(File Photo)

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that they conducted a traffic stop on a 2007 Lexus ES350 in the area of Davidson and 18th Streets in Aliquippa Sunday afternoon at 4:30 PM.
During the traffic stop it was learned the the driver of the vehicle 34-year-old Jamie Turner of Aliquippa has and active warrant for his arrest. Troopers reported that they attempted to take Turner into custody and he tried to flee on foot. The Trooper conducting the traffic stop was able to contain Turner and he resisted arrest and failed to comply with numerous commands to stop resisting. Turner was eventually taken into custody and was found to be in possession of a small amount of Marijuana. Troopers said that charges have been filed at District Court 36-3-04.

(File Photo) 

(File Photo)
Gas prices are stable in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.701 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

This week’s average prices: Western Pennsylvania Average                $4.701
Average price during the week of May 23, 2022                                      $4.700
Average price during the week of June 1, 2021                                       $3.177

The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in various areas:      

$4.758      Altoona
$4.699      Beaver
$4.702      Bradford
$4.669      Brookville
$4.709      Butler
$4.734      Clarion
$4.699      DuBois
$4.677      Erie
$4.692      Greensburg
$4.698      Indiana
$4.687      Jeannette
$4.741      Kittanning
$4.699      Latrobe
$4.696      Meadville
$4.756      Mercer
$4.681      New Castle
$4.699      New Kensington
$4.699      Oil City
$4.693      Pittsburgh
$4.659      Sharon
$4.689      Uniontown
$4.699      Warren
$4.692      Washington

Trend Analysis:

The national average for a gallon of gas rose less than three cents over the past week to reach $4.62. However, the price of crude oil, which accounts for more than 50 percent of the cost of a gallon of gas, has now moved above $115 a barrel. This is due to fears of further global supply constraints as European Union (EU) leaders announced yesterday they will ban 90 percent of Russian oil imports by the end of 2022. Crude prices also increased last week after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that domestic crude supply decreased by 1 million barrels to 419.8 million barrels. The current level is approximately 13.3 percent lower than during the third week of May 2021.

Even though gasoline demand was lower last week, domestic demand may start to climb again as drivers fuel up for the three-month-long summer travel season, which began this Memorial Day weekend. AAA forecast nearly 35 million travelers hit the road for Memorial Day, the highest number since 2019, despite record prices at the gas pump. The pent-up urge to travel caused by the pandemic has outweighed high pump prices for many consumers. But 67% of drivers recently surveyed told AAA they would change their driving habits if gas hit $4.50 a gallon. That number rises to 75% at $5 a gallon.

According to EIA data, total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 500,000 barrels to 219.7 million barrels last week. Gasoline demand also dipped from 9 million barrels per day to 8.8 million barrels per day, approximately 700,000 barrels per day lower than a year ago.

Today’s national average for a gallon of gas is 45 cents more than a month ago and $1.58 more than a year ago.

Motorists can find current gas prices nationwide, statewide, and countywide at GasPrices.AAA.com.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 72 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Bill Cosby is again facing sex abuse allegations in court as a civil trial begins in California. Opening statements are Wednesday in the trial stemming from the lawsuit of 64-year-old Judy Huth, who alleges Cosby forced her to perform a sex act at the Playboy Mansion in 1975 when she was 16 years old. Huth’s attorneys will outline the evidence they plan to present, which includes the testimony of Huth. Cosby’s attorneys, who say no sexual abuse happened, are likely to emphasize that the burden of proving the nearly 50-year-old case lies entirely with the plaintiffs. Cosby’s representatives say the comedian is not likely to attend the trial because glaucoma has left him blind.

Keystone State News Connection

June 1, 2022

Available files: mp3 wav jpg

Emily Scott

A campaign this month is challenging Pennsylvanians to learn about the health of their soil and neighborhood microbes by planting underwear in their farms or gardens.

The Soil Your Undies campaign invites residents to bury a pair of 100% cotton underwear, which can help visualize soil quality over time.

Kelly O’Neill, Pennsylvania agriculture policy analyst for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which is helping organize the event, said residents can dig up the underwear after 60 days and report their findings. O’Neill said microbes in the soil will break down the cotton fibers over time – and the more thoroughly it has decomposed, the healthier the soil.

“We’ll be able to see the links between how soil is managed in lots of different locations – farm fields, suburban lawns, playgrounds gardens – see how the soils, that are managed in all those different ways, are contributing to different levels of underwear degradation,” she said.

O’Neill said the underwear should be planted about three to four inches deep. Participants should take a “before” photo prior to covering up their planting site. Other campaign collaborators include the Pennsylvania Soil Health Coalition, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and many others. Residents can sign up for the challenge at pasoilhealth.org/soilyourundies.

O’Neill said the campaign can serve as an educational opportunity for people to understand the beneficial effects of high-quality soil. It can help prevent runoff and pollution into local waterways, along with serious flooding. She said there are small things almost anyone can do to improve soil health.

“For farmers, it would be cover crops, integrated pest management so fewer chemical pesticides are applied,” she said. “For lawns and gardens, limited chemical application to help maintain some of the natural biodiversity.”

O’Neill said using organic material, like compost or dry manure, can be a helpful nutrient source for garden soil health. Once the “after” photos are submitted, the challenge partners will share tips for participants on how to improve soil quality based on what they found.

Keystone State News Connection

June 1, 2022

by Mary Schuermann Kuhlman

“Sen. Toomey, save our kids.” That was the message from a group of teachers, students, parents and community leaders outside the Pittsburgh office of U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., on Tuesday.

In the wake of last week’s Uvalde, Texas, massacre – the 27th school shooting so far this year – the American Federation of Teachers is demanding action on gun safety as part of a new campaign.

Arthur Steinberg, president of AFT Pennsylvania, contended that gun violence is a public-health crisis that is largely being ignored by lawmakers.

“What I see mostly,” he said, “is resistance on the part of the far right to enact anything that will help make people safe and will avoid our kids being slaughtered when they go to school.”

Toomey backed failed background-check legislation in 2013 and recently has indicated he still would support that measure. Opponents of gun restrictions have cited violation of Second Amendment liberties, and some Republicans are pushing for improved school security and mental-health services instead.

At Tuesday’s vigil, David Hogg, a student survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting who founded March for Our Lives, called for people from both sides of the aisle to work together to prevent firearms from getting into the hands of people with bad intentions.

“The shooter in Parkland was not a criminal mastermind; the shooter in Buffalo was not a criminal mastermind; the shooter in Texas was not a criminal mastermind,” he said. “These were barely adults – they were 18- and 19-year-olds, who waited until they were old enough to buy an AR-15 legally and did so.”

The AFT is urging federal lawmakers to enact basic reforms that include expanded background checks, red-flag laws and safe-storage provisions. Steinberg argued these are not “fringe” ideas.

“Eighty-eight percent of the people polled in the United States support requiring background checks for gun purchases; 57% support banning assault rifles,” he said. “Most of the country agrees on these common-sense solutions to this scourge.”

(Crescent Twp., Allegheny County, Pa.) Officials are investigating after a fire broke out last night at Iron City Express Trucking in Crescent Township.
As crews from multiple departments throughout the area arrived on the scene they could see flames and hear explosions inside the facility.
The fire was in a large steel building and combined with the high air temperatures it was a very hot fire that was trying on first responders.
Tires at the rear of the building that caught fire caused the crews issues with being able to see as they entered the building to fight the fire. Water supply was also an issue that first responders had to battle through. One firefighter suffered a minor neck injury from a collapsed door and was treated and released at a local hospital.
There is no word on what might of caused the fire as crews continue to investigate.

(File Photo)

Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio

(West Aliquippa, Pa.)  Beaver County DA David J. Lozier reported that beginning in February of this year jail guards at the Beaver County Jail began finding drug paraphernalia,, cigarettes, needles, suboxone and marijuana among inmates. Lozier said that jail personnel were interviewed and 3 jail guards were identified for bringing contraband into the jail, and being paid through a Cash App., which all three had.
Three now former jail guards have been charged. those charged are Raphael Abercrombie with obstructing the administration of law or other governmental functions, a misdemeanor.
Richard Suman, Jr. and Erin Huff were also charged with supplying contraband/controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility, manufacturing , delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, obstructing the administration of law or government functions. Suman and Huff are also charged with 1 count of intentionally possessing or control of counterfeit substances by a person not regularly registered. All three have either resigned or been fired by the county according to Lozier.

(Photo of Donna Lee Siple provided with release)

(Beaver, Pa.) The Beaver County Chamber of  Commerce Board of Directors has officially announced the hiring of Donna Lee Siple as President of the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce effective Wednesday, June 1, 2022.

Siple joins the Chamber staff as a former Chief Executive Officer of
the Japan-America Society of Tennessee and the Japan-America
Society of Pennsylvania. Siple is a proven non-profit executive with
a strong track record of building mutually beneficial relationships
through fundraising, event management, marketing and
communications. She is skilled in organizational leadership,
business development, strategic planning execution and evaluation.
Siple is results-driven and collaborative in leading businesses and
non-profit organizations to achieve dynamic goal fulfillment.
“We are delighted to have Donna Lee as our new President. She brings with her not just a solid leadership background, but a true love for helping Beaver County to thrive. The Board looks forward to her building strong relationships with not just our members, but the community as a whole” said Beaver County Chamber Board of Directors Chairperson, Brittney Golden.

Siple currently resides in Beaver, PA with her husband, Sam. She is looking forward to
furthering the Chamber’s mission of leading and advocating for economic growth and
community vitality, through collaboration, networking and education, in order to foster the best, most diverse and inclusive environment for our members.
Siple will begin work on Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Those who wish to meet her can attend the Free Member Meet & Greet & Chamber 50th Year Open House on Thursday, June 2 at the Chamber office from 9:00am-2:00pm.

Throughout its history, the Chamber has been a leading advocate for business and economic development. For more information on the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce, you can visit the Chamber’s website at www.bcchamber.com, or call the Chamber at 724-775-3944.