ALIQUIPPA – A former city police chief will retire after settling a federal lawsuit filed against his employers.
Former Aliquippa Police Chief Donald Couch, who was demoted to sergeant last year following a two-year suspension, recently resolved his year-old lawsuit against the city.
Settlement terms were not publicly disclosed, but Couch, in a joint statement with the city, said he plans to retire from the Aliquippa Police Department after more than two decades.
“I truly appreciate the opportunity to have served the city and have met so many wonderful people,” Couch said. “I love the city residents, especially its youth, and wish them all my best.”
State lawmakers on Tuesday pitched new legislation to tighten fracking industry oversight and accountability standards.
Pennsylvania Senate Democrats, joined by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, said the package of bills was drafted in response to last year’s grand jury report on the unconventional oil and gas industry.
The bills would move drilling sites further away from homes, schools, hospitals and reservoirs and give the attorney general’s office original criminal jurisdiction over oil and gas companies by amending existing laws. Currently, the office can t prosecute environmental crimes without a referral from an agency with legal jurisdiction, lawmakers said, which is often time consuming.
DARLINGTON Firefighters are investigating the cause of a Monday blaze that destroyed a treasured Beaver County church.
Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, on Market Street in Darlington, was consumed by smoke and flames just after 5 a.m. Monday. Fire crews from Darlington, Chippewa Township, Beaver Falls, South Beaver and other nearby departments battled the fire for hours, closing Market Street.
Crews are still investigating the fire’s cause. No injuries were reported.
The building, located at 718 Market St., is likely a total loss following a roof collapse and extensive interior damage, authorities said. The fire destroyed the sanctuary, including a recently donated organ worth $70,000, parishioners said. Little Beaver Helping Hands held meetings at the decades-old church, too.
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DEP restores Beaver County Conservation District permitting power
INDEPENDENCE TWP. – A once-troubled conservation district is again authorized to issue certain construction permits two years after environmental regulators revoked those privileges.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on April 26 restored the Beaver County Conservation District’s Chapter 102 delegation, allowing the agency to oversee erosion and sediment control practices on earth-moving developments. The agreement gives local districts power to uphold particular environmental laws through permitting and inspections.
The DEP in August 2019 rescinded such power after an audit found the conservation district did not properly review permit applications, perform inspections, train staff or keep records. In a rare move, the DEP seized control of all erosion and sedimentation functions. Conservation district board members later voted to discontinue the Chapter 105 permitting program related t