.